"It's all happening"

As Penny Lane would say, IT'S ALL HAPPENING! In one of my last posts, I shared my goal of being able to say that I set off for Turkey fully funded. Beyond stoked to say that I am FULLY FUNDED! Thanks to mass encouragement, unbelievable generosity and wild amounts of prayer, I've hit every goal, I am going to Turkey. Sincere, and bottomless thanks to everyone who made this adventure possible.

The state of things:
 - I'm fully funded.
 - I'm stoked.
 - I'm Stoked.
 - I'M STOKED!

In about one hour our team will head to the airport to start on our travels. We're not exactly sure what communication will look like over there as far as how often we'll be able to crank out updates, but I will do my best!
Please continue to pray for safety, provision, wisdom & guidance, and that God's will would be lived out through us!

ALOOOHA!

ONE WEEK

Only ONE week out from venturing to Turkey and Bulgaria! I cannot comprehend that this time next week I will be taking off from Oahu on my way to the opposite side of the world. Our team meeting tonight made the whole thing feel a little bit more real - going over airport procedures and our tentative itinerary - though none of us can easily believe it yet.

The state of things:

 - I have $125 left to raise in ground fees. 

 - I still need about $400 in spending money - this includes food and random needs.

 - Total needed: $525.

Click HERE to support this wild adventure financially!

I need prayer for:

 - My family. My dad's health is very bad, and just getting worse. Please pray for provision, health, and unity for my family in this time. Trust, strength and determination to CHOOSE JOY when it doesn't seem possible. 

 - The finances needed to make this trip everything God's intends it to be.

I'm also shooting for the moon and asking - would anyone like to donate $180 for me to ship a surf board to Turkey? Typically on international outreaches anyone who can afford it will bring a board to use, and then upon leaving bless someone with it as a gift. We have some old boards here to bring, but I would love to buy a Wave Storm soft-top board from Costco to bring. They're fun boards, great for small waves and beginners or seasoned surfers alike. "Surfers giving back." They run at about $100. If you feel particularly inclined to make that happen, let me know. Your generosity would be going a long way! All the way across the world in fact.

Thank you to all who have supported me, in every way. I cannot express the love that I feel from every dollar, prayer, and word of encouragement given.

"Friends-giving"

In this last week I've received ridiculous generosity from a handful of friends. From someone anonymously donating online as "love you" (whoever you are, THANK YOU), to friends just handing me cash out of the blue, I've been flat out doused with blessing.
I cannot express my gratitude toward those who've supported me in this, in every way. Thank you.

The state of things:
 - I have only $267 left to raise in ground fees! Now due on WEDNESDAY.
 - I need about $400 in travel/spending money.
 - Total need: $667, less than a thousand! Woohoohoohooooo!

I need prayer for:
 - More funds. So close, so good!
 - A bigger heart. More love for myself, my team, and those I'll meet.
 - Boldness and obedience. To take on more of both, not just in Turkey, but everywhere I go.

What this trip is about:
Because this adventure is a first, has evolved somewhat, and is right on its way, here's a straight shot description of what it's about -
Surfing the Nations is a humanitarian organization, and the heart of this trip is just that. We will be traveling through Turkey and Bulgaria, connecting with different surf clubs, embracing our mantra of "surfers giving back" by giving away some donations, some surf boards, some love. STN's mission is to bring the surf culture, locally and internationally, out of one all about taking, and into one of giving back. On top of that, we will be exploring possibilities for STN to make this a return trip for future outreaches.

That's our trip in a nutshell. Please be a part of it!
Click HERE to support this adventure financially!

Please ask me any questions, give me any tips, or say hello at milo.buck@surfingthenations.com

MUCH MAHALO!

Turkey or Bust

I'M TWO WEEKS OUT!
I've been praying like mad, asking God to provide the money I need for this trip and He's blowing my mind! I'm still short for ground fees due this FRIDAY! If you're able to help, anything goes a long way!
Click HERE to support this wild adventure 
More of an update, and some rad stories of generosity TONIGHT, stay tuned!

"It's an adventure, Harry!"

That's one of my mom's favorite quotes from one of her favorite movies - Mamma Mia. I find myself saying this all the time. A reminder to let loose, practice some trust, go with it, and ENJOY.

