Impact Georgia Update

I spoke to a lawyer today about getting Impact Georgia declared as a non-profit organization! Looks like it will be a lot of work, take a lot of time, and cost a lot of money. I would like to ask you to start praying that God would provide for us and help us get started! It's important for us to get this done so we can start accepting donations and get ready for camp in March.

So far we have started a (temporary) website and are currently working on some promotional things.  My friend Courtney is helping us out with marketing using her stellar graphic design skills.  We are also working hard on many behind-the-scenes items.

Right now, we are really just asking for your prayers! We have a lot to do, but we are trusting God to lead us every step!

One Phone Call

Have you had one thing in your life that made all the difference? For me, it was a phone call. Almost four years ago, my youth minister John Mark gave me a phone number. I called that number and left a message asking about a summer worship leader position at a camp. That person called me back, and we started talking about it. That person was Impact Florida's Executive Director, Chad, who is now one of my greatest friends and mentors.

For the last four summers, I have spent at least some amount of time in Orlando working with Impact Florida. While there, I have made many lasting friendships and had some of the most memorable moments of my life.

In 2008, while finishing up a summer in Florida, my friend Matt said to me "Kevin, one day I think you and I are going to work together. I don't think this is the end for us." Two years later, standing outside a 7-11, we talked about a vision for making that possible. We decided to take a leap of faith and make it our goal to expand Impact's mission beyond Orlando.

Sometimes God creates profound moments when we least expect it. I never could have dreamed that one phone call would make such a difference. Because of that, Matt and I are making plans to start Impact in the city of Atlanta, GA. We are currently working toward having camp as soon as March 2011. It's crazy, and without faith in God, it will be impossible. But God does not call us to what's easy... He calls us to what brings Him glory. What an honor to be used for His glory!

First post in like 2 months

Well I stopped writing in this for a while. I have a problem writing unless I feel inspired by something, or someone. In this case, I have been inspired by someone who I have written about before.

If you remember, I wrote about my friend Jeff Burham a few months ago. He, his wife, and his son are all together in Botswana Africa now, where Jeff is a missionary with Flying Mission Services. I recently took the opportunity to partner with him financially, and I cannot express how honored I am to be able to do that. If you really want to find joy, support a missionary. It is definitely worth it.

I got the chance to talk to Jeff today. I wanted to post something he said (with his permission) that really got my attention:

"I'm glad we [FMS pilots] are here to help, otherwise most of these people we fly to the major hospitals would die. One lady the other day had to have a C-section for her baby and lost a lot of blood. All she needed was some blood and they didn't have any to give her. We had to fly her accross the country for some blood."

He went on to tell me that Botswana is the size of Texas. Imagine having to fly across Texas for basic medical services. Hearing stories like this remind me of all the luxuries we take for granted here in the US.

Partnering with Jeff financially is as much a spiritual exercise for me as it is monetary support for him. I hope I never forget the hardships that people suffer, and I hope I never stop caring enough to do something about it.

Jeff

I met my friend Jeff our freshman year at Liberty when he lived a couple doors down the hall from me. He is a great friend, a faithful brother in Christ, and a fantastic pilot.  He, his wife, and his newborn son are headed to Africa with an organization called Flying Mission Services.  He will be in Botswana providing air ambulance and med-evac flights.  For more info on them, check out their blog at http://jeffandsarahburnham.blogspot.com/

Jeff is a man of great faith. I had the chance to see him at his send-off party today, and I could not stop thinking to myself what an honor it was to be friends with faithful Christ-follower. It takes a lot of faith and trust in God to dive into the unknown. Jeff is a great inspiration to me, and I will truly miss him!

Jeff, thank you for being my friend all these years. I hope we never stop being friends. Not a day will go by that I do not pray for you.