Six years ago, God provided a refurbished MacBook Pro laptop which I’ve been using for field video work as well as personal use. The laptop has seen some great times. It’s been used in the Moi tribe, working on the Awayo video. It’s ingested footage at Wayumi, worked in the Philippines, laid out newsletters, done local interviews, and so much more.
And now it’s time to part paths. Not just because I want to upgrade, but because when we were filming Shane’s video in Wisconsin, I was a little concerned about the hard drive running out of space and crashing. It got all the way down to about 12mb. Another inciting event was when my work machine was upgraded to Adobe Creative Cloud 2014 — I knew the laptop could not upgrade and still function.
I was holding off the upgrade to maximize resources, and because it’s been a great little machine and computers change so quickly! I wanted this one to last as long as possible and then get a newer model to replace it — so that model can see a lot of use too.
Project Costs:
Now the time has come to upgrade my laptop! The cost will be $3187.42 for a refurbished MacBook Pro laptop. $1000 in gifts has already been set aside for this project, so it has a jump-start. One third of the project is funded!
Cost breakdown of $3187.42:
Computer: $2629
Service Plan: $349
Adaptor Cable: $29
Tax: $180.42
Goal: I’m trying to raise funds for this through December.
Purchasing a new laptop has several benefits:
1. Current editing software. We just upgraded our video editing suite to the latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud, and Apple is releasing a new OS. I use the laptop when we work on video shoots stateside or overseas, and this will allow it to function smoothly.
2. Current Operating System Software. Apple is releasing a new OS, Yosemite, and my old laptop is two operating systems behind. This new laptop will have the specs it needs to have the current OS.
3. 1 TB flash drive. My old laptop has been running out of space. Having a larger drive, especially a solid state, will be more reliable and effective.
4. Speed. Let’s just face it – this new computer will be faster across the board! 2.6Ghz quad-core processor, with 16GB ram and 2GB built-in to the graphics card. This will allow me to work faster to maximize processing time on location.
4. Refurbished. Purchasing a refurbished machine will save money while still being able to have current features.
5. Use of resources. I’ve been thinking about upgrading for the past three years, but just haven’t had a peace about purchasing a new model. I wanted my old computer to last as long as possible to get the best use out of it. Now the time has come to update my six-year-old computer!
6. Impact for the lost. Of course, the main benefit is that the videos we make help with mobilizing missionaries and fundraising, so that more unreached people groups will hear the Gospel. This tool will help us continue to make great videos. One of our latest videos is about funding People Group Assessments — that means research and survey trips to find unreached people, so that new missionaries can move into locations with no access to the Gospel.
Link to computer details:
Would you like to help with the project? If so, you have several options.
1. Write a check made out to New Tribes Mission, and mail it to: New Tribes Mission, 1000 E 1st St, Sanford, FL 32771-1487. Include a note “for the ministry of Regina Rodman/laptop project”
2. Give Online by credit card. Just enter an amount on the give page on my blog, hit submit, and it will let you checkout on usa.ntm.org. Also, in step 1 you can click to “add instructions for the finance office”. Type “laptop project” in the comment space. Also note that missionaries pay a 2.2% transaction fee.
3. To give by debit card call the NTM Finance office at 866-547-2460.
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