Missionaries Uruguay Jaimie and Tammy Lancaster Financial Crisis
Happy New Year!
The new year is less than a week old and we find ourselves with some pretty big economic challenges. No doubt many of you will receive emails from various missionaries explaining our financial situation. It's that serious! I have prepared an email and will also be sending a hard copy of this same letter to all of those who have faithfully supported us over the years and ask you for that same support for myself and also the office staff and co-workers on various fields and ministries around the world.
This link http://fwbgo.com/about/crisis.html will take you to a video by Bro. James Forlines that outlines our financial situation as well as some printable reference material.
Below is the text of the letter that will be sent out today.
Please consider your role in world missions and help as God leads you.
Jaimie
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Monday, January 4, 2010
Dear Faithful supporter,
February will mark our 11th year in Uruguay! That means for over 11 years our family has counted on you for your faithful and consistent prayer and financial support. We have seen God do many great things through the years but we are especially excited about what He is doing at this very moment. After several years of working alone in Montevideo we now have a new mission couple working with us and one more on the way. Our churches on the border are experiencing a revival among young people with the help of Brazillian Free Will Baptist missionaries and our church in Melo is shining the light of the gospel in a community even though it is surrounded by spiritist centers. We are truly blessed to be in Uruguay to see God’s handiwork. God is also moving among Free Will Baptists all around the world where our teammates are serving as well. There is so much to be done and we rejoice with them.
The work, however, is not without its challenges. The cruel reality of the economic crisis in the US, coupled with the falling value of the dollar has introduced some very real financial problems. The economic downturn that has resulted in record levels of unemployment has also affected charitable giving. The financial impact to the mission leaves us with the very real possibility of a loss of over $500,000 for the 2009 fiscal year.
We, as a mission and each individual missionary, have trimmed our budgets to the bone and have been asked to review them again to make sure that we operate as cost effectively as possible. Projects have been put on hold, salaries and retirement have been reduced and some office personnel have been let go or not replaced. We are in desperate times and we have taken the measures necessary to make sure that this enterprise continues. The next step may be to lay off missionaries if the financial situation doesn’t improve.
The Mission is asking every Free Will Baptist church and individual to give a generous and sacrificial gift as soon as possible. Since I am now a participant in the Global Evangelism Fund (GEF), you can direct your gift to the GEF to help both my fellow laborers and me. Please be sure to send me an email or letter when you send your gift, so I can thank you personally.
Will you help keep me, and every other missionary, on the field with a generous gift?
I am very well aware of the economic realities that you are facing. We have seen and felt the effects of them both personally and in our mission work. I have also seen God’s hand at work in our lives and ministry throughout the years and am confident that His people will rise to the challenge so that we may continue to share the life changing Gospel in Uruguay and around the world.
Can I count on you?
Jaimie Lancaster
jlancaster@fwbgo.com