Dear Friends and Family,
Hello! I hope this letter finds you and your family well. It seems as this year is flying by already. As you may know, I am preparing for another mission trip to Guatemala and it is quickly approaching! I am so excited that God is leading me back to a country that I fell so in love with a year ago. This trip is a complete step of faith for me and I'm praying God will provide greatly for it.
I have been actively involved in my church here in Knoxville (Northstar: www.northstarknox.com) for a little over 2 years. Last summer I was given the chance by members of Northstar to go to Guatemala and serve with Clubhouse Guatemala (www.clubhouseguatemala.com). While we were there we put on a VBS for close to 500 children. This was the first time many of these children heard about the love of Jesus and for the first time they were given a glimpse of grace and hope. Many of the teachers let us do our thing the first and second day. By the end of the week, many of the teachers were asking for copies of the songs we were teaching the children, copies of the materials we were using and they were reading the Bibles we provided for them. The principal of the school we were in was non-existent the first day we were there, and by the end of the week had asked God to come into his life and was begging us to come back again soon. The last day we were there we held a block party for the village to minister to the families of the children we had been pouring into during the week. Many men and women came and heard the story of Jesus and many came to receive Christ. It was an amazing experience and to be sharing it with you now is taking me back and I can hardly wait to be back in May. We did a few other ministry projects while we were in the village. Our group started 'Carl's Coops'-you can read all about the name and the meaning behind it on the Clubhouse website. We built a huge chicken coop out of wire and PVC pipe and the night before finishing it we sat at share time and prayed that God would provide us with the money to buy enough chicks and have enough money left over to buy some feed that would last a long time. The next day, our pastor went out to buy the chicks. We were able to buy 20 baby chicks and 100lbs of feed...10 more chicks and about 50lbs more than what we thought we were going to be able to purchase. How great is our God?! There were so many other things that we did and I would love to share them all with you, there just isn't enough paper to write it all out. I started a blog before I left on my last trip and have been recollecting memories. You are more than welcome to check it (www.emilyrguatemala.blogspot.com).
Our team will be doing many of the same things this trip and I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are. We will be leaving May 29th and return on June 6th. We were able to get some great deals for flights there and back and will be able to actually have more time to minister since we have direct flights that are going to allow us to arrive earlier and leave later. The expense of the trip is right at $1,000. A large number, but very small when you take into consideration the lives that will be changed. Right now, I have close to $500 that I have saved to put towards my trip. I know that things are tight for many people, but will you take a leap of faith with me and ask God if this is something He would have you give to? Your gifts will be used to bring people to Christ and to give them a glimpse of love that they may have never seen before. After I have raised and saved the amount of the trip, any left over gifts will then be added to the ministry area. This will allow us to build more chicken coops, buy more chickens, buy supplies for families, and to help purchase food for the feeding centers we will be working with.
Thank you so much for your prayers, for your encouragement, and for your support. I can't even begin to imagine how God will bless this trip. Our team has been diligently praying since January for God to provide and we are overflowing with His blessings daily. Ever since my last trip my prayer has been for God to give me a heart that breaks over the things that break the heart of God, and I truly believe that He has done just that.
-My sweet boy, Edgar. I am so excited about seeing his sweet face again!- Thank you again for taking the time to read about all the things that God is preparing me for and for being willing to pray for our team.If you feel led to support this trip financially, please feel free to email me at emilyroach2@gmail.com No matter the gift, monetary, words, or prayers, please know that it will be used to further His kingdom!
Love in Christ,
Emily
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