A few days ago the BBC World News featured the work of The Marin Foundation in written and audio form! Above is a screenshot I took of the BBC’s home page on their website… And that’s us as the feature story! It’s been crazy since it went live. We have gotten tons of folks reaching out from all over the world. This impact of our story is being felt! It’s such a humbling thing to have happen, and it’s definitely surreal to know that our bridge building message is getting spread across the globe through the most internationally trusted media company in existence. Just unreal.

You can read the full article here

You can listen to the 30 minutes segment the BBC ran on us here (and you have about 30 days to download it to keep it if you want)

Yesterday I got an email from the BBC and they gave me the following, crazy, update about our stories since they went live:

—Our radio segment (which has also been featured throughout America on NPR) is the most listened to segment of any from the BBC World Service

—Our radio segment is the most downloaded segment of any from the BBC World Service

—Our article is the 2nd most shared article of any story on any of the BBC websites

—Our article is the 3rd most read article on any of the BBC websites

I have to thank Christopher Landau so very much. He was the producer of the segment, as well as the writer of the article. Christopher was the one who fought for this story to be done! Even after some higher-ups said no to his initial proposal, he kept at it over almost 1 full year (!!!!) before they finally said yes. And now look what is happening! Brenda and I first met Christopher while I was speaking in London earlier this year. He had read my book when it first released in 2009 and as he said, “kept it in the back of my head to do a story on it for just this time.”

I’m not the most trusting person when it comes to media folks… They never seem to quite tell the truth in how they are going to present or edit something. But Christopher did exactly what he said he was going to do. A stand up man. A balanced journalist. And now a person ever so dear to not only my heart, but the millions his work has reached around the world.

Just absolutely amazing what the Lord is doing with this.

No matter the outcome, faithfulness always wins out.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

The Marin Foundation just launched our brand new website! We are SO EXCITED about it! Take a look around and let us know what you think…

Check it out here

I also have to thank Adam McLane from McLane Creative who came up with, and implemented an absolutely brilliant design! Adam put so much time and effort into our new site, and without a doubt makes the online presence of The Marin Foundation totally awesome! Thanks Adam!

I’d also really like to thank Darren Calhoun at Quick Click Media and Michelle Gantner at Maladjusted Media for allowing us to use some of their out-of-this-world photography.

We implemented every one of your suggestions from the blog post a few months ago when I asked what you would like to see on the new site, so I hope you enjoy it!

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

(This is our conference/class space)

(Standing at my personal office door looking in)

(My desk…and if you’ve read my book you’ll understand what the picutre frame on top of the desk is all about…)

The Marin Foundation

5241 N. Ashland Ave. 1st Floor

Chicago, IL 60640

Much love.

http://www.themarinfoundation.org/

I don’t like Mondays. You might think I don’t like Mondays for many of the same reasons everyone else doesn’t like them. You’re right. But, and there is a big but, here is my dilemma:

Since The Marin Foundation doesn’t have a huge staff (and by huge I mean anything above 3 people), I get stuck spending all of my time on Mondays doing the thing I can’t stand doing more then anything else—administrative work. Monday is my designated “Administrative Day”.

From the time I get to work Monday morning until the time I leave Monday evening I:

-do my expense reports
-collect the previous week’s donations
-make receipts for those donations
-prepare thank you notes for those donations (and stamp and stuff the envelopes)
-deposit the donations
-balance the budgets
-run any office errands that might need to be run
-coordinate times and schedules for the volunteers and interns for their next week of participation
-And my absolute favorite—like what happened this Monday—try to somehow fix any technology problems; in which I have absolutely no clue how to do.

I know, I’m 28 and my generation is thought of as the technology generation. I guess I missed that one. Instead, I call my I.T. guy (also known as my Dad—who for some odd reason is one of the only people in his generation who knows everything about technology).

Then as I promptly wasted a good and annoying 7 hours ramming my head against my concrete wall trying to figure out how to fix my broken computer, my Dad (who unfortunately is not local and can’t physically be there to always help me), finally laid it to me straight:

“You’ve had that computer for about 7 years now, which in computer life is like 126 years old. It’s time to get a new one.”

So that’s what I did today picking it out with the help of my I.T. guy!

As I was going through this ridiculous mess I started to think to myself, “Man, how much more productive could I be if for eight hours every single Monday I didn’t have to be The Marin Foundation’s accountant, assistant, janitor and national project coordinator?”

Ah, but such is the life and growing pains of owning and running your own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to build bridges between two culture-clashed communities—you can’t always find (or have the luxury to pay a great salary to) the full amount of help you might need or want.

Sooooooo…..anyone want to raise some support and come to Chicago?! Hit me up!

Much love.
www.themarinfoundation.org