Giving Update
It’s been a few months since I jumped into this endeavour to try to raise almost $12,000CAD for my 40th birthday. In case you haven’t been following, let me be clear. I’m trying to raise almost $12,000CAD to pay to build a home for a family in need in Tijuana, Mexico.
It’s a new year now and I figured I’d give a bit of an update.
Finances
Admittedly, I have not raised as much as I had hoped to by this point. That said, I haven’t followed up and confirmed giving with quite a few people who at the onset said they’d be excited to be behind this. So, if that’s you, expect a phone call from me soon! Ha. Also, I haven’t been pushing too hard because I was hoping I’d be able to find some more information from YWAM about how Canadians can give and get a charitable donation receipt. Unfortunately, at this point, the information remains the same. In order for Canadians to give towards this and receive a receipt for a charitable donation you MUST send a check to the “Youth With a Mission Society (Mexico)” *Full details are listed in the giving section here. So as much as I was hoping to find an easier way for that to take place, for now, it remains the same. I’d love if you could dust off your cheque book, find some stamps and head off to a mail box drop!
I’m also looking to do a few fun things to try to raise some money towards this. I made some very spicy Mexican Salsa and shared it with some people at work who said they’d be happy to buy some, especially if it went to a good cause. That got me thinking and remembering all the experience I have with the Mexican Fiesta Fundraiser in Edmonton. So I’m thinking I might do a pandemic-lock-down version of that and provide a take out Mexican Fiesta in a box! Still working on the details, but if you’re reading this and live in the Niagara region… stay tuned!
Travel
The question certainly still remains — will international travel be happening by August? Of course, we can’t answer that with any degree of confidence at this point. And the sad reality is that it seems less likely now than it did when I started dreaming of this. But I have certainly not lost hope. Just this weekend I’ve been seeing lots of photos of my friends in Mexican receiving the vaccine. So who knows.
I’ve said since the beginning and I’ll say it until the end. Even if I can’t actually go and build this home with my own hands, every dollar raised will still go towards a home for a family in Tijuana. A week or so ago I shared a story from my friend Giezi of his opportunity to build a home with families from Tijuana, for another family. This happened exactly because a team had raised the funds for the home and could not travel. If you didn’t watch that video, check it out here. Again, if this is the worst case scenario on me not being able to go, I feel pretty good!!
So we still don’t know if we can go. I’m hoping that the next 3 or 4 months will bring more clarity.
Team
I started this project saying that if it’s just my family going to Tijuana, we’re okay with that. But we’d also be excited to have people join us. I’ve had a handful of families we’ve gotten to know here in Welland express some VERY serious interest, so that’s super exciting. With this quick update, I figured I’d just say that the invitation is still very much open. As just noted above, of course there is still uncertainty. But at this point there, there is nothing to lose, no deposits required any time soon, just tell me, “Jud, we’re pretty sure we want to come if this whole things works out!
Big Ask
I consider it an extreme privilege knowing that there are even people in my life who will read this. That fact that I know there are many who will read this who will have the desire to be “with me” in this in some way just blows me away. So know that I do not write things things and make these “asks” lightly.
I’ve been accused of being an eternal optimist for most of my life. I’m okay with that though. I feel recklessly confident that I’m going to raise MORE THAN ENOUGH money to pay for this home. But I also know with certainty that I can’t do it on my own! Even with a new super-fun part-time job, I need many people to be “with me” in this with more than just hearts and good-thoughts, but with funds!
All donations given through YWAM are tax receiptable, and yes, the process to give is more tedious than an eTransfer, but still quite simple.
If you’re still reading this, I’m asking you to consider giving generously towards this. Perhaps in one lump sum, or even writing some post dated cheques and giving to this for the next 6 months. Whatever works for you.
And if you’ve already hinted to me that you’d like to give towards this, it’d be super helpful for us to chat so I can get a clearer picture of what to expect.
Thank You
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Again, I’m very excited about this and can’t wait to see it come to fruition. I also plan to share a few more stories of mine from my experiences with YWAM and Homes of Hope over the years!
