“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38)
Dear Loved Ones,
Have you heard the news? We are so excited to share with you our plans for next year. We will be participating in “The World Race” put on by Adventures in Missions. Starting in January 2009, we will be traveling to 11 countries in 11 months, with the purpose of serving the poorest of the poor, growing in our faith and knowledge of the Lord, working closely in community with other believers, and experiencing one great faith journey. Adventure, Ministry, Community, Self-Discovering/Growth are the four-pillars of this unique, mission-trip.
Right now, you may be asking similar questions we asked ourselves, when praying about this big life change…a change from our great, present lifestyle, relationships and ministries.
Why eleven countries in eleven months?
Well, we don’t feel particularly called to any one country. We want to see what God is doing, in various countries around the world. It is His harvest, we just get to witness it. Besides, Lindsay is dying to use her Spanish!
Where will you be going?
We don’t know right now. The official itinerary will be unveiled 8 weeks before the trip. Typical stops from previous trips include: Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Bosnia, Russia, Thailand, China, Cambodia,
But why now?
As many of you know, we met on the mission field, while teaching English in China, and it has been our hearts desire to serve the poor and the lost, together. Also, we see and hear from many of you that this kind of trip should be done before we have children of our own.
What kind of conditions will you be experiencing?
We will be living among the poor that we are serving, sleeping most likely in a tent. This trip will be extremely intense, and will require all of our overseas resourcefulness, camping skills and a complete dependence on God.
What kind of ministries will you be involved with?
Wherever we go, we will be working alongside established, local ministries. Depending on which country we are in, we may be playing with children in an orphanage in India, encouraging those suffering from HIV in South Africa, teaching at a local school in Peru, refurbishing drop in centers in Thailand, to name a few possibilities.
It is our joy to share this with you, because we have learned, that we cannot minister in this way apart from you: our family, friends and always number one fans! First and foremost, we need your prayers and encouraging words as we engage in this spiritual battle for the lost. Secondly, we cannot afford to abandon our comforts and lifestyle to serve the poor, without your financial partnership. We were recently taught by our gifted pastor about what a biblical understanding of sacrifice is. It is not to give up something, but to willingly and excitedly, set apart things for God. This has challenged the way we view our time, money and other resources to further His kingdom.
Of course, we would not leave you without providing a way for us to stay in touch. While on the field, we will be updating our very own blogs (stands for “web log”). Each week, you can log on and check out our latest pictures and hear about what God is doing in, around and through us.
Nowadays, giving is made easy, with automatic withdrawals and secure, on-line giving and receipting. We need to raise about $28,000 total, to cover our food, lodging, air, land & sea travel, as well as administrative, training and debriefing costs. One time gifts are great, but past experience has shown that faithful, monthly pledges (great or small) are crucial for such long-term ministry. Due to the unique structure of this race (and the fact that we’re married!), we need to have $14,000 in our account by October and the other $14,000 pledged by the time we depart in January. As you can see, everyone’s sacrifice counts!
With all our love and gratitude,
Dave and Lindsay Hoogendam
