(to catch up people new to the list, I am starting a new Christian biz by buying a franchise: check out C28.com to see what it's about)...
100 Days. That's not a joke. I can't believe we're already here. I can't believe we're opening in less than a month! That's right, less than a month. We have had some phenomenal testimonies and stories coming out of this experience. And I can tell you that God is with us, because there's no way it should be this easy.
1) The landlord and legal team has bent over backwards to get us open before Thanksgiving, often breaking their own "set policies" without me even asking them to.
2) Churches have been very open to the C28 concept, and Ryan (my manager) has had a relatively easy time connecting with them.
3) Even with the chaos of the minutia details, God has still managed to show that He's in control by working the details out. More often then not, the details work themselves out without me even having to step in...which is a good thing, because I really don't know what I'm doing! HA!
Thank you for your prayers.
* My wife's health is struggling right now. Today was her last day at work, so we will soon begin the restoration of her health phase. Please continue to pray for her.
* Ryan (manager) has spent the last week in California, and is very homesick for Kim (his wife). He has had an awesome time of training and growth out there, and I know he will hit the ground running in West Palm.
* Emily, my assistant manager, was able to find a roommate w/o even being in the same state. Emily is in Kansas, and had offers from like 6 people to share an apartment. I know what you're thinking, a little creepy. But really, it's a God thing.
* The Leasing Agent was able to get the lawyer to rush the paperwork, and as of right now it will take an act of God for us not to open Friday, November 17th.
Things we have coming up to pray about:
* We're starting to squabble over some of the smaller details with the mall. Things were going way too easy, so they felt they had to complicate things. Pray for God's patience while we try to resolve. This isn't going to stop us from opening...
* Employees. We've been following the "Field of Dreams" theology: "If you build it, they will come". Now it's time to go get them. Pray that we can find hyper-evangelic students willing to stand up for their faith. And if you know anyone interested, have them e-mail me.
* Traveling Mercies: over the next 2 weeks Ryan/Kim and Emily will be moving their belongings from the Texas and Kansas respectively to Florida. Pray for diligence on the road.
* Everything I haven't thought of. Because of the quick timeline, and the fact that I own a Christian bookstore that has to prepare for Christmas too, I'm sure there's many things I just haven't gotten to yet. Pray that we can get those problems resolved too.
It has meant so much to get your e-mail responses back. I think some of these e-mails get passed on 2 or 3 times. Believe me, we need all the help we can get....prayer is not an easy thing to come by. Thank you for all that you do, and I'll drop a line again next week.
In view of God's Mercy,
Jeff Reed
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