Dear Family and Friends,
Hello from Atlanta! As I write this letter, I am so
thankful for such a strong network of family and friends who I can turn to for
support and encouragement. I am sending you this letter for two reasons – to
update you on my life and to ask for your support for a major ministry
opportunity. As many of you know, I graduated from Wheaton College in May with
a double major in Anthropology and Spanish and a minor in Bible/Theology. In
addition to studying what I love, I was blessed with amazing friends, wonderful
Christian community, and opportunities to explore my passion for international
ministry. God has given me a love of languages, a fascination with
intercultural communication, and a desire to build Christian community. I
believe I am supposed to dedicate my life to tangibly serving people in need
around the world. In pursuit of this dream, right after graduation I spent two
months interning at an orphanage in Guatemala that cares for 160 children who
have been abandoned, abused, or orphaned. This opportunity taught me so much
about using my gifts to help others, even if that means leaving my comfort
zone. For the first time in my life I experienced the open, honest love of
children and had the blessing of caring for them in the absence of loving parents.
Many of you prayed for my time in Guatemala and financially supported me, and
for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I am SO EXCITED to tell you about the next challenge
that God has called me to. For about a year I have been thinking and praying
about participating in a program called The World Race, and God has opened the
doors for me to go in January 2011. Until then, I will be working as an intern
with Walk Thru the Bible Ministries in Atlanta. The World Race is part of
Adventures in Missions, a ministry that focuses on prayer and discipleship in
their efforts to help people in need. The World Race is an 11 month ministry
trip to 11 countries around the world. A squad of about 50 missionaries will be
split into teams of 5-8 people, and we will travel the world together,
partnering with existing ministries along the way to encourage them and help
with their work. Our ministry will
look different in every country, but will most likely include some of the
following: orphan care, street ministry, rehabilitating women rescued from the
sex trafficking industry, disaster relief, caring for the homeless, serving in
refugee camps, evangelism, church planting, and hospital visits. We will
survive on a very limited budget of about $4 a day for food and lodging. We
will carry everything we need for a year in backpacks and often sleep in
tents. Although the specific route
may change, as of now the 11 countries we will minister in between January
11-November 30, 2011 are: Haiti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Thailand, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Primarily, I would like to ask for your prayer
support. This year will
undoubtedly be the biggest challenge I have ever faced and I need it to be
based in prayer. My personal requests include: that God will bring our squad
together in unity as we prepare to be one another’s family for almost a year,
that God will prepare me for the challenges of living on the road and changing
cultures every month, that He will provide the necessary financial support, and
that He will open my mind and heart to the incredible opportunities for service
that are coming my way. I would also like to ask you to support this ministry
with a financial gift, if that is where God leads you. They ask each of us to
raise $14,300 to cover all our expenses for 11 months. This includes international
travel to 11 countries, lodging, food, training, and ministry costs. While this
feels like a daunting amount to me, Adventures in Missions has perfected the
art of teaching their missionaries to live on a tight budget, and I have faith
that God will make a way for me to do what He has called me to.
The best way to financially support me is to
partner with me in monthly giving, which I have explained on the attached
paper, but any gift of any amount is extremely helpful. Although difficult,
raising support is a beautiful picture of the global church in action because
it allows people from far and wide to personally take part in the Kingdom work
that God is doing around the world.
Please make checks payable to Adventures In Missions
and indicate that your donation to Adventures
In Missions is for me. You can mail it to PO Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470. If you received this letter by mail it came with a support card that should be sent with the check. The response card will
provide AIM with the information necessary to send you a receipt for your
donation. Adventures In Missions is registered with the Internal Revenue
Service as a 501 (c) (3) non- profit organization. Donors will receive receipts for their gifts with the
understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies completely at the
discretion of Adventures In Missions and that the gifts are non-refundable and
non-transferable, per IRS regulations.
Gifts may be tax deductible; please consult a tax advisor. You can also donate on my website, described below.
I would love to hear from you, answer any questions
you may have, or simply catch up. My email address is [email protected] and
my cell phone number is (404) 702-4076. If you would like more information about
The World Race, their website is www.theworldrace.org.
Finally, I will be posting regular updates, pictures, and videos on my personal
blog, and you can also use the Support Me tab on the left side to send
financial support. My blog is http://emilytuttle.theworldrace.org.
Please subscribe to my blog to receive email notifications when I post a new
update. Eleven months is a long time to be gone and I will count on continued
prayer and communication with my friends and family for encouragement. All of you mean a lot to me and I’m
thankful that I have so many friends behind me as I set off on this new
adventure!
Blessings,
Emily
