Options for Giving

 Now that I, David Crane, aka Uncle, have chosen to stop my attempt of an Appalachian Trial thru hike after 1,652 miles, I know it is important for me to summarize for everyone who is interested in making a donation to Hiking to Help Refugees how their donation can be made.

 I set up an online option for giving with Generosity.com and the url or link for this site is https://www.generosity.com/faith-religion-fundraising/hiking-to-help-refugees.  This same link can be accessed on the Hiking to Help Refugees Face Book fan page we set up by clicking on the "Learn More" button found on the top of that page. 

 I set this particular giving option up mostly to facilitate the smaller gifts which would be made, since there is a %5 handling fee attached to using this service.  That fee, by the way, is pretty much this particular industry's standard fee.  I also set it up to make it easier for certain folks to give, i.e. young adults who no longer write personal checks, for people living outside of the USA, and for people I knew I would meet along the way on my hike who expressed interest in making a donation.  Also I knew that one purpose in having a Face Book page would be to help encourage giving, and the best way to make that happen via FB was to place a link on the page.  Up to this point, $7,515 has been given via Generosity, so that aspect of our plan has worked out well.

However, since there is a handling fee, I would encourage all of you who have been waiting until I completed my hike to make your donation to give by check.  The check should be made out to

Calvary Road Ministry.  The check should be earmarked "Hiking to Help Refugees."  The mailing address is: CRM, 4100 Fulton Road, Corryton, TN 37721.  A tax deductible receipt will be issued by CRM early in January of 2018 via the office of the CPA which CRM utilizes.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, the total number of miles I walked is 1,652.  Based on the last financial report I received from Deloris Anderson, CRM's treasurer, the amount which has been received thus far is just over $28,000.  I am extremely grateful to every person, church and group who have given thus far.  Yet if we are to reach the goal I believe the Lord laid on my heart at the beginning of this venture, we still have far to go. 

Thus I thought it well to mention some of the fund raising ideas which I have heard of others doing for this cause, or for others.

1. The Outdoor Blessings Bible Study raised funds by cooking and selling food.  Since the class is made up of hunters, they cooked up various types of game meat with side dishes.  Their goal was to raise $2,189, which they did, through the proceeds of the cooking event, plus donations from class members.

2. A group of young men connected to a local church in our home town will carry out a fund raising golf tournament on October 21. 

3. Alan McAlister told me about one plan which worked well in his Clovis, NM church.  It involves marking 150 envelopes starting with the number 1 to 150.  The basic idea is that if 150 individuals or couples pick up at least one envelope and donate the amount specified on it, the total reaches to $10,000.  And the beauty of it is that no one has to give more than $150.  This plan points out the beauty of shared sacrifice.  This means of fund raising was usually connected to a meal and program, after which folks were encouraged to choose an envelope.

4. The youth group of a local Methodist church took a group out to hike on the AT for a weekend.  Each youth got church members to sponsor them per mile.  Some members just gave a donation irrespective of miles walked.  They ended up raising almost $2,800.

As I have mentioned from the beginning, these funds will be used to carry out the following ministries.

   * Purchase the midsize Proclaimer from Faith Comes by Hearing of

Albuquerque, NM.  This is an MP4 player which has a speaker with a capacity for up to 75-100 people to hear at one time.  We load each one with a New Testament in 4 different S. Sudanese languages.  The cost of each unit, with shipping included, is about $53.  These have to be carried out in our luggage.

   * We also purchase SD cards on which we load NTs in a Sudanese language, and any other form of evangelistic/discipleship material available in digital format in that language.  This generally includes the Jesus Film and materials produced by Global Recordings Network.  The SD cards can be used in cell phones.  

   * We will also use some of the funds donated to help us pay for on the ground training events.  Our next one will take place in Kenya at the end of October and the first few days of November.  Those who will be trained are housed in the

  Kakuma Refugee Camp.  It will cost approximately $15,000 to carry out this event.  We plan on training 29 women and 17 pastors.  This figure pays for their food, lodging and transport between the camp and the venue, as well as the MAF flight bill for the American team members and much of their lodging as well.

   * Lastly, if $100K is raised, we will also purchase more of the two story cloths.  The two cloths include the original one having 42 pictures depicting 42 stories from Genesis to Luke 24, and the newer Acts cloth which has 30 pictures.  These cloths play a key role in the on-the-ground training events we carry out, and are especially effective in training a population segment which is primarily illiterate or functionally so.  The response to such training done among S. Sudanese, Maasai, and other people groups has been outstanding.

If you would like for either Renee or I to speak to your group so as to help your fund raiser please contact us ASAP so we can make a plan.  Another way for us to give a brief presentation to your group would be via a Skype video call, or using some similar internet based software.

Thanks again for your prayers, the interest you have shown already in this worthy cause, and for any and all effort you will put forth in the future to enable us to help our S. Sudanese brethren who are suffering, but are still gospel centered and passionate about reaching their fellow countrymen for Christ.

 Uncle