We are all in this together

Probably, if you are reading this blog, you have already heard about the great website, www.sendthemforhim.com. It is what I call "passive fundraising." And, I think it is a great way for people to partner with Deb and me, as we work in Cambodia.

This is how the website describes themselves,

Purchases made from merchants linked through this webpage

will generate a donation to Paul Pinckley. Simply choose a merchant

from the categories, link to the merchant website and shop as usual.

It is great because it doesn't cost extra to shop through this site, and you help by spending what you would spend anyway!

Students can buy textbooks. Families can take care of the last summer vacay fling. Husbands can put off those little DIY jobs, while they wait on delivery of the new faucet, oven heating element, etc.

So far, after 16 purchases by family and friends, we have raised about $60. Obviously, this won't provide all of the support we need, but it does make a difference. I know some of our incoming business school students will be using the site to buy books. Hey, that can be a big ticket item!! We bought our air tickets to Cambodia through CheapO Air. We saved money and made money at the same time -- I hope that won't affect the space-time continuum. I even bought tickets for the UT-Montana football game.

The site is simple. They explain everything. Just go to http://www.sendthemforhim.com/files/Groups/Pinckley/categories.html and make your purchases. The merchants will share the profits!

Our work in Cambodia is not just the two of us. It is a joint venture. Of course, God is directing the action. BUT, all of our friends and family are co-workers. We are dependent on your help -- in prayer, sharing what we are doing with others, and financially. We need your partnership wherever you can provide it.

This blog is one way that we will let you know how our work is coming along. I hope you are excited about the work you are a part of!!

See you on the river.

Queen Esther and William Cowper

Nearly a month has passed, since the last posting. That doesn't mean nothing has been going on. Quite the opposite is true!

As you can imagine, preparing to liquidate most of your belongings, resigning from a perfectly good job, and searching for financial support (this IS a non-paying gig) are quite time consuming. It has been a busy June/July.

In early June, we were elated to learn that the Bell Trust would be giving us partial support. That was a welcome letter, as they will be providing approximately 1/3 of the needed funds. The Bell trust will be matching what the Simi Church of Christ had already committed. We have been blessed with two other congregations who will be partnering with us, the Cuba (KY) Church of Christ and the Barkers Mill Church of Christ, in Clarksville, TN. Seven individuals will also be providing monthly support. There are also two who have committed to a one-time gift. This all adds up to making our work a reality! We are lacking about $900 per month, to help us meet our budget. I am confident that will happen, in the next few weeks.

On the house front, we need prayers. We had a contract, but the buyers backed out. I like to think that God has someone with a bigger check waiting to look at it, next week! Join me in that prayer!!

I often think of the book of Esther. It is such a great story. So unique. My favorite part is where Esther tells Mordecai that she can't talk with the King about the troubles that his law has caused the Jews. Mordecai reminds here that maybe she has become queen, "for such a time as this." As I look back over the years, I feel Mordecai could be saying the same to me.

• Why would a kid from Memphis, who is perfectly happy living in Tennessee, pick up and move to California? FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. God knew he needed to move me to Cambodia, gradually.
• Why would I choose to focus my international travel in Asia? FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. Face it, someone else was going to have to pay for me to go that far. I wasn't going to learn about it on my own! The examples go on and on.
• Why did we just happen to watch Red Light, a documentary about the child sex trafficking going on in Cambodia, as I began to feel God moving me? FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.

The hymnist was right, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform."