Recently, I learned about a mission trip through my friend's church that takes a service team to Africa every summer. The church who has partnered with Children's HopeChest supports a carepoint in Swaziland where at-risk children and orphans can come for supplemental food and education but the carepoint also serves as a safe place to create a loving community atmosphere for the children. My friend's church and other donors support the carepoint year-round but use their summer trips to create and develop personal relationships with the people they work to serve. During the summer trips the travel team does orphan care work, delivers much needed supplies, performs home visits, and creates fun learning opportunities for the children.

As a college student who has lived a very comfortable life (in the sense that I have always had food, clothes, education, and family support) I feel an intense calling to give back to the world. If your brothers or sisters or friends are struggling, you help them. In my mind, it's really that simple. It doesn't matter where in the world your brothers, sisters, or friends are located, and it doesn't matter if you've never met them. When you learn of their struggles, you don't turn your back.

I want to go on the trip to Swaziland, not for fun, not for a vacation, but to start something bigger in my life. I want to dedicate my life to educating children and eradicating global poverty and for me, the logical first step is to visit the world and experience communities that do not have the luxuries I take for granted. I want to learn all I can from the people there so I can begin to understand what is needed to create change.

In order to go on the trip this summer, I need to raise $3,411. This number seems a little daunting but I know it's possible. Already, I've had friends and family members do bakesales, create jewelry to sell, and donate parties and dance lessons to auction off. I am also planning to raffle off my unopened ipod shuffle and am looking for other things of my own to sell.

I also found out about an incredible opportunity through Children's HopeChest. They are selling shirts to benefit orphans in Haiti and survivors of sex trafficking in Moldova. With every shirt you purchase you receive one entry to win a free mission trip through Children's HopeChest (up to $3,000) and if you don't want to go on a trip yourself you can transfer the win to someone else. Also if you purchase a shirt from the link in my blog, I automatically receive another entry for the free mission trip. 

This is a really fun way to support many good causes at once! Please consider purchasing a shirt from this link: http://www.hopechest.org/store   

Remember, if you click the above link straight from here, when you purchase a shirt it could help me go on a life-changing trip to Swaziland this summer!

Thanks to everyone for your support!


To learn more about the organization I am going to Swaziland with, please visit: http://www.knowntome.net/