Some of you have asked for some ways to partner with us that may be non-financial. Some of you might have items that we need before leaving for Bonaire that you could donate, others might be able to join a website for free so we can get referral credits, awesome yardsalers could get us a killer deal on something we need, or maybe you can get us the inside scoop on a great sale or get something at wholesale price. These are just some ideas to get you thinking. Keep in mind, a dollar saved is truly a dollar saved. We want to be the best stewards of the resources God provides. Some of you may be wondering why we need to take so much stuff with us. Here’s the deal. We are moving to a small island with no Walmart, mall, grocery chains, or CVS. We can order items online and have them mailed overseas. However, they can take a month or more to receive, and we will have to pay duties/taxes on the items when they arrive.
Here is a brief list of things we need to have in place before we go:
- Faithful prayer partners
- $6,500 in monthly pledged support
- Approximately $15,000 in our “equipment fund”. (AKA – Relocation Fund) We ask partners to begin giving right away because all financial gifts given before we leave go into this fund. This amount may be less if items are donated in place of money.
Click here to see the full page and learn more about some specific items we will need and why.
Here are some other ways that you can help that are easy and FREE for you!
Ben-Sit- We travel A LOT speaking to groups, individuals, and churches. We love our son dearly. As sweet as he is, our darling 20-month-old just doesn’t quite understand, “Please sit here quietly while mommy and daddy speak for 20+ minutes.” Additionally, sometimes we have to go to out-of-town events such as missions conferences where having a young child along can be very challenging. Paying a babysitter for each of these meetings is not practical and is unaffordable. Laura’s family lives in Indiana so short weekend and overnights visits impossible. Brandon’s family helps often, but we couldn’t possibly expect them to be available to watch him each time. If God has gifted you with a love for young children and you would be willing to watch our son for any events of this type, we would love to talk to you. We are looking for people outside the Danville area as well. If we have an event in your area and you are available, please let us know!
Host a Coffee and Dessert Event- The way we figure it, people who are radically passionate about missions hang out together. You may not have a lot of money to give, but you can help us get the word out to others who are also passionate about getting the life changing message out to people across the globe. Why not host a Coffee and Dessert event and invite your friends? Not into coffee or dessert? Laura would be happy to come speak at a spa night or ladies night out. Brandon is available for guys night out, retreats, or conferences. (He might even throw in a song or two if you ask.)
PaperbackSwap –
I have used this site extensively over the last couple of years to fill-in my book collection without having to purchase the books new. It is an awesome site, and I have gotten books that would have been nearly impossible to get at local used bookstore and usually lots cheaper than buying used online. Brandon and I are avid readers of primarily non-fiction books.
If you love to read or just have a few books that are ready to be loved by someone else, you can post 10 or more books to swap (not limited to paperbacks!) and will immediately get 2 free credits. Each credit allows you to get 1 book. When someone requests your book, you mail it out. You pay postage, but when they receive it you get a credit. You can also buy credits for a low price if you run out of credits. This costs more than the cost of postage but is still inexpensive.
My favorite feature is the Wish List. I put any book I would like to get on this list. When I am first in line and the book is available, I am notified and can request it (or even auto-request.) The member mails the book to me and they pay postage. It only costs me 1 credit (2 for audiobooks). What is in it for you? You get to swap your books with people who will enjoy them and get books you want in return (to keep!) You can choose to use your credit on any book that is available and do not have to trade only with the person you mail your books to. What’s in it for us? For each person who joins the site, posts 10 books, and uses nickname LauraBNeal as the referrer I will get 1 credit. This will help us get some good family-friendly books to read while we are serving overseas. I figure this will save us about $3.50-$4.00 for every person who joins and posts 10 books and it doesn’t cost you anything. In fact, you get 2 free books just for posting 10. Click the link above to join.
SwapaDVD
This is the DVD edition of Paperback Swap. I posted several DVDs on this site and have been able to replace them with some good clean family-friendly movies like Veggie Tales. This is a lot better than donating to Goodwill or something because you can replace movies you don’t watch anymore with movies you want and only have to pay the price of postage. Postage on a DVD is usually under $2. What is in it for you? You get to swap your DVD with people who will enjoy them and get DVDs you want in return (to keep!) You get 1 free DVD credit just for posting 10 DVDs that you are willing to trade. What’s in it for us? I will get 1 credit and a bonus Pick a Flick credit for each person who joins the site, posts 10 DVDs, and uses LauraBNeal as the referrer. This will help us get some good family-friendly DVDs since they won’t be available there. I figure this will save us at least $4.50-$5.00 for every person who joins and posts 10 DVDs and it doesn’t cost you anything. In fact, you get 1 free DVD just for posting 10. Click the link above to join.
SwapaCD
This site is a sister site to Paperback Swap and SwapaDVD. It works the same way except you also pay $0.49 with each credit for CDs. I know I have a ton of old CDs that I don’t listen to anymore. CDs are cheap to ship, and I hope to replace them with some uplifting praise and worship music. What is in it for you? You get to swap your CDs with people who will enjoy them and get CDs you want in return (to keep!) You get 1 free CD credit just for posting 10 CDs that you are willing to trade. What’s in it for us? I will get 1 credit for each person who joins the site, posts 10 CDs, and uses LauraBNeal as the referrer. This will help us get some good family-friendly praise and worship music since they won’t be easily available there. I figure this will save us at least $4.00-$4.50 for every person who joins and posts 10 CDs and it is super easy for you. In fact, you get 1 free CD just for posting 10. Click the link above to join.