Before heading down to Phoenix, we had a pretty cool "God Story" happen. Knowing that the seminar was coming up, we had been trying to find a place to stay down in Phoenix for months. Rachel's parents have some friends in Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix, so we figured we would just stay with them. They were gracious enough to offer us a place to stay for free. We waited and waited for word on where the seminar would actually be located but were always told, "We'll let you know when we get it figured out." Finally, three weeks before our trip, we found out it would be in Peoria...at least 30 minutes to an hour away from Scottsdale. Well, that would be quite a drive everyday gas wise. We prayed for weeks that God would open the door to someplace closer. Still, we had no luck. Even the nearest hostel was about 30 minutes away and just as expensive as a hotel. We finally settled with staying in Scottsdale and just putting up with the rush hour drives. Then five days before we were supposed to leave, we received word from Jennifer, Josh's wife, that they had found a place closer.
Jennifer had been meeting with a girl that she was discipling and mentioned that Josh was heading to Phoenix for almost a week. The girl said, "My parents have a second home in Phoenix. They were just praying last night asking how they could use the place to bless people with. Would Josh want to stay there?" And with that, we had a three bedroom house less than five minutes from the church the seminar was being held at, one room for Josh, one for Rachel and I, and one for Sean and Kim. Praise God! (The church the seminar was at was actually the church the owners of the house attend when they are in town.) Man, it's awesome to see how God provides! It's encouraging as well when you get the difficult and daunting task of fundraising/support raising your position in the ministry. The only way it can be done is by God providing.
The seminar itself was a great encouragement. First off, it was awesome to see the hearts of all the people who were there. Seeing all the ministries they were involved with was very cool. One can't help be be excited and encouraged about what God is doing in their lives.
Second off, the seminar was extremely informative as well. The first part focused on biblical principles of giving and receiving, that giving and receiving should always be in the vertical, going to and through God. It was great stuff. The next part focussed on overcoming a lot of fears that most people who raise support have. The last parts were a crash course in marketing and networking. Intertwined with all of that were a lot of workshops putting everything into practice. The days were long and certainly a grind with a few breaks thrown in here and there. It was good though. It really helped lay out a game plan. It's nice to have that this time around instead of being thrown to the wolves and being told good luck. If anyone is praying about going into ministry full-time and getting to support raise, I definitely recommend going to one of these seminars before you ever even start.
By the time the seminar was over, our brains had turned to mush and we were ready to head home. We had been there just long enough for allergies to start kicking in. Runny noses and heat just aren't a great combination. Thankfully, our bodies hadn't melted or been burned to a crisp in that desert heat. Every time we drove around the area, I kept expecting to eventually smell the salt of the ocean or see a great expanse of blue off in the distance...but sadly, there was only more hazy sky and desert with no ocean to cool off in. I think people dig Phoenix because they have air conditioning. If you go inside anywhere, they keep it nice and chilled. By the time you walk out, you're freezing and the plus 100 degree heat feels great...for about a minute and then you start sweating and looking for the next place with freezing AC to cool off. It's a freeze/thaw cycle that must be great for the muscles.
All joking aside, we had a great time in Phoenix but it was time to get back to Durango. We had a long drive ahead of us. We ended up taking a detour to meet with a possible supporter up by Marble Canyon. Sadly, we were never taught at the seminar how to give a presentation to a waitress who is on the clock. "Yes, I would like fries with my burger and we are working with international students and student-athletes and I'll fill you in on some more after you take those other people's order." Strange, I know, that they didn't cover that kind of presentation at the seminar. Thankfully, God worked everything out and it went well. It's one of those situations where you just look back on and laugh...and thank God of course.
After a great meal and another long stretch of road, we finally arrived back home just before 2 a.m. We were ready for bed and a good night's sleep. I'm sure Josh was ready to get back to his wife and kids also. Looking back, we had a great trip. We met some great people. We gained some confidence and were encouraged. Now, it's time to put everything we learned into action. If you are interested in hearing Rachel and my presentation, please let us know. We'd love to share it with you and let you know how you can get involved. Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey to build up a network of ministry partners interested in reaching college students for Christ.
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