CDavignon.com

Oh! Hey you, it’s been such a longtime but, who keeps track of time? What’s that, Oh YOU do then here’s an apology; I’m sorry, sorry for un-replayed to emails, un-answered questions, lack of updates, lack of begging able to get a hold of me , and so on …….
I’m going to risk it and whatever happens well happens; I have spent the past four weeks to write this post and therefore have started more times on this one post then any paper I have ever written while I was a university student. I want to be honest, I want to answer every question that comes into my inbox, I want to send each of my friends a hand written note, I want to feed every child who has not eaten, and I would love to insure that the young infant who lives next door will grow up to become anything he wants to be: in a world where he does not have to be a begger , a world where food is available to all , and children don’t have to sell their bodies to survive.
I sit here on my computer that is connected to the internet, in a one room house that has not one char but three as well as a bed, a place for preparing food, I even have a table and there are people who live near me who do not have access to such things and who are making less money than most of us could ever think of making never mind living off of. I have been living here in Mexico for the past two years and there is little I can show for that time yet, I have meet some awesome people and have learned a number of things. I have learned that God’s voice can sound like my own and I need to use caution when discerning his call, Gods time is slow and God does not keep time like we do, If you try to fight with God you will not win, God can tell you NO, and its ok for adults to fall down and try again. Going into my third year living in Mexico it is my pray that God is going to move in the community in which I live in ways that I can only imagine. I have been blessed time and time again and I am thankful to everyone who has supported me these past two year through pray or in other ways. This past month I got my work visa from the Mexico government it took me about two months to get and took a good amount of work but, now I have it. I do not have words to explain how blessed I am. If you have every lived in Mexico then you might have an idea on the process of getting a visa if not let me say this it is not an easy one. However, I have learned a lot from going through the process things that can only be learned from doing and not from studying.
An overdue update !
LAM , grad school , your trying to raise money ? Why ?, And other awesome question like ‘Where do you work ?’ ‘How can I get a job doing that?” and on the top of my list “When are you going to get a real job you know in an office?”
First off there are lots of what you would refer to as ‘real’ jobs that our not in any office or at least not using the conventional definition of the word. What we used to know as the ‘office’ has now become something to refer to as the place we do ‘work’ rather then the place where we work. The office can be now on the train, on the bus, in the middle of nowhere, or even in the air if we like – the office can be almost anywhere we can take it. Next, when ‘I get a real job’ well I have one or two maybe even three if you count each job one gets as a freelance English teacher / translator / blogger / and the list of things I do in a week comes on and on. Where is my office? Well most of the time it’s my small one room apartment here in town yet, other times it’s down on the docks, and other times it’s on the beach. Sometimes I travel 3,000 miles via Skype to fix an issue with someone’s computer up in Chicago or maybe I travel across the world over to English to fix a printer via remote desktop connection; so I’m sort of everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. You want a job as a freelancer? Well cool first you will need to move to a faraway land where you don’t know anyone or the language and then you’ll have to work your ass off to get your working papers then and only then can you enjoy the life as a freelancer. Um not for you; yea most people can’t do it and to be honest you don’t even have to level your house to do freelance work. Nope all you have to do is let people know you’re available to do task based work and setup some kind of pricing and then get to work. As a freelancer money is not always coming in nor are job request yes they come in from time to time but, usually I’m speeding more than what comes in. Wondering how that works well in short it doesn’t but, somehow at the end of the day things get taken care of somehow. Wondering what happen to going to grad school? Good question to be honest I’ve put that dream on the back burner on very low heat. Will I ever get to grad school? Yes, just don’t know when. Raising money; yep I’ve done this before for a number of things and every time asking friends and family to support me for the next thing just gets harder and harder; I know money is tight and I know most of us would not just give anyone money just because but, although I’m trying to raise money for another missions related event this time is a different.
First off it’s the first time I’m trying to raise funds for a personal tip, next I’m in charge of all the founding, and the goal is higher than any other I’ve ever attempted. I have set my goal to raise $2,500 USD which I’d like in hand by 18th September 2011.
And more about what this is all for
The LAM Orientation and Training conference is part of a long application process and begging invited to the event is simply part of that process. Therefore I have not been given an appointment nor have I been asked to join the LAM at this time. Rather the LAM Orientation and Training conference will give me an opportunity to solidify a calling to missions and to clarify what might be the next step in my spiritual and life journey. During the event I will receive training in ministry essentials which I can use later in life, whether I deploy with the LAM or not, such as
• What a call to missions is and means
• Cross-cultural adaptation and ministry
• Spiritual resilience
• Coping skills for dealing with stress
• Basics of Latin American culture

No matter what happens after the conference in January I along with others can benefit from what I learn at the Orientation. LAM’s Orientation is required for all missionary candidates so that the LAM as well as the candidate can learn more about each other including but not limited to allowing the candidate learn more about the LAM, and for the LAM staff to evaluate each candidate , and for appropriate training to begin.

Money:
The cost of the LAM Orientation and Training conference is about $500.00 USD yet this could go up.
Air travel: estimated at around 500.00 USD
Hotel: 59 per night for 3 – 7 nights estimated at 177 to 413 USD
Other unseen cost: estimated at 400 – 800 USD
=an estimated cost of about $2,213
+ 287.00 USD to help cover a cost outside the above such as the possibility of something costing a little more such as hotel or air travel cost.

I will not be using any founds from this personal found raiser for anything other than to help me cover the cost of attending the conference. However, if I have any founds remaining after attending the event in January or if I am unable to attended due to sickness and or other events that our outside my control and I would have the opportunity to attend in the summer of the same year then the funds will be held onto to pay for the later date event. Yet, if ant anytime between now and the January event it becomes clear that I will not be attending due to a personal decision and or otherwise then any founds that I have raised up to that point I will donate to a project to help fight poverty in the developing world and as will be so with any leftover founds from this personal found raiser if there are any such founds after I attend the event.
Pray about supporting me with pray for pray is more important than any money.

If you have any questions and or would like to take me on as a “project” send me a email or feel free to give me a call.

To learn more about LAM (Latin America Mission) go over to http://www.lam.org/

You can learn more and donate online at http://chrisdavignon.chipin.com/orientation-and-training-with-lam

Blessings and peace
Chris