Hi friends and family!    I am thrilled to announce that through my work as a Nurse at the not-for-profit Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, I have been presented with the opportunity to join a medical mission with “Venture to Heal Medical Mission.”  This nonprofit organization leads professionals on medical missions to third world countries, particularly destitute areas where locals have very little or no access to medical care. I have been a nurse for 17 years, practicing in the areas of Surgical Setting, Emergency, PACU (recovery room), and Medical Aesthetics.  All these areas will lend nicely to being able to contribute to those in need abroad.  This mission will be to Vietnam from ‪January 12-21, 2020‬ and I am very excited to be able to apply my medical skills to influence and make life-changing differences for those that are less fortunate.  Vietnam has recently made strides in raising their people out of an impoverished society, but there are still many people that do not have access to basic healthcare they can afford.  I have always been slightly “green-eyed” when hearing of others presented with the chance to do this amazing work with the identical skills I have learned, so I feel very fortunate to have been given this same opportunity now.  I am going to seize it and make the biggest impact I can…WITH YOUR HELP!  While I am paying for my own flights to/from Vietnam, my personal goal is to raise $3,500 to offset a portion of the costs necessary for my part in this mission. ·       The total cost of the medical mission is $2,500 per person.  This includes all transportation within Vietnam (from/to hotels and buses between villages and to clinic sites), modest hotel accommodations, security personnel, equipment rentals, costs for translators, medications & supplies, plus meals and bottled water.     Extra monetary donations that I am able to collect will be used to purchase medications in Vietnam, such as those for diabetes and hypertension.    There is also an opportunity for anyone that cannot contribute cash to donate various new/sealed items for the patients.  Each volunteer is expected to check in a second bag that contains 50 pounds worth of medical supplies/vitamins/medications.  Our medical mission is 100% dependent on the items that we bring and there is a high need for donations of vitamins (adult, prenatal, and children's), Tylenol, and Motrin. On the last day of the medical mission, we will be hosting a Kids' Day for the local children.  We will provide interactive education on hand and oral hygiene followed by games and arts & crafts to connect more fully with the kids.  We will be giving out school supplies to each child at the end of the day; thus, we will need school supplies, backpacks, coloring books, crayons, etc. and we will need to prioritize necessities over clothing, toys, etc.  I have already started a stash for this and will humbly accept those donations in person. I cannot tell you enough how truly grateful I am of your support with either (or both) a cash donation and/or medical/school supply contribution to help make this a successful mission for myself and those receiving care. Remember no donation is too small.  It all adds up and I would love to blow my goal totally out of the water, so please help me to get there… and then some!    Thank you all in advance for your help… I am very excited to embark on this venture to make a positive, if even just a little difference in Humanity.   You will be a part of making this good deed happen! Justin Stevens