Huntington Beach Trip (Skate Conference 2008 & ASR)

Getting there:
We were blessed by our day job boss & friend, Jeff Crockett at EK Coaches (http://www.ekcoaches.com/) who paid for our rental car during the trip. Jason's friend (Brian Burton) allowed us to stay with his family. We had our own bedroom and bathroom for the entire trip! They were fantastic to stay with and saved us a ton of money. God blessed us with two unexpected checks which arrived just before we left for California which helped cover all of our expenses for the trip. God is faithful!

Skate Conference:
The 2008 Christian Skaters Skate Conference (http://www.christianskaters.com)/ was a true blessing! Jason and I were able to meet many people that we have been conversing with for several years. We also worshipped along side our new found friends, and learned a ton about skate ministry, insurance, fundraising, and God. We made some new connections with a band (Alexander) with hopes of having a concert here in WA soon. We also connected with Dan Libby (skate filmer) who we hope can put on a "how to shoot & edit a skate video" class for young skaters in our community. We were thrilled to hear what is happening around our country and across the seas. Christian Skaters is doing an awesome job of pulling us all together into one big family that helps each other out to further the work God has called us to do.

ASR (http://www.asrbiz.com/):
The ASR show was also incredibly insightful. We got a good look at the current trends in the skateboarding world, which seems to be filled with sex, alcohol, and anger. Christ is needed here. We spent 30 minutes talking with a gentleman from Tapout regarding selling a small portion of their product in our skateshop when it opens. This conversation was not only beneficial to us in gaining a new product for the skateshop but also in the education we received from him on the retail industry. He was very helpful! His information helped us as we went through the rest of the show and made contacts with Triple Eight (http://www.triple8.com/), Truth (http://www.truthsoularmor.com/), and a couple of other potential manufacturers. Special thanks goes out to Kelly from Freshpark (http://www.freshpark.com/ ) who got us into the show for free because we are planning to use and sell their products. We are looking forward to getting our shop open for business. Income from the shop will help sustain the skatepark and rec center for the long haul.

Current Needs - Please Pray:
1. A place to call home - We are still waiting to hear back from the church for one night a week. I am also praying for God to provide us with a place to call home. This may not be our final resting place for the full skate park & rec center with all of our goals, but it would be great to get started with the skatepark, rec center, and cafe now.
2. A vehicle for MADSkates. Nothing Jason and I own can haul much of anything. We need a cargo van, truck with enclosed trailer, or similar vehicle.
3. Money, money, money. As always this is a constant prayer request. Please pray.

Donations:
Make checks payable to M.A.D. Skates, 21705 2nd Avenue SE, Bothell, WA 98021.

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