Update on Trip to Thailand; prayer requests; donations

I'm departing Wednesday morning for Chiang Mai, Thailand. And with all the funny timezone issues I'll be arriving Friday morning even though the trip takes less than 24 hours.
To recap on why Thailand:

Christians are discovering that business can be used to promote justice, peace and love. It is possible to pursue profitable enterprise and share the love of God with others at the same time. The concept has been around for centuries, but in recent years it has a label: Business as Mission. Some of the veteran practitioners of Business as Mission are gathering together in Chiang Mai, Thailand to mentor those who also have a heart for using business to serve God.

After considerable prayer and reflection, it has become obvious that I should attend this 6 week program for several reasons:

1. To Use Village. Village could be used to promote some of the entrepreneurs and their companies that I'll be meeting in Chiang Mai.
   
2. More Useful Darian. God can use me more effectively as I grow in knowledge of real-world examples of people pursuing profit and pursuing God's goals at the same time and how they balance these layers of accountability.
3. Building Bridges. Cross-cultural workers here in California are already asking me to connect them with the veterans I'll be meeting.
4. Echoing Green prep. Village the Game just made it to the second round of the Echoing Green competition which requires a detailed business plan. My mentors during the course will be coaching me on my business plan, hence it's strategic timing to move things forward for Village.
5. Internship Opps. I'll be meeting successful entrepreneurs throughout Southeast Asia. God willing one of those connections will lead to an internship between April and September when I head to business school.
   

Prayer Requests

1. Pray God will keep my heart and eyes open to opportunities to serve others while I am attending this 6 week program.
2. Pray for clarity on what to pursue between April and September.
3. Pray for focus on the relationships I'll be building.
4. Pray that God will make me more useful in serving others through business.
5. Pray that all the funding arrives for attending this course.
   

Donations.
Good news! You can now donate online or tax-deductible. Y'all may have seen the attempt a ChipIn funddrive, but I think the website died. Instead it's PayPal directly. PIHOP (Pasadena International House of Prayer) has volunteered to receive funds for this Thailand trip, tax-deductible. My hope is you will prayerfully consider partnering with me to share God through business by contributing. Your donation of $100, $200, or more will be a great contribution to the $5,000 I am responsible for.
To donate online: Donate via Paypal.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=darian%2ehickman%40villagethegame%2ecom&item_name=Send%20Darian%20to%20Thailand&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8

For tax-deductible donations: Mail a check made payable to “PIHOP” to

PIHOP
1401 N. Lake Ave,
Pasadena 91104.

For accounting purposes, put 'Thailand' in the memo, not my name.

I want to hear from you. This is a YWAM sponsored event so there is definitely going to much time devoted to prayer. Let me know what's on your heart for prayer.

Links
For more on Echoing Green: http://www.echoinggreen.com
For more on Business as Mission: http://www.businessasmission.com
For more on Darian: http://www.darianhickman.org
For more on Village: http://www.villagethegame.com