Ecuador Summer Mission Immersion

Hello!

As you may know, I attend Franciscan University of Steubenville. For many years Franciscan University has reached out in service to the people of Ecuador through an annual spring break mission. We have gained the respect of the Ecuadorian people by ministering to those who experience a lack of proper medical treatment as well as spiritual poverty. But these beautiful souls are in need of so much more than we can give them in one week. With your help, we hope to one day have a constant presence of service in Ecuador.

This summer is the first step towards that goal; it is the launch of the University's Ecuador Summer Immersion Program. I have been blessed to have been given an opportunity and a calling to take part in this program this summer. This six-week program will take a group of twenty Franciscan students and immerse them in the Spanish language and culture of Quito, Ecuador. Part Spanish language immersion and part mission, our mornings will be spent studying and our afternoons will be spent in service to the people of Ecuador.

While in Ecuador we will be involved in three main ministries. Students from our group will be placed at either a hospital, a special needs school, or the local parish. Through each of these ministries we hope to minister to both the body and soul of everyone that we meet. Because all of us have been intensely studying the Spanish language, we will be able to truly connect with the people we are serving. In doing so, we hope to not only better understand and meet their physical and emotional needs, but we also hope to teach them how to love with a self-giving love. By vibrantly living the joy of our Christian faith and passionately sharing it with the people, we pray that we may impact their lives forever. And of course, as is the case with missions, we know that we will be forever impacted by this experience as well.

We have been preparing this mission all semester, and as the date of departure rapidly draws nearer we find ourselves becoming more and more excited! As a mission team, we have been preparing socially by coming together as a team, spiritually by reading Pope Francis' papal exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, and practically by studying the culture. We also need to prepare financially; each student must raise $5,500 in to make such an experience possible. I would like to invite you to consider joining us in serving the people of Ecuador by supporting our mission.

Would you be so generous as to sponsor me on the opportunity of a lifetime? Your prayers as well as a donation of any amount would mean the world to me. I simply would not be able to take part in such a trip without the support of my friends and family like you.

Your gift will have an immediate impact by helping me to arrive in Ecuador and minister to those in need. You will hear and see some results right away through photos and stories. In fact, by donating through GoFundMe, you can choose to receive blog posts that I will update regularly while I am in Ecuador. But, the real fruit of your gift will mature over many years in the hearts of those in Ecuador and in the hearts of the students participating in this mission. Lives will be not just touched but changed"”for the message we bring is the Gospel of Christ.

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. Please know that I, as well as the whole Ecuador mission team, shall indeed pray for you on this trip. During our travels we will specifically intercede for our benefactors and friends at our daily prayer time. Whether or not you can support me financially, I ask that you please pray for the success of the mission, as prayer provides grace for those on the mission team, the people they reach, and the mission benefactors.

Thank you for your kind consideration of this request, and thank you most of all for your prayers and support!

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share!

In Service of Christ Our King,

Andrew Koehler