Jeffrey and I are extremely excited about the opportunity to minister to those in Shinyanga, Tanzania this summer! When we first heard of this trip we immediately knew that Jeffrey was called to go, as part of the team will be planting trees and enriching the community (planting things is totally Jeffrey's forte). I on the other hand was very hesitant to make the decision to travel halfway around the globe. I've never been on a mission trip, much less a trip worlds away from everything I know, I mean I just experienced my first  plane ride over the summer! But you know, God has this crazy way of just smacking you in the face with exactly what you need to hear at exactly the right moment (which happens on a regular basis in my life). While debating with God about whether I should follow Jeffrey to Africa every time I opened my Bible I ended up coming across a verse or a passage talking about love and loving others. Ok God, got it, I'm supposed to love them...but I can do that from here, right? Well, after more research on the people of Shinyanga and speaking to my friend Anna, I learned that the orphanage where we will be spending time houses children suffering from albinism. These children are outcasts, shunned from their families all because of a slight genetic "imperfection". They are thought to be evil because they are different. These kids are shown no love and that is why I feel God has called me to go...to love on these kids first hand, to show them that people do care about them. John 13: 34-35 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

We feel that God has great plans in store for this trip but we need your help and support to make it possible. For both Jeffrey and I to go on this trip we need to collectively raise $7700, we have no idea where the money is going to come from as it is a large sum, but we know God has a plan and we are fully relying on him. We will be doing a few fundraisers in order to help raise the money, so be on the look out for updates on those. You can also donate through Pure Charity where you will receive a receipt for tax purposes as donations are considered a tax credit.

Please join us in praying for this trip, this country, and the lives to be touched by this mission. Pray that in the months leading up to our trip that we follow God's lead both spiritually and financially as we prepare for this journey. I also ask that you pray for the people of Shinyanga that they be receptive to the good news we have to share.