Raising Support for 4th Journey

As many of you know, a very large section of my life is designated to helping others. Traveling complements my passion for service and when combined, they make up unbelievable opportunities for me. I have been extremely blessed with the opportunities I have been given, and the experiences I have had at such a young age. For someone of my generation, I have found that today, we can do anything and go anywhere with more ease than others in the past. Many do not know how fortunate we are to have this ability. I think it is important to remember that fact because it gives us endless opportunities to go abroad and help others.

I would like to express to you about my past year, and how it has been truthfully, the best year I have ever had. I started out by going on a service trip to Kenya, where I was able to learn things about myself that I did not know before. I also learned a completely different culture than we have here in America. In August I was presented with the opportunity to volunteer in a nursing home in Costa Rica, which again completely changed my life because I was presented with a completely different outlook on life.

Along with these amazing opportunities abroad, my relationship with God has become stronger as well. Being in countries where the people entirely devote themselves to God, crediting Him for their blessings, lives, family, etc. has inspired me in ways that are hard to describe. It has made me realize how blessed I am by the grace of God and that feeling of overwhelming emotion has enhanced my passion for wanting to help others, especially in places where help is needed the most.

This past weekend I attended a fall retreat with an organization known as Campus Crusade for Christ, an interdenominational Christian group at University of La Crosse. Over the weekend my relationship with Christ grew exponentially stronger, and again I was presented with an opportunity that only God could bring forth. I have been invited on a weeklong vision trip to a large country in the Middle East with CRU. Many of the citizens of these countries do not know who Jesus Christ is, or what He has done for all of us. Many college students, unfulfilled with Islam, are searching for something more fulfilling; a kind of hope that only Jesus can give.

I want to give the people of the Middle East the opportunity to learn more about Jesus and to present them with a kind of hope and strength they have never experienced. This Vision Trip will allow me the opportunity to do all of these things, while building spiritual relationships along the way. We will partner with some full time missionaries in order to meet with Middle Eastern college students to talk about our love for Christ. While building these relationships I will also have the ability to talk about Jesus and how He has given me hope and guidance throughout my life.

#middleeast