Hi Everyone (parents, please read this email as well=),

Just a quick reminder that TODAY (Thursday, July 31st) is the due date for your rough draft Thank You/Follow Up letters. If I don’t have them today, I expect to see them in my inbox by tomorrow, unless I hear otherwise from you.

To review what goes in those letters… The letter is to 1) thank your supporters (whether in prayer, money or both), 2) let them know about the Thank You Reception NEXT Friday, August 8th from 6-8pm, and 3) share a brief testimony in writing with your reader. As I mentioned in the meeting, please send the letter and reception-invitation-postcard together to all the people you sent support letters to initially–and to anyone else who supported you, whether you sent them a support letter or not. You are responsible for the postage on these babies.

Once I edit and send them back to you, YOUR LETTERS ARE TO BE MAILED TO YOUR SUPPORTERS NO LATER THAN THIS FRIDAY.

Also, feel free to hand your leftover post cards to whoever you want to invite to the reception.

…And a quick reminder about the reception. Again, it’s next Friday, August 8th. We will arrive at the Foyer at 4:30pm on Friday afternoon to set up for the reception, which begins at 6pm. Food, photos and other fun first, then testimonies! Clean up will take about an hour, which means we’ll be wrapping things up around 9pm. Please be prepared to stay for the duration. This is the last part of our mission!

If you were NOT at Saturday’s debrief, you missed some important info about the reception and instructions/guidelines about giving your testimony, and you did not receive the Thank You Reception invitation postcards. Please call me ASAP to get the 411 and to arrange a time to get your postcards before Friday.

Thanks team! I’m VERY excited for our family and friends to hear our testimonies next week. I believe they will be VERY encouraged and inspired by you–and way proud of you, too! (I know I am=)

-Josh

Hi Everyone,

VBS is D-U-N and the dust is thick upon MANY cars! Just a reminder that tomorrow (Sunday) is our FINAL fundraiser. Please be near the back gate (where we were last time) no later than 11:25 tomorrow. It’s VBS testimony weekend and like you, I want to see/hear as many as possible but we also need to be ready for the plethora of vehicles who will begin arriving just before 11:30.

We will finish washing around 1:45 and will need a good 45 minutes to clean up. Please be available to stay until 2:30.

That’s it for now! Well done on selling those tickets.

See you tomorrow,

-Josh

Hope to see you on Friday!

-Josh & Rachael

Happy Wednesday!

I’m just pasting Josh’s email to everyone (from yesterday) below…please read the details so that we are all on the same page. If you are not going to be at Saturday’s meeting, please let Josh and I know ASAP.

Mail your letters!!!

—Rach

Hi Everyone!

Please take a few minutes to read through the following important Littleton, Colorado & Juarez, Mexico Mission Team public service announcement… YES, it’s a lot of info…but that just means we’ve got a LOT of good stuff happening related to our mission trip!

First, I want to make a couple of clarifications* to Rachael’s email re the flower sale. (Thanks Rach for hammering this out… I apologize that I didn’t communicate all of the details to you beforehand! =)

Mom’s Day Fundraiser: Flower Sales. Here’s the 411 on that:

• ENVELOPES: You all should have envelopes to sell flower arrangements. If you don’t, it means that I didn’t see you this weekend, or that you left your envelope here.
• *SALES: You can sell arrangements to whomever you desire to sell them: people at church, teachers, neighbors, etc. This weekend, we will have the arrangements available for sale/pickup in the Foyer. Anything you personally sell will go towards your $700 personal fundraiser-support goal; anything that is sold generally (i.e., at the table this weekend) will be distributed amongst the team. So, it’s to your advantage to personally sell! Put the money in your envelope, write down the name and payment info, and return to me at the end of this coming weekend. This is the SAME procedure as with the car wash BUT WITHOUT the paper “tickets” you gave people who paid to have their cars washed.
• *COST: The cost per arrangement is $20 and includes some VERY nice flowers (from Susi’s) in a quart mason jar with decorative ribbon. This is a good deal anytime, and ridiculously affordable the weekend of Mother’s Day. Don’t be shy to tell people, “They’re $20…but you can give more if you like; it’s for a good cause!” Don’t forget to mention “Susi’s.” Many people know her flowers are GREAT.
• ARRANGEMENT: We will be arranging the flowers as a team the last part of our training meeting THIS SATURDAY, MAY 10^th. Guys, let’s out-arrange the girls! I know you have it in you.
• PICK UP: Again, pickup will be in the Foyer during ALL 3 SERVICES this coming Sat/Sun. If you sell arrangements to people outside our church, they’ll either have to pick them up here OR you’ll need to deliver them. Please be sure to figure that out before you seal the deal with such folk.

