Hi praying friends!

I am sure with that ominous subject line, you might be wondering just how bad everything is going… so I don‘t want to start there! I want to start with the fact that every week as we have open hours at our gallery, new people are coming in to see what we are exhibiting. Last week, I had multiple conversations with people who said, "I never knew there was a gallery here!" (To which I said, "That makes sense, there never was!") We also have artists stopping in. Last week the owner of the flower shop up the street where I dropped off brochures for our exhibit said one of her customers was raving about one of our events (Art O'Clock).

As I said last week, we just released a 5-year anniversary edition of Commissioned to Love. Next month we will publish another book, and we have a few more in the works! A lot of bottle-necked projects are moving forward (and we are facing some challenges getting some of the books printed in Germany - not legal challenges, design challenges. It is frustrating!)

But (the but you knew was coming) there have been some low times, as well. Years ago, I read the story of George Müller (YEARS ago!) This man of prayer was used by God to open orphanges that served thousands of children. He had a principal of radical dependence on God and no fundraising. He never allowed the needs of his orphanges to be known publily in a way that would solicit donations. He believed - if this is a work of God, God will provide - and had amazing stories of God meeting his needs through people who felt led to give over, and over, and over.

Through the years, and especially entering into this current project with our gallery, I felt increasingly dissatisfied with fundraising campaigns that can, at times, feel manipulative - and felt God calling me into quiet and solid trust that He would provide, and a request to ask those praying for me to also pray that God would provide. So, we have done so - releasing one video making people aware of the work and of the need (so not totally George Müller...) but also avoiding overly direct asks and trusting God to bring the right people to us. From a fundraising point of view, it breaks so many of the rules... but I felt God leading us that way.

So far, however, our experince has been pretty different than my dream-filled expectation. We are nearing the end of the fiscal year with the fund for the building project pretty heavily in the red and a need for God to provide in a way that feels impossible. I don't want to have to start the "same-old-same-old" fundraising campaigns. We have a meeting with leadership tomorrow about our budget requests, which are being scrutinized more because of our debt (as they should be), yet I still have this sense that God is reminding me that He will provide.

Friends, can you please, please join us in prayer? This feels like 11th-hour stuff to me, and it is really heavy for me to be at a point where I sense God saying, "I've got this!" but also not knowing how that could possibly work. Can you pray that God will repeat what happened a few weeks ago, when one of our supporters sent extra money, again, and again, and again - maybe even until I have to ask you all to stop praying because we have all we need and more?

Thanks for your prayers, friends, we really need them!

Blessings,

mike