Email Update | 06/18/09

Here is out latest email update sent today (there is a # correction, I was absentminded when I typed in our budget percentile):

Dear Friends,

Thank you all again so much for your faithful partnership in our ministry! We hope that you all are doing well. As we think of you all, we want to be in prayer for you in as specific ways as possible. So, please, if you have a prayer request, do not hesitate to email us back. We consider it a privilege to lift you up in prayer to our Heavenly Father.

Lindsay and I are finally back in Minnesota for a bit! Currently we are in Willmar, MN re-connecting with friends, and sharing a bit about our ministry. We plan to be here from now till about Saturday, June 27th or so.

Funding Update
For part of this summer, we are focusing on our funding budget. We are so thankful to the Lord that as of January 09, our financial budget for last year was totally & graciously provided for! Here at the beginning of the fiscal year, we are seeking to secure the funds again that were one-time gifts last year.

Our budget goal has not changed since last year. Currently, our secured financial partnership is 62% of our budget goal. So that leaves 38% that still needs to be secured for this new fiscal year. We are in contact with a few potential partnering churches, and are seeking new individual partners. Please continue to pray for the Lord to bring us into prayerful & financial partnership with new individuals and churches.

Summer Plans
We hope to be back in Ithaca, New York around July 3rd. Our plan for the summer is primarily based around preparation for the fall. We will be praying over student names for key roles next year. I will be preparing the weekly Bible studies for fall semester, from the book of Colossians, as well as working through 70+ hours of the Navigators Bible study curriculum, and some other books as well. We will also be attending our Cornell summer students' weekly book study of Dr. Timothy Keller's, "The Reason for God".

We are looking forward to being back in our apartment, and enjoying our first Ithaca summer! Please pray for our courage, physical & emotional strength, and trust to grow during this season.

Thank you all again for co-laboring with us in the harvest fields. You are very precious to us! Philippians 1:3-5

Lifting Our Eyes,

Matt & Lindsay

P.S. You may remember in our last mail update, I was headed to Colorado Springs, CO to help coach some new Navigator staff. Below are two photos of a few of the guys I helped coach. Two of the men are from the U. of Vermont where I used to be on staff with the Navigators. You might recognize one from previous newsletters, big tall guy.

Here we are at the waterfall in Queen's Canyon in Glen Eyrie (Navigators HQ), just before we went swimming.



And then again, right before the formal banquet at the end of their training (I forgot fancy clothes).