Happy Birthday

So, it is the week of my birthday...

after meeting with the team, I find my mind wandering to the work we will do alongside the Christians in Cambodia. What that inevitably leads to, however, is worry about the money to make the trip happen. I know it is ridiculous to worry, but I'm human... what can I say?

I try to sink back into that prayerful thinking. I offer prayers for the children who will slide down a slide put into place by the hands of our team. I pray for the young woman who will make choices about her body after hearing about how much God cares for her. I pray for the youth who will tell his friends about how Jesus changed his life. I pray for my own heart and for the heart of the people on my team who will experience a deeply painful history and the hope for a different future.

All of this is my prayer, and I unashamedly beg for it to be yours as well. I hope that you will pray for all of these things and many more.

And in the midst of praying, ponder supporting this wonderful team and the people of Cambodia.
For my birthday, would you consider donating $25? One dollar for every year of my life. You can donate on this site or you can email/facebook/text/call/write me. And if you can't afford $25, know that any gift you could make would be hugely appreciated by myself and by the team that I will travel with.

And also, if you would, leave a comment or send me an email annaguillozet (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know how I can be praying for you.

Initial Team Meeting

Our team met for the first time today (well, most of us).

I am so excited for the mission God has called each one of us to. I will post more details about what was discussed, etc. when I get more time to write.

What I want to share was a portion of what my friend, Julia, prayed at the close of the meeting.

Julia prayed for all of the team that was gathered in the room, and then she prayed for all of the team members who were not present, including all the people with whom we will be doing ministry in Cambodia.

I am so excited to be doing ministry with the people in Cambodia, and I hope that you'll be in ministry with all of us as well. Please pray for the team, and prayerfully consider donating to make this ministry a reality.

A Challenge!

My Uncle Jerry has issued a challenge.

As mentioned in my previous post, I have come into ownership of a lot of odds and ends that are considered "collectibles."

My Uncle Jerry has offered to buy a collectible for $25 if someone else will pledge $25 towards my mission trip. This other lucky individual will receive a collectors item (or 2 or 4...) with a list of participants names so that you can see the people who will be making the journey with me (and hopefully pray for us... or send us good vibes... or whatever sort of communication you make with a divine presence greater than yourself).

So make my Uncle Jerry pay up!!

Comment on the post or email me if you're interested in the challenge!

Someday

For those who may not know, in the fall of 2005 when I was 19 years old, my mother passed away. In the years following her death, I have fought the hard battle of what "stuff" to keep and what "stuff" to entrust to someone else (be it family, friends, the Salvation Army, or the garbage person).

I received a phone call last week from my dad. He and his wife were working on clearing out the storage unit. Our family has operated pretty heavily in the "It's just stuff... you can't take it with you..." mindset since 2005. Keeping this in mind, my dad has thought that it is silly to dump money into a place outside of your home to keep the stuff that you don't look at and/or use every day. I believe I have heard MWM and KLR ranting about storage units...

Anyway, I since my childhood I had listened to my mom, tucking away unopened Happy Meal toys and other "collectibles," uttering the phrase...

"It might be worth something someday!"

So as I made the drive home from my dad's storage unit with a 116 quart Rubbermaid tub full of stuff that "might be worth something someday," I pondered the thought of selling these things in order to fund my mission trip to Cambodia. Lovely idea, right?

Wrong.

After much un-bubble wrapping and searching around on the internet, I discovered that all of these things, no matter how "collectible," are not worth much money. Well now what? I felt at ease dispersing my mother's collectibles in order to fund a mission trip. I know that my mom would have been ok with that. But just to add them to a garage sale pile? Have some woman tell me that they're not worth $.25 a piece? How can I handle letting go of things like that?

And then I tell myself... it is embedded within me (and a majority of Americans) to look first at something and ask how much it is worth. I even do it with friendship and with ministry opportunities. What is this friendship worth? Is it going to cost me more to keep it than its worth? Or will it be "worth something someday" without ever coming to fruition.

So who am I to think first about the money around this mission trip. If God is calling me to this place, this team, these relationships, who am I to say that it is going to cost too much?

