Hi friends,
As August begins, I am beginning to feel more ready to be in Durban than I have so far. God's timing truly is perfect, and the growth and wisdom that I have gained just in the past few months has shown me that he has used this time to prepare me for these two years in Durban. While I would have loved to leave in July, which was my original target month, I realize that there were things that God needed to do in me before I was ready to go. I am so excited to continue to grow in my relationship with him for these remaining months and to continue that growth as I step onto the mission field.
As of the beginning of this month, I am at exactly 50% of my cash budget, which is awesome! According to what people have already submitted, my monthly budget was only at 15%, but I know that lots of people have committed and simply haven't submitted it yet. Let's pray that those who have made verbal commitments would still be able to follow through on those in a timely manner that will help me to reach my goal on time! In order to finish in October, I will need to see about $2500 more in monthly commitments and $15,000 in cash come in over the next two months. I know that God is faithful to provide and am praying that He will open doors and show me who to reach out to to partner with!
This is going to be a busy month for me for fundraising and I wanted to let you all know what's going on so that you can pray for each event and help out where you can! Last week, I went to Indianapolis for a few days and stayed with some family friends. They invited a group of friends over and I shared with them about what I'll be doing with Urban Tribes. So far, I've seen $40 in monthly commitments come from that meeting. Will you pray with me that the Lord will move on their hearts to give and possibly partner with me monthly?
Here's what the rest of the month will look like for me:
For two nights this month, I'll be selling dinner out of the cafe at The Ark Community & Sports Center, where I work.
August 26th the local band I've been in, Lonesome House, and a few other local bands (Soul Society, the Hudson Freeman Band) will be playing in downtown Springfield. Ticket sales will go to me as well as any Lonesome House EP purchases.
Many of you bought t-shirts last month (thanks you!) and I will be selling those again from August 13th - August 26th. Several people came to me after wanting to purchase a shirt. They are $20 and soon I will be posting some pics of how they look in person!
Thank you all again for your prayers and support! I am so so excited about what God is doing in the hearts of the people of Durban and I am extremely ready to get there and be a part of what He is doing!
Esther