Germany Update

Dear Friends and Family:
Greetings from Calgary. I am writing to update you on my preparations for my upcoming time in Germany. The past few months have mostly consisted of starting to mentally prepare myself for such a large transition. I am starting to learn German and I have received many different manuals and information sheets about life in the dorms. There are days where I shake my head and wonder if I’m crazy, and other days where I wish I could be there already.
The biggest concern I have so far is in the area of finances. As you no doubt know I have to raise my support, and if I do not have enough raised then I will not be allowed to go. I need to have 80% of my support raised or pledged before I am even allowed to purchase a ticket. The good news is that I have 28% raised already.
If you have pledged to give regularly over my entire time in Germany, or have already given a one time gift, I want to say thank you. That is not strong enough for how I really feel. Before I had any support raised I had a few sleepless nights where I just didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it across the ocean simply because I didn’t have the money raised. Now I’m starting to get the confidence back that I had when I made the decision to go.
To those of you who have not sent in a gift or pledge, I would like to share some information. First of all, all money given is completely tax deductible. You will be given a charitable donation receipt at year’s end for all money given during the year, which means if you pledge money for the entire two years then you will receive three receipts (one for 2007, one for 2008, and one for 2009). Second, if you want to donate monthly, then you don’t have to start sending money until August, though if you are able to begin in July that would be helpful. Just fill out the pledge form and send it in and Janz Team will send you a monthly reminder with an envelope to send in the money. The other option is to set up an automatic withdrawal from your bank account, a method that I highly recommend just because it is easier. Third, if you want to donate something, but don’t know how much, or are unable to commit to a regular monthly amount, then I still ask that you send in the pledge card saying how much you want to give. You are certainly welcome to give more than you say on the card. I would just ask that you send in a pledge card, and fairly soon, even if that means you have to guess at an amount, just so that I can hit the 80% (though 100% would be awesome!) and be confirmed to go.
If you are unable to send any money, do not feel guilty. I know that it is not possible to give to everyone who asks. Fortunately, prayer is free, so please do not hesitate to send prayers for me up to our Heavenly Father. I am completely useless on my own and will only survive with loads of spiritual and emotional help along with the minor annoyance of money. I’d say prayer is as important as the finances!
I will try to continue to send regular updates up to the time I leave and after. Most won’t be about money, which is good because I don’t like asking for money. Again, I will be posting on my blog at www.pantssince1986.blogspot.com if you are interested. It’s not all about my trip, but I think it is interesting and a good way to keep track of what’s going on in my life. Questions or concerns? Email me at aliens8elvis@hotmail.com.
Sincerely,
Darrell Ulriksen