About four years ago, I met the Kneppers (Sr.) at a Christmas party. They were in town visiting their kids, Josh and Tami for the holidays. The Kneppers (Sr.) live in Tanzania where they run Hope of the Nations Bible College in a town called Kigoma. I remember being totally captivated by their stories and wishing I could go and see it for myself. I signed up for their monthly newsletter, poured over ever single blog post and photo that Tami shared during their trips there and put “visit Tanzania” near the top of my One Day list.
In the six years that I have been attending my church, they have sent countless teams to India. In the six years I have been attending, I have been asked countless times when I was planning on going to India. My answer has always been, “I want to go to Africa. Talk to me when they decide to send a team there.”
Well you guys, Westside is sending a team to Africa. And I’m going! And I need your support.
I have another post in the works detailing everything we’ll be doing while in Tanzania (including a safari!! and staying in a village with no electricity or running water), but for now here’s a quick overview. Our team’s primary mandate is to assist the Bible College students in running seminars for the youth leaders of this region. This will help prepare them for this year’s summer programs. Our outreach seminars will help fulfill a college requirement for these students. After the training seminars, we will take a boat to a remote village nine hours south on Lake Tanganyika. We will spend a week in the village, holding seminars and helping the Hope of the Nations Bible College students to train up new leaders. While in Kigoma, we will be lodging at the Hope of the Nations Bible College dormitory and will have the opportunity to help with minor repairs and maintenance as time and need allow.
(This is a bible study at Hope of the Nations in Kigoma)
(This is a Zebra)
As a short term missionary, I’d greatly appreciate your financial and prayer support.
Look, hitting people up for money is not something I relish doing. However, this is a dream that God has laid on my heart and I would like to extend the opportunity to you, dear internet, to be a part of it. Regardless of if you are able to give or not, please pray for me and the rest of the team. And follow along as I update here!
If you are able to support this mission trip financially, you can give online:
Go to www.churchonthewestside.com
Click “GIVE” (top right corner)
Set the Designation Fund to “Tanzania 2013 Summer Camp Team”
Enter “Sarah Miller” in the Note field
Tax receipts will be issued through Westside Church at the end of the year. My fundraising deadline is June 2nd, and the total cost for this trip is approximately $3800 per team member. This covers all costs for the activities I’ve mentioned above.
But seriously folks…
I would appreciate your prayer support and encouragement. A trip like this involves many logistical and personal challenges (like…camping on the beach with no electricity or flush toilets for five days) and I am going to need a lot of prayer. I want to travel with my heart and my plans aligned with God’s. Thank you so much for taking the time to consider supporting me and partnering with this missions project. I will be updating here as much as possible with photos and entries as we prepare for Africa and after I return. And thank you, friends for dropping by this little blog o’ mine and following along on all my adventures big or small. From the bottom of my heart, I love you guys.
I am and will be praying for you. Keep us posted on how the financials are going. You don’t need to apologize for asking for help to go. The workman is worthy of his wage. You are doing God’s work, and his people are the way he provides.
Love and blessings to you.