We are starting on week three of CGA now. I am surrounded by 40 individuals who have been surprising and amazing me from day one.
These are people who passionately love the Father, have experienced freedom and redemption to the fullest, and are actively seeking to live lives that glorify Him completely.
Some know exactly what they want to do in the future and are using CGA to build their plans for ministries overseas or shops that will benefit victims of trafficking or bands that will bring the name of Christ to lost fringe kids. Others are still seeking guidance as how they can use their gifts and talents best in the working world.
These people are from all over the map, with backgrounds of incredible diversity, all coming together to grow as much as we can to be productive members of society and God’s Kingdom. Incredible doesn’t even begin to describe it. We are all facing immense challenges with our apprenticeships and various track assignments. Some people are helping plan future World Race trips and training camps, others are working with parent relations and organizing Parent Vision Trips, while one very lucky person is working in the kitchen to help provide affordable meals to all the low income staffers here (that one is me! Doing my apprenticeship in the kitchen is SUCH a blessing).
We each have long term projects with our tracks as well. The Story track in particular has a very specific project.
Drum roll please…
We are all WRITING BOOKS!
Over the next 4 months, I get the privilege and incredible challenge of documenting the journey of my peers here at CGA. Because of my photography background, I’m doing a photo book focusing on identity and the journeys so many of us have gone on in order to embrace our identity in Christ and cast off the lies the world speaks over us daily. It is going to be a lot of work and a great challenge to deliver this vision in a personal, striking way. I want this book to inspire awe, serving as a reminder of how incredible our Creator is. That is not an easy task. Please keep me in prayer as I take this on. Asking the Lord to give me His eyes for these people, and to give me the story He wants me to tell.
Now for the financials. I’ve postponed putting the numbers out because they hadn’t been totally confirmed yet, but here they are now.
Two semesters of CGA costs $8,950 including the additional $250/month I am seeking to raise.
My account as of today has $4668.01 over half way there!
I have monthly supporters committing to give $1260 over the next 7 months, leaving $3022 more to raise. Breaking that down: I need just $432 committed monthly. That’s only 4 people giving $100/month over the next 7 months, or 10 people giving less than $45/month.
Any financial support you can give goes a long way, one-time or monthly. God constantly amazes me with how He uses people as a means to pour out on us. I know He is the source of everything and He chooses to use His children to help meet the needs of others. It’s mind-boggling to see the process on this end, knowing that we in the office are support for those on the field, yet we are all daily acting as the hands and feet of Christ. What a blessing to be a part of this journey.
One of the challenges they have given us in CGA is to view our supporters as a ministry opportunity: we pray over our supporters constantly! So please let me know how I can lift each of you up in my prayers.
Thank you from the very bottom of my heart!!
A picture blog with my latest work is coming!
