Supporting the Wilsons
Serving the Lord is definitely a privilege and a blessing. Although it can sometimes be scary, we trust the Lord to provide for us. Our family lives on the funds given by people like you, who allow the Lord to use them to meet our needs in a special way. Because we are not "tentmakers," working to support ourselves, we are able to dedicate all of our time to our ministry, rather than having our focus divided. One of the blessings of raising missionary support is that we are able to see God's hand at work to meet our needs on a regular basis- that also helps serve as confirmation to us that He wants us here serving Him in ministry. We like that He keeps us dependent upon Him. We also count it a privilege to have a team that shares in our ministry and that we are be able to share with them all that God is doing through our ministry and to remind them that they have a part in that ministry. We are grateful to all who help support through regular giving and/or special one-time gifts!!!
Through the years we've been blessed by many contributions, both big and small. Some people have said, "I don't have much, can $10 a month make a difference?" Honestly, yes, it can! It can make a huge difference! For example that can cover the natural gas we use for our oven, dryer, and hot water heater for one month. We are grateful for any assistance you can give us, whether regularly or a one-time gift, it's a great blessing to us!
If you would like to become part of our regular support team, please let us know so we can send you a donation form to get you started. After sending in a gift, Ripe for Harvest will send you a receipt and will also let you know of your year-to-date giving. As part of our regular support team, you may give monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Just let us know which you prefer and we'll be glad to send you a reminder with an update on us as well.
There are two types of gifts we can receive. All tax deductible gifts or money for our regular monthly expenses needs to go through Ripe for Harvest, our missionary sending agency (with our account number 221 written in the memo - or we won't receive your gift!). Special personal gifts (non-tax deductible) may be sent to Monte's father in the US, where he deposits it directly in our personal account. Please do not ever send money to Bolivia as it will most likely never make it and we have no way of cashing checks here in Bolivia (not even traveler's checks).
***Please note we are currently only receiving between 40-50% of our current support need. The Lord has been faithful in getting us through, but we are really in great need financially. Please pray for the Lord's continued provision. We are barely making ends meet now, so please pray that the Lord will touch hearts to share one-time gifts to help meet our needs both now and when we return to the US. Thanks so much!***
You can send gifts to:
Ripe for Harvest or Monte Wilson c/o Bruce Wilson
PO Box 487 1041 S. Cooper
Monument, CO 80132 Wichita, KS 67207
memo: acct# 221
Please note- Ripe for Harvest does offer online giving. Please see their website for more information: http://www.ripeforharvest.org
2010 Special Needs When Returning to US:
As we near the time we will return to the US, we are praying greatly about our needs as a family. When we left, we sold our home and most of our possessions. We basically own a bed frame, a chair, and a couple of end tables- oh! and our china. :) We did not have kids and had no idea we'd have 3 when we return! So, we plan on hitting some garage sales when we get back in order to equip our kids with toys and our home with furniture. We are also praying to be able to buy some nice furniture for our living room and nice appliances for our kitchen, etc. We ask that you join with us in praying that the Lord will provide everything we need and that we would be content with whatever form that provision takes on. We do have some specific prayer requests regarding that, which are:
-For our plane tickets to return to the US to be paid in full. (We've also heard that American Airlines frequent flyer miles can be donated.)
-A ministry position for Monte -possibly in Church Administration, Missions Pastor, College Pastor, or other Adult Ministries. (If you know of a church needing someone in one of these areas, please let us know as well so we could prayerfully consider it as an option.)
-For a ministry for Andrea (volunteer or paid) as well as some source of additional income for the family
-For money towards a down payment on a house. We have nearly exhausted nearly all of our savings.
-For two reliable vehicles. We want one with a 3rd row. (If you know anyone selling one, please let us know.)
Once we have more of an idea in terms of a return date, we will likely register online at Target and Home Depot for some basic necessities and toys for the kids as well.
2010 BUDGET
Below you will find our monthly budget for 2010. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact us personally.
MONTHLY BUDGET
Ministry Fund: $500
Personal Account: $3,310
Housing: $300
Transportation: $300
Food/Supplies: $800
Utilities: $200
Health INS: $500
Life INS: $60
Retirement: $200
Kid's Schooling: $350
Savings: $100
Administration & Taxes: $500
Total: $3,810
Current support percentage received: avg. 40%
When we came to Bolivia, we were a missionary couple. Our budget was $2,000 based on 2 people and we didn't quite have 100% support at that time. We are now a family of 5, but have not been able to return home to raise funds due to the adoption process we're currently involved in. For more information regarding the adoption, please see Family News.