Today is our Flight

Tonight we fly from FJK in New York, to Kiev Ukraine on board Delta Airlines. We have a few issues which popped up. One of our team members, Jim the Pilot, has been bumped from the jump seat on the flight. Please pray that God will provide a way for him to fly today. Also pray that we get to NY safe. Kimberly and I will be taking the train up from Walnut Street Station in Philadelphia. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers, this has been a tough journey. There were plenty of points where I thought we wouldn't make the trip. I know that God will provide for our journey and everything is in His capable, and powerful hands. He doesn't need to hear the prayers of His Children, because he knows everything, But he chooses to hear our prayers, and act on our petitions. God wants our hearts to be united, and He sends us in the prayers of our friends, making us one in the mission to reach out and serve those who need to know his grace and love. I don't know if or when the next time I'll be able to update his blog will be, but until then I want to thank you for all your support.

In Philadelphia, Getting ready to go

Yesterday and today we have a little breathing room, as we arrived in Philadelphia and spent a few days with my parents before leaving the children for Kiev. We plan to take a train to NY City tomorrow morning, looking forward to getting some time alone. Today we finish our planning and lesson plans. Please pray for our team today and tomorrow as we all travel. I might be able to send short messages to the blog, please keep tuned for more to come.

Please Pray... We leave on Friday

Please pray for us, Kimberly was at WalMart yesterday, and slipped on a puddle of water and sprained her ankle. Tuesday we will be flying to Philadelphia with the children, and Friday we fly out of JFK in New York.

Please Pray for Passports

  Some of the members of our team are still waiting on their passports.  Today Ann Dawson received it in the mail.  Please pray that everyone will have the proper documents needed to leave and return to the country.  Also we've raised 100% of the funds plus a little more. 

Lots of work and very little time

We've raised all the funds we needed to go, plus a little extra. Now comes the real work of research and writing the curriculum and getting ready to go. Lots of fun stuff go into the effort like what will the schedule look like, and what are the activities, and what do we need to bring. I'm really excited. I'll be teaching an advanced Spoken English Class and my class will learn idioms, and popular phrases, help with correct pronunciation, and of course have lots of fun. Our Topic will be 'Remember the Alamo', and we will use that topic to launch into discussion about freedom, liberty and personal governance. So over the next weeks my blogs will probably be more centered on why individuals are responsible for their governments, and why revolutions can be good things.
Prayer requests:

• Things at work are pretty hectic, but my vacation is blocked into the schedule. Just pray that I'll be able to leave work at work.
• Settle down and spend time getting the kids ready to go visit their grandparents.
• Preparation - pray that we will be prepared.
• And pray for Kimberly and I that we will be used the way God wants to use us.
• Pray for our students

Thanks for your support! Please keep praying, we have a lot left to do.

God is always faithful

Sunday started quite well, everything was falling into place and the plans were working out just fine. The team worked together like a finely tuned engine being run for the first time. The Sunday service had a smaller than usual crowed. After the service was over a large portion of people left leaving an even smaller group. There were some murmurs of disappointment, but altogether we kept moving as planned.
The plan was to have the people eat while the team set up the silent auction. A week before we had only 12 people signed up to bring food. If we were planning for 200 people, which we really wanted, we would need more food. The team did it's part, the millers brought hot dogs for the kids, Steve Sparks bringing sausage, Dawson's brought P&J, and we brought potato salad. God has a way of making everything work out perfectly, and we had food to spare (we even had food to take the the soup kitchen).
The auction crowed was lower than expected, the tables were covered with deals of all kinds. In the end there were lots of winners. People got great deals, and the team actually raised more money than we raised last year! Our total was $7500 raised!
Our Auction plus other funds raised minus expenses leaves us with a total need of $5677. God is always faithful. Please continue to pray for us during this month of preparation, as we get ready to go. It's been a hard year of planning and executing, please pray that we have the strength to continue the journey. Keep praying for the unity of the team and pray that we add extended team members (people like you!) who can support us financially and to continue to pray for us.

Count down for Fundraiser

Only three days until the big project fundraiser.  This fundraiser usually funds about 1/3 of the project overall cost which this year is about $30k.  Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement.  Please send back your response even if you can't send funds, we need to hear that you are willing to keep us in your prayers during the trip.  You are part of our team, and we need you to pray for us.  God will take care of the money, and He was always come thru for providing. 

Here is how we currently need prayer:

• Help our team work well together, this weekend will be the first big test.  Working under stress and under 'flexible' conditions can cause people to get upset and agitated.  Please pray that peace will be given during these times.
• Pray that God will open the hearts of the students.
• Pray that we have a servants heart, help us to be humble.
• Help us to be adaptable, moldable, and usable in the hands of God.

More letters...

Last night we sent more letters out to family and friends, funds are needed! This year we are really strapped for extra money. There was no bonus this year (from Dell), and my stock purchase plan was canceled by the company. We know that if God wants us to go He, and only He will provide the way. Also please visit this link for the Silominksy Presbterian Reformed Church in Ukraine. They are a great group of people, really trying to reach out into the city of Kiev.

Getting ready for the Fund Raiser

It seems that over the last few months our team has been under some major spiritual attack. One of our team had a family member in a major accident while vacationing in Mexico. He was evacuated back to Austin, and underwent surgery which saved his life. Other members have had problems with work. Things which could cause people to second think their interaction with this trip, but thanks to God, he has kept us together. Besides getting our curriculum together, we've had collect items for our fund raiser which will be an auction and BBQ dinner on Fathers day (17th of June). As a team we've all worked hard. This year we've added to the fundraiser a raffle of gift baskets. Kimberly took items donated by members of the church and put together beautiful theme related baskets which we will raffle off during the auction. Please keep us in prayer of the next week, we will be doing a lot of work trying to get ready for the Auction. Also as many of you heard in the news Dell will be reducing it's workforce by 10% over the next 12 months. Currently no one really knows what that means, other than Dell will be laying off around 6000 people around the world. I thank God that I currently have a Job. Please keep us in your prayers that we will know Gods will in this matter, its really hard to wait day by day wondering if the next day I will be without a job. It's also hard to keep a positive attitude under these working conditions. We will try to update often.

Another Year another Trip

Today is the first step in this year's journey. I was able to put in for vacation time, and it was approved, this is a very good first step. This year the 'Way2Go' Summer Instiute will be held outside Kyiv at an actual camp.