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Hi! Thank you for visiting my page! My name is Lily. I need your help to send me on my first mission trip. The destination is... Cambodia! This will not only be my first mission trip but my first international trip! I will be going with a group from Fielder Church in Arlington, Texas, my home church. The trip will take place on February 4 - 15, 2016. I am very excited to see what God has in store for me! :-)
The MISSION:
Fielder Church is partnering with a local NGO in Cambodia, Agape International Missions (AIM). AIM’s mission is to: (1) Rescue, restore and reintegrate survivors of sex trafficking through Christ’s love and Gospel; (2) Prevent sexual slavery by planting and equipping the Church to do the same in vulnerable and exploited communities worldwide. While in Cambodia, we will learn about the history of the Cambodian people and the work AIM has accomplished, attend church in the local community, and ministry work in the village.
Why this means so much to me?
For as long as I can remember (as early as Kindergarten), I have always been drawn to help those that had no voice and needed help. Whether it was someone that didn’t speak English and needed an interpreter, someone being bullied and had no one around to help them, or an elderly person needing assistance getting around. It didn’t matter to me if my help resulted in me being criticized, threatened, put down or associated with those that I helped. I felt that if I had helped that one person then that went above and beyond any unkind words or actions that came my way. I have a heart for the abused, the orphaned, the poor, the lonely, and the elderly. For those that know me personally, you may know me as a quiet and shy person but if the opportunity arises to act on someone’s behalf, I will step in and stand up for them with my voice.
I feel that God has been preparing me my whole life to serve for this kind of opportunity. Most of you do not know, but I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I know how it feels to not have a voice and from that, I have drawn my strength. I studied psychology and anthropology in college and then God placed me in jobs where I gained legal and victim assistance experience, specifically with immigrant survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. I feel that this is only the beginning to what God has now called me to do.
For many years now, I have felt an urging to help victims of sex trafficking in other countries but I had always put it off and didn’t know where to begin. Then, this mission trip was announced at church one day and I knew it was time to start. I couldn’t use excuses anymore like my faith is not strong enough for what I may encounter, I can’t afford it, or my kids are too young to leave them behind for days or weeks at a time (they are now 11 and 16). I know there will never be a perfect time in our eyes to pursue God’s calling on our lives but with the help of my husband, family, friends and God’s favor, anything can be possible.
How can you help?
I need your support through donations to make this trip possible. I also need your support by way of prayers... Prayers to give me strength when I feel like giving up or don’t feel ready for this opportunity. Prayers to help my husband and children manage while I am away. Prayers for God to fulfill every need we have to make this trip possible for me and my family. Prayers for a safe trip and for God to use our group in a mighty way.
How will the funds be used?
The funds will be paid out to my church to pay for airfare, lodging, transportation, food and insurance. They will also be used to pay for a visa entrance fee and medical costs in preparation for travelling outside the US for the first time.
I will provide updates throughout this fundraising process and the mission trip. Thank you for any help you can provide, either through prayers or donations. I really appreciate any type of assistance! May God bless you!
Scriptures that inspire me:
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Psalm 82:3
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
The MISSION:
Fielder Church is partnering with a local NGO in Cambodia, Agape International Missions (AIM). AIM’s mission is to: (1) Rescue, restore and reintegrate survivors of sex trafficking through Christ’s love and Gospel; (2) Prevent sexual slavery by planting and equipping the Church to do the same in vulnerable and exploited communities worldwide. While in Cambodia, we will learn about the history of the Cambodian people and the work AIM has accomplished, attend church in the local community, and ministry work in the village.
Why this means so much to me?
For as long as I can remember (as early as Kindergarten), I have always been drawn to help those that had no voice and needed help. Whether it was someone that didn’t speak English and needed an interpreter, someone being bullied and had no one around to help them, or an elderly person needing assistance getting around. It didn’t matter to me if my help resulted in me being criticized, threatened, put down or associated with those that I helped. I felt that if I had helped that one person then that went above and beyond any unkind words or actions that came my way. I have a heart for the abused, the orphaned, the poor, the lonely, and the elderly. For those that know me personally, you may know me as a quiet and shy person but if the opportunity arises to act on someone’s behalf, I will step in and stand up for them with my voice.
I feel that God has been preparing me my whole life to serve for this kind of opportunity. Most of you do not know, but I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I know how it feels to not have a voice and from that, I have drawn my strength. I studied psychology and anthropology in college and then God placed me in jobs where I gained legal and victim assistance experience, specifically with immigrant survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. I feel that this is only the beginning to what God has now called me to do.
For many years now, I have felt an urging to help victims of sex trafficking in other countries but I had always put it off and didn’t know where to begin. Then, this mission trip was announced at church one day and I knew it was time to start. I couldn’t use excuses anymore like my faith is not strong enough for what I may encounter, I can’t afford it, or my kids are too young to leave them behind for days or weeks at a time (they are now 11 and 16). I know there will never be a perfect time in our eyes to pursue God’s calling on our lives but with the help of my husband, family, friends and God’s favor, anything can be possible.
How can you help?
I need your support through donations to make this trip possible. I also need your support by way of prayers... Prayers to give me strength when I feel like giving up or don’t feel ready for this opportunity. Prayers to help my husband and children manage while I am away. Prayers for God to fulfill every need we have to make this trip possible for me and my family. Prayers for a safe trip and for God to use our group in a mighty way.
How will the funds be used?
The funds will be paid out to my church to pay for airfare, lodging, transportation, food and insurance. They will also be used to pay for a visa entrance fee and medical costs in preparation for travelling outside the US for the first time.
I will provide updates throughout this fundraising process and the mission trip. Thank you for any help you can provide, either through prayers or donations. I really appreciate any type of assistance! May God bless you!
Scriptures that inspire me:
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Psalm 82:3
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.