So, remember how I told you guys there’s a lot going on? And that big stuff is happening? Well, everything is starting to finally fall into place.

Here’s a little background: one Sunday this past October, Pastor Benji showed a slideshow of a mission trip that New Hope had taken that Summer to Kiria, Kenya. Kiria is a small village located at the base of the Aberdare Mountains, which is approximately 40 miles northeast of Nairobi and approximately 100 miles south of the equator. New Hope has sort of “adopted” this village and continues to support it financially throughout the year. Just looking at the pictures of the trip and hearing about the relationships that were created, the service work that was done, and just the amazing things that the church was doing, I knew that I wanted to be a part of that.

I have always wanted to go on a service trip. In college I remember trying to get an “alternative Spring Break” mission trip together a couple times, but just couldn’t gather the money and resources to make it happen. I was looking for the right opportunity and the right place to go.

I have a passion for loving on and helping people, learning about and experiencing other cultures, and sharing in my faith. It’s not about going into someone else’s culture and imposing rich American philosophies – it’s about immersing yourself in their culture, learning, listening, and really opening your eyes to something different. It’s also about being there as a resource and helping hand.

So, when I heard that New Hope was going back to the village this Summer, I knew that I was being called to go.

From July 28th – August 6th (that’s THIS SUMMER!) I’ll be going. The deposit is paid, the commitment form is in, and I am going.

What am I going to be doing there? Well, in addition to fellowshipping and doing life with the Kenyans, a majority of our time will be spent digging trenches for water distribution lines, building and repairing roads, constructing a concrete pad for water tanks, building and fixing church and school furniture, assisting in the teaching of school classes, and providing medical services where needed.

Okay, so some of you are probably thinking, “Molly is going on a mission trip? THIS summer?” I could probably come up with a list of reasons why I shouldn’t go (life/work/time/money). There’s a myriad of excuses I could use to not go. However, the truth is, I keep coming back to the one reason why I should and ultimately want to go – God loves people and so do I. Going wasn’t a hard decision. When it comes down to it, Jesus laid out a pretty simple religion for us: Love God, love others, and love ourselves. My point exactly. Deciding to go is easy. Paying for it however, is the real challenge.

To be totally honest, I don’t have $3,500 just sitting in my bank account. So here’s where I do something I never do: I ask for money. I would love it and be so appreciative if you could support my mission trip with a donation. A little, a lot, really anything is helpful.

The other thing you can do to help is to pray. As much as God and the church love mission trips, not everyone else does. And there are definitely going to be challenges along the way. So your thoughts and prayers are really appreciated. If you’d like to know more about the trip, I’d be happy to tell you more about it. Just let me know. I’d love to talk about it.

I will, of course, be blogging about my experiences before and after the trip. I would say that I would be blogging during the trip, but the odds of having a solid and/or reliable internet connection in the small village of Kiria, Kenya are not high.

I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you guys for everything.

All for now.