Gene and Heather’s 2024 Year End
Every year, just before Thanksgiving, we send a Year End Financial Update together with a special giving opportunity to everyone who receives our prayer letter.
We will be updating this page through the end of the year, so check back often!
If you would like to give a special year end gift to our staff account, you can do that here.
Thanks for being on the journey with us,
Gene and Heather
11/29/2024: When we think about movements and evangelism and discipleship our north star is multiplying disciples. Multiplying disciples frequently take steps of faith outside their comfort zones. They do things in order to grow and develop with an eye toward multiplying their faith in other people. Like classmates, parents, siblings, friends, even directors of student involvement.
I met Jasmine* a few semesters ago with a student who was interested in getting Destino re-registered as an official student organization at Palo Alto College (PAC). In early September of this year, I was visiting with Jasmine at an org fair on campus. She told me how Joey, a leader at PAC, had blessed her the day before. Jasmine had been having a difficulty day and Joey had picked up on that. He had offered to pray with her. She told me about that as if had changed her spiritual direction. She shared with me that if Joey, a student, could be so full of faith, maybe she could too.
Daniela and Jaileigh (pictured above) are leaders at PAC and Northwest Vista College (NVC) respectively. They are both leading groups of students and are seeking to multiply their faith on their campuses. Daniela expects to transfer to St. Mary’s University next fall and would like to launch Destino there. It won’t be easy. But that doesn’t matter to her because she knows that God is bigger than any obstacle she may face. These two young ladies took another step of faith by emceeing the Destino Texas Fall Retreat in October. Amazing courage.
I am a bit leery the term ‘leader.’ It seems like a fleeting buzzword. But students who are growing in their faith as they take steps of faith can lead others in their faith. And the more of those there are, the better.
* Name changed for privacy.
11/28/2024: Today is Thanksgiving. One of my favorite days of the year. All of our kids are home this week, which we are very grateful for :). It’s early in the day and not many people are up yet. But Heather and Trey are in the kitchen cooking and the smells… oh the smells! Life is good.
I am thankful for my family.
I am thankful for friends.
I am thankful for good books… and puzzles, and peace, and dogs. Good dogs, like Daisy, who is turning into a cow dog and still likes to go to sleep at night on our bed, even though she’s really too big for that.
Tomorrow, I want to tell some stories of students and faculty taking steps of faith. I am thankful for that too. And for the ability to say about our job:
We create opportunities for the gospel to capture hearts, transform lives, and launch men and women into a life-long adventure with Jesus.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Gene
11/25/2024: This is our favorite time of the year! Cooler, drier weather, ducks, deer, chili (actually, it’s always chili time at Muckleroy Base Camp!) Thanksgiving, Christmas… so it seems very fitting that this is the time of year to celebrate God’s provision for our work.
While joy can be found any place, at any time, in any circumstance, we most often experience joy in relationships with God, each other, our kids, our family, our friends, and our ministry partners. Strip it all away, and where we see God’s grace in our lives most clearly is in these relationships.
The relationship we share together with ministry partners in the mission of connecting people to Jesus and helping them grow in their faith is unique. It’s special. It draws us together in the greatest endeavor known to man.
It is built upon trust, commitment, hope, grace, love, and the desire to trust God together in the mission of connecting people to Jesus and helping them grow in their faith. The goal that the Lord has set before us is significant…
Multiplying movements of faculty and students on 20 campuses by the end of 2025.
There is nothing scientific about how these 20 campuses were chosen, although they were chosen thoughtfully and prayerfully. And some may change before the end of the year as we follow God the best we can.
This visually represents priority campuses. Some will begin with Faculty Commons, and some with Destino…
Right now there are movements on 4 campuses in San Antonio. Northwest Vista College, Texas A&M San Antonio, San Antonio College, and Palo Alto College. Going from 4 to 20 in a year is crazy.
Note; Please pray for a dinner we are hosting with open sky solution oriented thinkers on Jan 9. Some great ideas and starting points should come from that.
We believe that by working hard and smart and full of faith, God can use us to accomplish something for his kingdom that is beyond what we can imagine. We don’t know how. We don’t know anyone who does know how. But we believe that strategies and doors will open as we stay rooted in Him and pursue our mission with him.
And that is why we are so excited to share this year end financial update. Through the generous giving of many partners, God provides for this work he has called us to. That provision includes:
- our salaries: we both received a salary from Cru: funded through giving designated to our staff account
- benefits (including self-funded health insurance administered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and a 403b retirement plan): funded through giving designated to our staff account
- and many ministry expenses:
- conferences, summer missions, ministry partner communication, new partner development, learning, training, travel to out of town campuses, etc: funded through giving designated to our staff account.
- student scholarships, team development, student outreach, and campus materials, etc: funded through giving designated to the Destino San Antonio Operating Account
- faculty lunches, gift bags for new professors, etc: funded through giving designated to Gene’s new Faculty Commons Operating Account
Note: if you are interested in giving specifically to the Destino SA Operating account or the Faculty Commons Operating Account, please let Gene know!
Giving to our staff account has increased each year since at least 2021, and 2024 seems likely to continue that trend. Our committed giving (monthly, annually, etc) has increased most significantly this year and special giving has been solid as well. 2023 year end giving surpassed any other year since we joined staff in 2010, and we are praying and trusting God that 2024 year end giving will increase again.
There is simply no way we could or would pursue the vision God has given us if it were not for the faithful generosity of our partners.
To God be the glory,
Gene and Heather
