July 19, 2008
When I was a Kid, Things were Different
How many times have you heard someone say that?
I remember as a kid, my dad saying that all of the time. That when he was a kid you could buy a hamburger for a nickel or a gallon of gasoline for a quarter. You have all heard those stories and probably rolled your eyes like I used to do. I promised myself I would never say those things. Now I find myself saying the same things with my kids. I tell them how, when I was their age, you could get a gallon of gasoline for a dollar & a hamburger for a quarter. Why I remember when you could still buy a piece of candy for a penny. And when I say those things my kids roll their eyes and look at me like I am a dinosaur or something from the stone ages. I guess as I get older, I have come to realize just how much things change.
But now I find myself doing the same thing as a missionary. We first came to Madagascar a little over 4 years ago. And during that time until now, much has changed. The cost of doing ministry and living here has changed dramatically. But this is not so much about reminiscing about the good old days compared to now, as much as it is the harsh reality of living in a country and a world that has been effected by political unrest, cyclones, poverty, etc... The expenses involved in living and working here are not the same as they used to be. And I don't expect for them to change anytime soon. But then, no matter where you live in the world, we are all seeing economic changes that aren't always positive. Having said that, we are not about to let these challenges to force us to do anything less than what we came to Madagascar to do. We are here to touch this nation with the love of Jesus and to partner with the Malagasy Church to see growth and development in every area of their lives and ministries.
What I am about to share with you is not intended to make you uncomfortable or to make you feel sorry for us. But as you are our prayer partners, this is to inform you of some of the areas that you can pray for us as you partner with us to touch the people of Madagascar.
Here are some of the realities of the cost of things that have changed dramatically in the past four years to help you understand our situation. Diesel fuel four years ago cost us almost $4 a gallon. This last month the cost of diesel fuel reached $7 a gallon. The price of chicken has gone from $1.81 a pound to $4.22 a pound. Electricity was costing us less than $100 a month, but are now approaching close to $200 a month now. But these are just a few examples of personal items.
When we flew back to the USA two years ago, it cost us less than $10,000 for plane tickets for our family. Today, those same plane tickets would cost us over $18,000. When I traveled in the USA last year, I announced that for approximately (on average) $6000 a church could buy a piece of land and construct a building on it, that information was correct. Now that we have returned, the price has risen so dramatically that it now costs almost twice that to do the same work.
And here is the most difficult part of this whole situation. The value of the dollar versus the Malagasy currency, known as the ariary. When we arrived here 4 years ago, you could exchange 1 dollar for 2,500 ariary. Now that the dollar has begun to decrease in value around the world, that same dollar only gets us 1,550 ariary. So you can begin to imagine what that does to our budget and finances.
Now, why did I share all of that with you? Because, while we always share with you about the ministry and other joys of our lives over here, many times we are hesitant to share with you some of the challenges we face. But I receive e-mail from many of you on a regular basis, asking to know how you can pray for us in the practical areas of our life.
And for many of your missionaries around the world, they are facing similar challenges to what I have just shared with you. While they have a heart to do ministry, they are limited by what their budget and circumstances will allow.
So, how do you pray for us? (and your other missionaries):
First, pray that God will give us wisdom to make wise decisions with the finances that have been entrusted to us. We are constantly aware that we are here doing this work because many of you have sacrificed to allow us this privilege. Therefore we want to be very careful to invest your finances and our ministry in the way that will bring the greatest glory to God's Kingdom.
Secondly, pray that God will meet our needs as we follow after Him. After all, ultimately, He is the one we entrust our lives to.
Thirdly, pray with us that God will speak to churches and individuals to consider supporting us on a monthly, financial basis. As the cost of things increase, we are in need of those new supporters who would consider supporting us on a monthly basis. If you presently don't support us on a monthly basis, your support would be welcomed. To make a monthly pledge to our ministry, you can go to: http://rostorferreport.com/support.htm
Fourthly, that God would bless the churches and individuals who presently support our ministry. We are dependant on those monthly contributors to be consistent in their giving. If they are not consistent, due to personal or economic problems, than that severely hinders our ability to work here as well. So, join us in praying that God will give increase in their lives and ministries. Not only to support us, but to be a blessing in whatever they strive to do.
The good news is, that in spite of the challenges before us, God is moving by His Spirit. God is not limited by things that sometimes limit us. His resources are unlimited and His power and grace goes beyond imagination. Even this last week, I traveled with another missionary colleague to a small village to do two days of evangelism. And in those two short days, we saw close to 100 people make decisions to follow after Christ! So we know God is blessing His church and our work here.
Thank you for praying and supporting our mission to Madagascar. We are confident that as each one does his or her part, that God will accomplish His purposes in and through our lives!
Be watching soon for our upcoming "Rostorfer Report." We will be updating you to what has been accomplished during our first 6 months since we returned to Madagascar. God has truly blessed our time here!
Blessings!
Jay