Q&A Part 1

Well, it is here. It is time to post and answer questions from you! There was a lot of questions submitted. And instead of having one giant post, I will work my way through them, and post them in parts. So, here is Part 1 of many.

PART 1

Why Alaska and Victory Bible Camps?

This is a question I get from people. Sadly, this will be answered at a later time. It is an interesting story that I am writing out in an extended form. After I make it through some Q&As, I’ll post it.

Is there one thing that God has really been using to call you to the mission field overall, or this ministry in particular?

Originally, it was camping. It is an amazing avenue in which to reach out to people. But as God has been expanding my gifts, God has been using my creativity and design skills for ministry work. During the fall of 2010, God threw me head first into doing promotional work. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but it was His plan. As I did work for Victory during 2011, God kept showing me more that I could do. When I look at ministries, and even Victories advertising material, it is extremely outdated. And with modern technology and social media, there is so much that ministries can tap into. It is through seeing this need, and God’s leading that have burdened me to jump into the front lines of getting the word out about what Victory has to offer and how people can be a part of the work being done at Victory.

What's your strategy for contacting with churches? Do you have a list of churches that your marking off as you go in your county or mostly word of mouth?

Originally I was going to go off a list. But just like with applying for a job, I love showing up in person before I send or give any information to a church. Obviously I can’t do this for every church. So, I will have to resort to sending out some letters to local (and some not so local) churches asking them to pray over the idea of supporting Victory. Once my church “press kit” is done, I will be sending it out and posting it here. It is a nice resource of information. The packet will include:

   - Letter from me

   - Recommendation letter from my pastor

   - Card with a web address linking them to videos and information:

                                 - Howard Promo

                                 - Victory Promo

                                 - Victories Websites

                                 - The HM Update blog

   - Prayer Cards

   - Business Cards

   - The most recent The Howard Ministry Update letter

   - and more

In reality, the church will be supporting Victory. So it is crucial that they have access to as much information as they can have on Victory. Hopefully this will be a great resource for them. I also want them to ask me about anything. My goal is to make a connection with them, share how they can be a part of the ministry, and let them pray to see if this is a ministry that they would want to be a part of.

What happens if you don't raise enough support this year?

The whole idea of support raising is trusting in God for the means necessary to do ministry work. So whenever the support comes in, it is all in God’s timing. God has His reasons as to when I will be in Alaska. Until then, it is up to me to have faith in what God is doing and do my best to get the word out. As for not enough support coming in before the end of the year, it just means more time here in PA to serve God.

How frequently do you plan on putting out newsletters or other updates about your mission?

During my internship, I started sending out newsletters every other month. I’m going to try to stay on that trend. I like sending out newsletters, especially letters. It is very personal compared to an e-mail or blog post. So I can see those consistently coming out in the future. As for my blog, I'll post news here frequently. Unless I learn to develop my own website (which I don't see the need), or some new form of online communication comes out, I'll still be posting here as well.
If you want to get the newsletter, feel free to contact me via e-mail: hmupdate@gmail.com

How did you decide on your cat's name? Will your cat get rights to the video? 

For those that don’t have Facebook, I posted a funny video of my cat interrupting my filming. You can find the video by clicking CAT!

The grey cat that appeared in the video is named Kitka. If anyone has seen Breakfast At Tiffanys, Audrey Hepburn’s cat is named Cat. My sister really loves Audrey Hepburn films, and wanted to name the cat after the one in the film. Cat just didn’t fit. So instead of naming her just Cat, we named her Cat in Ukrainian. Thus, Kitka.

We also have a small crazy cat that loves to sit on my lap as I work. Her name is Mazy. She also appears a lot on Facebook. Then there is our stray rescue named Max.

As for rights... no. I think Kitka will be just fine having a can of cat treat occasionally. 

What is your opinion on the great white leech? 

My position on this camp legend is, it must be some sort of junk floating under the water. The real question is, do Narwhals exist? And that would be yes. In one of the two lakes at camp? ... doubt it. 

That's it for now. Tune in next time as I will answer: "What is one goal you wish to accomplish this year that would be different from the last several years you've been at camp?"
I'll also be debating the topic of Hick's Creek Burger v. Alpine Campout Burger.

Thanks. You're Welcome.

Daryl

Got any questions... send them to me. I'll be glad to answer them.