So, I haven’t put out a specified list of prayer requests lately. And now, I will remedy that:
For self-discipline: I’ve been really sparatic both in my methods of getting things together in prep for the trip and in spending time with God. Stuff gets done, but I think I scare everyone around me by not having a set schedule by which those things get done, and spiritually I seem to feast or famine with time spent with God. I need some routine, which I don’t do naturally.
For discernment, guidance, and blessings: I’m wrapping up my last few weeks as a youth leader. The guys in my small group that I’ve been co-leading for the last two years are gradding in the next few weeks, I get to baptize one of them on the 16th, and they’re all off to ‘the real world.’ Pray for my own discernment in how best to spend the next few times we get to be together, and guidance/blessings for them as they make decisions on what to do with their new found responsibility over their own life direction in the coming months and years. Travel, time off, work, school, careers – the options are all viable, huge, and overwhelming at this point in their lives (even though I’ve told them they’ll change their minds a dozen times later on anyway).
Finances and provisions: This is a multi-facetted prayer request, so I’m going to give you a rundown on the situation and ask that you pray as you felt led to pray for it.
I decided early on to seperate my financial costs for this trip into what I need to be on the world race (the 13,000 US I’m raising) and prep costs (immunizations, plane tickets to/from training/field, camping gear etc.). The plan was to fundraise everything for the 13,000 and cover all the prep myself. Due to some unforseen life expenses, it’s starting to look like I won’t be able to cover ALL of that myself. Here are some things I still need:
– Sleeping bag – warm, but VERY compact
– Tent – two man tent that’s around 7lbs (or less), and packs small
– Cooking gear – haven’t looked at this in detail, but I know hauling fuel isn’t really an option, and it needs to be compact.
– Laptop/palm pilot/ipod – minimally, I need something to store pictures off my camera (like an ipod), but being able to make posts for this blog without paying for typing time at a net cafe and also do some media stuff for the whole team would be ideal (like a laptop).
– Health insurance.
– Plane ticket to Georgia for August 30th.
– Plane ticket home, sometime next summer.
Prayer that someone(s) out there has something(s) from the list they no longer need/are willing to donate would be awesome. Anyone have lots of airmiles they don’t need?
Finally, my fundraising update: Currently I’m at about $800 US, with another $1000 pledged in monthly donations. To stay on track, I should’ve had $1500 cash and $2500 with monthly donations in by the beginning of May. The total amount ($13,000) is due by August 15th, leaving 11 weeks from today for fundraising. This is the area I feel so utterly powerless in, because I can tell people about this trip and what we’re doing till I’m blue in the face, but without a tug at their heart people aren’t going to support this.
Please, keep these things in your prayers over the next few months, I will keep you updated with any changes/new prayer requests as they come. Thank you so much everyone for all your prayers!
