40 Days Out...

             We are on the final countdown until we leave now. Our tickets are booked, items are being purchased, and we are saying our "see you laters."  With a little over 5 weeks left in the states, our minds are a jumble at this point. We are spending our time with those we love, packing, gathering documents, fundraising, and sharing our story.  The number of unknowns and uncertainties can be overwhelming along with the amount of things that need to get done. I am learning (many times the hard way) to be here and live today rather than worrying about tomorrow or five weeks from now.  The reality of how suddenly our daily reality is going to change is beginning to hit me, like picking up fast food, taking a hot shower, or being in air conditioned rooms.
              God has been amazing and showed off so much throughout this process of asking for support. We have been told that the money comes from unexpected places and we believed it, but it is another thing to be blessed by people who we never expected. Cody and I have grown so much from the fundraising process as a couple and individually. Through this fundraising process, we have learned that our job is only to share our story and ask if people would consider supporting us. If they can, great and if they cannot, that is fine too! We do not take it personally, but it is our responsibility to ask because the answer is always no otherwise.
           At this point we have ALL of our start up/ one time/ set up costs covered through donations and commitments! This is a HUGE blessing at this point. We are down to needing $850 of monthly commitments to be FULLY FUNDED!!! This means if 34 people gave $25 a month, 17 people gave $50 a month, or 9 people gave $100 a month we would be fully funded! We are excited to find out who God has in store for us to partner with financially and meet with over the next 5 weeks.
            Our prayer needs at this time are for strength and protection for our relationship as we work together to process leaving and partner together during this slightly stressful season, and that we prioritize God and each other. Another is that we are doing a lot of paperwork to get into the country, setting up new accounts, and collecting legal documents, and we need these processes to go as smoothly and quickly as possible during the remainder of our time.