24 days. 86.5%.

Greetings team. :)

So, wow, this week -- crazy. Just nuts. And I think it's only going to get more busy from here on out. I've got appointments at churches every Sunday save for one before I leave and two such appointments just this week, if that's any sort of gauge. Pray for sanity!

Here's some exciting news. I sent out my email prayer letter on May 3rd, saying I was sitting at 70% for support. Well, by the time I was (finally) dropping my hardcopy letters in the mail on the 5th, my support had jumped to 86%. How's THAT for nuts?

So now my support goals really seem to be coming into focus. That's so close! I feel like I'm breathing sort of easier, though that last chunk will probably still take a while in the coming. One thing I've noticed is that it frees up a lot of energy that I was spending worrying about financially stuff. Unfortunately, some of that energy has started to funnel into freaking out about the idea that I'm actually moving to Sudan or feeling inadequate as a messenger of the gospel. Of course, both are rather sinful ways to spend my energy, so pray that I'd turn, instead, to praising God and pleading for the hearts of the people in Lopit.

Thought of the moment. I think sometimes we Christian folk don't want to grasp the real truth behind the gospel of Christ. We're pretty stinkin' happy about the idea that we get to spend an eternity in heaven, but will rarely say flat out that people without Christ will spend an eternity in hell. I think we really need to understand that truth, that need, before we'll ever understand the precious gift of the cure and the obligation that we have therein to share it with other people. It's real and it's urgent and it matters for eternity.

In other news, my mom is planning a going-away party for me with my family members... which she doesn't plan to attend herself, my dad says. Ugh. I pray she does. While I was at candidate training in New York, AIM taught us that we need to "leave well." That is, we need to consider not only what we're feeling and need to do so we can have a healthy departure, but also keep in mind how we can help our family and friends through the process. I've got about eight weeks 'til I leave, so I'm praying I figure out exactly what that means before then.