That Lump in My Throat is Gratitude

We didn't go "home" this summer, since our daughter lacks a valid VISA allowing her to come & go. I've missed the opportunities to see family & friends, but I've also been thankful for the opportunity to remain in Prague because it's meant we could stay in one place and not have to travel so much.

A major drawback to staying overseas for a summer means that we don't get to connect with our supporting churches & sponsors. It means that there are no large one-time donations, no "love offerings" taken after we speak. It means that our support can start to dwindle.

Sometimes I wonder if some of our sponsors have forgotten about us. I know it's not intentional - I really think it's more of an "out of sight, out of mind" type of thing. Goodness knows we all have tremendous demands on our attention. Some of it is perhaps our fault too, because we've had a terrible time keeping up with this blog, and with our newsletters. (Speaking of demands on attention, have you ever tried to blog with an 8-month-old on your lap?)

When I logged in to our mission account register last month, my heart sank, because we were $1000 short of our monthly goal. I found myself thinking that if we'd been stateside, if we'd made the appearances, if I'd been more faithful with newsletters, we wouldn't have fallen short. I told myself I'd get a newsletter out the very next week, but then we started Czech class...and had friends come to visit...and I had four applications to process...

Another few weeks went by, and I'd failed to let anyone hear from us. I hadn't communicated our financial needs. I logged in mid-month, and I was crushed. We were now over $2500 behind. Again, I vowed to get a newsletter out immediately. And then we needed to say farewell to some very dear colleagues...and we had a meeting with the school director...and we had three doctors' appointments...and we had another meeting with our VISA agent...

I really didn't want to check in at the end of the month, knowing that my lack of communication was going to be reflected in our account balance. However, when I opened our ledger this month, I was astounded to see that we were only $483 short of our month's goal. There were some large, one-time gifts that had been sent in.

Once again, God has shown me that His care for us is not dependent on my striving, my shortcoming, or even my best intentions. I'm so very, very thankful. 

Down to the Wire

We're about 36 hours from our anticipated departure time. There is still so much we need to accomplish, and we need your prayers.

One major issue looming over us is the fact that we do not have a rental "contract" for a place to live once we arrive (we have a housing agreement - apparently not good enough). While we're not too concerned about it for ourselves this is a big deal for getting our shipment delivered. We've been trying to get the necessary paperwork in order, but it's not happening as quickly as we would like. Please pray for all of these details to fall smoothly in to place. Pray that we'd be able to sign a "contract" even on the day we arrive!

As for getting ready to go, here's our "To Do" list for the day:

• Attempt to scan & send the additional paperwork to clear our shipment for delivery
• Send final financial documents to RCE
• Confirm our airline reservation & our tickets
• Double check to make sure our passports, visas & letters of service are in a safe place
• Make one last trip to Wal-Mart for the toothbrushes, pain relievers, vitamins and the other random things we forgot to buy
• Re-sort all of our belongings & baby gear - even with the extra bag allowance, we're not sure we can get it all into the suitcases.
• Call our bank & credit card companies and remind them that we'll now be accessing our accounts from outside the US
• Get last-minute haircuts
• Call various insurance agencies and make sure everything is in order
• Call family members "one more time"
• Try to get a full night's sleep before tomorrow's departure

We are so excited about all that God has in store for us in the Czech Republic - we just have to get there first! Please continue to agree with us for a smooth departure.

Why Monthly Matters

Yesterday we announced that we were nearly at 90% of our monthly support goal. After recalculating, it turns out that we're just above 85% in pledges. It's not a huge difference, but it is a difference. Our support account has a positive balance, but we are still in need of the last 15% of monthly support.

Why does it matter whether or not we have 100% of our support in regular pledges? Great question. Here are some answers:

• We are required to submit a total estimate of our financial needs, based on a monthly budget. This budget is then used to structure our "salary", which is paid to us at the end of each month. 
• Should our salary be more than the total amount of pledges received, this could eventually lead to a serious account deficit, which might require us to return to the US sooner than expected.
• If we receive a gift which has no commitment attached, we have to count it as a one time gift, because there is no indication that the contributor plans to support us in the future.
• Although we have been given some very generous one-time gifts, we cannot always count these as part of our total monthly support because inevitably this money will be used to cover donations which were forgotten to be sent, or regular commitments which were cancelled before the end of our term.

Another very positive thing about donations sent as regular pledges is that for that moment, we are very much in someone's thoughts, which frequently prompts them to pray for us. This prayer support is every bit as vital as the financial gift.

We're continuing to trust in God's timing and in His provision for all that we need to serve in Prague for these next 4 years.

End of the Road-Trip

We've made it! After six weeks, 16 states, 20 different beds, and more than 6,000 miles, we're back in the DC area.

