Amy's Missions Trip to SE Asia
Donation protected
February 27, 2015
Dear friends and family,
Greetings to all, near and far :). It is much excitement and anticipation that I would like to share about my being a part of a brand new missions trip through Harmony Outreach this May 4-15, 2015, to Vietnam!
While Harmony Outreach has already established its work with vulnerable populations in China, Ethiopia, and Cambodia, it is an exciting time for the ministry as God has recently opened doors for them to work with training Vietnamese underground church pastors. John Bentley, the Executive Director and Founder of Harmony Outreach, has recently been in touch with one of the underground church leaders there, who stated that our missions trip would consist of service in drug rehabilitation centers, orphan care, and possibly some village outreach. For more about my heart and desire to see God’s work done in Vietnam this spring, please read on...
I first felt God’s calling on my heart to the missions field at age 8 after reading in my Bible from Matthew 28:19 when Jesus told His followers to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Looking back, I probably knew less than 1% of Jesus compared to what I know of Him now, however, these words convicted my heart as in Hebrews 4:12, where it says “the word of God is living and active…piercing to the division of soul and spirit” –I longed to serve Him on the missions field overseas and have made it my life goal since at that moment.
While my heart has sometimes wrestled with God in my journey with Him, I take comfort in knowing that God uses broken, imperfect, sinners to glorify His name. While an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, I struggled with God in deciding what to study, and finally found peace with Him in declaring my major in East Asian Studies. Through pursuing what He wanted me to do, and not my own will, I found a joy in serving Him that I might never have experienced if I chose my own route! It was there that I discovered more about Vietnam while learning about the history, society, and politics of East Asia. After graduating, I also grew tremendously in my understanding of global missions at Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) in Champaign, IL through annual conferences, retreats, events, and small groups after my undergraduate years. It was also at CFC that I gained a deeper understanding of myself, my relationship with God, and how we are called to live in relationship with others in the body of Christ to shine His light to those that do not know Him. In 2011, I moved to the Chicagoland area to receive my Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University Chicago a couple years later. It was during this time that I learned about Harmony Outreach through a mutual friend who also attended Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows; I was amazed by how aligned Harmony Outreach’s mission and goals were with my interests, education, and work experience and determined myself to work with them after graduating. Lord willing, I hope to participate in annual missions trips with them to the various areas they minister to Asia and Africa, to not only utilize the gifts of education He has given me, but also continue to raise awareness and prayer support regarding what the He is doing around the globe.
To participate with me in this mission, I invite you to pray with us that God will help our team to have good preparation, safety, spiritual growth, and that Harmony Outreach will materialize the absolute best plans possible to reach the people of Vietnam with the Gospel through our work with the underground church in May.
My goal is to raise all of the estimated cost of this mission that includes airfare, lodging, insurance, and some meals, at $2,600. To do so, I would like to raise at least $500 by March 15, 2015, and another $2,100 to pay the remaining expenses by April 4, 2015. If you would like to defray the costs of online giving, please do not hesitate to mail checks payable to Harmony Outreach, with my name in the memo line sent to 2110 Hassell Rd. #210, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169.
If you would like to learn more about what Harmony Outreach has been doing in Vietnam, you can visit their website at http://harmonyoutreach.org/vietnam/. Please also note, that since this is again a brand new missions trip that Harmony Outreach is putting together, current information about their work in Vietnam is geared towards individuals interested in training underground pastors, and that more details will be forthcoming.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us via this website with any questions or prayer requests you may have. Thank you so much in advance for your partnership in the Gospel!
Many blessings,
Amy
Dear friends and family,
Greetings to all, near and far :). It is much excitement and anticipation that I would like to share about my being a part of a brand new missions trip through Harmony Outreach this May 4-15, 2015, to Vietnam!
While Harmony Outreach has already established its work with vulnerable populations in China, Ethiopia, and Cambodia, it is an exciting time for the ministry as God has recently opened doors for them to work with training Vietnamese underground church pastors. John Bentley, the Executive Director and Founder of Harmony Outreach, has recently been in touch with one of the underground church leaders there, who stated that our missions trip would consist of service in drug rehabilitation centers, orphan care, and possibly some village outreach. For more about my heart and desire to see God’s work done in Vietnam this spring, please read on...
I first felt God’s calling on my heart to the missions field at age 8 after reading in my Bible from Matthew 28:19 when Jesus told His followers to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Looking back, I probably knew less than 1% of Jesus compared to what I know of Him now, however, these words convicted my heart as in Hebrews 4:12, where it says “the word of God is living and active…piercing to the division of soul and spirit” –I longed to serve Him on the missions field overseas and have made it my life goal since at that moment.
While my heart has sometimes wrestled with God in my journey with Him, I take comfort in knowing that God uses broken, imperfect, sinners to glorify His name. While an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, I struggled with God in deciding what to study, and finally found peace with Him in declaring my major in East Asian Studies. Through pursuing what He wanted me to do, and not my own will, I found a joy in serving Him that I might never have experienced if I chose my own route! It was there that I discovered more about Vietnam while learning about the history, society, and politics of East Asia. After graduating, I also grew tremendously in my understanding of global missions at Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) in Champaign, IL through annual conferences, retreats, events, and small groups after my undergraduate years. It was also at CFC that I gained a deeper understanding of myself, my relationship with God, and how we are called to live in relationship with others in the body of Christ to shine His light to those that do not know Him. In 2011, I moved to the Chicagoland area to receive my Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University Chicago a couple years later. It was during this time that I learned about Harmony Outreach through a mutual friend who also attended Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows; I was amazed by how aligned Harmony Outreach’s mission and goals were with my interests, education, and work experience and determined myself to work with them after graduating. Lord willing, I hope to participate in annual missions trips with them to the various areas they minister to Asia and Africa, to not only utilize the gifts of education He has given me, but also continue to raise awareness and prayer support regarding what the He is doing around the globe.
To participate with me in this mission, I invite you to pray with us that God will help our team to have good preparation, safety, spiritual growth, and that Harmony Outreach will materialize the absolute best plans possible to reach the people of Vietnam with the Gospel through our work with the underground church in May.
My goal is to raise all of the estimated cost of this mission that includes airfare, lodging, insurance, and some meals, at $2,600. To do so, I would like to raise at least $500 by March 15, 2015, and another $2,100 to pay the remaining expenses by April 4, 2015. If you would like to defray the costs of online giving, please do not hesitate to mail checks payable to Harmony Outreach, with my name in the memo line sent to 2110 Hassell Rd. #210, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169.
If you would like to learn more about what Harmony Outreach has been doing in Vietnam, you can visit their website at http://harmonyoutreach.org/vietnam/. Please also note, that since this is again a brand new missions trip that Harmony Outreach is putting together, current information about their work in Vietnam is geared towards individuals interested in training underground pastors, and that more details will be forthcoming.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us via this website with any questions or prayer requests you may have. Thank you so much in advance for your partnership in the Gospel!
Many blessings,
Amy
Organizer
Amy Chen
Organizer
Hoffman Estates, IL
