Czech out my UPDATES page for my newprayer letter for the month of August! Or click HERE to download it. It is my last one before I leave the country, kind of a crazy thought!

SUPPORT UPDATE
It has been cool to see God work since this past Sunday! I’ve seen $68 of monthly come in (leaving just about $430/monthly to raise) and $900 of special needs (leaving about $3100 to raise). I even had someone I met at Panera write a check on the spot! Very cool to see how God works! Thank you to that person! Thank you to the new ministry partners who have joined the team in the past week! Praise God! Please pray that God would do His thing in the midst of this push before I leave. Maybe if you pray that these needs would be met by God, he would even move you to help, Czech out the SUPPORT page! Thank you to each of you! Blessings!

Yesterday’s events hit close to home with our family. At 7:00 pm my Grandma called and told us to turn on the TV and ask if we had heard from my sister, Megan. We didn’t know what to expect. See Megan, my amazing 24 year old sister, lives and works in the Twin Cities. So after we flipped to CNN we began the traumatizing work of trying to get a hold of her. The cell lines were jammed, so we finally sent a text message and got through. She and everyone she knew was fine, BUT that doesn’t make it okay for the others still waiting. Piper has a blog entry that hits home! Here is a piece that moved me, please read the whole of it – Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours After the Bridge Collapsed.

The meaning of the collapse of this bridge is that John Piper is a sinner and should repent or forfeit his life forever. That means I should turn from the silly preoccupations of my life and focus my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection on God and embrace Jesus Christ as my only hope for the forgiveness of my sins and for the hope of eternal life. That is God’s message in the collapse of this bridge. That is his most merciful message: there is still time to turn from sin and unbelief and destruction for those of us who live. If we could see the eternal calamity from which he is offering escape we would hear this as the most precious message in the world.

May the Twin Cities and each of us turn to Him. Here is a video the guys over at DGM put together with the audio of a portion of a Piper talk about suffering over the images from yesterday. My heart and prayers go out to each of those involved in this tragedy.

Yes its true, our three year reign of the Czech American Football League has come to an end. We lost 28-13 and had ample opportunity to win, but couldn’t get it done this year. I wish I could have been there to be on the field with my guys and off the field too! Next year! I can’t wait to get back to Prague for many reasons, but this team is a major one! I do have to congratulate the Prague Panthers on their victory. It was clear and decisive. Here is a link to the Prague Post article about the game – Perfect finish.

The title pretty much sums this up! Campus Crusade for Christ requires their long-term staff to have a will and what not. To say the least it was a sobering experience to type up who will be the “Executor of my estate” and adversely my heir (thanks to my sister Megan who got the job!) and also type instructions for my death, burial and ceremony. These were my instructions on that:

I direct that my remains be donated to only necessary organs to organ donor recipients. I DON’T WANT THE WHOLE OF MY BODY DONATED TO SCIENCE. Just organs that will be used to give, add, and enhance life for those in need. Then cremate my body! Scatter my ashes off of the Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic into the Vlatava river. I authorize my Executor to carry out these directions and wishes, particularly those for the disposition of my remains.

It was an intense few minutes but also good! In a very, very sobering way. It reminds of the truth of life:

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment… Hebrews 9:27

Today was one of my “drive-by” days. When I got back from my 18 month STINT in Czech and had to raise support I didn’t know what to do or where to raise it so I did “drive-bys”. What I would do see drive up to a church sit in my car and plead with God that the support would just work out and that I wouldn’t have to go in, but then he would get me in there and I would introduce myself to the administrative assistant and, Lord-willing, get a chance to tell the pastor my story. Well, because of that I have some really great relationships with Pastors down here in Southern Wisconsin. So I was praying and wondering about this Sunday and God filled it! So I will be sharing at Community Church of Elkhorn at the 8 am and 10:30 am services this Sunday morning (the 5th). Thanks to the Pastors at Community Church of Elkhorn, Paul and Bob, for giving me this opportunity. Join with me in prayer that God would use me to serve the body and inspire them and also use the time to bring more Ministry Partners into the fold! Oh, the address for the church is 4654 Briggs Road, Elkhorn, WI 53121. Feel free to stop by and feel free to lift as many prayers up as you want for this opportunity!