Support

A Special Season of Giving 

Today is November 28, 2023, Giving Tuesday around the nonprofit world. Here's a quick explanation: the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday due to the increase in sales for the upcoming Christmas season (to put retailers in the "black"). Online merchants got on board this marketing train and began to run sales the following Monday calling it "Cyber Monday". Then, with this wave of capitalism running hot, those of us in the fundraising world wanted to participate and began what is called "Giving Tuesday" as we understood that as much as 30% of donations occur within the last 6 weeks of the year.

This year, we enter this Special Season of Giving for our partners amidst our year-long transition from Brazil to the USA for our next season of life and ministry. We invite you to read the summary below of where we are and what the need is for us to begin 2024 in a great position.

  • Over the past 5 years, we have lost significant monthly support, have not raised enough new support to offset that loss, all while our family's expenses have increased. We have been in a positive support position because of our faithful monthly supporters and our one-time campaigns. 

  • Our transition to a US-based staff has significantly increased our tax and insurance burden, beyond what I had expected. Thus, our support account has gone into a concerning deficit, currently around negative $15,000.

  • We will participate in a Debrief and Rest for long-term missionaries returning from the field with Mission Training International in Colorado in February. The cost for the program and travel is around $5000.

Just 2 years ago God provided $20,000 for our 20 year celebration, and those funds have been instrumental in our current financial health in the midst of a major life event - uprooting from Brazil and bringing our reality to Birmingham, AL. That was only possible because our partners believed in our labor and our ministry, under God's provision.

Would you consider participating in this Special Season on Giving for these specific needs and help us raise another $20,000 to position our family to begin 2024 in our new role and new season for expanded impact of even more CO Staff and Regions around the globe?

Our online giving link is here: https://www.campusoutreach.org/donate/jon-elam/

2022 Year in Review & Year-End Giving

This year brought many things, both rewarding and challenging. 2022 was much different than the previous two COVID years here in Belo Horizonte. I want to review quickly and celebrate with all our partners what God has done.

Personal & Family:

  • Celebrating 20 years in Brazil with Campus Outreach

  • Kids - growing and maturing in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man

  • Decision about the next 10 years of our life and ministry in the USA

  • God providing for our 20-year campaign

  • Facing stress, sadness and excitement about new chapter in the US in 2023

Campus Ministry:

  • Back on campus full-time after 2 years

  • New contacts, new conversations, new doors open to the gospel

  • New life! Students coming to Christ

  • Reinventing ourselves as a ministry at UFMG

Team:

  • National leadership growing and leading

  • New Campus Director thinking for the movement

  • Hiring new staff, both Brazilian and American

  • Transitioning current staff to new opportunities in the marketplace.

  • New intercultural families forming

Year-End Giving:

Thank you to everyone who gives faithfully and sacrificially throughout the year. If anyone would like to make a year-end gift beyond your current giving, please follow the link here. These gifts help us make up for the monthly support we currently lack and finish the year in a strong support situation. LINK to Online Giving - https://www.campusoutreach.org/donate/jon-elam/

Official Communication of our Transition in 2023

I ask for only 4 minutes of your time for an important Video Update about exciting developments and decisions made toward a big transition for the next season of life and ministry. We are ending one chapter in Brazil and beginning a new one in the US.

(Sorry for the audio filter distortion because of wind and background noise. And the video was sped-up so it would fit within 4 minutes)

60% - The Good and The Ugly

Sixty percent (60%) is more than half, but not quite full. Sometimes 60% is really good. Sometimes it's just plain ugly.

Let's get to the ugly first:

  • 60% is about how normal our return to Brazil has been since January 23rd. When we expected schools to start-up in February, COVID-19 got in the way. In Belo Horizonte, elementary schools have been delayed from starting in-person classes for the new school year until Feb 14th. Our kids, and Tathiana, thought that was really ugly. 

  • Our COBH team was planning our first team-building retreat since September of 2019. However, COVID-19 got in the way and we decided to cancel for now as we had several positive COVID tests pop-up on the team and in our church.

  • Our car needed some service, nothing major, but because of a lack of mechanics and parts caught in the supply chain issue, we are on day 4 of being "car-less". That limits what we can get out and do by about 60%.

  • Overall, life and ministry feel about 60%. That's not a complaint, it's still just the overall reality of a late-stage pandemic in a tropical metropolis.

The good 60%:

  • Our trip to the US for connection with family and supporters was really great. COVID-19 did limit us some, as during the end of the year the Omnicron variant was in full swing in Chattanooga, TN and Birmingham, AL. We had several meetings canceled and overall decided to not expose ourselves close to our return trip as not to test positive and risk not making our flight back to Brazil. So, the trip was a great 60%. It's better to have a 60% visit than not come at all!

  • Lastly, our 20/20 1-Time campaign celebrating 20 years on the field has closed its first 2 months, and we are happy to report that we are already at 60% of the goal, with over $12,000 in donations so far. Thank you to all who have donated, encouraged and prayed for this important campaign. 

Please continue to pray for us as we try to live-out 2 Timothy 4:2, "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season."



US Trip 2021-2022

Quick summary and requests for our upcoming visit:

  • We will be coming back to the US for Christmas 2021 and January 2022.

  • I will be visiting with supporters and working on support maintenance.

  • I will focus on our up-coming 1-time campaign, stay tuned for more info!

  • We are looking for a vehicle we can use for local Chattanooga use, only. Please let me know if you know of any options or good deals on car rental.

  • Another need is for a cell phone for Tathiana. She is used to iPhones, so a good quality, used iPhone is preferred, if anyone is looking for a good place for their used iPhone!

100% Year-End Goal

Before the year of 2020 laid its burdensome self to rest, our partners had already given hope for 2021. We reached 100%, and even beyond, our $6500 goal before January 1, 2021.

We are hopeful, humbled and honored to be part of a group of people who are committed to what God is doing in Belo Horizonte. To Him be the glory.

2020 Year-End Giving

What a year, am I right? 2020 brought several new things to our lives. And 2020 has also continued to bring some common realities. Year-End giving is one of those things that continues to be very important to our sustainability on the field.

For the past three years, Year-End giving, special one-time gifts, campaigns and the like have been the lifeline that our support account needed to be able to sustain the following year. This year is no different. 2020, COVID-19, quarantine was tough for life-on-life ministry, but the loss of a few more supporters has made these final months a bit tougher. Year-End giving is as vital as previous years.

We are aiming to raise $6500 in Year-End, one-time giving in December 2020 and January 2021 in order to realistically expect to finish 2021 in the black.

If any of our faithful supporters are able, we ask that you consider participating as so many have in the previous few years; and even ask new year-end givers to participate this year. 

We continue to believe in what we are doing here in Brazil. We pray that God would use our wonderful support team to continue to supply for our needs.

For online giving, follow this link: www.campusoutreach.org/donate/jon-elam

Merry Christmas and Happy 2021!