Ethiopia Letter July09 Tesfa

tesfa PA RT N E R W I T H U S A S W E WO R K T O E X T E N D H O P E I N E T H I O P I A

WELCOME TO OUR NEW ADVENTURE! We
wanted
to
let
you
know
about
a
new
adventure
that
our
family
is
 embarking
on
and
ask
you
to
consider
partnering
with
us.

Over
the
 years,
you
have
provided
a
support
to
us
as
individuals
and
as
a
family
 as
our
friends,
our
family
and
our
colleagues,
and
we
are
grateful
that
 we
now
find
ourselves
at
this
current
place
in
our
lives
as
a
result
of
the
 investment
of
people
such
as
yourself.

tesfa = hope Thank
you
for
your
involvement
in
our
 lives.

We’d
love
to
have
your
partner
 with
us
as
we
partner
with
God
in
 extending
his
hope
to
people
whom
 He
is
crazy
about
in
Addis
Ababa,
 Ethiopia.

We’d
love
it
if
you
would
 prayerfully
consider
partnering
with
us
 through
your
prayers
and
also
your
 financial
support
as
we
enter
in
a
 cross
cultural
mission.
 Thank
you!




Jerry,
Christy,
Joshua,
 Micah,
Caia
&
Hanna

Over
the
past
several
months
our
family
has
been
sensing
a
leading
 from
God
to
move
to
Ethiopia
to
plant
an
English
speaking
church
which
 could
become
a
launch
pad
for
many
more
churches
to
be
planted
by
 nationals.

This
journey
has
been
incredible
and
in
many
ways
has
felt
 as
if
we
have
been
riding
a
wave
in
which
God
has
been
opening
up
 opportunities,
providing
networking
and
bringing
clarity
to
us
along
the
 way.

If
you
would
like
to
hear
more
of
the
specifics
of
this
journey,
 please
check
out
our
story
at
www.theshannonfamily.com
.

 So,
after
much
prayer
our
plan
is
to
rid
ourselves
of
most
of
our
earthly
 possessions
this
October
and
move
our
family
to
Addis
Ababa,
Ethiopia
 for
at
least
a
2
to
3
year
period
with
the
intent
of
planting
a
church
as
 well
as
providing
training
and
equipping
for
national
pastors.

The
long
 term
aim
in
cooperation
with
the
Vineyard
Ethiopia
Partnership
will
be
to
 someday
see
a
national
led,
self-sustaining
church
planting
movement
 within
Ethiopia.

(For
more
info
on
partnerships,
please
check
out
 www.vineyardmissions.org
).
We
are
convinced
that
God’s
Kingdom
will
 advance
in
Ethiopia
through
strong
local
churches
becoming
 communities
of
hope
for
people
who
have
very
little
tangible
hope.

We
 feel
honored
and
humbled
to
get
to
play
a
part
along
the
way.

 Would
you
also
consider
playing
a
part?

In
order
to
see
this
dream
 come
to
fruition
we
need
folks
such
as
yourself
who
are
willing
to
partner
 with
us
in
prayer.

There
will
be
obstacles,
a
steep
learning
curve,
and
 the
need
for
God
to
move.


Would
you
partner
with
us
in
prayer?
 A
second
need
is
financial
support.


The
upfront
costs
for
our
family
to
 move
to
Ethiopia
and
get
settled
initially
will
be
upwards
of
$10,000
US.
 These
costs
include
our
flights
to
Ethiopia
and
the
fact
that
we
will
---->


The Shannons 1153 Letort Road, Conestoga, PA 17516 www.theshannonfamily.com [email protected]

probably
have
to
pay
6
months
of
rent
upfront.


We
are
 estimating
our
monthly
living
expenses
to
be
$3,200
per
month
 and
$540
per
month
in
ministry
expenses.

We’ve
included
a
 preliminary
budget
for
your
consideration.

A
few
months
after
 www.theshannonfamily.com arriving
there
we
will
also
need
to
find
a
reliable
vehicle.

This
 expense
alone
could
cost
us
upwards
of
$20,000
because
of
a
 150%
duty
which
has
to
be
paid
on
all
cars.

(We’ve
been
quoted
$20,000
for
a
 20
year
old
Land
Rover,
since
vehicle
values
do
not
depreciate). Your monthly financial

Read our story, stay connected or learn more about Ethiopia at our website:

Would
you
consider
supporting
our
family
over
the
next
3
years,
either
through
a
 one
time
gift
or
through
monthly
giving?

While
the
numbers
can
seem
large,
the
 truth
is
that
any
amount
you
commit
to
will
go
a
long
way,
especially
if
you
could
 give
monthly.

We
understand
that
the
current
economic
situation
can
seem
 scary,
but
if
you
find
yourself
able,
would
you
consider
supporting
us
monthly
at
 $25,
$50
or
even
$100
per
month?

If
we
had
37
friends
or
churches
willing
to
 support
us
at
$100
/month
(or
74
at
$50/month),
we
would
be
at
full
support.

 We’ve
included
a
response
card
in
this
letter
for
your
consideration.

We’d
love
 to
have
you
partner
in
praying
for
us.

