Tangible Needs

*If you've been tracking this entry, you'll notice that it has changed a bit as we've had a couple of items already provided!! THANK YOU!! We removed those items and added one. We'll keep it updated as things evolve.*

Hey All,

Kelly and I have been thinking about a few items that we believe might make life in the Dominican more enjoyable. We really don't know if they will be necessary to life but as we look ahead, we find ourselves thinking, "Yep, we'd love to have that." The vulnerable side of me feels it's necessary to say that we have thought a lot about whether or not to post this because you all have already given so much that we couldn't imagine asking for more. But a few people have asked about giving beyond just money, so, with extreme gratefulness already in our eyes and hearts, we want to share with you a few items that we've been praying for and hope that you will join us in the prayer for these things. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

1. Baseball gloves for both of us. Kelly's is too small (it was mine when I was in little league) and mine is literally falling apart (it was my dad's from long ago.) Baseball is obviously a big thing in the DR and we've been practicing our "language" as Kelly calls it. But, we sure could use two worked in gloves.

2. A handheld tape-recorder for use during language school. Over and over again it has been recommended to us that we use a handheld recorder during our time in language school to allow us to continue to practice at home with accuracy. Probably the best would be one that records digitally that we could download to the computer rather than needing tapes but honestly, I think anything would do.

3. A reliable laptop. We do own a laptop right now but it is quite dated and lacks a couple of things that we are hoping for. Kel and I have been looking at the MacBooks but that is just because we have become hooked on Macs. Really all we are looking for is an outfit that has a fire-wire port on it, a DVD burner and one that would be capable of running a couple of programs at once without bogging down. We expect to mostly work with Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and some sort of photo/video editing software.

4. Two cell phones. This is a bit tricky as they need to be "unlocked GSM" phones that have a SIM card in them. Basically what that will allow is us to add pre-paid minutes and talk to YOU! When we get to the DR we'll purchase (cheap) a new SIM card that will put us on the DR network. You all probably understand that better than we do but those are the facts.

**I should mention that we do still have a financial need as well. At this point we are looking to raise about $350 more per month. Praise God for his provision and your generosity because we are almost to our goal! Please do continue to pray for this need though. To break it down to a more manageable number, we need 7 more donors at $50 per month. God is good all the time!**