IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!

This Sunday is a very important day! Given the scope of a trip like this one, we only have the ability to hold 2 ALL TEAM fund raisers - this Sunday is the first one!

In case you haven't had a chance to read the letter (that should have already arrived at your home!), ALL STUDENTS are expected to help out with this fund raiser! Here are the most important details that you should know:

- ALL STUDENTS who are planning on going on this trip are expected to attend the 8:10 AM service so that they are available to help with all of the details of making the chili supper happen in the North Campus during the 2nd and 3rd services... again - ALL STUDENTS!!!

- Each family should provide a desert cut into 24-30 generous portions (if you are bringing cookies, 2 cookies is a portion) as well as 3-4 medium/large tomatoes cut into wedges.

- Please plan to stay until everything is cleaned up and put away (it won't take very long if everyone stays and stays motivated)

If there is a part of this that you are unable to fulfill, please contact me ASAP (you can reach me at the Church office during the day @ 419.636.1362 or email me @ jeremy@newhopecc.org)

Big Hurdles!

The hand of God was moving today! I am so confident that this trip will be an ENORMOUS success in the lives of students - God is continuing to protect this trip and help all of the details to fall together!

One real trial that has been developing in my mind lately relates to the capacity for the trip. When I made the airline reservations a couple of months ago, I only made 25 (thinking that the price would scare a ton of students... and parents.... away). Well, that has not been the case (to say the least).

For the past several weeeks, I have been tossing and turning at night trying to figure out how we will accomodate all fo the interest in this trip above the 25 seats that I have already reserved. I have been going over every scenerio...

• I have already increased the number of students to the capacity the group reservation will allow on our flights down to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
• I have thought about the possiblity of sending 2 separate groups and leaders and meeting in Honduras (what a nightmare!!!)
• I have thought about renting vans and driving to airports as far away as Chicago to board larger planes (to no avail... the problem is from Atlanta to San Pedro Sula).

Then this morning, I had an epiphany!!! What if we purchased additional tickets indivually (more expensive) for the people that I have that I KNOW are commited to going (like leaders for instance) leaving the reserved group tickets for students.

So, first thing this morning I took our group reservation itinerary and looked into purchasing tickets to match that itinerary. The very kind man at Delta looked up our grou locator number and told me that somehow our flights had been changed and now we were booked to fly into Atlanta where we would stay the night and fly out to Cincinatti and then to Toledo the next morning! MY JAW DROPPED!

I spent the next 3 hours confirming the issue, connecting with our travel agent, re-confirming the issue and re-booking our flights out of a different airport with a completely new schedule in order to avoid the expenses of an overnight stay (and van rental, food, etc) for 30 people.

All of this because I called to work out another evidence that God is working (overwhelming interest in serving in Honduras). Think about it... if I had thought of this idea weeks ago, we would already have had those tickets when this change was made and not only would we have lost money, but we would have not known about the issue!

Everyone, I am CONFIDENT that God gave me this idea this morning - otherwise I would have missed knowing about this HUGE issue!

Would you PLEASE join me in praying that I would be sensitive to what GOD wants from this trip? I am confident that God is going to do some amazing things in the lives of students!!!!!!

Jeremy

Questions...

I get a lot of questions about missions trips... here are my impromptu top 10 (and some answers):

10. Do you have to bring my teenage son home? (there is an extra charge to leave him)

9. How will you get to Honduras? (are there really options?)

8. Why can't I take my cell phone? (other than it wont work there, mainly because I said so)

7. How long will we be in the air? (until we get there - you won't want to get out early)

6. Can you drink the water there? (you can - it is liquid, but you shouldn't)

5. How can I live without my ipod? (trust me, it is possible)

4. How do I ask to go to the bathroom in Spanish? (just wait - your need will be universally obvious very soon)

3. Is it hot there? (YES!)

2. What will we eat? (all Hispanic food is just a varying combination of beef, rice, cheese and tortillas...)

AND THE #1 QUESTION I GET ABOUT THE MISSIONS TRIP IS...

1. Where is all of that money supposed to come from?

I know that $1350 is a LOT of money. I want to provide a few resources that will greatly help relieve the burden on you and your family.