Support Letters: Super-Size Important Info!

Almost all of you have postage stamps AND your finalized letters and printed on blue letterhead paper. That’s great! (If you do not, and you have already returned to me your second/final version of your letter, your letters will be ready today, Tuesday). Please note/follow these important guidelines for mailing your letter:

• MAILING: Please take a few moments to re-read the mailing instruction sheet included in your original packets. (Parents, thank you for helping your youth with this, as there are several details.) One detail is NOT included in those instructions:
  • Be sure to cross out the original support deadline on your support cards and write in the new one. Here’s an example: “Friday June 13^th 20^th.” It’s just that easy. But wait, there’s more!
• HANDWRITTEN PERSONAL NOTES: Just a reminder to hand-write a personal note at the bottom of each of the 25 letters you are mailing. This makes your letter feel much more…well, personal—instead of feeling like a form letter. This is not optional. This can be time-consuming. Don’t write a novella… just a sweet note from your heart, such as:
  • “Howdy, Bobby-Joe and Sally-Sue! Long time, no see. I miss the days of country music and mechanical bulls! (How’s your head and wrist doin’, Bobby?!=) I’m SO excited about this trip and can’t wait to send you another letter AFTER I get back to tell you all about my experience. Thank you SO much for considering my request. I’ll try to find a Mexican cowboy hat to bring back for you—no promises, though! Ha, ha;-) Love, Loretta.”
• *LIST OF YOUR SUPPORTERS: Please email Rachael (princesspickles10@gmail.com) your list of supporters by this Friday, May 9^th. “June” in the previous email was a typo.
• PUTTIN’ ‘EM IN THE MAILBOX: Please do your absolute best to get these in the mail by the end of the day tomorrow (Wednesday). I know we’re all very busy. Keep in mind that we have already extended our timeline quite a bit, so we need to finish this process so your supporters have ample time to send you support.

TRAINING MEETING THIS SATURDAY, MAY 10^TH | NOON-3PM | FIRESIDE ROOM

We’ll be eating together at noon, so please bring something to eat fo’ yo’self. I would be happy to eat anything you don’t, but don’t feel obligated to feed me.

Mark Manchester will be teaching us about Worship. I’m very excited about that and know you will enjoy him.

Here’s a checklist of things to bring to our meeting:

1. Your lunch!
2. Your Bible
3. A notebook
4. A pen or pencil
5. Your flower sale envelope
6. Any notes you still have from our first meeting
7. Questions?
8. Your excitement and eagerness to listen, learn, participate…and arrange flowers.

You will be getting a TEAM BINDER and a LIFE JOURNAL at this meeting. Yippeee!

That’s it (yes, a lot—I know!) for now. Call/email me if you have questions. We’re doing great and I’m VERY excited to be leading this team of such fine young people.

-Josh

Rach again…

Since I’m here, just a friendly reminder to email me your REVISED letters by THIS FRIDAY.  Make the necessary edits on your letters and email them to me at: princesspickles10@gmail.com .  If I don’t receive the letters on Friday, then I’m going to assume that you want me to go over your letter with you when you buy me coffee at Starbucks.  I’m kididng…well kinda.  However, I do want to say GREAT JOB on your letters thus far.  I was blessed to read what you wanted to say to your supporters. Keep up the good work and continue to share your heart for the trip to people around you!