As we wrap up this “world race”, I wanted to remind all of my supporters what exactly we did with the finances you so generously supplied. On top of the big three (travel, food and lodging), here are a few ways your open hands made a difference this year.
We started in Eastern Europe, where my team worked hard in Cornesti, Moldova to make Emanuel Church and orphanage more sustainable. We also put on VBS programs, cleaned up and bought beds for a home of parentless children, and put on several outreach events. You funded supplies for all of these projec
ts. Next we found ourselves in the countryside of Sistarovat, Romania working on the Seventh Spring campground. Here we helped our friends Ika and Emma in the kitchen, teamed up with the cleaning crew to ensure sanitary bathrooms and fresh sheets, organized storage spaces, and maintained the grounds with Michael, aka “Boss”. Once again the necessary supplies were purchased by you guys.
Month three brought us to Asia, in the capital city of New Delhi, India. My team worked at Asha Childrens Home, run by the sweet Sharma family. We learned to make chapatti with Roma, helped out with homework, and put on a nightly kids program. You bought glasses for two children, bucke
ts for cleaning, and education for a young man named Karan. The small town of Newal Parasi, Nepal was our home for month four. Here we lived at Holy Life Church with Pastor Philip and his wife Karin. We went on house visits, led Sunday school, spoke at church services, played soccer with the kids, and put on a youth conference made possible by your dollars.
Month five we hopped over to Africa, setting up camp in Nakuru, Kenya. Here we evangelized with Pastor Mary and her crew to the community surrounding Deliverance Church, and spoke at various services. You sponsored a much needed water pump, showerhead, microwave, and water filter for Pastor Mary’s family. Our sixth month was spent in Kigali, Rwanda, working at Gospel Center Church. We spoke at nightly services 
and on the radio, met with community members, made hospital visits, painted a mural on the church wall, taught music lessons, and coached basketball at a local sports club. You bought medicine for a woman’s sick child, stocking stuffers for Christmas with Pastor Moses’ family, a semester of education for three children, and a “date night” for Moses and Mary. Still in Africa, we booked it over to Kampala, Uganda for month seven. My team taught in three different schools, spoke in several Cornerstone Churches, led Sunday school, shared our faith with community members, met with a singles group (still laughing about it), and invested in the church family. You financed the education for one of the hardest working women I’ve ever met, and supported the building fund for a new Cornerstone Church.
For month eight we did a complete180 and ended up back in Asia, where my team stayed at the Step Ahead office building in the biggest slum in Bangkok, Thailand. We taught English to the staff and community children, and with your help started an educational savings account for each student in our class. Our next capital city was month nine: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We work
ed with World Vision Revivals Church where we spoke at services, invested in their youth, and went on may outreach events. You blessed their church with funding to go wherever they saw a need. Month ten landed us just outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia at a women’s center called Teen Challenge. We taught Bible studies, worked in the gardens, painted, and built relationships with the women and children there. With a heat index hanging out at 130 degrees F, one day we surprised them with ice cream cake backed by your wallet– a rare treat for their humble lifestyles. Last but not least we came to Malaybalay, Philippines. We once again worked at a children’s home, helping with several VBS programs, a sports camp, and speaking at local churches. You purchased supplies for the Wacky Olympics, new sports equipment, Tupperware, and ingredients to bake fun treats with the kids.
Are you gettin’ this? You’ve been busy! J I hope it’s starting to sink in, the vital role you’ve played in this mission trip. Thanks for letting me be the “hands and feet”. As you can seeit’s been a blast!
