Hello! I'm Shawna,
Since 1971, Food for the Hungry (FH) has served the most vulnerable people around the world and took on the responsibility to advocate for the poor and the marginalized. 702 million people live in extreme poverty worldwide, 22 thousand children die due to effects of poverty every day, 8 million children under the age of 5 die from malnutrition every year, and hunger is the #1 cause of death in the world. These statistics are our world’s reality and FH works hard to provide resources such as clean water, medical aid, food, equal educational opportunities, and more. FH is known to be gratefully invited into communities to work with local leaders, responding to their needs with transformative solutions which are both sustainable and implemented at the hands of the communities themselves. And for the first time, I have been given the opportunity to work alongside FH to aid the people living in the village of Sikakap in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia. Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and has more than 13,000 islands. It is the most populous Muslim nation in the world.
Our mission team, sent out by Jubilee Church Seoul, will be leaving August 16th, 2017 and will be returning August 27th, 2017. We plan on carrying out VBS activities, village outreach, and leadership training. This is a new community outreach for our church and for FH as well, there are a lot of “unknowns” and anticipated unexpected occurrences. However, the known challenges are not simple either; in 2004, a tsunami killed 283,000 people and devastated communities continue to need help rebuilding their homes and lives. Morever, 64% of the rural population lives without healthy sanitation. Other problems include that 20% of children are born underweight and only 8% of the population is Christian.
Please keep me in your prayers and your hearts, as this is basically my last week in Asia. If you don’t know already, I am making a big transition and will be moving to NYC at the end of August. Right after this mission trip, I will be flying into JFK Airport and I am hoping to wrap up my life here in the Eastern world with God’s grace in Indonesia. I will also need financial support to help me through the expenses of this trip. There will be costs that go into entering the island and flying into the nearest domestic airport, and any contribution will be gratefully accepted. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and further thanks for your support in prayer. If you would like updates of my trip, please give me your email address and I will update you via email with details and photos.
Shawna Joo
shawnajoo@hotmail.com / 010-5394-6483