Since January May has been the technical lead for what is called the Make Giving Easy project - countries all over the world need to be able to collect gifts online for their ministries. After a lot of deliberation between the French model and a more expensive corporate option, Cru has officially decided to use the solution that May and her team developed for France. And it has been pushed to priority number one by Cru. This project is very important, but now the heat has been turned up!

They are making progress too. Currently France, Panama and the United Kingdom are up and running. The next country in the works is India. May has video calls with people all over the world. It's interesting to hear her talking with a contractor in India to work on the site in Panama or ironically a French contractor working for India. The next big advance in the site will be adding functionality for recurring giving, important since the goal is to Make Giving Easy for the donor. Every time improvements are made they're intentional to automate them so that the site remains easily reproduceable for additional countries. This takes extra thought and effort, but scalability is worth it, and these sites are set to grow!

Speaking of giving, we really want to thank every one of you who gives so faithfully to our ministry, making it possible for us to do this vital work. We recognize that the current situation has placed a financial burden on many, and we feel the effects ourselves. We're praying for you.

His alarm goes off before anyone else's. At 6:15 he opens the double doors of the sound cabin at the foot of our bed. The light and ventilation fan go on, and we hear the muffled notes of scales start up on his flute. I'm sure I will miss this alarm some day. After an hour of practice is under his belt, Efrem scarfs down some fruit and granola, puts on his mask and rushes out the door for his 8 am class. High school is still meeting in person, even though France's covid numbers are spiking to nearly the same levels as the spring. Efrem is a junior; his classes run in the mornings, Monday through Saturday. The afternoons are set aside for music at the conservatory. Today he has less than a half hour to eat lunch before leaving for his flute lesson. He will undoubtedly spend a couple more hours in the sound cabin practicing. We do remind him that his school work is essential too! His desk is next to the printer where he sits, headphones submerging him in classical music, as he studies math, French and the classic array of sciences. After dinner we read the Bible as a family, talk about the passage, and pray together. Usually he is falling asleep around 10 pm of course listening to classical music.