Mission Trip to Africa

Things have been really busy for us lately and I just realized I haven't updated my blog for over a month. It's really hard to find the time, especially this time of year when my graphic design business is the busiest. But I have a big announcement I wanted to share with everyone, so I knew it was important to make the time. 

I have decided to go on a mission trip to Africa!! Not only that, but my sister and I are going on the trip together. Just typing that in was exhilarating and kind of scary all at the same time. I have always had a passion for going to Africa, but haven't been able to because of the kids being so young. But now that Kailey is 2, I had been thinking and praying about the mission trip idea again a few months ago when our church announced that they were going to Africa in August. 

We prayed and talked about it as a family, in addition to talking to other people who have done this type of mission work in Africa, when we decided to do this.  Then when I heard that my sister Kim had also always wanted to go, I asked her if she wanted to go together. There was only one problem—which was a pretty big one—we didn't have the money we needed. We could have waited to go on the trip another year, but God just kept putting the desire to minister to these kids on my heart. The more I talked to other people about it, the more I was encouraged that if this is God's will He will help provide the funds—that we just needed to trust Him.

So here I am starting on this journey with God, trusting that this is an opportunity He wants for Kim and I, and I am truly humbled. A few months ago, our pastor talked about praying "Sun Stand Still" kind of prayers, after Joshua prayed (Joshua 10:12-14) and the sun actually stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down for a full day. "There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel." The whole basis of his sermon was that we often pray for small, little things that don't take a lot of faith to pray. "God help my family stay healthy, help me to get a promotion, help us to get a good parking spot, etc., etc." But how often do we pray for things that sound impossible, but God's word tell us "All things are possible with God."?

Now is our time for us to pray a Sun Stand Sill prayer, for something that seems crazy and impossible, but for which we are totally trusting God to provide. 


So let me tell you a little about the trip. It is a 10-day trip to Kenya, Africa through The Church on Rush Creek. We have been partnering with Buckner International, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of orphans, for three years. The church takes a mission trip to the community of Mudoma in Busia, Kenya every year to do Vacation Bible School for the 50 orphans in foster care. 

I am very excited about this opportunity and experience, even though it means flying halfway across the world and leaving my husband and three young children for 10 days. (Honestly, this will be the most difficult part, leaving my family for that long.) But I know it is all for a greater cause, one that God tell us is part of our responsibility here on earth.  
"Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." - James 1:27

If you want to know what types of things we will be doing on the trip, here is a link to a video of the trip our church took in 2008 and 2009. It is kind of long, but so worth it to hear the children singing the songs at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHysl5yLQ2o&feature=youtu.be

I also got some photos from a friend of mine, Tracie, who has been on the trip a few times. I just thought this might help explain why we feel this trip is so important. 

One of the ways we are going to raise money is through reaching out to our friends and family for donations. So I decided I will tell my story through my blog and if you feel led to donate money to our trip, that is fantastic. If not, I think it will at least get more people praying for us and it will also get our story out. As a former reporter, I think there will be a great story to tell here of our journey in raising the money, then of our actual trip, and maybe even what we learned when we get back. I plan to blog about all of these things, and that way those who donate to our cause will be able to see where their money went. 

For those interested in donating, you can click on the link below.  This is a link to the giving section of our church's website. Once you are there, just click on the link and a secure form will pop up. All you have to do to make sure the donation goes to our account is to put “Kristina Chesnutt – Africa” or "Kim Williams - Africa" or “Chesnutt-Missions” or "Williams-Missions" in the “memo” box. Then the amount of the tax deductible donation in the other box.

 www.rushcreek.org/giving



I know it may seem strange that I am asking for donations for two people. However, please know I am not expecting you to donate $50 to me and $50 to my sister. All I am asking is that if you feel God's leading you to donate, and all you have to donate is $10, then give $5 to each of us. Every little amount will add up, so don't think any amount is too small. If 400 of our friends and family just donated $10 that would be $4,000, which is the cost for just one of us to go on the trip. 

Also, it may seem like August is several months away so what is the rush to donate? The thing is we have deadlines we have to meet each month and the first one is coming up the first of April. After that, we need to have raised a quarter of the cost of our trip by the beginning of each month.

 

We are also planning some fundraising events if you would like to support us in that way. Our first fundraiser we have planned is a Bluebonnet Photo Session day, on March 24 and April 3. Jeremy will set up 30-minute sessions in the morning and afternoon to take family photos in a field of bluebonnets. Each session will be $50, but will include a CD with all of the photos on it. If you are interested in this, you need to call or email us to reserve your 30-minute time slot. (For those who don't know, in addition to being a Dallas firefighter, he is also a professional photographer, having owned his own photography business for almost 17 years.) More information on the sessions can be found on his Facebook page, just type in Texas Shooters Photography. If you want to look at any of his work, you can see it on his website: www.texasshooters.com.

We are also planning to have a yard sale at the end of April to raise money. So if you have any old items around your house you no longer need and you would like to donate them, that would be great. Just send me a message and I'll happy to come take it off your hands!

While money is important, it comes as a distant second to our need for your prayer support. Please continue to pray for us as we raise money for our trip, and for the work we will do on our trip. I am so honored that you would even find our cause worth considering and we are humbled by this opportunity God has placed in front of us. I can't wait to see how it all pans out. 


"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20