Hakuna matata. Send me to Tanzania!

When you think Mission Trip, if you're like me, you can't help but think, bunch of teenagers going for a week somewhere warm with their church group to escape the cold and throw some bricks and mortar in a hole and say you helped. Well that was me in 2005 in Nicaragua (pictured above). The construction was sloppy, the weather was warm, and I was a clueless teenager. But it opened my eyes to a life of service. There was a man there, our leader for the week, who had made a career out of living this life we got a tiny taste of. At the time, back home I had been preparing to start my life in university with dreams and goals far removed from a developing country. But the trip was happening and I went along for the ride. It was during this time that I realized how easily I could connect with children. It's odd how initial perceptions of an intimidating person differ with age. Never judge a book by its cover as they say; especially true now that it's bald, bearded and monstrous. Since the Nicaragua trip, I've volunteered at daycares, as a Big Brother, youth football camps, and in the special needs community.
Whether it's my stature or how I was raised or both, I've always felt a responsibility to help others. Although my football career sort of put everything else on hold, I still tried to get out and help in the community. Now that it's over, my natural transition seemed to be protecting people on the streets in a law enforcement capacity. The process is taking longer than anticipated so in the meantime I have been searching out opportunities to serve. A former football teammate of mine had gone on a trip to Kenya with an program called Adventure Learning Experiences in conjunction with a larger organization Me to We (We Day etc), who donates half of its profits to Free the Children. His stories of his trip, along with memories of mine, initiated this dedicated approach to getting over to Africa and make a difference in as many kids lives as possible. In April I will be flying to Tanzania, in which 70% of the population lives below the poverty line. For 3 weeks I will be teaching english, social studies, and various sciences to an elementary school. As I have never taught in a formal setting this is a challenge that I'm super excited to experience and learn from as I go! The language barrier is going to be fun to overcome, breaking it down with lots of pictures and actions. My swahili phrasebook is getting lots of use, nearly a month leading up to this! Out of the classroom, there'll be lots of sports and games (my specialty). And yes there will be construction. Since Nicaragua, I've had the opportunity to work for my father's construction company for years off and on. Currently I've been working full time doing carpentry and concrete forming. So this time I'm bringing a little more knowledge and a lot more skill to the building of a school expansion. 
One of the things that attracted me to this particular trip is the time committed to this village. I will be a part of their community for nearly a month, every day interacting, playing, teaching, learning and at night living among them. The connection to the people and progress we'll make with the building will be priceless.
That being said, getting over there does come with a price. I have $2300 left to pay and would be incredibly grateful if you could offer a hand in helping to get me there. The price includes flights, camping-type accomodations, food, building supplies, and classroom supplies. Hakuna matata!