Not only is this wild, exploratory trip to Turkey an adventure, but so is getting there. An adventure indeed, to every end. Last week I learned that we might be visiting Bulgaria! Not confirmed yet, but that's what this trip looks like: lots of traveling (mostly by bus), new relationships, feeling out our direction, loads of flexibility, and a crap ton of willingness to follow God wherever he leads us. That's what I'm most excited about, to have this happen constantly - "Ah, no! This didn't turn out like we planned." "Shooot. Let's ask God what to do, yeah?" When our group first prayed together for the trip, my prayer was that everything that could would go wrong. Every hiccup, every bump in the road. Let's have wild dreams for this thing, yet be completely open for God to turn it upside down. It's inevitable with all the traveling, closeness, and discomfort we have in store that at points some of us will be miserable, frustrated, angry, freaked out. Awesome! That's where cool things happen. That's where we get to pick each other up, grow closer with each other and God, LIVE LIFE - and where all the wildest stories come from! Hooray!
Tonight is our Wednesday night Turkey meeting.
This is the update I'll be giving the group -

The state of things:
 - Ground fees due NOV. 15th: $465 (a solid knock-down since last post!)
 - Spending money still needed: $600
 - Grand total needed: $1,065

I need prayer for:
 - Funds to come in. I want to be able to say that, YEAH. I volunteered full-time, and I got to pioneer a ministry outreach to Turkey, fully funded! Please help me out if you can!
 - Guidance in preparation, fundraising, and how to pray for this thang.

Click HERE to support this adventure financially!

Huge THANK YOU to all who have been praying and encouraging me (you know who you are). It stokes my motivation and keeps me goin'!

Thanks is Giving

PRAAAISE THE LORD, with generous donations, and some savings, I've got my plane ticket to Turkey! Leaving from Honolulu November 27th, the team and I will be celebrating Turkey Day en route from San Francisco to Amsterdam, arriving in Istanbul the next day.
The first phase of fundraising is done, and now I've set my sights on the ground fees. Help me knock them out!
In the last two weeks I have received $695 in support toward my trip. I am AMAZED at peoples' generosity, and fully confident in God's provision for the rest. THANK YOU to those who have given, who have been praying for me, and all who have been excited with me and encouraged me. I cannot do this without your help. 

Update on the state of things:
 - Plane ticket bought!
 - Ground Fees Left: $720, due November 15th
 - Grand Total Needed: $1,320 (this includes spending money)
 - 28 DAYS TILL I LEAVE!

Click HERE to support this adventure financially!
Anything and everything helps greatly.

Thank you for joinin' in on this adventure with me, and investing in my life and the country of Turkey!

Turkish Delight

"Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone. Old Constantinople still has Turkish delight, on a moonlit night..."

Next month I plan to embark on a wild adventure through TURKEY! This all came about somewhat out of nowhere, which is partly why I'm in love with it. When I first looked into STN about two years ago, I immediately zeroed in on their international outreaches. The Middle East trip caught my eye - one month traveling to Egypt, Israel and Jordan. COOL! Visiting and creating surf communities, relationships and memories. I love traveling, I love new people, I love adventure, I love the sound of this.
Instead I ended up doing internship - the cheaper option. Not sorry. When I came back for SLS they encouraged us as new staff to pull for an international trip at some point. Middle East was still totally on my mind, so I applied! Unfortunately when Egypt got wild in July, the international department decided to put the Middle East on hold this year, and go for TURKEY - a country not yet tread by a formal STN outreach, which means this is a pioneering trip. My DELIGHT! An exploratory ministry trip to Turkey isn't exactly a coffee shop, or a skills training program for youth at risk, but why can't traveling around an unknown country, building relationships, connecting and networking with people help me out in building and living out my dreams later in life? It can, which is why I'm sold out on going.
I'm starting the process, and I cannot do this without your help. 

Here are the facts:
I need prayer for:
- strength against spiritual oppression
- God's guidance
- the funds I need to make this happen
- encouragement (huge)

I need money for:
- airfare, which is tentatively $1,800 (due November 1st)
- ground fees, which are $1,275 (due November 15th)
- spending money, which is a suggested $500-$600

I have:
- $930.60 toward airfare so far
- joy, and faith that I will be spreading the love in Turkey next month
To donate finances, click here.

We fly out (tentatively) on November 27th and return on December 24th, Christmas Eve. The itinerary thus far (everything is tentative on a pioneering trip) looks like spending time in Istanbul, then Kerpe, and then heading south to connect with a small, creative surf club in Alanya. More details to come.

This is the plan. Please join me! If you've got any questions, tips, advice, desire to chat - email me at milo.buck@surfingthenations.com.

Mahaaalo.