Preparations!

Two weeks from today, I'll be in Chicago heading to Rwanda. Even as I type that, it still doesn't feel real. God has been hammering me with lessons to learn and continuing to change me in ways that are painful. These have been some difficult past few days and I am totally feeling so many people praying and lifting me up to Him who gives peace beyond understanding. If you were one of the many praying for me, thank you. God is showing me the importance and the power of prayer this week. How fitting as I prepare to get a group of emails together that I can send prayer requests to while I'm in Rwanda.

Would you like to be part of this group? My intention is to send out daily prayer requests with a short description of what the agenda is for that day. If you would like to be part of this prayer group, please email me at alilly0830@yahoo.com from the email address you would like me to use.

I will be sending out these prayer requests while in Kigali at the guest house via my phone. Please know these will be quick, short snippets of what I intend the day to be like.

Thank you so much for your support, prayers and love! If you haven't already and are interested in financially supporting me, I am continuing fundraising and appreciate any support you can give.

In Him,
Amanda

Solace Ministries, Isaiah 40:1

I'd like to share with you a little bit about Solace Ministries, the organization Harvest is partnering with in Rwanda. Let me give you a glimpse into the life of a survivor 18 short years after genocide.

Solace Ministries was established in 1995 by Jean Gakwandi, as a way to comfort widows and orphans who had endured the great tragedies of the 1994 genocide in which over 1 million people were murdered.

Although support has been given to survivors, many thousands continue to struggle materially, physically and with trauma. They remain vulnerable not because they live in a poor country, but because they are disadvantaged from losing the support of a family.

Many widows and orphans are still searching for those in whom they can confide to share or to lay down a heavy memory they have. Widows need understanding, compassion and empowerment for their own socio-economic development. And finally, each one of them needs a family environment.

Solace Ministries deals with thousands of widows and orphans that survived the tragedy, who have struggled and are still struggling with various hardships including all PTSD and HIV/AIDS contracted through rape. This is in obedience to the call: Comfort, comfort my people (Isaiah 40:1).

God is calling me to this place and I praise Him for allowing me to serve in this way.

Bracelets for You and a Friend!

It's here! My next (and final) fundraising efforts! I'm so excited about this one. I've been working on it for awhile now and it includes your participation on my mission trip!

What you see are two Witness Friendship Bracelets. When you make a $20 donation to my mission trip, you will receive one of these and the other will be sent with me to Rwanda to be given out to orphans and widows.

What are the big tags attached? Those are business cards I had made up with a special salvation message of Bible verses in English on one side (of course with the US flag) and on the other side in the language of Rwanda - Kinyarwandan! These are temporarily attached to the bracelets and will be given with the bracelet gift. Each color represents a different Bible verse that leads you through what salvation is.

These gifts would be great for Christmas (only 136 days away!), birthdays, anniversaries, back to school, anything worth celebrating!

Fundraising has been going well and I feel right on track because of supporters like you! To date, I have raised $1,715! Only $1,085 to go. Thank you for your prayers as I continue to trust in the One sending me.

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10

Humbled

 

Below is the letter written to few friends and family. I am humbled by the amount of people asking to "send" me, wanting more of the details of my trip. Below I've outlined prayer requests and needs in order for me to go. Thank you for your love and support! My prayer is this: "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." 1 Colossians 1:9-10

Dear Friends and Family,

It is with delight I write and share with you my plans to travel to Kigali, Rwanda in October this year to serve with Harvest Community Church in the Village of Mugina.

Mugina was adopted by Harvest three years ago to work with the survivors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The genocide and war in the small nation of Rwanda resulted in over 1,000,000 brutal deaths in less than 100 days. Extreme poverty haunts these survivors who lost spouses, children, parents, siblings and all their possessions.

We’ll be serving alongside Solace Ministries who has been working with the Rwanda widows and orphans for 14 years. Solace Ministries was established as a way to comfort, encourage, train and educate the survivors while sharing the love of Christ by being His hands and feet.

As I plan my personal finances and time to allow me to participate in this trip, I realize that I need to ask for others to partner with me. I believe He is drawing more to join in this mission and I humbly extend an invitation for you to join me as well.

Prayer: We need many people to pray for the team. Pray that God would use me to speak truth in love.

Financial Support: In order to make this trip a reality, I need help to cover the $2,800 cost of the trip.

Please let me know if you’ll be able to partner with me in any way. If you would like to be part of this mission through your financial support, you can make a check payable to Eternal Benefits and send it directly to me. All contributions are tax deductible.

Amanda Duda   2425 W. Alvina Avenue  Milwaukee, WI 53221

I am excited to see all that God is doing and going to do in Rwanda!

In His Name,

Amanda