Hello, my name is Ryan Schmidt, and I am a husband and a father of 5 beautiful children. I own and operate a small trucking business, and I buy and sell grain too.

Last fall, I was contacted by a person claiming to work for Citigroup in their ICG department. They told me what they did in their daily work and expressed that they could help me with my business since I at times hold money for customers that don't want to be paid right away. I was skeptical at first, but they showed me what they did and assured me they do this for many wealthy clients and government agencies. So, I sent them a small amount at first, and after a short period of time, that amount had made a small gain. I then decided to send them more of what I was holding so that the money I was holding could be increased for my customers and for me. Well, needless to say, that entire thing was a scam, and I ended up losing a substantial amount of money.

I have talked with my customers, and they understand the problem that I am facing, but the fact remains that I need to come up with a large amount of money. The assets that I have will not cover what I owe, even if I sell absolutely everything that I own, including my home and all of my personal belongings. My family and I are coming to all of you for help. We have faith that God will see us through this tumultuous time and believe that He will bless any of you that donate to help us.

There is a group of brethren here that are overseeing my finances and helping me navigate this difficult situation. They have come up with a plan to liquidate as many assets that I can in a short period of time. We are endeavoring to do that and once that is done we will be in need of a family vehicle. What we have to go through is tough but with God's grace and your generosity we will be able to pull though this. It is hard getting rid of everything that you have worked hard for but we are committed to paying everything back that was lost. Continue to pray for us that we can be faithful to the spirit's leading.