Ayuda

It's almost 10pm on Monday night and I am writing and then erasing the text of a mass email over and over again. My job is to raise money for Ayuda. It's a great place, etc. We are $4,000 away from ending our fiscal year on budget at the end of this month. I desperately want to get there. No doubt, my ego is in the mix of all that. But bigger than ego is something symbolic. I just want everyone here at work to know that God has this baby under control. Ayuda is His deal and He ain't gonna let us slip. For me, in this role at this time, exactly $4,000 would say that loud and clear. Loudly and clearly. Yes, I know. But this is a blog.

Let me be clear and say that Ayuda is not desperate for money. We've had friends come out of the woodwork and help us get back on track financially. It was looking bleak for a bit there, but the trend is up now and there is still a lot of baseball to be played. I think we'll cover that $4,000 in time.

This is not about financial desperation. It's about something more like a collective organizational emotional funk. It's been a tough year for a lot of us. I showed up at the end and it's been tough on me. But I believe God has some tricks up his giant sleeves. (As an aside, I once donated a large sum to a place hoping God would return it tenfold. I haven't done the math, but either way I do not recommend this strategy of financial planning or spiritual obedience.) I am just putting this out there. I don't think the mass email route is appropriate tonight. It feels like begging. I feel like I will be a pest. I feel like I will make Ayuda look bad. But I am haunted by this whole "ask and you shall receive" bit. I believe that stuff. So this is me asking. In faith, maybe. In hope, without a doubt.

So if you have a buncha money, or a little bit, that you want to give to Ayuda, here is the place to go.

(Ironically, I just checked that link and our online donation service is temporarily down for some reason. Furthermore, the site it points you back to is www.ayunda.org which isn't so close to www.ayudacc.org. So, if you want to give but can't, email me.)