This past weekend Heather and I helped coordinate and pull of a “Gym Sale” at our church as a fundraiser for the youth group mission trip to New Orleans that Heather and I are leading. On Friday we spent most of the day picking up stuff that church members had donated and worked with the youth and other volunteers to set up, price etc. On Saturday we had a great turn out and we are thrilled to have raised about $1,360 at the gym sale which will cover our van rentals for the trip.
We are really seeing some excitement and momentum build for all of our summer activities and service projects. Our summer theme is “I am 3rd” as we try to shift our focus from ourselves and realign our lives so that it is God, others, and then self. I’ve also heard it said that JOY is a great way to describe this (and to experience true joy) as it is all about Jesus, others, and you. Please pray for our students and leaders and that we would all really embrace and live out this “I am 3rd” lifestyle.
On Thursday we’ll be just 3 weeks out from when over 125 college age students and their leaders will be arriving for their one and two month trips to Guatemala, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, the Peru Amazon Jungle, the Philippines, and Swaziland. This is crunch time for both our students and leaders as they raise funds, prepare to leave the country for one or two months, and try to focus and prepare themselves spiritual. Satan always tries to bring an assortment of attacks so please pray for protection over our students and leaders as they prepare for an amazing God experience.
In closing, I’d like to ask for your prayers for a HUGE need. We are actually still in need of a male leader for our one month Nicaragua trip and a female leader for our two month trip to Nicaragua and Guatemala. We seriously need your prayers for these two leaders as we are just three weeks out from when the students arrive. If you know of someone that might be interested, please pass along my email address to them. We trust that God will be faithful and provide the final two leaders we need.
And, I guess that is where we are at the moment.
Finishing Strong,
Chad and Heather