ALL TEAM FUND RAISERS:

First, the church has pledged $150 toward each student's cost. Every student who is a part of the New Hope community will be able to take advantage of this scholarship.

Also, we will hold 2 all team fund raisers in the form of "all church dinners." These dinners will be held in mid February and sometime in May. Typically, these dinners help significantly with student expenses. It is possible that we could raise $150-200 per student (maybe more!) at these dinners, but a lot of that depends on you guys drumming up interest in the dinner with friends and family!

Finally, we will coordinate a "rent a student" program where people within the congregation notify us of odd-jobs around their homes and businesses and we give those jobs out to interested students. Watch for more information of this one... this could help a great deal!!!

SUPPORT LETTERS:

I strongly suggest that you consider writing support letters. When full-time missionaries go into the field, they suffer the humility of asking friends and family to support them. Remember this: the people who care about you would LOVE the opportunity to be a part of this life changing trip - GIVE THEM THAT CHANCE!

Over the years, I have seen a number of students (including myself) raise as much as $2000 almost EXCLUSIVELY by sending a well written support letter (see the links at the top right for some examples) to close friends and family requesting that they pray for you while you prepare for and go on the trip and consider the possibility of assisting you financially. I am confident that you will find the VAST majority of people more than willing to contribute to this life changing experience! Just think of it this way: If you sent a letter like that one to just 25 people (grandparents, aunts/uncles, family friends, former employers, etc) and 20 of them responded with just $10, you have just raised $200!

BE CREATIVE!

I STRONGLY encourage you guys to work together as a team. Be creative - you don't have to sell something to raise money! GET OUT THERE AND WORK HARD AND YOU WON'T HAVE A PROBLEM!

One GREAT idea that I have seen work extremely well is a collaborative garage sale. Here is a great way to go about it:

~ Get together with a few (or a bunch) of our team (friends, people you just met, etc) and agree on the BEST LOCATED home in your bunch for a garage sale (your moms will know which one would rock!)

~ Make a flyer on the computer that says that you and some of your team are holding a garage sale exclusively to raise funds for your Missions Trip to Honduras. On this flyer, as people to consider giving you ANYTHING that they would want to get rid of and donate the proceeds to your fund raising efforts. Hand out the flyer to friends and neighbors (your boyfriend's mom, your best friend's parents, the nice lady on the corner, the butcher - the baker and the candlestick maker... you get the idea... EVERYONE!)

~ Make arrangements with people to pick up the stuff (get friends to help you).

~ Set a date and time for the garage sale and take an add out in the paper (just a few bucks) and advertise a HUGE multi-family garage sale. Mention the kinds of items that you have - baby clothes, kids toys, furniture, motorcycles, etc.

~ Make up a flyer and posters that tells all your customers why you are having this sale (and leave a donation box by where you take money in - people may want to contribute even if they don't find anything they want or might think of telling you to keep the change)

~Have a great sale and split the profits among the group that worked together.

Here are a couple of cautions:

~Don't allow people to sell stuff for their own money (to keep) at your sale - that way you can tell customers that EVERY PENNY goes towards your trip.

~Agree up front that you will split it all equally no matter how much stuff sells. That way you don't have disagreements on who got who to give what or who spent the most time working on it. If you work together as a team, you will win together as a team!

Here are some other ideas that you can do as a group:

~ Have a car wash! It's simple, cheap and doesn't tap out friends and family. I think the best way to do it is to make a flyer that you hand each car and tell them that you are accepting free will donations - you will do much better than setting a price.

~ Next time it snows, get a few friends together and go shovel driveways and sidewalks. Just go door-to-door and let people know why you are doing it - let them decide the price and split it equally.

~ You can run (just about) any find raiser you want to run... get together with as many teammates as you can and make it happen. There are a number of great ideas out there... if you google "fund raising ideas" you will go blind on possibilities (figuratively).

Jeremy

GO DEEP!

The word Honduras means "depths" - serving is deep stuff - If you are going to Honduras, you are going deep! Serving is likely the deepest part of a relationship with God. Think about it this way... first we are fed - then we feed ourselves - and the deepest part is when we start to feed others! Let's GO DEEP!

This is the first of many posts that will give you important information and updates on our trip to Honduras July 21-30, 2008. Make sure to check back often or sign up to get the updates in your email... until then... GO DEEP!