Catch Up

Sorry about the lack of updates, everyone. For some reason the last month has seen a lack of being able to access Blogger from on campus computers as well as a lack of being to access the Internet from my computer -- it's going to the computer doctor this week to get its poor brains fixed.

Anyhow, a quick update on life:

1) I'm coming home in 22 days!!!

2) I got in a camping trip during my one week of summer vacation... and managed to melt a WalMart mess kit in the fire while making cornbread...

3) I have 68% of my support budget raised / pledged -- a thousand thanks to all of you who have given and prayed!

4) I just got done with a Business as Missions class that was a ton of fun -- and a ton of work.

The idea of Business as Missions (BAM) is to go into a country or community as a legitimate, for profit, business and work to transform that area through Christ centered business practices. A BAM or "Kingdom Business" venture operates on the quadruple bottom line of economic, social, spiritual, and environmental transformation and can serve to advance the Gospel even in countries where traditional missions is illegal.

Our assignment was to create a culturally and financially viable business plan in three days time. --If nothing else we learned why it is that people spend a year or more putting together business plans.

I was the CFO for The Re'ah Partnership ("Re'ah" meaning friendship in Hebrew), a Kenyan based Kingdom Business that partners with local farmers to sell shade grown, organic, just trade, Kenyan AA coffee. (Of the 24 hours directly before our presentation, I spent 15 hours researching numbers and working on financial spreadsheets...ahhh!!!)

Somehow though, mainly by the three corporate officers working 'till 2/3:00AM and the getting up at 5:00AM to start working again, we got it finished and presented. Now we're just waiting for the grade...