A Trip of Change

  I recently went back to my journal entries from when I went to Haiti in 2013.  Oh the memories are so sweet!  I wanted to share a simple thought from one...a thought that still rings true today.

"Haiti was incredible!  I would do it again ten times

over.  I want to go back; Haiti has my heart now --

I loved it there.  God changed my heart."

  I am beyond thrilled and grateful to be returning to Haiti.  I remember so many moments from when I was there.  I can't wait to relive some of the experiences and gain so many more.  When my team returned, we shared our experience with our church congregation.  This is what I shared (well, I lost my voice so Lynel shared what I wrote :)

  On Friday, we went to a small village.  This is a new village, about two or three months old, located on the side of a mountain and consisted of about seven homes and almost forty people.  We were welcomed into a home where a family of seven or eight lived.  It had one bed, two small pieces of furniture, and several small children -- including a one-month old. 

  As I sat in this shelter of metal and tarps, I remembered that I used to complain about sharing a room with my sister -- a bedroom larger than this.  And this family is sharing that "room" with eight people and it's the only room they have.

  After our time in the village, some of our team climbed the rest of the mountain.  When I finally reached the top, all I saw was beauty and God's creativity.  I realized, standing up there, that even amidst all the hurt, amidst all the spiritual darkness, amidst all of the poverty...there is beauty.  It's as if God placed those majestic mountains, and the blue Caribbean Sea in a land where poverty thrives to remind us that He is there...that He always has been there...and that He always will be there, creating beauty amidst poverty.

  I can't wait to see what else God reveals to me on this trip!  Not only in Haiti, but in New York, in Jamaica, and in Belize!   God taught me and changed me so much in one week in Haiti.  Imagine what He'll do in six months in four different locations serving Him!

The home we visited in the village.

The Majestic Mountains

  Experience Mission has a developed timeline that I must follow with reaching fundraising goals.  This timeline is as follows:

Date                              Amount Raised

August 11th........................................................$1,760

September 11th...................................................$3,080

October 11th.......................................................$4,400

November 11th...................................................$6,600

December 11th....................................................$8,800

   

  If you are interested in sponsoring my Caribbean Immersion, please click the image below.

In Christ,

Partner with Me

  I wanted to share a few ways God has already blessed this trip!

• At the beginning of June, I transferred from working at the St. Cloud Target store, to the store in Rogers as a front-end supervisor.  Only three weeks later I found out I would be participating in this Immersion.  My leaders at my new store have been so supportive and are allowing me to take a six-month Leave of Absence!
• The day she received my postcard in the mail, a friend of mine taped it in her prayer journal.  It is such a blessing to know I am being actively prayed for and supported!
• Normally, with something this big, I get anxiety, wondering if it was the right decision.  With this trip, I am so excited and felt at peace about going.  I have not experienced anxiety at all!
• My family is so supportive!  I am so grateful for their support and encouragement as I pursue God's calling in my life.

  I would be grateful if you joined my support team!  I will need prayer in the coming months, as well as while I’m away.  Knowing I have friends and family supporting me will be a huge encouragement when I’m gone for six months.  I also ask you to consider financially supporting this trip.  This Immersion will cost almost $9,000.  I am confident that the Lord wants me on this trip, and I know because of that, He will provide the necessary finances.  I realize this is a big decision, and I would be grateful for your consideration.  There are two ways you can donate.  You can give on the Experience Mission website or mail in the pre-addressed envelope and giving card that came with this letter.  If you mail in your donations, ensure your check is written out to “Experience Mission”, and write my EM UserID “SPER1005” on the memo line - checks will not be tax-deductible if not made out to Experience Mission.  Mail checks to:

Experience Mission

Immersion Program

PO Box 719

Port Hadlock, WA 98339

  

  To donate online, click here:

  Thank you in advance for your support and prayer!  I have started a blog that I will be updating with pre-trip reports, as well as updates while I’m gone!  I also encourage you to read EM’s blog, which will be updated by my teammates and I during the trip.

  In Christ,

How This Trip Came to Be

Hi there!

  In January of 2016, I will be embarking on a six-month mission Immersion trip.  On this trip, my teammates and I will be traveling to New York City, Haiti, Jamaica, and Belize after some training in Indiana.  I'm here now to tell you the story of how this came about.

  If you know me at all, you will know that I am a planner.  I am a list-making, color-coding, alphabetizing, planning fanatic.  I like to have a plan in order for everything.  This past year, I was finishing up my Bachelors degree in Organizational Leadership.  But I had no idea what I'd be doing after graduation.  There were a couple things I wanted to, like move up at Target, go on a missions trip, travel for leisure, etc., but I didn't see any doors opening right away for any of them.  In 2013, I had taken a mission trip with my church to Haiti and it changed my whole perspective on life and I fell in love with the people of Haiti, as well as the country and culture.  I wanted to return...but when?  I had no idea (and I didn't like that).

  Towards the middle of the school year, I began looking at summer internships with ministries in Haiti.  I read, thought, and prayed about many of them, and even applied to some, but never felt at peace about any of them.  In February, I came across Experience Missions, an organization which organize short-term mission trips, internships, and Immersion trips, the latter of which is what I'm doing.  According to EM, "Immersion challenges team members to put themselves second, to be vulnerable and uncomfortable for the sake of others."  Immersion is program that allows young adults to gain cross-cultural experience with a focus in ministry.  As I read about it, I felt immediately that this was what God wanted me to do.  EM focuses on being rather than doing, and I'm incredibly excited about that aspect.  I inquired about the Caribbean Immersion for this summer, but quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to go with my schedule.  Disappointed, I moved on to finish school, hoping God would lead me in His timing to where He wanted me to go.

  Fast forward to the beginning of June, I was a college graduate, had transferred job locations, and was now a supervisor at Target.  I began looking at grad schools, because despite my exclamation I had made earlier in the year ("I am NEVER going back to school!"), I realized I had an unquenchable thirst for learning, and needed a goal to work towards.  As I was researching, I remembered that Immersion program from months prior, and decided to take a second look.  Taking time to re-read everything about the program, I felt just as excited, just as at-peace, and just as called as in February.  So I applied and was accepted.  So now, in about six months, I'll be traveling to Indiana to begin a six-month journey.

  I would be grateful if you joined my support team!  I will need prayer in the coming months, as well as while I’m away.  Knowing I have friends and family supporting me will be a huge encouragement when I’m gone for six months.  If you're interested in supporting my trip financially, there will be more information that will be coming, so keep your eye out!  

  Thank you in advance for your support and prayer!  This blog will include any new updates before the trip, as well as while I'm gone.  

  In Christ,