So close!

The time is coming!

We are in the midst of outreach prep week and are getting ready to go on our trip to Colombia.  We are going to 5-6 different cities around the country.  Starting in Bogota (the capital) we will be working in a public school during the day and in churches at night, we will stay there 13 days before going to Cali.  We spend 8 days in Cali, then to Manizales for 3 days, Medellin for 7 days, San Gil for 10 days, then back to Bogota for debrief.  When we get back to the states we are doing "stateside" outreach in Minneapolis for a week before going back to the base.  Our main goals in Colombia are to minister to backpackers in hostels as well as help local ministries in the areas.  There are 6 of us going together so we've been spending a lot of time getting to know each others pet-peeves, we're going to be in close quarters!  We've been practicing a drama and we each have to prepare a message/sermon to do at a church (I'm not pumped about the sermon).

It is getting really exciting to be so close, 21 days until we leave!

The internet at the base is not the best so I won't be able to update very often, but I will hopefully be able to post another blog before I leave.

God has been faithful in providing my money, but please pray for the rest of my team.

Prayer requests: finances for the team, team unity, and connection with contacts in Colombia.

Prayer

Hey,

I'm sure no one actually reads this, but if you do please pray for me.  A few of the things I was going to do to raise support didn't end up working out.  So just pray that God is in control of this situation and He makes it clear to me what he wants me to do next!

Thanks!
Sam

Support Opportunity!

Hey guys, I was talking to my aunt about ways to raise support for this trip and she has graciously offered the profits from jewelry she is selling.  It is 30% of the price.  If you are interested, the catalog can be viewed from this website  www.mysilpada.com/karlyn.wegmann you can contact her about orders (information is on the website) and just let her know that you would like to support me.  The orders will ship directly to you.  Take the time to look, the jewelry is beautiful!

Thanks!

Sam

All the Time!!

So here's a status update:

My letters have been sent, my church has been talked to, my application is sent in, my references are handed out, and God is Good!!

Everything is running smoothly.  My church says that they will pray for me and support me, my grandparents are really excited about it, and I feel so at peace with what is happening!  I've been able to save a lot from work because my only expense right now is gas (thank you mom!), so I'm estimating that I will need to raise $6,500 for everything (ground fees, plane ticket, etc.)

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Prayer Requests:
-That money comes in to pay for the DTS
-That my mom feels more at peace with me going
-And that everything continues to go smoothly!

I will post updates once I know more!

"We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

How to park at the U

Tip #1- NEVER park in a parking ramp on campus.

$3 for 0-1 hr

$5/6 for 1-2 hrs

$7 for 2-3

$8 for 3-4 

$9 for 4-5 

$10 for 5-6

$11 for 6-7

$12 Daily Maximum

It's a huge rip off.  For events, you have to pay on the way in, but if you can get in before the event (like if you leave your car in their over Friday night), you can sometimes sneak out when they open up the gates and let everyone out after football games.  Also, they sometimes just open the gates on Sundays or over the weekends, but it’s hard to know.  I would recommend just staying away.

Tip #2- Utilize the surface lots

There are a bunch of surface parking lots on the outskirts of campus (behind TCF Bank Stadium) and they cost $3.75 for the entire day (6am-12pm).  If you enter before 9am with a car-pool, it's only $2.  The connecter stops right by them so it’s not like you have to walk a long ways.

Tip #3- Meters have a lot of rules

To park at a meter costs $0.25 for 12 minutes.  Typically, you can only pay for 2 hours at a time.  The majority of the meters by the U charge Monday-Saturday 8am-10pm (some start at 6am and some end at 8pm).  So that means that over night and on Sundays, you don’t have to put money in.  You can’t park at the Washington Ave meters in Stadium Village during rush hour or during football games.  The meters that have restrictions are red.

Tip #4-Don’t Drive During Rush Hour

If you can kill time, do it.  Don’t leave during rush hour until you’re on the bus.

Buy American Gas!

The following companies don't import oil from the middle east, it all comes from America.  Which means buying gas from these places supports American workers and American companies.  Help our economy by putting more money into tax payers' pockets, instead of giving it to foreign companies.

Sunoco

Conoco

Sinclair

BP/Phillips

Hess

ARC0

Maverick

 Flying J

Valero

We'll talk about Walmart later....

Here's My Letter!

Hello Everyone!

As most of you know, I have been going to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities for the past 3 semesters.  I love it at the U, but I have been having a really hard time choosing a major.  I have changed my mind over ten times and I don’t feel at peace with any of my changes.

So, this January, I am going to take a semester off of school to do a DTS (Discipleship Training School) through Youth With A Mission (YWAM).  YWAM is a mission organization that has over 1000 bases in over 150 countries, and their purpose is to know God and make him known.  The DTS program is 5 months long (January through May) consisting of 3 months training or lecture phase and 2 months of an outreach to a foreign country.  The lecture phase will be at the Minneapolis base in Buffalo, MN.  God has really given me a heart for Latin America, so that is where I hope to go on my outreach.

I am currently working 2 jobs in addition to school, but I’m not going to be able to raise the money for a DTS on my own.  I know that not everyone is in a place to give, and that is absolutely fine, you can still support me by praying for me.  Particularly that God is able to work through me and give me strength throughout my time at YWAM.

If you are in a place where you are able to give, I need all the help I can get J.  If you feel like God is calling you to help support me, you can make checks out to YWAM or to me (Samantha Jacobson) and send them to my home address,

XXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!  Every little bit helps.  If you have any questions about the program don’t hesitate to call me at XXXXXXXXXX or check the website at www.ywam-mn.org

I will send out another update again soon.

Thanks again!

Sam Jacobson






BY THE WAY I SWAPPED OUT INFO SO THAT CREEPERS CANT COME TO MY HOUSE