There are two major differences between our ministry and that of Brother Luosang.

The first difference is in the amount of money needed to actually live and minister in a given city.

Even though our missionaries live very 'spartan' lifestyles compared to the average Western missionary, on average, Luosang's missionaries still only need about 1/3 of the financial support that our missionaries do.

For instance, Luosang showed me how a family of 3 working with his ministry would need about $2400 per year to cover all personal expenses. That comes out to just about $200/month. Our missionaries, on the other hand, will most likely require $7,200 per year for a family of 3. That is the equivalent of $600/month.

The second major difference is in the length of time that Luosang is planning to continue giving regular financial support to his ministry team. His goal is to help them start businesses in their target regions, so that they will be able to support themselves (and even help support other missionaries!) within one year's time!

We also have the desire to use business as a way to fund our ministry and give us a 'place' in the culture where we live and minister, but we have so far not entertained the idea that our missionaries would be self-supporting.

Why do I share all this? Check back soon for Operation "Luosang" Part III...