My daughter Brooke (13 y.o.) and I, will be heading to Chinle AZ this summer to the Navajo Reservation. We have talked intermittently about this trip at this point… what is going to be like, what the people will be like, and more commonly what we anticipate our value might be for them. How can we help, how can we demonstrate the love of Christ, how can we be certain we are safe in this environment… all of the questions that should surround us on a first missions trip to this area.
I had my daughter write something to begin this process of requesting financial support for our trip… this is what she came up with:
I’ve always wanted to travel around the country, but I’ve never had an opportunity like this one. Courtesy of Northpoint Church Transit service line, the seventh-grade students attending Transit (the environment for Middle Schoolers) were presented with several different service trip opportunities. They offered domestic as well as international trips to a variety of third world countries for students and their parents. My father and I, after discussing the trips, decided we would love to serve at the Navajo reservation in Arizona. I feel that helping serve people that are less privileged than me will be a great experience. I am excited to be able to focus on the needs of others. It will open my eyes to the reality of poverty that exists not just in other countries, but also within the United States, the place we call our home! There are people, like us, that are living in much poorer situations with little money to feed their families and take care of their basic needs. Their home is a desolate, barren reservation and their houses are owned by the government. Many of them do not know the Lord and cannot attend church. Preparing for this trip has already made me more aware of every privilege I have that the Navajo do not. Things that many of us take for granted every day. Because of this, I am honored to be able to travel to the Navajo reservation this summer and work with the Navajo people to improve their homes and strengthen their faith.
To make this mission trip possible, my dad and I have over $4,000 dollars to raise before July. I am asking that you help us reach our goal by donating to our mission in any way you can. If you can help financially please click the link or go to our mission page at https://tsl.servicereef.com/events/transit-north-point-ministries/transit-arizona-1/participants/drericcrossfit. If you cannot help financially I would love for you to pray for us and our impact on the Navajo people during the week of July 9th. We will keep you updated on our trip and how everything is going while we are there. I appreciate you taking time to read this, thank you in advance for your support!!
-Brooke
Brooke and I worked together to come up with a slogan for our trip, and after reading further into the life of a typical Native American deep in the reservation, we came away with the idea of Third World USA, and the more appropriate call to action… Hope in Our Home! It is with great anticipation that I ask you to give me the opportunity to speak truth, whether it be health or the hope of salvation, I will speak truth!
Thanks again for reading, please help us out! Thank you in advance!
Be well and Be blessed – Dr. E