Trip Cost: $4,800

Hello friends and family! 

For those of you whom I have not gotten to talk to in a while, I would like to give an update on a few of the things that are happening in my life lately! This fall was my first term at Portland Community College. I am pursuing a degree in social work. I also have two jobs; one as a waitress at the Cruise In Country Diner and the other at Mentor, Oregon as a Life-Skills Trainer for children with disabilities. It has been a very busy few months!

In the midst of all the craziness, God has been showing me what it truly means to follow him. One night during a church service, a mission organization called Hands of Hope was presenting all of their upcoming trips, and a 2 week trip to Zimbabwe caught my attention. This was odd because I never had a previous desire to go out of the country to serve (I also get homesick on short trips to visit my sister in Arizona, and I don't enjoy flying). But still, I felt that this was important. So I prayed about it, and decided to apply. A couple of weeks later, I got a response from Hands of Hope saying that I had been accepted on the trip. Although extremely excited, I was still feeling a little bit worried about the cost, getting off work, and just generally being out of my comfort zone. Those worries turned into doubts, and I began to seriously second guess myself, and what I was hearing from God. I decided that I would go to the first team meeting and if I wasn’t swayed one way or the other, I was going to withdraw from the trip. At that meeting, not only did I feel swayed to go, I felt it was necessary; this was where God was calling me. In fact, I committed to going (with one other person) a whole 6 weeks before the rest of the team in order to submerse myself in the culture and help pave the way for the rest of the team.

My uncertainty about a 2 week trip transformed into a complete conviction that I would be attending a 2 month excursion, traveling almost 10,000 miles across the world in order to serve the poor, the orphan and the widow in Zimbabwe, Africa. In Zim, I will be living with one of the pastors and doing daily life with him and his family. A big part of each day will be feeding and caring for the orphans that live in the Hands of Hope home. I will also be skills training and spending time with pregnant teens that have been cast out of their families. A few other major parts of daily life are sharing the gospel, working with the community and simply loving each person, intentionally. Once the rest of my mission team arrives, we will  be working mainly with Hear the Cry, who supports four orphan homes in the community and each year as we return the children from these orphan homes, as well as the community, look forward to VBS (Vacation Bible School).  This summer our trip will consist mainly of VBS and skills training.  

Many of the orphans supported by Hear The Cry are aging out of the homes and there is a great need for further schooling and opportunities to work.  We are going to work intentionally to provide skills and create job opportunities.  Specifically, we will use whatever skills our team has to offer (last year we hosted a basketball camp, taught in schools, and did an infant massage training class).  This year, we are looking at the possibility of opening a coffee shop, doing a med clinic, and telling stories via social media (videos, photos, etc), and would invite you to bring your skills and talents to make a difference.

 As I prepare for departure, one of the biggest challenges that I face will be raising the $4,800 it costs to go. This cost will cover all of my expenses for the trip, including meals, plane tickets, and health insurance. As I take this leap of faith in trusting the Lord, would you prayerfully consider donating to my trip?  I have attached a separate sheet of paper with donation information, if you choose to do so. I am thrilled about this trip and I would love your support! It is your support that will send me on this journey to Zimbabwe. Hear The Cry and A Jesus Church have partnered with Hands of Hope for the last 10 years and will be sending a team in August to Harare, Zimbabwe to help meet the needs of the poor, the orphan and the widow.