An Amazing Opportunity…

Can I say how excited I am right now? Yesterday I wrote an e-mail/letter and sent it out to several people about an really great opportunity I have coming up. Here is that e-mail…

Let me share with you about an amazing opportunity that I have as a youth pastor. The church denomination that I am apart of received confirmation regarding an invitation to join our sister region in the Nazarene Church, Eurasia, for the 2008 Nazarene Youth Congress in Kiev, Ukraine, August 2-7, 2008. Then from August 8-14, 2008 I will be in Kiev working on a missionary project with my team. I will be going with a regional team, representing several Nazarene churches from several church districts. I will going as a district leadership representative and a student leader from our district will also go out with our regional team. This is such an amazing opportunity and I am so excited about this chance to go to Eastern Europe and connect with youth and youth workers from Europe and Asia. Plus, I love the fact that after going to serve at this conference I will get a chance to do some mission work in the same area. As crazy as this might sound, but it has always been a dream of mine to equip leaders in Eastern Europe, so I knew when this chance was presented that I needed to step up and ask to go. The estimated cost for this trip is $2,750.00 – $3,000.00 plus my travel costs to LA to meet with the regional team. (That travel cost will be about an extra $150+/-) Based on some conversations with district leaders that I have had recently I am anticipating that I will receive financial help from both the region and the district. I am also hoping next month to have a garage sale to help offset the cost of going. I will however need to raise the rest of the money for this trip. Please be praying for this chance to go to Kiev. I am very excited and I feel very blessed by the chance to go and participate in this event. Already I feel the stretching of my faith as I know I will step away from my ministry here in Yuba City and at Yuba City Nazarene for almost 20 days. I would be missing 3 weeks of youth group and 2 weekend services. What’s amazing though is the support and encouragement I have felt from my church family. Even the men I coach football with at Yuba City High School are excited that I could go and do such an amazing thing and most of them are not believers. Please be praying for me as my faith is being stretched. Pray for the financial pieces of this to all come together too. And most importantly, be praying for the youth in that part of the world that will be gathering for this amazing event. I will be updating this blog with information about my trip on a regular basis. I plan on keeping a praise journal of how God provides financially for this trip every step of the way too. If you are interested in supporting me for this trip then please contact me directly. I value your friendship and your prayers and may the blessings of God be on you at this time. Thanks, and make it a great day!