100@25x12=FNC

Now I realize many can do more, and if you can please do so.  But the fact is, many of us are struggling to make ends meet, and we hate it, it is depressing and makes getting up in the morning even more difficult.  Yet deep down in our hearts, we all want to make a difference, make a ripple in our communities and in the world that surrounds us.  Can I make a suggestion? Instead of talking or dreaming about it, will you take action on it?  If you could have a part in changing lives every month for a small sacrifice, would you do it?  If you could help change the lives of the Ugandan people for the monthly price of a family sized pizza and sodas, would you at least consider it?

So here's the challenge: 100 people @ $25 per month x 12 months= Friday Night Church.  For $2500 per month, we can hit the ground running, changing the lives of the Ugandan culture.  Your sacrifices will allow us to lease a compound or base camp (offices and mid size gathering room) for FNC and it's daily ministries, provide ministry staff salaries (which is huge in a culture with a 90% unemployment rate), and the funds to rent out public spaces around Kampala for our crusade gatherings.  I know this sounds too easy, and maybe we can get 200 people to commit, but I wanted to begin with a very realistic goal.  I believe we can do this, and I believe Wendy and I know 100 people that can make this happen.  Would you pray about being one of the 100?

THE KISSING WELL has made it super easy to do so by visiting our DONATE page.  After you've taken action, let us know by emailing, texting, facebooking, tweeting,  snail mailing, or even calling us...(this one we would love to get!)

Every few days we will post on Facebook and Twitter the status of this challenge.  Friends, we leave October 15th, your continued prayers are priceless.

*One Last Note*  If this isn't enough of a challenge, by all means be a rock star...take two or three or four of these slots per month!"  And please, if you think this is a worthy cause, pass it on to two more friends.  Blessings...  

                

We're ready...

55 days and counting till we depart on what has seemed like quite a journey already.  For the past two years Wendy and I have anticipated a shift; we've prayed for God's hand and will to become evident.  And so we are on the home stretch, almost there, almost...but we've just begun.

We're ready. Not ready in the sense that we've forgotten what it will be like to not have a home here in the states, not ready in a sense that we've raised all our support, not ready in the sense to "get to work", not ready in the sense we have crossed every "t" and dotted every "i", not ready in the sense that we have everything mapped out, and not ready even in the sense that we've become restless...(OK, maybe a little).  But we're ready.  Ready to live in Africa, ready to miss our friends and family, ready to sleep under mosquito nets, ready to learn the hard way, ready to rely on God more, ready to use Skype, ready not to consume fast food, ready to drive on the wrong side of the road, ready to see what God has in store, ready to...

After a certain family member chastised me about not being on Facebook or Twitter, I decided to wave the white flag.  I am quickly being reminded why 2 years ago I deleted my facebook account...it's out of control!  People have way to much "down time".  But for the sake of low cost communication when you are half way around the world, it just makes sense.  So for all of you that wish to check out The Kissing Well facebook and twitter page here they are.

FACEBOOK

Twitter address:  @toddjgilliland

For the record, I'm glad he had the tech talk with me.

Homeschooling began in the Gilliland household this week.  And for the most part, it is going rather well.  Wendy has been in review mode with Emma and Annie, and Lucy read her very first sentence!  The sentence read, "The pig sat in the mud."  Her teacher had a moment.

One last note...we received our container's (the large box with all we possess) tracking number via email last week!  It is on the ship and headed out to sea.  It's first stop is a small island called Malta.  Kinda wish I had a camera of it's voyage.    

Wrecked

"There is freedom in new beginnings..." As the brother-in-laws and I congregated in James' (the best brother-in-law a man could ask for) garage, the goodbye cries were in full effect directly in the kitchen next to us.  No one wanted to interrupt the sisters from there final moments together, but after a while, Hank (lead Boston church planter of Reunion Church) went in to lay down the heavy.  "It's time to go." For the record, Hank really didn't have to say a word, the sisters eventually came out.

It's difficult to say goodbye.

This week was extra difficult. This was the first week Wendy and I and the girls have lived in an almost empty house, and boy did it feel strange.  Mom commented the other day that even our phone conversations sounded echoey!  So the moment finally came...some of you have experienced it before.  I happened to be upstairs in our oldest daughters room when the moment occurred.  Every emotion hit me all at once...I wept like a child.  Wendy heard me and came into the room.  She didn't even have to ask, she knew.  Wendy had experienced her moment just the day before.

Starting over is hard, the easy button just doesn't exist.  I know it's just a house...but it's my house.  This is the house that Lucy took her first step in.  This is the house that Annie sang her first song in.  This is the house that Emma found Jesus in.  This is the house that Wendy and I started over again in.  This house, 21 East Lake Estates has real meaning to us, it is and will ever be a part of our story.

But that's just it, it's just a part.  This house will one day fall apart, or be torn down for the next generation to build afresh.  It will not stand the test of time, and will certainly not last forever.  But for now, new memories will be made here, happy ones and sad.  Children will celebrate birthdays, and people will grow older. Yes, we will miss this sanctuary we've called our home for nearly 6 years.

If I could give you one word to describe "my moment" it would be WRECKED.  My life feels wrecked.  When you give God complete control, your life will be wrecked.  A part of me so desperately desires normality, to return back to the way things used to be.  But then something inside reminds me of how far we have come to get to where we are today.  If you've ever went on a run before, you know that looking behind isn't something our bodies or minds were designed to do.  Looking behind while running causes dizziness after a while, and if your not careful can lead to a good spill or as a buddy of mine likes to call it, "a lip skid".  Lip skids are painful, they hurt and usually happen when your not paying attention or have a lack of focus.  When God wrecks your life, it's easy to look back and wish He hadn't.  Looking back causes doubt, the kind of doubt that makes you question your God and His plan...and that's OK, God understands.  Jesus understands.  He questioned his father on what surely must have been the longest night of his life.  Jesus wrecked the world when he came down and followed His fathers plan.  Jesus' wreckage became our salvation.

Kudos to Jeff Goins, the author of the new book "Wrecked".  If you are looking for inspiration and encouragement while stepping out in faith, I would highly recommend it.
  

Stuff

As the semi truck pulled away with most of everything we held so tightly to for the past several years, one of my neighbors looked straight at me and asked me if I was nervous.  Which I replied, "You know, actually I haven't felt more glad to be with less."  Which she graciously said back, "Yeah, I guess it's just stuff."  For the record, I really hope the container makes it to Kampala, Uganda in a decent time frame.  The company (Nile Cargo) claims it will take 10-12 weeks from the time it leaves New York to the time it arrives in Kampala, but we're not holding our breath.

So what to do until October 15th...the day we leave, the day we depart the USA and head to Africa?  A few churches have asked us to come and present our mission, and this month we go and speak at 3 of them.  Our girls start a brand new experience called "home schooling" very soon.  For the most part they are all looking forward to it.  Wendy is making sure all of our health and wellness concerns are being taken care of.  Plus she keeps me grounded, which is a full time job.  Continuing to build awareness and support seems to be my number one focus for the moment, though I am chomping at the bit to be there.

So for those that care to know, I have updated our needs list.  It has changed due to the container being gone now.  So please, if you would, take a moment and look at it and see if there is anything you can do to help.

A special thanks to everyone that helped us pack up our "stuff" into that 20x8x8 container.  And how can I forget to say thank you to Kathy Grady, Linda Luthy and Sandy Prather for the amazing meal they provided for all of us packers!  Below are a few pics of the day...