Mission Trip Update 2/16/20
I got an update on my mission trip finances right around the time I left for Warmth In Winter two weeks ago, and I’ve been meaning to do a video update since that time, but between sickness and a professional matter (which I’ll mention below) I haven’t gotten around to it. So instead of a video update, I’ll tell you where I am this way.
The basics: I will be going on a mission trip to Uganda in late June and early July of this year through Raise The Roof Academy, a Brentwood-based not-for-profit that operates a school in Uganda.
Right now, I have raised $2,240 towards my goal of $3,500. This leaves $1,260 left to raise.
A word of explanation: I think some of my updates have stated my target as $3,600. I was working from last year’s literature, which stated a cost of $3,500, and I sort of assumed it would be higher this year. But the last update I got from RTRA uses that $3,500 figure, so I’ll say that’s my target.
I am pleased to be where I am — I basically have enough to cover air fare, which is a critical amount. If you don’t have enough in your account to cover air fare when they go to buy the group tickets, they won’t buy yours — and the ticket will almost certainly cost more by the time they, or you, do buy it.
But I still have $1,260 to go, which is nothing to sneeze at. Please consider donating.
Meanwhile, I have another personal matter that will touch on the trip. On Friday, I gave my notice at the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, the newspaper where I’ve worked (under three different owners) for the past 34 1/2 years. I will work at the T-G through March 6, and then on March 9 I will start a new job with Bedford County government.
In my interview for the Bedford County job, I mentioned the mission trip, and I think we’ve worked out a way to cover my days off within the limits of the county’s personnel policy.
I am also hopeful that if I turn in some stories and photos after the trip, the T-G will publish them. I have always loved receiving and publishing that kind of first-person account from readers, and hopefully whoever is making those decisions in July will have the same attitude.
A week from Monday, I’ll attend my first training session for the trip, which I’m excitedly looking forward to, so that I can meet some of my teammates and learn more. I still haven’t decided which of the various teams I want to serve on.
Would you please consider supporting me both prayerfully and/or financially? Monetary gifts to Raise the Roof Academy, with a note asking that they be applied to my trip expenses, are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. You can make a gift on my behalf in any of the following ways:
- Mailing a check to Raise the Roof Academy, Mission Trip, P.O. Box 92216, Nashville, TN 37209. Please write my name in the memo section of your check.
- You may also go to http://www.raisetheroofacademy.org/donate/ to donate with your credit or debit card, or checking account. Please choose “Mission Trip Support” from the drop-down menu and enter my name in the memo section.
If I am unable to participate in the trip for some reason, any monetary gifts raised toward supporting me will in turn be used to support the mission.
