Dear Friends and Family,
My friend Annie once wrote, "To go is to know, to know is to
love, and to love is to act". She didn't know at the time (and
neither did I) that this would become my life's motto. I couldn't
tell you the number of times I have repeated these words. Many of
you have been following my journeys through my blogs or on
facebook and know some of the amazing things I've had the
opportunity to see and do. I truly have been blessed. God has
given me the passion for exploring and soaking in different
cultures. I believe he planted this passion in my heart knowing
that it would unavoidably lead to action. It is true that going
into the world leads to knowing the people of the world, and love
necessarily follows knowledge, and once you love you can't help
but act.
Now is the time for action.
But I need your help. God prompted me to sign up for this trip on
faith that the gap would be filled by His men and women, sons and
daughters. Even though I'm working to pay for my grad school
tuition and am very low on resources, He still encouraged me
through the counsel of mentors and Bible Study members, that now
was exactly the time I should go: when I'm eager yet empty so
that I would no longer lean on my own abilities, that I wouldn't
have any opportunity to boast in this. It's as if He's saying to
me, "Now, will you let ME work it out for MY glory?"
Without a doubt, when I get on the plane it will be entirely due
to God's grace through your generosity. I don't know what God has
in store for those of us who go, or the people we'll engage with
when we arrive, but I'm certain that God wants our encounter to
add to His fame.
So first and foremost, I'm asking you to pray. Pray for our
Missions Training. Pray for the relationships within our group
and for the leader, Tae Kwon, as he prepares us and communicates
with the Missionaries on site. Pray for the men and women, boys
and girls, that we'll get to interact with; that the language
barrier would not obscure our message of hope and love. Pray that
God would meet all the financial needs of all the team members.
Pray about giving generously.
It's funny how little I understood before. I used to view prayer
as an easy out if someone didn't want to give, but I understand
now that it is the tie that binds us to God's work. Please
Pray.
If you feel led to give financially, THANK YOU! Your generosity
doesn't go unnoticed!
Sincerely,
Stephanie