Since so many of you so graciously donated to my travel fund, which made my trip to the Shepherds’ Conference possible, I believe that it is only right and fitting that I give you an accounting of my expenses.
In some areas I went over budget, but in others I was under budget. Fuel prices were higher than I expected, but my car got a lot better mileage than I had anticipated, so that worked out well. I had the good fortune of having my friend, Tony Bartolucci, a pastor from New York, as a roommate & split the hotel costs with me. He also bought some of my fuel, as we were using my car for running around in.
Here’s how it all worked out:
| Budgeted | Actual | |
|---|---|---|
| Conference | $300.00 | $300.00 |
| Fuel | $300.00 | $267.75 |
| Hotel | $400.00 | $291.50 |
| Food | $180.00 | $214.60 |
| Books | $0.00 | $149.60 |
| Total | $1180.00 | $1290.16 |
As you can see, I spent $149.60 on books, which I had not budgeted for. I hadn’t figured on the incredible bookstore that Grace Community Church provided for the pastors who attend the conference. I had heard about the free books that are provided to conference attendees, but nobody warned me about the bookstore… where all the pastors received credits and huge discounts… and I’m afraid I gave into temptation, buying commentaries and other books for my study, including the complete 4-volume MacArthur Pastor’s Library. My church family has graciously allowed me to submit this expense for reimbursement also.
Through your donations, I raised $1208.00 towards these expenses. With actual expenses of $1290.16, my church has only had to cover $82.16. This is a wonderful blessing for such a small church! There is no way the church could have sent me without your help!
Being able to go to the Shepherds' Conference was a fantastic! A dream come true! I cannot thank you all enough for making it possible for me to attend!