We’ll
have
ways
to
communicate
needs
to
 you
along
the
way.


If
you
also
find
yourself
in
a
position
where
you
can
give
 financially,
you’ll
also
see
a
place
where
you
can
make
a
pledge.

partnership with us of $25, $50 or even $100/month makes a difference by funding the planting of a church which embraces Kingdom values in Ethiopia and acts as a catalyst for future church planting by nationals.

Please
take
a
few
moments
to
check
our
our
website
at
 www.theshannonfamily.com.


There
you’ll
find
some
information
about
Ethiopia,
our
family,
our
prayer
needs,
 our
dreams
and
the
Vineyard
Ethiopia
Partnership. Thank
you
for
being
someone
who
has
played
a
part
in
us
 finding
ourselves
at
this
point
in
life.

We
look
forward
to
 partnering
together! Love,

Jerry,
Christy,
Joshua,
Micah,
Caia,
&
Hanna

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR PARTNERS

Because we are asking people to partner with us and not simply support us, we commit to our partners to: 1. Communicate with you through newsletters, website, emails status updates as well as prayer requests and needs. 2. Facilitate a bridge between you and Ethiopians. 3. Pray for you monthly.

P.S.

Your
support
is
tax
deductible.


Please
make
your
 check
payable
to
“Lancaster
Vineyard
Church”
and
mark
in
the
memo
line,
“Ethiopia,”
(but
don’t
put
our
names
 on
the
check)
and
send
it
to
Lancaster
Vineyard
Church,
Attn:
Ethiopia,
PO
Box
6101,
Lancaster,
PA
17607

Current
Prayer
Needs: -

Please
pray
for
our
transition
from
our
role
as
pastor
of
LVC
as
well
as
our
entry
into
a
new
season
of
learning. Please
pray
for
The
Lord’s
protection
over
the
partnership,
national
leaders
and
our
family. Please
pray
for
Ethiopians
&
for
the
connections
we
have
there
as
well
as
those
we
have
yet
to
make. Please
pray
for
the
finances
for
this
mission.

budget & contact info contact us:

The Shannons 1153 Letort Road Conestoga, PA 17516 phone: 717.842.4454 email: [email protected] web:www.theshannonfamily.com facebook: jerry shannon or christy shannon facebook cause: mission to ethiopia - the shannon family Up Front Costs:

proposed budget: Amount needed monthly: Insurance Medical Expenses Family Time Away Return Fund (will have enough for airfare at 24 mths) Housing Food Tithe Transportation Furnishings, Purchases, Clothing Misc. Taxes Language Acquisition Household / Childcare Expenses Utlitlies Unexpected Visa / Residency Expenses Meals Home School Materials Personal Monthly Total

$200 $100 $50 $220 $700 $200 $320 $250 $175 $225 $200 $80 $125 $100 $50 $30 $150 $3,175

Ministry Expenses Monthly Computer Fund (replace every 3 years) In Country Transportation Compassion Outreach Administration Conferences / Materials Ministry Monthly Total Total Monthly Expenses (personal & ministry)

$40 $100 $100 $100 $150 $50 $540 $3,715

Airfare

$5,000

Visas

$500

6 months of rent paid upfront $4,200 Furnishings*

$1,500

Car**

$20,000

Total Up Front Costs

$31,200

* We believe that we’ll be able to get a

mostly furnished apartment / house for the cost above

**A car will not be an immediate necessity, however it will serve us well to have one in the long run.

Contributions can be sent to: Lancaster Vineyard Church Attn: Ethiopia PO Box 6101 Lancaster, PA 17607 please make checks payable to Lancaster Vineyard Church. Do not put our name on the check, rather put “Ethiopia” in the memo line. An envelope is enclosed for your convenience

ETHIOPIA FAST FACTS

- Ethiopia is one of only 2 African nations never to be successfully colonized. They were briefly occupied by the Italians under Mussolini from 1936 - 1941. - The capital city of Ethiopia - Addis Ababa - has over 4 million residents. This busy city almost didn’t survive in the early 1900’s because of a lack of firewood.

- Ethiopia presently has over 5 million orphans and only 3 doctors per 100,000 people. (by comparison, Pennsylvania has 297 doctors per 100,000 people). - Within Ethiopia, there are over 80 languages and 200 dialects. - Ethiopia’s national language, Amharic, is a Semitic language with 231 characters. - Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and continues to export some of the finest coffee, especially from the Harar and Sidamo regions. - Addis Ababa is considered the diplomatic crossroads of Africa with a major United Nations headquarters located there, as well as the African Union. - Ethiopian cuisine (various “stews” made from chicken, beef, or lentils) is not eaten with silverware; rather, a flat bread (similar to a pancake in consistency) is used to eat with. - Ethiopia has a rich cultural history, including the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which dates back to the 4th Century. - 34% of Ethiopians practice Islam. - Ethiopians dominate long distance running on a world level. Haile Gebraselassie in 2008 once again set the world record in the marathon in Berlin with a time of 2:03:59. - Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country with 77 million people. - Since March, there have been national blackouts because of a lack of hydroelectricity. These blackouts have been known to last 8 - 12 hours at a time. - The average yearly income in Ethiopia is $160.