I am praying for myself to decrease, and for Christ to increase. This is my prayer above all else.

It Starts...

I have been overwhelmed at the prayers that have been offered already as a result of my creating this blog. Keep 'em coming!

I received my first monetary gift of support today, and the person who contributed did so for a reason that I think you all should know...

This trip to Cambodia is not your typical "go-for-one-week-and-never-see-the-people-again" type of mission trip. This trip is meant to connect young, Christian leaders in Cambodia with young, Christian leaders here in the West Ohio Conference. It is our hope that some of them will come to Ohio in 2012 to continue their leadership training, and bring some of the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ to people in Ohio. This trip is unique and exciting, and one of my friends from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio has pledged to support me and the team with whom I will be travelling. It means so much to me that a student like myself would make a generous monetary gift when all I asked this person for was prayers.

God is already working on and in my heart for this trip. I have begun praying daily for the team and for the people that we will meet in Cambodia. Please join me in that prayer!!

Called to Love and Justice... Freed to Be God's People

In July 2011, 10 young adults from the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church will be traveling to Cambodia to join together with Cambodian Christians to develop leadership and to build a safe space to discuss and address the difficulties that Cambodian Christians face.

In preparation for bringing young Christian leaders to Ohio in 2012 for a Global Leadership Institute, we will spend ten days preaching, facilitating worships and Bible studies at a youth rally, build a playground for rural children and lead a VBS program alongside young Christian leaders in Cambodia. We will work to build each other up in love as we address difficult topics that face Cambodian Christians.

As with all the work of Jesus Christ, his followers cannot do the work alone. Our team needs your prayers of support! I will be posting things on this blog to guide your prayers in the coming months as we all prepare for this incredible mission. Will you pray with us?

I have been truly blessed by God in this opportunity to go to Cambodia and join hearts and spirits with Christians who are seeking to further to Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Cambodia Christianity represents approximately 2% of religions, 96% of people in Cambodia are Buddhist. Though knowing Christianity is one of the smallest religions practiced is a difficult reality, it give our team the opportunity to truly tell people about Jesus.

I mentioned earlier the building of a playground. You may ask yourself why a playground is so important, but you should know how vital education is. Cambodian girls and boys are often forced (and equally heartbreakingly choose) to enter the sex trade because they have no money. School is not a first priority. By building the playground, our team hopes that school will become more exciting, and children will find ways to support themselves and their families without believing that the sex trade is the only way to do so. The VBS we will be leading is for similar purpose. We hope to show children that God loves them and that they can find hope in Jesus Christ.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I do not see this trip as a way for me to go, tell people about Jesus and leave. The unique way the leaders have structured this mission allows us to work alongside and network with young Christian leaders in Cambodia so that the seeds of Jesus' mission will be planted together, watered after our departure with our prayers and the resources which have been shared with the Church in Cambodia.

In planning for the trip, reality sets in. Cambodia is on the other side of the world, and therefore expense for travel is much more than a seminary student can afford. Our team also needs to raise money for Bibles for distribution, playground equipment, resources for Christian leaders and other expenses of the trip.

I would ask for your prayerful consideration in helping me raise the funds to embark on the trip of a lifetime. I need to raise over $2,500 to participate in this mission. If God is speaking to you about your financial support, you may support our team and people of Cambodia in two ways. First, you can donate using PayPal, a secure online method. You will find the button to donate on the top, left-hand corner of the blog. You may also send a check with "Cambodia" in the memo line directly to me. If you need my address, please send me an email or leave a comment on the blog.

I thank you so much for your willingness to pray for the participants of this mission and for the people of Cambodia. Our team, myself especially, could not do any of this work without the grace of God working within us.

I thank God for you, my friends and family.

Draw the Circle Wide,
Anna

Welcome to the Blog

Hello!

I am assuming if you've stumbled across this blog that you have an interest in either Cambodia or the mission of the Church. If you've gotten here another way, welcome regardless.

This blog will be a place where I update my friends and family on my preparations for the trip.

It is my hope that you will join me in prayer for not only myself but for all the young adults who will be joining me in this important endeavor.

Draw the Circle Wide,
Anna