Update: Oh, hello again!

Wow.

That's about all I can say at this point.

I know that I've shared a little of how crazy this summer has been for me so far, but I'm not sure that words accurately paint the picture of how full my schedule has become.

I'm definitely struggling big-time with that--I want to be a human being, not a human doing.

There are a couple things that I want to touch on and let you know about before I go about setting things straight for today so that you're in the loop and know how to pray and so that you know that I haven't (how was it you phrased it, friend?) dropped off the face of the earth.

1. re: Financial Support -- I'm not at 100%. The next deadline is August 13th, and then I'll be reporting numbers on a day-to-day basis after that. Please pray that people will sense not only urgency in verbally committing (whether now or in the year to come) but also that this is something that we can do together. I think it's crucial to have some small-picture perspective here: giving up one or two coffees a month ($5 or 10) so that someone on the other side of the world can have a life-changing conversation is pretty do-able for most people. Pray that even here in the States, people would understand how much their financial support can be used for good, no matter what dollar amount they can give.
2. re: Emotional/Spiritual Support -- I am so encouraged by the outpouring (yes, even a healing outpouring!) of encouragement by phone, email, facebook message, etc. Thank you so much for sharing your situations and allowing me to partner with you in prayer. It's so easy to think that God is not here, now, but your words and actions have really helped me to continue pressing toward a goal that's not of my own design.
3. re: Physical Support -- I am fighting off a summer cold. This is the least of my worries (I mean, really. Who needs a body?) but it's important that I be in top condition to tackle these last few days of support-raising, preparations, and the like. Please pray that I do take the time to rest and that I wouldn't foolishly stay up to all hours of the night working on things that I could do just as well the next day. I might not be old yet, but I'm definitely not as young as I used to be. It's silly but true. You probably just laughed right then.

So, there it all is in a nutshell. Keep checking back this week; there are more Soularium reflections coming, more detailed stories, more requests and more life to share.