Crossing off my To-Do List

As Spring Break comes to an end, it's time to actually do what I said I would do over break. Oops :)

I'm sending out my sponsorship letters today and creating a little presentation about my trip. I'll be setting up a table at my home church, Cooper Mountain Presbyterian Fellowship, and giving an announcement during service tomorrow about my trip! If you want to hear more about the trip (or see me before I go back to school!), come to CMPF's 10 am service tomorrow!

April is only a few days away which is insane! Spring term is starting up and May is around the corner. The team is planning on buying plane tickets during the first week of May...so hopefully money starts appearing out of thin air...or on the money tree I planted out back. But if you don't believe my money tree will work, you can always donate a few dollars for my trip under the "Support Now!" page! It's just to the right! Make sure you designate that it's for Emily! :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend (and maybe some sun if you aren't in Oregon)!

In Christ's peace and love,
Em

Where in the world is Belarus?

Thanks for asking!

Here's some info about Belarus and where exactly I'm going.

I'm headed to Brest, Belarus which is located in the southwest tip of Belarus on the border of Poland (in fact, we're flying into Poland and driving to Belarus!).

According to the CIA World Factbook (a great resource for you students out there!), despite gaining independence from the USSR in 1991, Belarus still has very close ties to Russia in terms of political and economic integration. In fact while Belarusian is an official language, the most common language in Belarus is Russian (also an official language). The conventional long name of Belarus is the "Republic of Belarus" despite having a dictatorship as the governmental system. Restraints on freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly, and religion are still in place.

Some other interesting facts thanks to the CIA World Factbook: 

• 80% of Belarusians identify as Eastern Orthodox and 20% of Belarusians identify as other (Muslim, Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish). 
• Belarus is just slightly smaller than Kentucky in area!
• Unfortunately, Belarus is "a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor." (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bo.html)

I'm going to Belarus??

Hello all! Welcome to my blog about my journey to Belarus. I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I sure did at first. So here's some explanation:

Just a heads-up: how this all happened is a bit nuts but really is a testimony to God and his great plans.

The summer before your junior year in college is the ideal time to study abroad. Being the planner I am, I had big plans to be work as a camp counselor in Europe for the entire summer. A great opportunity that would aid me in the future as I study to be a high school teacher. Everything was going smoothly according to my timeline. But it was my timeline and I was calling the shots. God had a different plan in mind. Those plans promptly fell through and I was left wondering what I would do. I knew I wanted to go abroad but wasn't really certain about anything.

God then presented me with this amazing opportunity: teaching English and the Gospel to college-aged Belarusians in Brest, Belarus. While I was uncertain for a time, God has made it abundantly clear that he wants me to use the gifts he has blessed me with to serve him in Belarus this summer.

So yes! I'm going to Belarus!! And I am beyond excited about it.

"How?" is probably the next question you have. I am a part of the CCF (Collegiate Christian Fellowship) community on the University of Oregon campus. CCF is a ministry of First Baptist of Eugene. CCF has a history of sending teams to Bolivia but this will be the first Belarus trip from CCF! Our team consists of seven college-aged disciples of Christ. We are all extremely excited about the opportunity. For most of us, this is our first major mission trip.

There is so much more to talk about and don't worry, I'll be blogging a lot! But right now, my efforts need to be focused on sponsorship letters! Eep!! Flights to Belarus don't run cheap!

Keep checking back here! In the meantime, please pray for the trip! Pray for the team as we raise funds and as we prepare to serve our glorious Lord! Yay!!

In Christ's peace and love,
Emily