Send Me!

Ok, so this is not going to be your average fundraising letter.  This is going to be an opportunity for most of you to get a chance to see into my heart and laugh at me a bit.  I may even be called a fraud by some. I pray that is not the case.  I pray it's an opportunity for me to bring awareness to a need in our world. 

Truth be told, I’m excited about an opportunity to go on a trip with a woman that I admire much.  Why?  Because she's a woman whose heart reflects Jesus.  She's a woman of action.  She's a woman who will not allow the impossible to stop her.  She believes in a great BIG God.  To be her friend gives you an opportunity to see Him move in her life and in those she helps.  She's the brainchild, founder and director of Because Every Mother Matters (BEMM - for short).  She's intuitive.  She's authentic. She's passionate.  So, why not go with Steffany Boster to Ethiopia? Especially if it's your first one?  I can tell you it will be something that will be adventurous as well as unforgettable!

If I were you, I would probably be thinking, “Laurie is going on a mission trip?” That’s a completely fair thought. I keep asking myself that too. I’m not the first person people think of when you would think of as someone wanting to go to a place that's even hotter than our current city.  In fact, a couple a years ago, I told Kevin that there was not a chance I would go somewhere where it was even hotter than here.    I'm not the first person you would think of that would give up her comforts of home to go where comfort is not in abundance.  Well, God works miracles in the heart of His people. When He wants to do a work, He will circumcise that heart of yours until it matches up to His.  Be careful what you pray for!  He did it to me.   :)

Yes, I’m a busy mom of four.  We homeschool.  We are becoming more active in our church (we just moved again so that's why I say we are becoming active). A wife of a soldier. Is it a good time to go?  Don't think I can answer that with anything other than a "No."  But I’m not sure if there is ever a “good time” to go on a mission trip.   I could probably come up with a list of reasons why I shouldn’t go, but I keep coming back to the one reason I should – God loves people.  He loves every mama out there.  Did you know that 1 in 11 women die due to pregnancy related causes in Africa?  In addition, this is one step in helping the orphan crisis.  Will it solve it?  Absolutely not!  But it will help in not adding to the 163 million and growing number of orphans in this world.  None of this okay!  None of it is something that I can stand by and be a spectator of anymore.

I’ve been trying to live that in the life I currently have. I mean it’s easy to pray for far off places and far off people, seeing it for your own eyes- well, I know it's another story.  Loving who you live and work with is a bit easier, though still a challenge.  When you see it, when you live it, it's real.  It's easy to be motivated to do something for the person right next door.  Far off places; it's a picture you can detach from. It's easy to say, "It's not my problem."   I’ve been trying to see my life as a mission field, not just this trip. It's been interesting to see the way God has used this new approach to everything from the way I interact with people at the grocery store to the way I treat people in traffic. But now, it’s time to take the things I’ve learned to a new level. To another continent. It's time for me to move outside of my comfort zone.  To become a woman of ACTION!  To really live out my faith and become the hands and feet of Jesus.

I’m going to Ethiopia for 10 days.   Going wasn’t a hard decision. When it comes down to it, Jesus laid out a pretty simple religion for us, didn’t He? Love God, love others, and love ourselves. Nope, deciding to go was easy. Paying for it however, well, that's a challenge.

To be honest with you, I just don’t have $3000 laying about the house.  So, instead of selling my plasma 87 times, I decided to write and ask for something I don’t usually ask for - money. I’d love if you could financially support me on this mission trip. A little, a lot, any would be great. And if you want to know more about BEMM, please email me, message me on Facebook, give me a call or go to www.BEMM.org.

 If you could pray about the trip, that would be awesome!  As much as God loves mission trips, other people don’t. There will be a whole host of obstacles that pop up (as they already have) and entangle themselves around our ankles as we prepare to go love the people of Ethiopia.   Knowing that you are praying would mean a lot to me.

Thanks for reading this and giving me an opportunity to share about BEMM, a program I truly love along with the women behind it.  

STWTHE, 
Laurie