Peter Torjesen Fund
When eighteen-year-old Peter Torjesen heard the call to China, he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, "And my life". A few years later he went to China with his bride Valborg and began working in a country about to be sucked into a maelstrom of war and revolution. Peter, whose Chinese name was Ye Yongqing, meaning “Leaf Evergreen,” and his wife opened their home and church premises in Hequ, Shanxi, to shelter up to 1,000 refugees during World War II. Prior to this they had planted churches and done medical and development work in the northwestern corner of Shanxi Province for nearly 20 years. In 1939, Norwegian missionary Peter Torjesen was killed by a Japanese bombing raid while serving China in Shanxi Province.
It’s difficult for most charitable organizations to raise support for the ongoing operations and business functions that are the necessary foundation for the projects on the field. Thomas J. Tierney, in “Going for Gold in Philanthropy” wrote,
“Furthermore, there has been much discussion about “overhead” and donors wanting to see 90 percent–plus of their money going directly to programs. But low overhead does not necessarily yield high impact. Investment in infrastructure and leadership is as important to the success of nonprofits as it is to any for-profit entity. Donors should not discount the importance of funding capacity-building, and they should hold the organizations they support accountable for managing their own operations and growth wisely.” (www.philanthropyroundtable.org, October 1, 2009)
Your donation to this fund allows us to keep the vision of Peter Torjesen alive by laying a solid foundation for Evergreen's functions and projects. It is used specifically to ensure the integrity of Evergreen's business operations, which is crucial to maintaining the work in China.