A Friendly Update

The HM Update edition 012 will be out next week. Also, I'll be posting some more information here as well.
Continue to pray for opens doors, and for me to seek God's leading in the coming months.

THE HM UPDATE blog edition

Hello!
Wow, I'm so excited about what the future holds. God is doing amazing works through Victory and it's supporters. The next letter is coming out soon, but I felt I should share this ASAP.

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE
*SPOILER ALERT*
(This is going to be in the next newsletter)

     Well, it is official. From August 2nd - September 6th I'll be serving short-term at Victory Bible Camps & Conference Center. This was definitely an open door from God. After posting here and asking some individuals to pray with me, support started to come in. With support coming in, I started to get serious about looking at tickets. It was unnerving to see low prices ranging from $771-$940. Even with the support that was coming in, I had to lock in a ticket before the prices started going up. Times started to get desperate, and I was starting to doubt if this trip was going to happen. If you were to look on my Facebook wall on June 20th, you would have seen a post asking for prayer and a small miracle. Doubt about the trip had set in. Then God decided to show me that doubting is not an option when it comes to His work. When I checked the mail, there was a check with a gift, as well as a statement from Victory showing where my support sat at. I felt so silly doubting God on His plans and provision. But He wasn't done. On Thursday of last week, a ticket popped up on my search. It was only $691! Much cheaper than any other ticket that I had found. Everything else sat at $790 or higher. After a quick call to Victory, the ticket was purchased.
     So far most of the ticket is paid for. A little loan from my parents helped me lock in the ticket. Also, Victory is allowing me to use some of the support that has come in to help with the ticket as well. But there are still a few expenses that need to be taken care of before I leave. If you feel the Lord is leading you to give, why not. It doesn't take a dedicated monthly gift. So for those that can't do monthly can join for just this one-time trip if you feel led. If you have any interest, just e-mail me at hmupdate@gmail.com.


WHAT THIS TRIP ENTAILS
    This trip is going to be holding many opportunities. The main reason for this trip will be to work and run the state fair booth. But there is so much more that I would able to do when serving for a month. 


MAIN GOALS:
1. Successfully run the state fair booth
2. Connect people to the ministry of Victory and share God's love to them
3. Develop new promotional material for the camp
4. Develop and work on material for staff raising support
5. Make connections with churches in Alaska (maybe share at one or two)


     This trip is going to be amazing. Just the thought of going has re-energized me. It makes me want to push harder to get to Victory full-time. Pray that I'll be open to God's leading on the work that will be done, as well as seeking His direction on how to promote the camp. 

There will be more information on this trip soon, as well as some other postings soon.


FIN.

- Daryl J. Howard

A little update

Just to give you a heads up. I'm proofing my next update letter, as well as putting together some info on how support raising is going.

Cheers.

POST 100

IT'S HERE. POST 100.
   100 doesn't seem like much when it comes to some blogs that post everyday, or multiple posts in a day. But for someone in ministry like me, its a fairly big achievement. So, for this semi-momentous occasion I will be sharing some new material I have been working on, as well as sharing what is in the future for me, and more. Here goes.

PRESENTATIONS
   When it comes to doing a presentation at a church or with a small group, there is a lot of preparation that goes into putting it on. The hardest part for me is trying to figure out what to say or what not to say. It is a challenge each time. But one other challenging area for me, is presenting material about the camp. The brochures are a little outdated, and there wasn't much to go off of. What is great, is this area of presenting is the area that I will be working in when it comes to serving at the camp in the future. So when I do a presentation at a church, I can point to my table in the back and give them a visual example to what I have been and will be doing at Victory in the future. The latest addition to my display table is my new display boards. I'm proud of these boards. It took about two days to design, and about $12 to make! These bad boys replaced what looked like a flannel-graph that should be used for Bible stories.

   The boards are 12"x16". So they fit right into a carry-on suitcase. Perfect for travelling. They get the point across as to what we (Victory) are about, what we do, and presents a little look at the facilities that we have. There is so much that Victory does, but so little space. The next time I am at church, I'll set up my table again and take a picture of the whole set-up. That way you can see the banner I put together, the set-up I have and how I get the word out about Victory.

   If you can, be praying for wisdom in how to share my burden and the work God is doing through Victory. Also be praying for God to work in the hearts of the people hearing of the ministry, and also the churches that are receiving my letters.

   Thanks be to God for the open doors I am receiving. It seems 1 out of every 5 letters is an open door.

SUPPORT

   The big question people ask is, "where are you at in support?" Support sits at 9.9% of monthly $2,575 (as of May 21st). Why so small you may ask. Well, I want to look at it another way. For me... I am excited to see it where it is. It has been a rough start. But God is doing a great work.

   Yes, $255 monthly may seem small. But it is mostly made up of individuals that can give what they can, even if it is only $10 a month. It doesn't take much to support. Even $5 helps.

   Continue to pray that stir up people's hearts to join in support Victory and their staff financially. 9.9% for me is a start. 

OPPORTUNITY

   There is something that has come up that has been in prayer and consideration for the last few weeks. Each year, Victory goes to the Alaska State Fair, and sets up a booth. Last year it was my duty to design the set-up and to run the booth. It was a difficult task, but also a lot of fun. With Victory short of staff right now, there is no one to take care of the booth. This is where I come in. Joel, Victory's Camp Director, asked if I could return to Victory for about a months time in order to help prepare for the fair and run the booth. It would be from August 8th - September 5th. Right now it looks like the trip would cost around $771-$820. Some of that is already paid for. So I'm reaching out to those that say "Hey, I can't support monthly". Here's a chance for you to help out temporarily. It's a one time situation that would take me away from support raising, but also help the camp get their footing in the area of promotions. It will also allow me to help create some new promotional material for the camp and the other future Victory staff members raising support!

   If you have any questions or want to help, feel free to contact me. (hmupdate@gmail.com)

IN OTHER NEWS

For Barry, Joey & Jennifer, the bearded singles, my mom, and others asking... yes, I am still single. (It's an ongoing topic and joke)

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING

   Honestly, there has been not a lot going on. May saw me traveling to Poughkeepsie, NY to move furniture, going down to Philadelphia, PA to see my sister become a doctor, and the beginning of June has been crazy with everyone in my family moving back home before they disperse out to their next endeavors (even me). Other than that, my days have been spent getting the word about Victory, and trying to raise support. If I am experiencing writers block, you can find me in the backyard losing golfballs. Or, if I really want to clear my mind, my siblings and I usually find something to do, or I go to a coffee shop. 

   Another ministry that I have been helping out with, is a local ministry named ROCC (Reaching Our Community for Christ). Right now I am helping get the word out about them by using the modern tools of blogging and Facebook. It is hard for me to step out and help them. But it is also helping me get ready with the work I'll be doing at Victory. I'm also working on a new promotional video for them. This will be a fun project in the end. 

   Also, you could have found me bowling on my birthday. Mini-golf was postponed due to rain. But it was a lot of fun just to get out and spend some time with my brother and sister. If you know me, I like to keep my b-day quiet. It was good to change it up (by not being at camp), and to just be home for once. It felt weird (and I don't mean the getting older part).

CLOSING

   To close, I want to thank all of you who have been behind me along this journey. Its very humbling and encouraging to see people not only praying for the work being done at Victory, but also financially backing. I can't thank you all enough. For those that financially can't support, I thank you for showing interest and reading this. Every bit of encouragement and prayer helps. Thank you.

Grace & Peace,
- Daryl J. Howard