Missionary Teaching in Belize
Donation protected
Hi friends!
As some of you already know, I will be spending next year living in community and teaching language arts at a mission school run by the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT) in Benque del Viejo, Belize (http://www.solt.net/benque-viejo-belize/, https://www.jpiibelize.org/). Belize is a small country where liberal arts education is uncommon, so I have the humbling privilege of making possible for Belizean students the kind of education which has been so central to my own intellectual and spiritual growth.
This year I’ve finally been Catholic as long as I was not Catholic, and I see the last eleven years as a journey towards ever more clearly seeing and more fully rejoicing in the generosity of God. I’ve been meditating on Isaiah 49 recently, and thinking about what it means to conceive of one’s life as being characterized from its beginning by a call to service of God. I have come to see that, challenging as it is, the only adequate response to the deliverance that has been wrought in my life by the Cross and Resurrection of Christ is a gift of all that I have. (To be clear, I think anyone can make this kind of gift, regardless of their career or vocational situation--one need not be a missionary in the strict sense of the term to live a life wholly oriented towards the Gospel.)
That being said, the Lord has really spoiled me with physical and mental health, financial and vocational freedom, and a truly excellent education. I have come to see the freedom I have right now as an opportunity to give of myself in a particular way through missions work and to learn better how to love God’s people.
First: whether or not you can give money, please pray for me. Pray for my health and safety and pray that my teaching may be honest and charitable so as to inspire these students to live their lives for God and His truth. Most of all, though, pray that my motives will be continually purified so that I can simply fix my eyes upon Jesus and take delight in doing His will.
The school provides for my living expenses, so the amount of financial support I need for this year to be possible is very minimal for a year of missions work. Essentially, I need to cover the cost of two round-trip plane tickets from Nebraska to Belize ($600-$800 each), my visa costs (~$400), and travel insurance (TBD--I will cover this myself). I will be working over the summer before I leave and all the money I make that doesn’t go to my summer living/grad school app expenses will go into this fund, but I do anticipate needing to fundraise to cover many of these expenses.
(If I raise more money than I end up needing--for instance, if I’m able to find plane tickets more cheaply than I anticipate or if the insurance for whatever reason ends up being cheaper than the quote--the remainder will go to the scholarship fund at the John Paul II Junior College to make a liberal arts education possible for those who would not otherwise have the financial means.)
I know many of you are students and soon-to-be grads, dealing with student loans, uncertain incomes, and possible unemployment. Still, if each of my Facebook friends gave $5, the money would be more than raised, and I would be so grateful for that support.
Thank you so much! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
As some of you already know, I will be spending next year living in community and teaching language arts at a mission school run by the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT) in Benque del Viejo, Belize (http://www.solt.net/benque-viejo-belize/, https://www.jpiibelize.org/). Belize is a small country where liberal arts education is uncommon, so I have the humbling privilege of making possible for Belizean students the kind of education which has been so central to my own intellectual and spiritual growth.
This year I’ve finally been Catholic as long as I was not Catholic, and I see the last eleven years as a journey towards ever more clearly seeing and more fully rejoicing in the generosity of God. I’ve been meditating on Isaiah 49 recently, and thinking about what it means to conceive of one’s life as being characterized from its beginning by a call to service of God. I have come to see that, challenging as it is, the only adequate response to the deliverance that has been wrought in my life by the Cross and Resurrection of Christ is a gift of all that I have. (To be clear, I think anyone can make this kind of gift, regardless of their career or vocational situation--one need not be a missionary in the strict sense of the term to live a life wholly oriented towards the Gospel.)
That being said, the Lord has really spoiled me with physical and mental health, financial and vocational freedom, and a truly excellent education. I have come to see the freedom I have right now as an opportunity to give of myself in a particular way through missions work and to learn better how to love God’s people.
First: whether or not you can give money, please pray for me. Pray for my health and safety and pray that my teaching may be honest and charitable so as to inspire these students to live their lives for God and His truth. Most of all, though, pray that my motives will be continually purified so that I can simply fix my eyes upon Jesus and take delight in doing His will.
The school provides for my living expenses, so the amount of financial support I need for this year to be possible is very minimal for a year of missions work. Essentially, I need to cover the cost of two round-trip plane tickets from Nebraska to Belize ($600-$800 each), my visa costs (~$400), and travel insurance (TBD--I will cover this myself). I will be working over the summer before I leave and all the money I make that doesn’t go to my summer living/grad school app expenses will go into this fund, but I do anticipate needing to fundraise to cover many of these expenses.
(If I raise more money than I end up needing--for instance, if I’m able to find plane tickets more cheaply than I anticipate or if the insurance for whatever reason ends up being cheaper than the quote--the remainder will go to the scholarship fund at the John Paul II Junior College to make a liberal arts education possible for those who would not otherwise have the financial means.)
I know many of you are students and soon-to-be grads, dealing with student loans, uncertain incomes, and possible unemployment. Still, if each of my Facebook friends gave $5, the money would be more than raised, and I would be so grateful for that support.
Thank you so much! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Organizer
Ellen Friesen
Organizer
Lincoln, NE