Money, Money, Money

I'm usually not consumed by thoughts of money, but support raising has a way of constantly putting the issue in front of your face :) Add to that that it's tax season, and that Food for the Hungry works to alleviate poverty--and you end up with lots of topics involving resources and how to obtain them and what to do if they are lacking.

For me personally, this whole process has involved quite a bit of learning. Learning about trusting God as provider when my income will be coming through different means than it has in the past. Learning what my role and actions should be in the support raising process, and how what I do can be an exercise in trust--or an attempt to control (or avoid!) things myself. And learning about how take a somewhat sensitive topic, like money, and broach it with people in order to discuss, educate, and ask.

Anyways, sometimes a little perspective check on the topic is healthy. Check out the following two links to take a look at your current wealth (or lack of...), and to learn about world poverty:

http://www.globalrichlist.com/index.php --where do you land on the list of the world's wealthiest people?

http://www.fh.org/hd_introduction --take this interactive journey through the life of an individual living in a developing country, and see how your choices affect you and your family.

Way down South...

One of the big upsides of raising support is that it means spending lots of time with people--old friends, new contacts, and everyone in between. Lately this meeting time took the form of a classic roadtrip through my old college stomping grounds in Toccoa, Georgia, as well as Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. Not a bad way to spend a week! One of my old roommates, Bethany, shared her car and her time and made the rounds with me (see us hookin' up with some new buds at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, above). We got to visit most of our other college roomies, as well as a couple friends of mine who are living in the South after stints at Open Door Ministries and Bear Trap Ranch (two of my old employers in Colorado). It was a whirlwind of a trip, but a good one all around! It was wonderful to catch up and hang out with everyone, and also to share about my Cambodia plans.

A few numbers:

*8--how many cities/towns we spent time in

*$3.22--highest gas price we saw (thank you, Charlotte, NC!)

*72%--sanitation score of the Chili's we ate at in Atlanta (according to Christine)

*5,012--approximate number of songs we listened to as we drove along

*1--number of giant chocolate chip cookies I purchased at gas stations along the way (suprisingly, only 1)