Transparency in funding.

I felt this post was called for, especially as we celebrate reaching 1/10 of our first month's goal on our gofundme campaign!

I know that some people, if not most people, when they saw my baby registry thought I was a little ridiculous. A lot of items were not cheap. That wasn't because I was trying to live beyond our means or that I wasn't being realistic. I carefully curated a registry with specific needs for our baby, in our lifestyle, all from ethical companies and small businesses. Organic, fair trade, eco-friendly -- everything in the registry fell into one or more of these camps. Why? Because I knew that people were going to buy things for us and I wanted those purchases to positively impact all parties involved in the production of each item. Our purchasing power is real -- it can make a huge shift in the world of modern-day slavery. 

Perhaps you've checked out our gofundme campaign or seen our updates and had the similar thought, "What on earth does a young couple need $3,000 a month for? Are they trying to have a cushy life paid for them by other people who actually work?" If you really know us you know that isn't the case. The first nine months of our married life, and nearly all of my pregnancy, we moved a dozen times (mainly from guest room to guest room), lived out of our car and suitcases and managed to do so with a 120lb dog. When we couldn't buy groceries -- which was most of the time -- we ate whatever we were offered. Luke worked two jobs, 40+hrs a week, often staying late and picking up shifts for co-workers without complaining. When we finally did get into our own place, it was a humble little rental in a four-unit building. I like to live in a nice home, but I like to make a nice home out of whatever place we live. When we are buying our own groceries I choose to shop organic. We're about to make the switch to cloth diapering but while we were using disposables most of the time we chose to buy natural wipes and disposable diapers that were more natural. These things have an impact on our health. I have the long-term in mind; I look at the big-picture. 

If you checked out our campaign story you would have seen that Luke was very open with how we use the funds that come in. He shared that we are givers first and foremost. It is almost daily for us. We really enjoy giving, but it is something we do in obedience even when we don't feel like doing it. Maybe it doesn't make sense to you to give us money so that we can just give it away, but perhaps your faith is being stretched and you're not willing yet to give whatever you have to give to the homeless or your neighbor, to a family member in need, a brother in the church who is struggling, or the atheist barista at your favorite coffee shop while sharing the Gospel with them. Let us. We're already doing it and your support enables us to do it more.

Five years ago I invested my portion of an inheritance from my great-aunt into a single-family home in Eau Claire. I remodeled it, lived in it briefly, and since then have rented it out. This summer Luke and I listed it for sale and it sold in the first week. We were able to enjoy living in it for a month between the end of our lease from the winter, and our move to Kansas City. So, $3,000 a month? Yes. But understand, we are as invested financially as you are. The proceeds from the sale of our house are all carefully portioned out to giving, student loan payments, paying off a canceled credit card, a few months of rent and utilities, and investments into our music business. Your financial gifts are used for these things as well as our daily needs, the consumable things like food and gas, baby things, etc. // By the way, for anyone interested in sponsoring specific things for Naomi, I've left our registry up and will keep it updated with things we're looking for for her. Feel free to shop from there or thrift items listed and send them our way. That would all bless us. babylist.com/osicka

We are able to manually add cash gifts and donations to the campaign to keep track of our progress. Whether you give through the site, hand us cash, send us a check, hire Luke for a project, pay to attend one of our live shows, purchase our album or one of my packs of cards, we count it. Eventually we believe that we will be able to support ourselves financially off of our music and other business ventures -- keep an eye out for my latest creative endeavor! -- and you help us achieve that goal with your support of our albums and our live shows. // bit.ly/midairband or facebook.com/midairband // In the meantime, while Luke goes to school for audio production, another tool to strengthen our music business, and we remain faithful to pour out on every city we go to, we're full-time missionaries. 

I was raised to know how to invest in real estate. Luke and I are benefitting from the fruit of that labor in this season as we move to KC for the next couple years. I would love to invest in more property over time. Banks won't consider you for a loan when you don't show employment, but we recently learned that they will acknowledge two consecutive years of full-fundraising as the equivalent of a steady job. This is lovely news! It means that -- after two years of being full-time missionaries to KC, while continuing to write and record and play music, as Luke is a full-time student -- with your help to get us fully funded with about $3,000 a month, or $35,000 a year, we would qualify for a home loan and be able to purchase a house again. We would be able to cover our mortgage payments by renting out room in our home or being hosts through AirBNB, making the home a benefit to many. I also just discovered a wonderful organization that works with you to see that part of the proceeds from either your house sale or purchase go toward your choice of several options of faith-based ministries. Check them out! homesown.org

Our life is an open-book. That doesn't mean that everything is for the public eye. Intimacy and trust are fostered with guarding privacy as a family. Nevertheless, we are happy to be transparent regarding our handling of your monetary investments in our lifestyle. More than honored, we hope that you are aware of the greater blessing you receive by giving. We are humbled and happy to receive. gofundme.com/the-osicka-family