Our church partners with compassion international to sponsor a community in Bolivia and families in our church individually sponsor some of the kids in the community. This will be the third trip to Bolivia since we started working with compassion in 2012, and one trip has been made to a second community in Burkina Faso, Africa. Our church has a sister church in Virginia and about 20 members from the two campuses will join together for a 10 day trip to Bolivia.
The timing of the trip didn't quite fit into our personal timing, but after prayerful consideration we were both confident this is what God wanted not only for Austin and our family, but for the children he will meet while he's gone. We are very excited for what will come of the trip, and we're sure we can't begin to imagine it.
Austin drafted a letter a month or so ago to send out to family and friends to help fund the trip, but we ended up deciding not to solicit donations and instead adjust our own living to fund it. With my absence from work it hasn't been as easy as it may have been at other times, but I think that is part of the lesson to be learned. We also feel like we already ask a lot of family and friends when it comes to relay and visits out to Monterey to see us, so we didn't want to burden anyone else. But, I think Austin's letter says a lot about what this trip will mean to him so I wanted to share what you may have received had we sent it out:
Dear family and friends,
I am writing today to ask for prayers for myself and Amanda, William and Charles. We need prayers to help us as I am bound for a trip to Bolivia on July 30 - august 9. As I walk my path with Jesus I have felt called to travel with our church in support of Compassion international by both traveling to Bolivia as well as sponsoring a child in the community. As a family we are sponsoring a 4 year old boy named Salvador from Burkina Faso and a 4 year old girl named Jhanayna from Bolivia, who I will hopefully get to meet.
All I am asking for are your prayers, however with the addition of Charles to our family and Amanda not working this summer, I strongly ask for prayers to help us financially support the trip and life back home. The cost of the trip is $3,300 which I'm not sure how we will raise but I do know The Lord will provide it.
I am truly excited to finally be able to go to a foreign country to assist those who have less than we do without it involving a major military conflict. The Lord has blessed our family with so much and it is our duty as Christians to share the fruits of the spirit. Thank you for your prayers and if you feel compelled to assist us your donations as well. I know your support will be a great investment in the word and work of The Lord.
Sincerely,
Austin
I am excited for Austin's journey and proud of him for going. Not a lot of people would use their vacation time and extra money to go to an impoverished nation in support of God's call. And I can say with certainty neither of us would have ever imagined we could or should do this a few years ago, but we have grown a lot and have been blessed greatly in our time here.
Please pray for Austin and those he is travelling with, and pray for those they will minister to. I have no doubt God has great things in store and I'm excited to hear about them. Oh - and if there's room left in your prayers after all of that, pray for the 3 of us back home, our sanity, our patience, and our endurance with relay! In true wallis fashion, it'll be a whirlwind!
Because We are better than blessed, may we be blessed to be a blessing to others.
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