by Frank Pass
Over the last few days you have heard a lot about VO, our 10th birthday and supporting our ministry. You might have some questions like… “Why spend all the money to send teams overseas? Why not just send the money instead?” or “Why does VO need my support? Don't people pay for their trips?”
The truth is that while team members do raise funds for their trips, our ministry needs more than just trip fees to survive because our ministry is so much more than just sending teams. Here are 3 things you may not have thought about in regards to VO and why we would humbly ask you to consider supporting this ministry.
Going on a trip allows our team members to advocate for those they visit in a way that they could never do if they stayed home.
In Rwanda there are now 4 sponsorship programs, providing education, nutrition and hope where none existed before because VO team members went, saw the need and came home and told the story. In Haiti over 100 children now go to school because VO team members went and heard how this community lacked proper educational opportunities. In Uganda VO team members walked for hours with children to get water for their families and were heartbroken to see that the water they collected was dirty. Because they came home and shared the story, these communities now have wells. These stories are repeated over and over in all of the countries we visit.
We don't go just to see, we go to serve and more than that we go to walk alongside those we visit. When we experience life as they do, even for a short time, we are better able to come home and share those stories because they become our stories and people respond when we tell our stories.
Everyone knows VO works with children but we also bring encouragement and support to the teachers, workers and staff who serve those children every day.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Out of the Ashes works with families who live in and around the city dump. Our recent team put on VBS for the kids here but we also took the staff to lunch, prayed for them, encouraged them and honored them. Donnie Manis, the leader of that team told us that you could see the difference that made in the faces of the staff.
Just yesterday we received this note from one of our partners in Rwanda, “The results of Visiting Orphans are in my hands!! How could I have met these precious ones if Visiting Orphans had not come? Thank you so much for ushering me to my calling!! I value this!!”
VO comes along side ministries and workers who are serving these children before we come and they are there after our teams go home. These are ministries that we have long-standing relationships with and the trips we send take place in the context of these relationships. It allows us to know them better and serve them well and by serving them well our teams provide encouragement so that they can continue in the work God has called them to.
VO trips bring transformation to the places we go AND to those that we send.
We could tell you about Tara Clapper and the amazing work that No. 41 is doing in Rwanda with former orphans. We could tell you about Ryan and Kara Higgins and the sponsorship program they started for kids at Kimisagara orphanage. We could tell you about Katherine Rowe, Sid and Wendy Harper, Courtney Wolfe and countless others who are serving full time on the mission field. We could tell you about Emilee Owens, Lesley Neeley or Glenn and Daria Leland who all lead others on teams. We could tell you countless stories of those called to adopt and foster and those called to serve in their churches and communities. The stories are too many to list here but they all have one thing in common, all these people and many more went on a VO trip and were forever changed.
Mission trips are never about us. At VO we believe they are about God and His call for us to go. But when we are obedient and answer that call, something happens and we are changed too. We hear those stories everyday.
There are a lot of ministries who do amazing things and they are all worthy of your support. We believe the work God has called us to is pretty amazing too that is why we humbly ask for your support.
In Romans 10 it says that those who go have beautiful feet, we love that imagery, but it also says they cannot go if they are not sent. Would you consider a financial gift to Visiting Orphans that will help us continue to send teams around the world?
Donations can be made here... http://bit.ly/1TFW9my
Thank you in advance for your support.
The truth is that while team members do raise funds for their trips, our ministry needs more than just trip fees to survive because our ministry is so much more than just sending teams. Here are 3 things you may not have thought about in regards to VO and why we would humbly ask you to consider supporting this ministry.
Going on a trip allows our team members to advocate for those they visit in a way that they could never do if they stayed home.
In Rwanda there are now 4 sponsorship programs, providing education, nutrition and hope where none existed before because VO team members went, saw the need and came home and told the story. In Haiti over 100 children now go to school because VO team members went and heard how this community lacked proper educational opportunities. In Uganda VO team members walked for hours with children to get water for their families and were heartbroken to see that the water they collected was dirty. Because they came home and shared the story, these communities now have wells. These stories are repeated over and over in all of the countries we visit.
We don't go just to see, we go to serve and more than that we go to walk alongside those we visit. When we experience life as they do, even for a short time, we are better able to come home and share those stories because they become our stories and people respond when we tell our stories.
Everyone knows VO works with children but we also bring encouragement and support to the teachers, workers and staff who serve those children every day.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Out of the Ashes works with families who live in and around the city dump. Our recent team put on VBS for the kids here but we also took the staff to lunch, prayed for them, encouraged them and honored them. Donnie Manis, the leader of that team told us that you could see the difference that made in the faces of the staff.
Just yesterday we received this note from one of our partners in Rwanda, “The results of Visiting Orphans are in my hands!! How could I have met these precious ones if Visiting Orphans had not come? Thank you so much for ushering me to my calling!! I value this!!”
VO comes along side ministries and workers who are serving these children before we come and they are there after our teams go home. These are ministries that we have long-standing relationships with and the trips we send take place in the context of these relationships. It allows us to know them better and serve them well and by serving them well our teams provide encouragement so that they can continue in the work God has called them to.
VO trips bring transformation to the places we go AND to those that we send.
We could tell you about Tara Clapper and the amazing work that No. 41 is doing in Rwanda with former orphans. We could tell you about Ryan and Kara Higgins and the sponsorship program they started for kids at Kimisagara orphanage. We could tell you about Katherine Rowe, Sid and Wendy Harper, Courtney Wolfe and countless others who are serving full time on the mission field. We could tell you about Emilee Owens, Lesley Neeley or Glenn and Daria Leland who all lead others on teams. We could tell you countless stories of those called to adopt and foster and those called to serve in their churches and communities. The stories are too many to list here but they all have one thing in common, all these people and many more went on a VO trip and were forever changed.
Mission trips are never about us. At VO we believe they are about God and His call for us to go. But when we are obedient and answer that call, something happens and we are changed too. We hear those stories everyday.
There are a lot of ministries who do amazing things and they are all worthy of your support. We believe the work God has called us to is pretty amazing too that is why we humbly ask for your support.
In Romans 10 it says that those who go have beautiful feet, we love that imagery, but it also says they cannot go if they are not sent. Would you consider a financial gift to Visiting Orphans that will help us continue to send teams around the world?
Donations can be made here... http://bit.ly/1TFW9my
Thank you in advance for your support.
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