Dear, Sweet Jessie

Although it is well past the end of PSP 2008, for nostalgia's sake I want to include Jessie in this site. Jessie is a bundle of joy and sweetness who came to us via Texas. We love her much & are thankful for her!

Introducing Spencer!

Ah, Spencer. This is a guy who has been around PUMP quite a lot while he puts in his time at Cascade College. He is a laid back, funny dude, with a humongous heart for Jesus. Spencer will be a great asset to PSP this summer!

Update: And Heather! She's the Can o' Soup. Heather's been around PUMP a lot, too, mostly with Spencer. Her summer plans got highjacked at the last minute, which we were kind of glad about because that meant she could be with us!



Spencer is the jack-o-lantern :-)

Introducing Amy!

Amy is an Oregon native who will soon be finishing up her undergrad career at Abilene. Amy has a great love for children which shows in her vast experience with kids. She also has a deep love for cross-cultural ministry, and she plans to use these two areas of passion in the Peace Corps in the future. We are glad to have Amy on the team!

Introducing Jake

Jake is a fun-loving, laid-back California guy who has spent a good amount of time with PSP and PUMP leading up this summer. We know the kids will be latched on to him from the start, so we look forward to seeing how he manages! We are really glad he is going us this year.

From Our Housing Guy at Concordia...

Just wanted to update you on housing for your group.
Apartment 305 (2 person apartment for married couple)
East 302 (for 2 females & just down the hall from the apt.)
East 404 (for 3 males. Just up the stairs from the girls)

We have some furniture from check out that we’ll place in the rooms to provide some added sitting space. The guys on the 4th floor may want to look into getting an air conditioner for the summer too. I received the insurance so, you’re all set. We’ll see you in June. Let me know if you have questions.

I Don't Feel Like I Have Many Contacts For Fundraising. What Should I Do?

First of all, tell Kristi what your financial needs are for the summer. Are you desperate to raise all that you can or is it just a bonus to have extra pocket cash? I just ask in order to know how much direction and effort we need to make together. Here's a few fundraising thoughts...

First, don't decide for anyone else whether or not they can afford to partner with you in this ministry. If they don't want to or can not give, then let that be their decision. You present them with the opportunity by giving them a letter!

PSP is a perfect opportunity to get funds from non-Christian contacts as well. With a little tweaking to your letter, anyone is drawn to helping poor little urban children! So if you have any non-Christian friends or relatives, go ahead and ask them to support you. You may be surprised.

You must have some personal contacts whom could give to you. Start with those who wrote such glowing reviews of you! Teachers, co-workers, club sponsors... The more you ask the greater chance you will have of getting the funds you need.

What Kind of Clothes Should I Bring?

Portland is a casual place. Really, I don't think there is anything you could wear that would look out of place in this city! We have a reputation for being rain-soaked, but you probably won't see much of it this summer. It'll get pretty warm (80s-90s), so you'll want shorts, t-shirts, & sandals for most PSP days. You'll probably want to take outings to the coast and we will have a retreat in the mountains, so bring jeans, sweatshirt, and decent boots or shoes.

PUMP church is a true come-as-you-are place. If you are more comfortable dressing up for church, that's great. If you want to wear shorts & a t-shirt, that fits, too.

As for PSP, youth group rules apply. Only positive messages displayed. No bikinis, please - yes, even for you guys. :-) You need to be kid-active and remain modest. Do some deep knee bends, bend over, run around the room - anything showing that will cause a fifth-grade boys to over-use their imagination? Cover it.