Follow Up Support Letter

March 18, 2008
I wanted update everyone on my support raising. Thank you all for your prayers and donations. Asking for money is a very humbling experience for me. As I have said before, this trip would not be possible without your support. I am so thankful to have each of you in my life.

I thought I might share more details of my trip. I will be leaving around July 15 and will be in Ethiopia for 10 days. The exact dates are not yet finalized in an effort to maximize our time on the ground in Africa. The team I will be traveling with consists of about 10 people - mostly from the South (some with very strong accents which will be interesting!). The entire team will meet in Dallas, TX for a day of training before traveling to Ethiopia together. I am thankful that we will be traveling as a team as that will hopefully cause less confusion upon landing.

While in Ethiopia, we will be dividing our time between various local ministries. The majority of our time will be spent in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Upon arrival we will be volunteering at Hannah’s Orphanage which houses orphans from infants to adolescents. We will then be spending the next few days volunteering with a program that serves as a day care/after school program for children who have been orphaned but are now living with various family members. Finally, we will travel outside the city to Ambo. This city is home to an organization that houses children who are in the process of being adopted. Most of these children have been orphaned by AIDS, while others have fallen victim to war, famine and poverty. I can’t imagine the amount of pain, confusion and hopelessness that these children feel even at such a young age. I feel honored to enter into these small children’s lives. I am very excited for the opportunity to be God’s hands and feet in Ethiopia even if only for a short time.

As of today, I have raised just under 50% of my funds. I still must raise approximately $1,600. Thank you all to those who have graciously given support for my travel. Please pray that God will continue to meet the deadlines of support raising. I also ask that you will pray for me as I prepare for this trip physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Please pray for my team that we will become unified by getting to know a little about each other over the next few months. Pray that I will be able to see God’s powerful presence in a land of darkness. I pray that I will experience a view of God that I never knew existed.

Thank you all for being a partner in the Gospel. I think Caedmon’s Call says it best “He doesn’t need me but He lets me put my hands in. So we can see His love is bigger than you and me.” I look forward to sharing stories of God’s work, mercy and love with you when I return.

By His Grace,
Elizabeth

Africa?

March 10, 2008
I am writing to share with you another opportunity that God has given me. Over the years God has placed Africa heavily upon my heart. After many years a perfect opportunity has come. This summer I will be traveling to Ethiopia, Africa with a ministry called the Mocha Club. The Mocha Club is a ministry that supports various ministries in Africa such as pastor training and funding orphanages. I will be traveling and working with a group of individuals from all over the United States. We will be spending the entire trip (11 days) helping at Hannah’s Orphanage which is located in the capital city of Addis Ababa. You can find more information about the Mocha Club at http://www.mochaclub.org/.

As you may know I had the opportunity to be a part of various mission trips while in college. God used that time in my life to teach me and grow me closer to Him in ways that I never would have imagined. I am so thankful for the supportive family and friends like you that have helped financially to enable me to participate in these trips. So, I am coming to you again asking for your help. The cost of the trip is $3,200 which is due in full by May 15. Donations are tax-deductible and checks should be made out to African Leadership and mailed to: 963 Missions, 10440 N. Central Expwy., Suite 122, Dallas, TX 75231. Any donation is greatly appreciated!

More importantly than your financial support I ask that you support me by praying for me. It may sound cliché but it is true. A trip like this while extremely exciting will bring its share of difficulty physically, emotionally and spiritually. Please pray that the Lord will use His messy and broken daughter (me) in a way that will bring Him glory. I cannot thank you enough for your love, support and prayers.

Am I THAT person?

OK, yes I am that person. I have started a blog. Yes, I have been known to say that there are only three kinds of people that it is acceptable to have a blog. One, if you have children and family or friends that live out of town. Two, you are in a foreign country. Three, you are a ministry, business, etc. and use a blog as place to update people. Well, I do not fall into any of these types of people. Go ahead judge me, I judge myself. It would have been smart to blog while I was in Ethiopia however, Internet is extremely frustrating there. So I will now use this blog to write stories from my time while in Ethiopia. Hopefully, this blog will also be used to update others when I am in another country. For right now I just want to write these stories so that I will never forget them. So this blog is more for me than for anyone else.