Do you ever wonder...

my office door

Just what sort of work does that Julie gal do over there in Zambia??

My official title is Financial Secretary for the Brethren In Christ Church here in Zambia. Duties include:

• Communication between the Stateside office and the local church
• Disbursing funds for a sundry of projects- including finances for compassion ministries to orphans and widows, hospital equipment and supplies, economic development, study aids for pastors, leadership training, and school fees for scholarship students
• Accepting and reviewing Use of Funds reports
• Banking
• Data entry— tracking funds
• Paying employees (monthly)
• Paying the bills—electricity, fuel, etc.

part of my office

Heather and I also manage the church guesthouse… which means keeping the calendar of bookings, purchasing supplies, ensuring everything (plumbing, etc.) is working properly, answering the door at any time of day or night, collecting money, writing receipts, and cleaning and prepping the rooms for guests.

In addition, I...

• Oversee the operations (and pay employees) at a guesthouse about an hour away, out in the bush
• Am in charge of the upkeep for the three mission vehicles (includes road tax, insurance, maintenance)
• Am a member of the national building committee (responsibilities include hosting the meeting and serving a meal once a quarter, funds disbursal, and reporting)
• Often have impromptu meetings on the veranda from guests requesting all sorts of information and items—everything from basic building plans for a rural church building to wanting to borrow a shovel...

a late night money-counting party...

There are probably some other responsibilities I forgot, but this gives you a little flavor of some of my work responsibilities here in Zambia.