As many of you know, I graduated this year in hopes of having a gap year, free of distractions, to go about the Lord’s business in some way. God has answered that prayer and provided an amazing opportunity for one of my close friends, Israel Haley, and me to serve for six months overseas in Salt, Spain. As we have prepared, God has opened so many doors for us to walk through concerning housing, language tutoring, and support. We are so excited to go and see how God will work in our lives and how we will bless others.

Who will we be working with? We will be working with an American family of five who live in Salt. They are working with a sending organization called the Alliance. We will be functioning as members of his team, helping him with the outreach to the youth of Salt. Using sports as a common interest, we will build relationships with these people, hoping to plant seeds that God may work in their hearts and draw them to Himself.

Why Salt? Geographically, Spain sits just above northern Africa. This makes Spain one of the main destinations for refugees fleeing the conflict and poverty of central and northern Africa. As refugees arrive in southern Spain, they disperse, and many find themselves in Catalonia. Well over 30 percent of the residents of Salt are of foreign origin. Many are from Morocco and the surrounding countries.

When will we be leaving? We will be departing on September 1st for the first half of our six-month stay. We will be returning on December 21st for Christmas before the second half of our trip from January to early April.

What are our needs? Israel and I have never experienced a mission trip of this length before. So as we work through our weaknesses and the discomfort of living in a totally new way, we will need prayer. Pray that we will be able to live out Philippians 2. That we would be blameless and innocent in a crooked and twisted generation, and that we would be lights to the world. And that through our weakness God would make himself known. As with every mission trip, we also have some financial needs. We will both need an additional $ 5,000 to cover the expenses we have already raised, including rent, groceries, flights, and continued language lessons.

UPDATE: I've reached my original goal so I've updated it for a couple of reasons. 1) I'm expecting there will be additional travel costs. 2) I may purchase a bicycle that gets donated to the team in Salt after my time is over. Any funds left over at the end of the trip will be donated directly to the work that is happening in Salt.