Marriage and Firearms

So - This might not have a thing to do with Support Raising or Germany, but it's too good not to share with you all. With only five weeks until the big W day, I thought I should do my research for acquiring a marriage license. Upon googling 'Marriage License Georgia' and trying to find an actual, official Georgia website (and not a wedding website such as TheKnot), I come across www.gaprobate.org. Wonderful. Seems legit, right? Legit, yes. Wonderful, not so much. I think I'm having second thoughts about getting hitched.

Here's what I found:

Marriage and Firearm Licenses are on the exact same page! If you scroll down that website, as soon as you finish reading the requirements to attain a marriage license, you start reading about how to attain a firearm license! Is there something wrong with this picture? Do the two go hand in hand? Gosh, I sure hope not. After I finished laughing for a good 2 minutes, I decided I should share this little gem with you.

Monthly Newsletter Sign-Up

This past Thursday evening, I got back home from a long week in Indianapolis, IN - Headquarters for CMF International. It was a great week. The team that lead the training were well equipped, gave excellent advice and were highly encouraging. I left ready to grab the support-raising-bull by the horns and take off. Too bad there's a wedding in the way that demands so much of my attention!

Since then, Tyler has been playing around with a new e-mailable newsletter. Thanks to MailChimp we have a great newsletter template to email you monthly updates of our progress in support raising and then all the wonderful stories we'll have when we finally get on the field! But first, SIGN UP for our newsletter! Don't be out of the loop!

We look forward to updating you :)

Getting to Know the Team - Or at Least Me

In an effort to introduce the entire Germany team to everyone's supporters, a 'team newsletter' is being sent out. I received an email from our wonderful team leader asking us a series of questions. Mind you, Beth's and Chris's and Stef's and Pam's and Nathan's supporters - more or less - have absolutely no idea who I am (or so I imagine). I like to think Tyler's supporters have some idea of who I am....

I thought I'd share with you my answers. This certainly defines who I am and you should feel like you've known me for years. Welcome, best friend. Enjoy.

Full Name: Shalynn Stacey Smith

Hometown: Moore, SC

Favorite German Word: das Murmeltier... which means groundhog. It's actually just a really fun word to say

das Murmeltier

Mac or PC: Mac going on 4 years now... 3rd best decision I ever made in life

Why campus ministry? Well, it's not rocket science - and I should know. I studied Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech and hated it. I'm a Jesus lover and a people person. I've come to realize all I know how to do in life is love people - but so many people desperately need it. College is such an impressionable time in one's life; I don't know where I'd be today if I didn't have someone push me, challenge me and make Jesus real to me when I was in college. In short, I know a love so great and beautiful that it must be shared.

Experimental Support Raising

SRT, Support Raising Training, begins in 5 days. I must read People Raising for homework. (Don't read it unless you have to!) They give examples of several 'philosophies' in ways to raise support...

• Pray alone. Only God should know your needs.
• Pray and give information about your work, but don't solicit.
• Pray, give full information, and solicit.

Then they go on to talk about extremes. Pope Clement VI threatened to excommunicate anyone who failed to give. Oral Roberts claimed that God would take his life if a specific amount of money wasn't raised by a certain date. So since I don't have the power to excommunicate anyone, I think I might try for option zwei (that's 'two' in German).

I will die by January 31, 2011 if enough money has not be raised for me and Tyler to be cleared to move to Germany.

You can give here. Thanks.