Praise Report

Thank the Lord another check came in the mail. I would like to thank Dick Carney for pitching in and helping me buy that plane ticket to Kenya. I have only met Dick once when he was in Charlotte with his son who is a friend of mine. When the conversation came around to the mission trip, Dick perked up and declared “missions are my passion.” Well Dick proved how passionate he was by donating to my cause. Dick is also a veteran of numerous mission trips over seas and here at home. He takes a group from his church in Greenville, NC to Haiti every year to spread the love of the Lord to those in need. He has also lead a mission team to hurricane-ravaged Mississippi to help fellow Americans cope with the devastation and destruction cause by Katrina. When Dick says missions are his passion he has the experience to back up that statement. Thanks again Dick for helping a young man become involved in his very first mission trip.

Know, hopefully, the donations will continue to pile up in my mailbox. I sent out a reminder letter to all of those family members and friends who told me, “Oh yea, I’m sure I could give you a few dollars.” I had a hard enough time working up the courage to ask for a donation the first time around. Having to ask a second time has been pure torture. I don’t do well with asking for money because I know all to well how hard it is to earn a dollar and how much harder it is to keep a dollar. With my son’s medical bills and my wife returning to school instead of to work, we owe more than one bank several dollars. Living in the red isn’t fun and I know how many fine folks live with this problem. So asking them for money they could be using for bills is difficult for me. But, it’s not up to me who donates or where the money comes from. I just trust in the Lord and he will provide every one of his children with what they need.

Below is a copy of my second letter.

May has arrived and the countdown for my departure to Kenya has started. I have approximately one month to get all of my donations together to purchase my plane ticket. So far I have raised $750 towards my $2000 goal. That means I have raised roughly one third of the money I need for my plane ticket. I need your help in raising the rest of the funds to send me on this important mission.

Let me take a moment to explain how helping to send me to Kenya is a worthwhile cause. The church has been blessed to receive enough donations to purchase a professional grade video camera to document the work the missionaries perform while in Kenya. Since I am a professional videographer, the church has asked me to accompany the mission team with the new camera. I will spend two weeks following the missionaries on their journeys and recording all of their movements as they work diligently to spread the word of God. I will have a front row seat when the team conducts an evangelistic and healing crusade in Kitikiti, a village near Nairobi. Last year this crusade attracted over a thousand attendees and was held in an outdoor soccer arena. I will tour the new Grace House alcohol and drug rehabilitation center that our church sponsors. I plan to shoot enough footage of this wonderful new ministry to produce a second documentary for the purpose of raising funds to keep the new center operating. I will also follow along, with tape rolling, as the team visits individual homes and families for personal ministry and prayers.

When I return from Africa, my job will be far from finished. I will take all of the footage I shot and edit it into several different videos for the church. Our goal is not to just raise money for future trips, or to sponsor the ministries we have started in the region. We also want to increase the members of the mission team itself. We want to find doctors and dentists who also want give of their talents to those who cannot receive care. We need musicians and witnesses to help with the crusades. We are looking for anyone who is willing to embark on this life-changing journey to spread the Good News. My videos will help in finding those individuals led to join the mission.

I am very excited about this opportunity to serve the Lord in Kenya. I believe I am led to use my God given talents as a videographer to help bring the word of the Lord to those all over the world who need to hear a message of hope. Thank you so much for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,