No, not that kind of breakdown, we had a meeting for our Ethiopia trip on Sunday. The group was huge. If memory serves we’ve got 43 people going. So we broke down into two trips. The first group with 16 people is going March 6-16 and the second with 27 is headed out March 20 and returns on March 30. Rachel and I are going with the second group.

We also talked a bit about the different areas in which people are interested in serving. It seemed to break down pretty well into three groups: education/business, kids, and medical. Rachel and I are looking at working in the education and business group, and I may be doing some web work for Beza as well. Some possible projects that each of the groups will be undertaking are:

• Education
  • ESL Tutoring
  • Math Tutoring
  • Starting a Library
• Business
  • Computer Skills Training
  • Sewing Training
  • Jewelry Design
• Kids
  • Sports Camp
  • Kids Club/VBS
• Medical
  • Fistula Surgery

Of course, this is a mission trip, so all plans are subject to change before and during the trip!

Yeah, I know I’m late on this one. So shoot me. But what I’m thankful for is my wife. There are a great many reasons I should be thankful for Rachel, but I guess the one most apparent right how is her support for me. In many ways she is my rock.

Rachel is always open to God’s calling. When you look at our relationship, it appears that I’m the one out front, that I’m the one calling the shots and leading the way, and I guess this is sort of true. But she is the one supporting me, the one pushing me forward. Rachel let me quit my job to take an internship at NCC (making her the primary breadwinner). This is no small thing when you consider that our plans to buy a house and take a real vacation were put on hold. Our considering living in Ethiopia for a while was at least as much Rachel’s idea as it was mine.

These aren’t the only stories I could recount. Time and time again Rachel has shown selflessness towards me and for the Kingdom. If we think something is part of God’s plan, Rachel is in 100%. She is solid.

Rachel, I love you. Thank you for being mine. I’m thankful for your willingness to give, to go, and to sacrifice. Thank you for supporting me in so many ways.

In March 2009, Rachel and I (and around 40 other people from NCC) are making a ten day trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to work with Beza International Ministries. While this is a short-term missions trip, the primary reason we are going is to explore the possibility of working in Addis for a longer period of time, possibly with Beza’s outreach to the AIDS community on Entoto Mountain.

Initially, this trip was to be focused on helping Beza with this outreach, and that was why Rachel and I decided to go. The trip has since changed focus: our team will be working on a variety of projects with Beza. However, our reasons for going have changed as well. Rachel and I have begun discussing living in Ethiopia for a period of time (we don’t know how long that would be yet), and we wanted to have some experience there before we make a decision. (Please read update on these plans.)

I’ll be honest, the decision to go on this trip wasn’t an easy one. Rachel has a heart for people suffering with AIDS, and when we found out the trip had changed focus, we considered not joining. We’re also a bit concerned about raising the $4,600 that the trip will cost. I have already asked a lot of friends and relatives to help support us during my time here at NCC, which means finding other ways to raise money and other people to support us on this trip.

To that end, I’ve created this website to help us raise the money, and I need your help to make it work (if you’re reading this on the front page of my blog or on Facebook, read it here instead). There are several ways you can support our trip, most of them free.

• Spread the Word – The more people that know about this site, the more revenue we can generate from it. Please, share this site with your friends. Post it on Facebook, Twitter about it, e-mail it to your friends, anything, everything. All of the money earned from this site between now and when we leave will go to helping us fund our trip. If we have any left over, it will be used to help other members of our team, to fund additional projects our team undertakes, or simply given to Beza.
• Follow Me on Twitter – I’m hoping to use Magpie and Twittad to earn some money to put towards our trip. Again, all of the money I earn between now and then will go toward our trip.
• Donate – Here’s the one that does cost something, but it doesn’t cost much. We’re asking everyone to donate $5. You’re obviously welcome to give more, but all we’re asking for is five bucks (more info in the sidebar). If all of my Facebook friends and Twitter followers donate $5, we would have around $2000.