So what does it cost to do a year furlough? And why do a furlough anyway?
As far as why I had to take a furlough, there are several reasons. First and foremost was to gain some new support and also to sure up existing support by reporting on our Arctic ministry. There are other reasons for taking a furlough but we will just leave it at financial reasoning for the purpose of this update.
What does it cost? I could bore you with the details of each expenditure, but I think two bits of data will put the cost into perspective. We drove 65,226 kilometres or 40,529 miles on furlough. $12,399.06 was spent on diesel fuel for our furlough. That’s .19 cents per kilometer or .30 cents per mile. If we drove 500 miles to a meeting, on average it costs $150.00 in fuel alone to attend the meeting. One way.
God again and again met our need and through the obedience of His people the horrific cost of travel was covered sooner or later. God has met our need according to His riches.
You might ask, “What was gained for the cause of Christ?” God honoured the preaching and many were stirred and made decisions of eternal consequences. Young people heard and saw how the Lord is working in our corner of the world. I believe preachers were encouraged and their resolve to be obedient in the area of missions was solidified. Several believers were unnaturally intrigued about missionary work and the call to the ministry. The Arctic received exposure as a truly “forgotten” mission field. And last but not least, hope for the indigenous people of the Arctic was facilitated with the logistics of adequate financial support for we who are called there.
Can you put a price on hope?