Hope Equals - The Lowdown!

Hello again my dear friends!  If you haven't yet heard what I'm doing this summer or wanted to get a better scope for what I'm doing, this is the place!

So what is Hope Equals?  
Hope Equals is a group run by the Christian Reformed World Missions.
This is straight off their webpage:

"Hope Equals is a network of missions activists. We are North Americans supporting the reconciliation efforts of Israelis and Palestinians. We are about people. We foster hope. We strive for peace. The name Hope Equals conveys our goal of bringing hope to Israelis and Palestinians--a common hope. Hope Equals also suggests a dynamic process of discovery involving Christians, Muslims and Jews. The name Hope Equals is an incomplete statement and also an unanswered question."

What's the point in spending $6,000 and going to Israel and Palestine for 5 weeks?
Besides the fact that God laid this trip on my heart in a huge way, this link gives a good snapshot of what the trip will look like and where I will be.

In short: we will be experiencing life firsthand in Israel and Palestine, meeting with people who are actively working towards peace in this area, volunteering alongside them, and collecting experiences to bring back and share with y'all!

Personally, my main goal for this trip is to immerse myself in what is going on Israel and Palestine, to watch and learn about the conflict and issues there, as well as to discover more of how these issues are being and can be combated.  As a Christian, I believe in role of the Church as peace-bringers and I am so excited to see what that looks like in Israel and Palestine.  I am also excited to share with you what I've discovered when I get back!!

Check out this post for a little more of the "heart" side of things as to why I am doing this.

How can you support me?
First and foremost, I really need some prayer, people!  It honestly is the number one thing that I need!  A lot of things have been changing and shifting in my heart the last little while, leading up to this trip (more on that later).  I've had to make some pretty big decisions, but....

I am going to Israel in massive expectation that God is going to do some incredible things in my heart as well as in the hearts of those going with me.  I have seen Him moving throughout every step of this process and I know that this whole deal is a huge growth process for me.  That said, every time I see God make a move in my heart and life, I see Satan come back with distractions, illness, injury, discouragement, doubt and fear.  I know it's attack and I need you to stand with me and fight it!!

Please pray for:

• Increased faith
• Protection from spiritual attack
• Safety
• Energy and health
• Freedom from all distractions
• That God would reveal "what happens next" in His perfect timing

I am still fundraising and believing God to cover my financial needs completely, one way or another.  My conservative budget for the trip is about $6000 ($4000 base cost, plus about $1600 in flights, and $400 or so for additional things I will need to buy before leaving and while I am gone).

If this is one way that you are able to and would like to support me in, I would be so blessed by that!  Click on the picture below to enlarge it and read my profile card!  If you want one for your fridge or whatnot, please let me know!

Click to enlarge

To make a tax-receiptable, charitable donation towards my trip you can:
1) use your credit card over the phone with the CRWM Burlington, ON office by calling 1-800-730-3490
2) mail a cheque to 3475 Mainway, PO Box 5070 STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON, L7R 3Y8 (talk to me and I can give you a stamped envelope to mail your donation in!)
3) donate online (www.crwm.org/donate)

Donations can still be made up until the last minute and even after I leave!

When is it?
This is the most exciting part!  In 2 weeks!  I leave Victoria on the morning of Saturday, July 16th.  I end up in Chicago, where I will be connecting with the rest of the team and we will be doing some orientation there.  (Speaking of the rest of the team...there are 10 of us in total and I am the only Canadian, so let's hope that I represent Canada, the West Coast and my Canucks well :)

Anyways, we fly out of Chicago on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 19th.

For safety reasons, we don't have an itinerary of when and where we will be once we're over there, but we head home from Tel Aviv on August 19th and you'll see my face back in Nanaimo on the evening of August 21st.

That adds up to five flights to get there, four flights to get home, and 8 different airports.  And that's just getting there and back!  Not including all the buses and whatnot that we will be traveling around in on the ground while we are there!  Oh hello, blanket, book and iPod! :)

Alrighty, I think that's the basics.  I will be speaking at Christ Community Church on Sunday, July 10th at 10 am if you would like to be there!

Hit me up with any questions if you have them!  I'd love to chat more with you about it :)

And please PRAY for me!

Love you all!!  You're all rockstars and I am so glad you're in my life!
xo
K.