The Brande Support Tour of 2013

This was a long trip, but we were so blessed by the opportunities we had to connect with dear family & friends. We were grateful for every speaking engagement, and we appreciate every opportunity we had to meet with a supporter or a sponsoring church. Most of all, we are tremendously thankful for everyone who opened their homes to us along the way!

So after all of this travel & talking about our calling to missions, we are almost to 90% of our total monthly support needed. Our sending agency would prefer us to be at 100% - we still have 72 hours in which God can work.

Over the next four days, we will:

• Wash clothing & pack all of our suitcases
• Weigh and repack our suitcases
• Complete the additional documents required to get our shipment through customs
• Print out all of our travel documents & confirm our flights
• Reweigh (and possibly repack) all of our bags
• Continue to trust in the Lord to provide for all of our needs

Please continue to lift us up in prayer!

Up, Up, and Away!!!

For many, many months now you all have been praying with us ...from the start of our making the decision to move to Prague, through all the craziness of visas, and on the winding roads (some literally) of support raising.

We are very happy to tell you that our support level has risen enough to the point of getting permission to buy tickets, and God blessed us with an incredible price through a "missionary fare."  Today we received our tickets to leave on August 15! We are excited and at the same time taking very deep breaths as we realize that we are leaving in less than 10 days.

This does not mean that you should stop praying.  Please continue to pray for:
1.) The last leg of travel -- We are in Minneapolis now and will be making our way back to DC this week, arriving Saturday evening.
2.) Continued support provision -- We are trusting that God is going to provide the rest of what we need to meet 100%.
3.) Physical strength and energy -- It's been a long month of travel and we are very tired!
4.) All the details on the other side -- Apartments, dr. appointments, shipment of our container, start of school.

We are so grateful that you have stayed with us on this journey, and we look forward to having you with us on the other side of the ocean as well.  

Two-week Countdown

It's the last day of July. We're hovering between 71-72% of support raised. God has been so gracious in providing us with additional speaking engagements, and slowly but steadily, He's providing new sponsors. We only have $1585 left to raise in monthly pledges.

This would be the equivalent of:

     One hundred new donors making pledges of $15.85 monthly
               OR
     Seventy-five individuals giving $21.30 on a monthly basis

               OR
     Fifty people giving $31.70 each month

               OR
     Twenty-five people pledging $63.40 per month

               OR
     Ten people (or churches) giving $158.50 monthly

               OR

     Any combination of new pledge commitments. 

We are so incredibly grateful for everything which has already been given, and we continue to trust the Lord to provide for the remainder of our monthly needs.

We are still holding fast to our target date of August 15. That's just two weeks from now! There are many tasks to complete before this time, not the least of which is purchasing our airline tickets. We're finally in communication with a travel agent, so at least we're getting closer.

Today & tomorrow are our last days in Missouri - we're leaving Friday morning for Iowa & points north, so please continue to pray for us as we travel. Our greatest needs (aside from the last portion of our monthly support) are for safety, health and strength. We do not want to arrive in the Czech Republic completely worn out! 

There is No "Plan B"

We've been back on the road for two weeks, and after multiple speaking engagements, meetings, and presentations of our power point we've reached 65% of our monthly support. We're thankful for each & every pledge.

Obviously, we're still not at 80%...which means we still haven't purchased plane tickets...which means we have no concrete plans to leave the country on August 15th, even though that's our intended departure date. Each time these details are revealed to our audience, there's always someone who asks, "So what will you do if you don't reach your support goal?"  Our answer is always the same:

"We have no 'Plan B'."

When we made the decision to return to the mission field, we did so without backward glances. Phil gave up his salaried job at the school. We didn't renew our lease. We packed the shipping container. We sold our car. When we left Florida two weeks ago, we did so with the mindset that we were headed to Prague on August 15th, because that was when we were asked to be there.

The support hasn't come in as we had hoped it might, so we have two choices - we can be distracted by discouragement and start concocting a contingency plan, or we can stay the course of our support tour, and continue to put our trust in God to work out all of the details. 

We invite you to pray & agree with us to see amazing things happen in the next two weeks. We know that we serve an awesome God, and we've already seen Him do remarkable things with our documents, our visas, and our hospital registration. This financial component is still a large hurdle, but there is no need so great that God is not greater still.

The Latest Support Stats

Our current pledges have us hovering right at 60%! We're inching every closer to being able to purchase plane tickets (80%) and departing in August (100%).

We have another speaking engagement this evening (Wednesday, June 5th). Please continue to agree with us that God will move in the hearts of the people who attend our presentation. We are seeking additional monthly supporters, as well as occasional or one-time gifts.

With only 10 weeks remaining until our target departure date (August 15th), 40% still seems like a large hurdle to clear. However, God has been faithfully providing for us each step of the way, and we continue to believe that He will bring in the remaining support which we need.

25%

That's where we are, as of Feb. 5 - just a little over 25% of the total monthly pledges for support needed.

One fourth.

A quarter.

Up from 20%.

God is providing. We are so thankful!