Jerry Lewis Time

Okay, so our little spiritual crisis is seemingly resolved...at least in our minds, and we've got a busy weekend ahead - visiting with our friends Chuck and Lindsay tonight (Lindsay is out of the hospital and all is well)...Habitat tomorrow - I wasn't signed up but I noticed our group was a bit "thin" so I think I'll join the fray one more time...and then "church" with our friends Harold & Dallas on Sunday, if Dallas is up to it...she started chemo this week and I need to call her as soon as I finish writing this...which is a round about way of saying that I may not have time write much for a few days.

Which means, in truth, I'm going to use this for my "final" pitch for any contributions to the Moldova Mission trip - which is still very much a go.

First off, again THANK YOU to everyone who has given to this cause. You are amazing and we truly are humbled and astounded by the response. Please keep praying for this mission, for the team members, "uneventful" travel, and for Amy's health to stay strong.

Now, please pardon me for being blunt, but dancing around this makes me even more uncomfortable despite reassurances from a number of very caring people who are more used to this stuff than I am...and probably will ever be.

I'm not going to belabor the point: we are on a deadline.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you wouldn't be the first, there are links on the sidebar to previous posts about Moldova and direct links to Children's Emergency Relief International...I do want to modify some of that information because of our deadline.

If you have been planning on making a contribution, please do it now. Our next "team meeting" is November 2nd, and we will be paying for all the trip expenses at that time. In other words, I'll be writing a check to cover what we haven't raised through other means or which we haven't already personally contributed. We have been fully expecting that from the start and have planned accordingly.

However, if you were planning to contribute in a "few weeks" or in December, that money will go to "general" Moldova travel rather than our specific mission. That's still okay! CERI is a GREAT organization. Your money will be in the hands of good stewards...people dedicated to helping children in need. Yet, if you want to contribute to the Moldova Christmas Mission of which Amy and I are team members, the donations need to be made right away.

If you plan to donate by credit card, you can do so through the CERI website, but I implore you to make it VERY, VERY clear that the money should go to "Moldova Travel" for Michael and Amy Main. I've had some communication issues with the no doubt overworked folks at CERI, so I want to make it as easy for them as possible. The site is very easy to navigate, you need only select "Moldova Travel" in the donation area and then add a note designating your gift. That note is very important.

I'd also ask that you drop me an email letting me know you made a contribution that way, so that I can be certain CERI got it and knows for what it is intended.

If you were planning to write a check, with less than two weeks before our next meeting, I think it would be best to still make the check out to CERI, but send it directly to us at our home, not to CERI or our church. That seems most expedient. Again, if you'd also drop me an email, it would be helpful in keeping tabs on all this stuff.

Our home mailing address is listed in the "How To Give" link on the sidebar.

A few folks wrote me to tell me I was nuts for posting our address in the first place - they were very kind about it, and it's probably true - so I'll refrain from posting it again, but it remains listed in that link.

Unlike Jerry Lewis who's a master at this stuff - by the way, did you see him on Law and Order the other night...wasn't he good? - I have no plans to take this to a 23rd hour, in fact this is the last request along these lines I'm going to make.

I do hope to come back in a few weeks with a request for specific items that we'll be taking to the kids in Moldova and the workers who are there with them year round, once I know what items are appropriate. That is another wonderful way you can consider giving.

I most definately will be coming back to you asking for prayer...often.

Should you have any questions please feel free to email me at Michael AT MichaelMain.com or by using the "Email me" link on the sidebar.

Okay, that's that. I wanted to get it out of the way today and to again thank you all for your generosity not only financial, but spiritual generosity too. It has carried us through a tough personal time recently, and I know it will carry us through the Moldova mission as well.

My only concern now...with our church "crisis" seemingly at bay...the Moldova giving stuff mostly done with...what am I going to write about?

I promise, I'll think of something.

Again, bless you all...we have found great strength in our "online" relationships. It's not unlike our relationship with God. We know you are there, we've communicated with many of you personally, but we haven't met face to face.

One day we will...and what a glorious day that will be.

Thank you,

Michael & Amy