Arturo Paulino Blog

This is probably our most vulnerable YL newsletter yet.  In a few days we will be celebrating ONE year of support raising, and up until this point this has been our timeline:

• June 30th, 2010 – Last day working as a youth pastor at Dublin FUMC in GA
• July 30th, 2010 – We moved in with Tracy’s mom
• August 15th, 2010 – After realizing our fundraising was nowhere close to departure (we were at 15%) we decided to stay in FL to focus on fundraising
• September 15th, 2010 – After going through our savings (personal info) we decided we needed to get jobs in order to stay afloat.  Tracy took a job at Bed Bath & Beyond, and I officially launched Arturo Paulino Photography
• January, 2011 – Attended YL Cross-Cultural Training in Colorado.  Reached 33% of our budget.
• April, 2011 – Visited Rome, Italy as part of our Scouting Trip
• May 2011 – Went through 80-85% of potential supporters and reached 49.89%

In light of our assessment in regards to our first year of support raising and, informed by this assessment, we are in conversation with YL regarding our projection.  It all boils down to a) Stay put and keep fundraising, b) Being open to other fields of work within YL which we could afford, c) other.   Currently we are evaluating options A and B.  I could legitimaly make a case for stay-the-course-no-matter-what or investing-our-talents-now scenario.

In order to best move forward and align our steps with God, we are planning on doing what Marty Caldwell wisely advised which is ‘to be wherever Jesus would want us to be’.  In light of this please join us in prayer as we take on this new step of faith in our journey.  Before presenting our June Newsletter I’d like to give special thanks to my (Arturo’s) personal mentors Scott Steele, Chelo and Joe Long.  It was Joe who suggested for us to be intentional in spending time each day in prayer regarding our ministry opportunities, to keep a journal, and to consider fasting.  Joe, we couldn’t agree with you more, and we as a couple are doing exactly that.  If any of you would like to join our fasting day, it will be Thursdays.

In sum we, the Paulino’s, are eager to serve where the Lord wants us to serve.  We are committed to God as the sender, to you as a supporter, to Young Life as our organization and to ourselves as recipients of God’s gifts.  Thank you for staying alongside us in this faith journey which started about one year ago!