:D

I received my money yesterday for helping a youth leader out at her job at cleaning H&R Block offices. ($70)

It's awesome how God keeps sending me to the bank to deposit a check or other cash. :)

Tomorrow I'm going to my sister's to help out with her yard sale. She, too, is going on a Missions trip to Ethiopia in October. But she will be staying for two years when she goes. Click here for her story. :D

Nothing more to really update you guys on. A prayer request would be that God would give me opportunities to raise money(Flea market or anything else) during April. The days I would be going to the Flea Market(Saturdays) are filled this Sat, next Sat, the following Sat seems to ring a bell of something. That leaves the 23rd and the 30th. Then it's May. That also has at least one Saturday booked, but I may be able to hand out some business cards during one of those days in May. :D I'll be passing tons of people anyhow.

Anyhow, sorry for the rambling. =P

Ooh, I almost forgot. My mom subs at the local Elem. schools often and she was taking to one of the teacher's aides about my missions trip. The aide began asking if I was musically inclined or could sing, and mom told her that I could play the piano. The aide then explained that her church takes up a lot of love offerings to teenagers going on missions trips. From what I recall my mom telling me, she said the aide said she would talk with her church and see if I can come give a presentation (plus slideshow?) of my calling. I might be able to do a special number on the piano. *Shrug*


Yep, that's it for now. Thanks for your prayers. :)

My business cards.

I don't believe I shared photos of my cards, so this is what this entry is about.

They were designed by my friend Bette Anne. (Lol, I hate when my fingers don't type what my brain is thinking. This parentheses is for who saw the name-typo. :P ) She did a really good job on the cards. (The photo on the back was taken by my other friend, Rebecca, who got me started on the wallets.)
















The front.














The back.



-Kevin

Update on Fundraising Event

Ok, so this morning I went out to the flea market to sell stuff for my trip to Ethiopia as I stated in the previous entry.

Well, no one bought the wallets, but there were interested people. I'm not too discouraged about it. A few people showed interest. But a lot of the other people were old(er), uninterested in such young fashion. (:P )

There were three baked good items. Muffins (Blueberry and banana), Mint Chocolate chip brownies, and rice krispy treats. The muffins were a good idea in light of it being early morning, and the brownies were sold out by the end of my time there.

All in all, I sold $17-some worth of baked goods.

I handed out my business card to most people who bought stuff, and also people who didn't buy anything from me.

I set up a jar for donations, and from that I received $13 dollars.

The rain began to fall around 9am, so we had to leave. (We didn't have a canopy or anything.)

Now for a couple of praises and an interesting story.


How it worked was we went to a table, claimed it, and at 8:30am the owners would collect the money for the booth. As he went to my table, I reached to get my wallet and he asked what my sales were for. We told him that it was for a missions trip, and he said I didn't owe him anything.

The fee wasn't much, but isn't that awesome that God worked it out that I didn't have to pay? :D

The second praise: The rain didn't come too soon.

The third praise is the one with the interesting story.

This lady walks up and I offer my card. Interested, she asks a few questions. She was obviously thinking something, and then asked me how long I was staying. I told her until lunch time. She then says in a hushed voice that she would be back with a check.

About half an hour later she returned with her check book. She then tells me how she woke up this morning and felt God wanted her to go to the flea market. She explained how she had dialogue with herself that it was supposed to rain. She got in the car and drove toward the flea market. Before the turn off, she thought to just continue and go to the next city over and not turn to the flea market. She said she still felt like she should go to the flea market.

She handed me a check for $100 and wished me Godspeed. (In hindsight, I wonder if that's what she was thinking about the first time we met)


So the question begs to be asked. What has God nudged you about that you refused to do? Were you prompted to go to the grocery store?

Sometimes God nudges to do things for our benefit, other times it's for the benefit of others. When that lady followed God's prompting, I was blessed and I was able to get one step closer to going to Ethiopia to minister to the children there.

Perhaps there is someone wanting to go to another country who happens to be down that aisle of the grocery store that God all of a sudden prompts you to go down. Or perhaps there is someone wanting to serve God and only needs encouragement that you can give.

Quench not the Spirit of God.

-Kevin

P.S. I just looked at the name on the check and it had her street address. And wouldn't you believe it? She lives on the same road that I do.

First Fundraising Event: Flea Market

Tomorrow beginning approximately at 6:30am, I'm going to have my first fundraising event for my trip to Ethiopia.

I'm going to sell baked goods (Mint Choco chip brownies, rice krispie treats, and muffins for the early am marketers.) And I am going to sell duct tape wallets. Ethiopian flag colored ones, green ones, and red ones.

I also am going to set up a donation jar for donations for the trip as well as hand out my business cards.

Please pray that God will bless the day. It is supposed to rain around lunch time, pray God holds it off until then or longer. Pray that I chose the right artistic craft to sell.

Also as a note of praise, God has provided some more money for my trip. :)

I'll give an update of what God does tomorrow when I get back. :)

I got my cards!!

I ordered some business cards to hand out with my missions trip that has my email, blog, and fundraising website on it. Today I received them in the mail. :)

I'll put a photo of the box of them later on. :D

God also provided $30.90, as I've said earlier, but it finally came in the mail yesterday. :) I also have $6 more from that website since Monday. And that check will come in on or before the 21st of April.

Also, please continue to pray that God will make known to me his will regarding this trip. In every aspect of the trip, beyond just going there.

I plan on having my first fundraising event this Saturday. :D I'm going to sell those duct tape wallets at a local flea market. Also, I will hand out those business cards and perhaps sell a few other things(concession type things, and an origami kit).
Pray people will buy my wallets and donate for this trip.

Thanks. :D

-Kevin

Another Update

A few things to update you on.

First off, I was able to order 1000 business cards to hand out to people. It has my info on the back linking people to my blog, fundraising website, and my email.

Secondly, I should be getting a check from the fundraising website either tomorrow or Monday(They claim that I should have it on or before the 21st of each month).

Another thing is I have started designing duct tape wallets in the colors of the Ethiopian flag. I plan on selling these for $5-10 to earn money for my trip.

Here are a couple of pictures to show you what they look like.
(Some will be pictures of other designs I've made.)

This one is of the outside, opened up.















And this one is the inside. I put two cards in there to show you what it sort of looks like. These are not amazing quality images, but they give you an idea of what they look like.








If you are interested in buying one, send me an email at kevin2ethiopia@yahoo.com.
Perhaps you don't want one, but you know someone who might. Well, tell them about this blog and about me and the wallet.


That's about it. Please continue to pray that God will confirm his will in my life. And pray that God will supply the money I need for this trip. I need 1/3 of the amount for the two-week initial stay by July. And then another 1/3 in August, and then another 1/3 in September. And then I need to pay the extra payment for my 16-week stay before going in October.

Pray that God will give me opportunities to present my missions trip to people and even churches and that God will give me opportunities to earn the money I need.

-Kevin

Fundraising Update

On the first day I made this blog, I posted a link to an online fundraising program. I had informed you readers that it was where you could buy magazines(for cheap).

Well, I had forgotten to inform you there were other items for sale through it.

A $100 restaurant gift card for $35.

A $50 restaurant gift card for $20.

A tub of different brands of cookie dough for $16+ $4 S&H. (Also, you can buy a combo cookie dough tub(s) for $30+$8 S&H.)

Please consider. Perhaps your friends would love a treat to a restaurant, or perhaps you yourself would enjoy having a gift card of $100 for only $35! Please pass this link on to other people who might be interested.