Money

So, what does it cost to send a missionary to Asia for a year?
Picture how much it costs you to live in the States for a year. It’s quite a bit, right? Well, what if we told you that you could:

  • Fly round trip to and from Asia
  • Get two weeks of intensive missions training before you leave
  • Rent sweet apartments with all furnishings and utilities included
  • Buy bikes to run around town on
  • Purchase cell phones to stay connected with your new Asian friends
  • Take your friends out for meaningful conversation over delicious meals
  • Travel to Hong Kong, Thailand, and perhaps other countries while you’re over there
  • And then, wind down whole trip with a debrief week at a beautiful location in the states.
…All for about $11,500?
Compared to living in the states it’s really inexpensive. Also, when you think about the value of changed lives for God’s Kingdom, it’s totally priceless!
But that is still a lot of money….
True, not many people have $11k lying around. But there’s good news: we don’t expect you to figure out how to raise that money on your own! In April we hold a mandatory training session where you’ll get to meet the rest of the team and get training on how to raise support. The goal of this training is to teach biblical perspectives regarding support-raising, equip you with tools to do it, and to send you out from it full of faith and excited about sharing your vision with the people around you!
Do I have to raise all my money before I go?
We ask that you have about $4k raised and in the bank before you report in August. The rest can be counted on through monthly pledges that people have given you.
Approximately how long does the support raising take?
The support-raising training happens in April, so you will have from May through July to complete your support-raising – about three month’s time.
So, I don’t spend a dime from my own pocket?
While we don’t expect you to personally kick in the majority of the money (that would be a lot!), we do ask that you put enough personal money in to buy your plane ticket – about $1,500.
How is the budget derived?
The budget comes from data from our previous years of living in the country, and it is being adjusted every year for inflation and the changing value of the local currency.
What level of living does the budget afford?
A rather comfortable one, really! You’ll stay in nice apartments close to campus and be able to travel quite a bit during your year with Campus Target. However, we are also missionaries, and you will be expected to sacrifice at times. You’re not living in America, and you won’t have a lot of disposable income every month. Not only does extra spending make support-raising difficult, but it’s also not a very good witness to your Asian friends.
How do I access my money?
Getting cash in Asia works just like in the States: ATMs. You will access your American bank account via a worldwide network of ATMs. There are certain banks that offer lower fees on withdraws – we will tell you more about this after you sign up.
Are there application fees?
Not this year!