Casey & Emily's Mission Trip to Romania

In the Summer of 2014 my daughter Emily Brown and I will be traveling to Romania on our first ever mission trip. We will have the privilege of assisting the Bruski family in their effort there called Belief in Motion (www.beliefinmotion.org), a ministry devoted to helping the needy in the Roma (gypsy) villages around Sintelec, Romania. Our church has helped the Bruski's in their efforts for many years now and we consider their ministry to be a great example of what service to God should look like. They provide food packages to needy families and widows, distribute school supplies, install water lines, build churches and housing, operate a home for orphaned children, and of course teach these people about Jesus. There is no job big or too small for them. They work tirelessly to demonstrate God's love to these people not just by their words but by putting their faith into action. I believe that here in the U.S., especially in the South, it is very easy to get too comfortable being a Christian. We are so blessed here that it is very easy to become cynical of those asking for help. Most of us have no idea how blessed we really are.
Emily and I have a chance to step outside of this materialistic culture on faith and experience the impact of helping those who have nothing. I expect it to be life changing, and every one of our church family who has returned has said that it was for them.
Our decision to go was not without hesitation. Emily has never flown in a plane before and I can't speak even a little Romanian, at least yet. In short we are both far from perfect missionaries but if it one thing that God is good at is using imperfect people to bring Him glory. That is His message throughout the Bible and He still does it today. So with that in mind, and serving Christ as our mission, we are stepping outside of our comfort zones.
The verse that Belief in Motion has always held up as the inspiration for what they do is James 1:27: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." It is a verse I will recite often as we count down the days.
We will likely have yard sales, car washes, and other events in the Spring to help up out with this trip. Thanks in advance for any amount you can donate here, even if it is only $5. Every little bit helps.