80% and growing!

the latest update on the finances is that i have raised 80% of my first year's budget. i still need $1000 a month before i can leave. this is great, my friends. i have still been traveling around, talking to churches and missions boards hoping to get the last of it raised in the next couple weeks. it has been my pleasure to get to meet so many folks along the way who breathe new life and encouragement into me and this ministry. and to see how God has orchestrated every nuance of my life to get me to where i am now and how the whole big picture fits together.
i want you to know by giving, we are giving back to god his resources and he is using them to give kids hope and value. thank you immensely for this. i know that there are so many other wonderful organizations asking for help and there are many demands on you all. this is such a life-changing investment, that will not return void. you are a part of speaking love and truth into kids who have been hurt and overlooked. i couldn't want anything more. blessings.

thee committee

the committee. wow. what an amazing crew of supporters and servers. these are my people. they have been the backbone to this whole operation and will continue to do so while i am away in germania. since i have no one church that is backing me, i have a committee of committed friends and peers to send me off and help me in this process. if you think my brochures are super rad or that i have raised the funds all by myself or i know how to figure out all of the finances or just coasted through this, it is a great facade. it's all them. they have walked with me in this whole fundraising extravaganza and done everything they could to make this possible. they believe in this mission and these kids and that we are changing lives and giving hope to kids. i am honored to have them beside me and praying over me. with you all and them, together we are a mighty force for god's great kingdom. i am not alone and He goes before me.

fellow München-ers

these boys are my new friends and soon to be new young life staffers in munich. they are also in the fundraising process to move over and be interns like me. both michael and adam are amazing and i think we will be a great team. however, they have a small leg-up over myself, they both sprechen deutsch. lucky! god willing, i too will someday be able to carry on a decent german conversation. until then, i blubber and blunder through and they just appreciate the effort. pray for them as well and that we can be a great team full of grace and love for each other. god is setting things up and getting everything in its' place. amen.

new staff training in colorado

i am here at Frontier Ranch Young Life camp. all of us young, green staffers are gettin' real smart. i have the great privelege of learning about the life of christ, the ins and outs of young life, cross cultural issues, the history of young life, and adolescent culture. i have only been here three days, and already i have experienced so much. i would wager a guess that no matter how old and "mature" i get, i will always feel a little insecure, less capable, unstimulating, and just plain dumb sometimes. i am stretching and growing in areas i feel both weak and strong in. that's a good thing. sometimes i wonder, what am i getting myself into and then i think, what else would i rather do? what else is so life-giving as to remind me, kids, and everyone involved that all that matters is god and his great love for us? i am confronted with how wonderful and refreshing the Gospel is and how i pale in comparison. but that's also a beautiful thing to be in complete awe and wonder of the God of the Universe who created all of this and still wants to use me, broken and fragile. thank you to all who are investing in the lives of young people and who bring their resources to God's table, where we all will be filled to overflowing with God's goodness and sweet grace. you are making this journey possible and i pray that through my willingness to be a fool, kids will know of a whole, forgiven, and joyful life both here on earth and in heaven. you have chosen wisely and i am eternally grateful for this opportunity.