I am excited, and a little scared if I am being honest, to tell you that I have been chosen to lead a group of fifteen college students to South Africa during the last two weeks of May, 2009. We will be going to Qwa Qwa which is the poorest part of the country and lies just outside of Harrismith. While there, we will be working with an organization called Thrive Africa where we will be helping people with household chores like laundry, carrying water, putting in gardens and whatever we can do to help. We essentially want to build relationships with the families we meet, listen to their stories, and share with them the love of Christ. In addition to this, we will be visiting AIDS patients and running a kids’ ministry in the afternoons were we hope to spread the Gospel and some smiles. God willing, it will be the trip of a lifetime.

Like any missions trip, it takes a team willing to go and serve and do whatever the Lord leads them to and it also takes friends and family to support them. As a college student, coughing up the $3,500 it costs for the plane ride and missionary support looks dang near impossible but, “With man, this is impossible but with God, nothing is impossible.” I am sending you this letter with the hope that you would pray and consider joining me in the mission trip as a financial partner. Asking for such a thing is a little painful to me so I write this as a reminder to myself: this money isn’t going to a college student in need of a bailout but rather a daughter of Christ who has it in her heart to go and be whatever the Lord needs her to be.

It was once explained to me like this: Missions work is a mixture of senders and goers. Those who send need to have someone to send, and those who go, need help in getting there. My team and I feel that we have been given the role of goers. Would you pray and consider coming along side us as a sender in this journey of ours? If you feel called to donate to our team, you can contact me at leharder@ccu.edu, I can give you more information on what that looks like.

I know that during this season, things are a little tight and sometimes giving money isn’t an option but I again ask that you would join this team and support us through prayer. We do have a pretty big price tag for this trip but prayer is certainly a way to help us reach this goal.

And so, I thank you with everything in me, for reading this, for considering, for giving of your bank account and time, for coming along side us in this wild adventure. This God we serve and have come to know a little more each day is one of spontaneity and adventure and I am so blessed to be called on this trip. Take care, God bless, and thank you once more.