Ok, back to the serious stuff

I noticed that not only have I not been posting much lately (apparently I prefer actually being with my friends and family over writing prose specifically for them to read) and the stuff I have done is basically fluff. I am going to try to change that starting now.

In previous updates here,here, here and here I explained why and how we were barred from re-entry to Ukraine a few weeks ago. Since then we have obviously returned to Colorado and I have resumed work in the main Global Action office.  Today (Tuesday) marks my 6th work day since discovering my new position. Maybe position isn't the right term since I am only going to be at it for 3 months before returning to the HopeCenter but here's the deal....

While there is still much uncertainty surrounding our return to Ukraine in January, we know several things for sure:

-We will have 4 camps this summer for 100 kids each

-Inflation in Ukraine is high so program costs will be greater than last year

-The exchange rate is unpredictable, making the funding situation very precarious

With this being the situation, I - actually "we" since Sarah is an inextricable part of my job at the HopeCenter - have been asked to simply talk to people about our passion for the camp, the children we serve and Ukraine in general. From this we hope to generate support for our summer camps in 2009. In essence, we hope that people will be willing to donate - either in a lump sum or monthly installments - to send a child (or several) to camp. It runs about $230 for each of the 400 children that we hope to bring to one of our 10-day camps.

Since I am absolutely NOT the fund-raising type (after all, I'm horrible at golf) we are trying to work on a grassroots level to get children to the HopeCenter this summer. So far our plan is to have desserts for 8 or 10 people (with the help of our friends) in a variety of places to personally convey the plight of orphans and poor children in Ukraine. If you're interested in hosting one, let us know....

Beyond that, I really don't even know what grassroots support looks like so if you have any advice, I'll take it. All I know is that we love these kids and I'm not willing to let currency exchange or economic uncertainty keep us from ministering to as many as possible next summer.

Wanna help?  Click here!