Dear Friends and Family,

AFRICA…….. Even the word sounds mysterious and exciting.  It conjures up pictures of lush jungles, broad savannahs, exotic animals and some of the most beautiful believers in the world.  Unfortunately, it is also a world of political unrest, civil war, poverty and starvation.  This is the land that I’ve been called to, again, by God.

In May of this year, I will be leading a team of students from Azusa Pacific University on a 6 week mission trip to Tanzania. We will be partnering with Friends and Family Community Connection (www.ffccsd.org) to install water filters in the village of Mwando. While there, the plan is to serve in a variety of ways:  installing water filters, working with children and feeding the starving, and meeting any other need.

This is the most difficult thing that God has ever called me to.  Beyond stretching me in a leadership role, we will be working in some of the most desperate situations.  In the area where we’ll be working, the food resources are so short that they are not able to support our 6 team members and we must pack in our own food.  The situation is so serious that we’ve been told we cannot even give extra food to a begging child, because the child will be severely beaten and perhaps even killed so others can steal the food.  As a person who has a soft spot for children, this will break my heart.

I am asking you to support me in this divine calling.  First of all, I really need your prayers for:

• The Gospel to be received and embraced by those that we share it with
• Opportunities to demonstrate the love of Christ in a personal way
• Team Unity
• For the finances of all the team members
• For the health of my entire team. We are going to come face to face with poverty and things that many of them have never seen.
• That I will be able to have discernment and lead my team in a way that brings glory to God.

In addition to prayer, I need your financial support.   I need to raise $4,000 to cover the cost of the trip, plus provide food for those we will be serving.  Enclosed in the envelope you will find a donation card. Please pay close attention to the directions on the card so that your gift will tax-deductible.

I can’t wait to share stories of how this step of faith by both you and me will result in amazing blessings to the people of Tanzania. If you want to follow along on this journey, please check out my blog: http://ernesttraveler.blogspot.com/. I will be updating as I can, assuming there will be minimal internet access.

I sincerely pray that this trip not only serves as an avenue to share the love of Christ among every person we encounter, but also that it is life-changing experience for all that are involved. Thank you so much for partnering with me on this divine calling. God Bless!

Enthusiastically,

Danielle Ernest