'Your project has been declined'

Have you ever received a letter in the mail from someone you loved, and you were so excited to open it but then discovered that it was a rejection letter? That's the way we felt when we opened our e-mail last night from the funding website to which we submitted our Arkansas Diamond Mine Adventure.

"Thank you for taking the time to submit your project. Unfortunately, this isn't the right fit for us. We receive many projects daily and review them all with great care and appreciation. We have determined that your project does not meet our guidelines. We wish you the best of luck as you continue to pursue your endeavor."

We are very disappointed, but we see it as ... an obstacle, not a dead end. We had just watched "The Adventures of Tintin," and near the end of the movie Captain Haddock encourages Tintin, "You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it." My dad used to love to quote a short speech made by Winston Churchill to a graduating class: "Never, never, never give up." And of course there is Romans 8:28, "All things work together for good to those who love God."

We will continue looking for funds to finance our dream. We hope to start selling our t-shirts online soon. Meantime, we'd love to hear how you overcame difficult circumstances.