First of all, thank you for your interest in supporting us! We feel very blessed that people have been willing to support us prayerfully and financially.
We find it difficult to talk directly about money (something we’re having to adapt to in Cambodia) but we would like to be transparent with anyone considering supporting us. To that end we have put together this FAQ which, in our case, stands for Feasibly Anticipated Questions, rather than Frequently Asked Questions 😉
If you have any other questions we haven’t anticipated, feel free to get in touch!
- Should we support you financially?
- Doesn’t CMS pay you?
- Doesn’t Hope pay you?
- Aren’t you renting your house out? Won’t that cover your Australian expenses?
- How can I support you financially?
- Will I need to transfer money internationally?
- Can I give anonymously?
- What do I do now?
Should we support you financially?
Maybe. If you can afford to support us without putting yourself into debt, reducing your giving to your local church or depriving missionaries you already support then we would definitely appreciate it 🙂
Doesn’t CMS pay you?
No. CMS helped us prepare and they support us pastorally but they do not have any involvement financially with short-term workers (like us). We knew that from the start.
Doesn’t Hope pay you?
Yes. Hope offers a generous (especially by Cambodian standards) stipend, housing allowance and child allowances. They also provide medical cover. Given the low cost of living, it would be possible to live in Phnom Penh on that income alone. That being said, it would be a much bigger adjustment for all of us and we don’t think it would be sustainable for our family. It also wouldn’t cover our Australian expenses.
Aren’t you renting your house out? Won’t that cover your Australian expenses?
We are renting our house to a young Christian family. We are charging them about the same amount as we would have received (after fees, charges and vacancies between tenants) from a real estate agent. That means we receive the same rental income while they pay significantly lower rent. We also save some money on storage thanks to their willingness to put up with some of our furniture.
The rental income we receive from them will just about cover our mortgage payments, but not other Australian expenses such as rates, water service and insurance. Nor is it enough to pay for repairs (if needed) and general maintenance.
How can I support you financially?
Recurring monthly donations are most helpful for budgeting but one-off donations are also welcome. If circumstances change and you can’t follow through on a pledge, that’s okay too!
As mentioned above, CMS doesn’t handle finances for short-term workers which means you will need to transfer money to us directly to support us. If you’re not comfortable with that arrangement, please don’t feel obliged! Please consider supporting a long-term CMS missionary or another mission agency instead.
Will I need to transfer money internationally?
Nope. You can transfer Aussie dollars into our NAB account.
Can I give anonymously?
For most banks, no. Most bank transfers show the name of the account holder who transferred the money. However, if you’re really keen, you could make a cash deposit directly into our account at a NAB branch (or deposit ATM). Then we’d only know the amount, deposit location and whatever text you put in the description.
What do I do now?
If, having read all that (or not, I do rabbit on), you’d still like to support us, thank you!!! If you’re comfortable telling us, it would be helpful for our budgeting and fundraising for you to let us know how much you plan to give.
Either way, our bank account details are: BSB: 083-832 Acc: 396 131 698
Thanks again for considering supporting us in this way! If you have any other questions, please get in touch!
