I am about to embark on an adventure. I am going to Jamaica with a missionary organization to do God's work and find direction for my life. I need to raise my own funding to go, which is why I'm writing this letter, but I will also tell you what I have been doing for the past little while.

I haven't written some of you in a long time, and my Christmas letter this year was about Daisy the Wonder Bus, not myself. I have had several jobs since I graduated college in December '98. I was hired as an engineer briefly during winter of '99 when I worked in Michigan for a testing company. Daisy the Wonder Bus (may she rust in peace) accompanied me there and was my faithful companion. I enjoyed engineering a lot, but I missed my friends and family and the rain. In Michigan during the winter there is no rain but quite a lot of cold. After returning from Michigan Daisy was my home while I looked for another engineering job. While unemployed, I visited my brother Ben in glamorous Hollywood, California and saw a lot of crazy things. Shortly after returning from California, I was hired as a technician for a company south of Bellingham. Shortly after I began that job, I moved into The Discipleship House, a young adult centered community living ministry in Bellingham run by my friends Rob and Cathy Haskell. It has been an excellent learning experience.

I worked at my technician job for 8 months, and some of the work was fascinating, but I was dissatisfied. I quit that job in February, and since then I have started a VW repair business: Busted Bug A uto Repair. It takes more than a cute name to pay the bills though, and I have a lot to learn about running a business. However, I'm making money, and with hard work and improved organizational skills I should be able to earn some of the money I need for my trip to Jamaica. 

YWAM (Youth With A Mission) is an interdenominational Christian organization with centers in 225 countries or so, and 40,000 staff. YWAM's primary goal is "To know God and make Him Known". YWAM provides humanitarian aid and education in many different countries in addition to spreading the gospel.

I will arrive in Jamaica September 19 and study at YWAM's Discipleship Training School for 3 months. After that, I will go with a group for 2 months to another Caribbean country such as Haiti or Cuba or possibly West Africa for an outreach mission. The total cost of my trip will be $4500 to $5000. It breaks down into $2000 for YWAM school fees, $600 for expenses while doing outreach, and $1900 to $2400 for traveling expenses. The exact cost of my traveling expenses will depend on what airfare prices I manage to get and where I travel to for the outreach portion of the trip.

I am writing to solicit support in whatever form it is available. Money is my most immediate and pressing need, but prayer support and encouragement is key. To my non-Christian friends, I would ask that you would keep me in your good thoughts as I try to find new direction for my life, even if prayer isn't your thing. In order to make your donation tax-deductible, make out checks to Bellingham Vineyard Church and write "Chris's YWAM fund" in the "for" line of your check. Mail checks to me at the address above and you will receive a receipt for your donation from my church before tax time.

Thank you,
Chris Rolling