Missions Trip to Tobago

God has been incredibly amazing to me over the past few years, and I'd like to take a moment to tell you a little bit about it.

I grew up in a normal Christian home and enjoyed going to Sunday school as well as almost anything that had to do with Jesus. When I was in Junior High, I tried more and more to fit in with the "cool" kids at school. Instead of trying to lead my friends to God, I was straying away from Him. I started living for myself, which ultimately meant living less for God, or not for Him at all. By the time I entered High School, I really wanted nothing to do with Him. My sophomore summer, I started going to parties and doing anything and everything, if it meant having a good time. My senior year, I moved out to North Carolina to try to straighten up my life. Living in North Carolina only led to more substance abuse and left me feeling more lonely and empty than before.

After I graduated from High School, I moved back to Iowa where I worked multiple dead-end jobs and didn't really have a clue where my life was headed. Four years ago, I started working at a Pilot truck stop, where I met an amazing girl named Cayla, who worked there while she was taking classes at Muscatine Community College. We became very good friends and eventually started dating. I felt like I finally had a reason to stop living the way I was and get my life back on track. As I was recovering from these addictions, I started praying and building a relationship with God again. Although I still struggled with my issues for a while, I believe God used Cayla to help me overcome them. In October, of last year, I started attending a church in North Liberty called LIFEchurch. This is where I fell in love with Jesus again. Through LIFEchurch I was given the opportunity to become a part of a campus ministry group, which they support, at the University of Iowa, called Chi Alpha. Through Chi Alpha, I have met many amazing people and have been given several opportunities to further my relationship with God. For example, I was able to attend a Fall Retreat that impacted my life greatly. I look forward to attending the Winter Retreat in January.

This spring, I will join Chi Alpha on a missions trip to Tobago and I would like to have your support. The trip in entirety will cost $1,800, and I'd like to ask you to consider giving to help me finance the trip. During the trip my team will focus on door to door evangelism and prayer for the people of Tobago. In addition to financial support, I'd like to ask for your prayers. Although we will be aided by the fact that Tobago is an English speaking country, it will be a challenging environment nonetheless. With that being said, prayers for open hearts would be much appreciated. If you would like to financially support me on my missions trip, you can send a payment directly on this website or checks can be made out to "Chi Alpha University of Iowa" with "Joel Ketelsen Missions" in the memo line for a tax deductible donation. Checks can be mailed to 220 Lafayette Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to discuss anything else about the trip. I want to thank you for considering supporting me.