Update
Many of you support us financially. Some of your support us
in prayer, some of you have visited us on the field (or are planning to soon!)
and some of you follow and regularly read our updates.
We are thankful for how you all have been a part of our call to missions; first to Austria and now to Kosovo.
We moved to Kosovo in June of this year and by the Grace of God have been able to accomplish more than we imagined. Global Baseball is now a registered NGO in Kosovo. We have met with the mayor of our town, a number of pastors throughout the country, and have developed relationships with young people interested in making a difference in this country. We have been part of a sports initiative aimed at integration and conflict resolution amongst members of 4 different ethnic communities and have been working with two dozen committed young coaches to help them improve their baseball skills. In the coming year we will begin a school based instructional program while also establishing a Kosovo Baseball Federation.
We are thankful for how you all have been a part of our call to missions; first to Austria and now to Kosovo.
We moved to Kosovo in June of this year and by the Grace of God have been able to accomplish more than we imagined. Global Baseball is now a registered NGO in Kosovo. We have met with the mayor of our town, a number of pastors throughout the country, and have developed relationships with young people interested in making a difference in this country. We have been part of a sports initiative aimed at integration and conflict resolution amongst members of 4 different ethnic communities and have been working with two dozen committed young coaches to help them improve their baseball skills. In the coming year we will begin a school based instructional program while also establishing a Kosovo Baseball Federation.
Our Current Challenge
Now, we really need your help. An important part of our ministry is travelling throughout the nation of Kosovo to meet with groups who are playing baseball and meeting with church leaders who are interested in using baseball to reach their communities.
When we moved here in June, were able to buy a car from a local pastor. Unfortunately, the vehicle is 15 years old, has pretty high mileage (124,000+ miles/204,000 km), and has a lot of “little things” wrong with it. Truthfully, this would have probably been the story for most of the cars that were available in our budget range here in Kosovo.
Since we purchased the car we have had a number of unexpected repair costs, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. We have been trying to make this car last as long as possible, but we are now at a point where we don’t want to be sinking any more funds in to repairs. However, now, the car is making more noises, continues to use oil at a rate of 4 litres a month, and looks to need another couple hundred euros in repairs.
The Goal
By the Grace of God, our ministry here is growing in some pretty amazing ways and as a result, our need for travel throughout Kosovo is increasing. We really need a dependable vehicle that meets a couple of goals.
1.
Have low mileage (under 50,000 km/30,000 miles) in
order to be dependable and safe for at least another 10-15 years.
2.
Have suitable cargo space in order to transport
baseball gear around the country and so that we can support our church and other
ministries through food deliveries throughout the community.
3.
Have high passenger capacity (min 9 passenger) in
order to transport a team’s worth of players (thereby reducing bus rental
expenses) and to support our church by providing rides to members who are
without their own transportation.
4.
Automatic transmission (so Rebecca can
comfortably drive as well)
Cost/timeline/process
In our research, it appears that vehicles that meet our
goals are; A. not available in Kosovo and B. will cost a minimum of €30,000.
It is apparent that we need to raise around €40,000/$43000 for this vehicle. Please visit our fundraising page to give a gift http://igg.me/at/DoZmE7lzQ1c.
It is apparent that we need to raise around €40,000/$43000 for this vehicle. Please visit our fundraising page to give a gift http://igg.me/at/DoZmE7lzQ1c.
This amount will enable us to purchase the vehicle in
Austria, Germany, or Switzerland and then drive it back to Kosovo. These funds
will also pay for other related costs including customs, registration, and
insurance fees that come along with bringing cars in to Kosovo.
It is our hope to have this money raised before the beginning of February as Justin and Michael are planning to head to Vienna. We can purchase the vehicle on this trip and then drive it back to Kosovo.
Please consider a year-end gift to help us meet this goal. We know that it is an ambitious goal and it seems (to us) unachievable and as a result, we are trusting that the Lord will provide and that He will use individuals like you to help us meet this need.
Please share this with your social media network, your church family, and anyone else who might be interested in coming along side our family, ministry, and vision of reaching the people of Kosovo for Jesus.
You can visit our fundraising page at http://igg.me/at/DoZmE7lzQ1c.
It is our hope to have this money raised before the beginning of February as Justin and Michael are planning to head to Vienna. We can purchase the vehicle on this trip and then drive it back to Kosovo.
Please consider a year-end gift to help us meet this goal. We know that it is an ambitious goal and it seems (to us) unachievable and as a result, we are trusting that the Lord will provide and that He will use individuals like you to help us meet this need.
Please share this with your social media network, your church family, and anyone else who might be interested in coming along side our family, ministry, and vision of reaching the people of Kosovo for Jesus.
You can visit our fundraising page at http://igg.me/at/DoZmE7lzQ1c.
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