Dear family and friends,
As
some of you may have heard, I’m going to Ethiopia for 5 weeks this year! I plan
to leave in June and return in July. I will be traveling with another woman
who will be working with the children and teaching VBS. I am beyond excited and blessed with this
opportunity!
During one week will
be the VBS. We are preparing for 700 children to be taught about Jesus' life. The goal of VBS is to open a door into the homes of the
children’s families and teach them the Gospel. The week after VBS, preachers go
to the homes and ask for a Bible study. There are many baptisms as a result of
this effort. Some of you may remember the first year I went. There were only a
handful of members. The only children were the preacher’s 2 sons. The only
woman was the preacher’s wife. Now, there are 85 children who attend on a
regular basis and over 200 members…both men and women! Not only that, but it
went from 1 struggling congregation to 17 thriving congregations throughout the
refugee camps and tribes. The VBS contributed to that.
It
is because of these new congregations that I have decided to go for a month.
There is a need for women from each congregation to be trained on how to plan,
prepare, and teach a Bible class for children. So, my time will be dedicated to
doing that very thing. I have also been asked to do one-on-one Bible studies.
These studies teach English by using the Bible. So, not only will they be hearing
the Gospel, but also learning English.
This
past year we saw something amazing. You see, the two tribes we taught, the Nuer
and Anywaa, are warring tribes. They hate each other to the point of killing
each other. In fact, there was a murder in one of the refugee camps a week
before we arrived. The Anywaa children traveled an hour every day through Nuer
territory to come to VBS. Okello, the preacher who works with the Anywaa, told
us only 25 of the children would come for the end of VBS celebration because it
was too dangerous. Well, all 200 children came, plus many of their families.
When they arrived, the Nuer children and their families all stood, cheered, and
sang to welcome them. Under the trees the Nuer and Anywaa sat together, ate together, drank together, and
heard the Gospel together. The love of the Lord withered hatred and war, and
blossomed love and peace. This is what the Lord can do. This is His power and
might at work. THIS IS HOW THE GOSPEL IS CHANGING A NATION!
I
am so very excited for this opportunity and am anxious to see how God uses it
to further His word and His will. But with this extended opportunity is a need
for funds. This year my financial need is $5,000. This will cover travel
expenses, food, VBS materials, Bible study materials, and children’s Bible
class materials. Any additional funds at the end of the trip will be allocated
to the Southern Sudan Mission for the continuance of spreading the Gospel.
If
you’d like to help me financially there are several ways…
1.
Send a check to me personally
2.
Send a check to Porter Church of Christ, ear
marked Karisa Holland VBS Mission trip
-
These are tax deductible
-
PO Box 770, Porter, Tx 77356
3.
Send a check to Woodland Oaks Church of Christ,
Ear marked Karisa Holland VBS mission trip
-
7300 Crownridge Drive, The Woodlands, Tx 77382
4.
Donate through PayPal on my blog www.heart4ethiopia2013.blogspot.com
-
please note there is a fee per donation that comes out of the
donation
You
can also help by praying that the devil does not succeed in his efforts to
thwart this work, that the children open the hearts to the truth and parents
hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized, and live faithfully, and that each
of us going have the strength, faith, and perseverance to be the hands and feet
of God’s desire for this work. I am truly grateful for the overflowing love and
support in the past. I could not do this if it wasn’t for you. YOU are as much
a part of this work as I am.
Karisa
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