Nicaraguan Refugees Mission Trip TX

If my family had a motto in modern English, it would be "We're Cartee’s. We DO things."

This year, the "thing" I will do is ask complete strangers, and some not so complete strangers, to assist in funding an international mission trip to Nicaragua. 

WHO AM I? – My name is James Cartee, and I seek to make a difference with a mission to be a messenger on the go for Christ Jesus, our Lord. I work for a nonprofit mission in my daily livelihood, and in addition to my day job, with time off for vacation, rather than party my life away with spring break or Mardi Gras, I seek to change the lives of those in need.   

WHY CARE? – Many are not able to go because of life responsibilities. With the flexibility of my own schedule, I am asking and hoping that you will partner with me to make this service dream a reality!

For this short mission project during the first two weeks of August, I will be serving with Hope Missions (http://www.hopemissiontrips. com/) in Los Cedros, about forty-five minutes from Managua. While I will more than likely lead efforts in the children’s ministries, other areas of focus will include Evangelism, Children's Ministry, Discipleship Classes, Medical Clinics, Outreach Events, and Home Construction.  Future plans are to continue strengthening local churches in Los Cedros and expand the Gospel to nearby communities. Los Cedros is known as a surfer community for the tourists and is home to some well-organized orphanages, including Children of Destiny (http://www.codn.org/), where I hope to spend some of my own additional time with the orphans there.

Pastor Shawn Doss, Executive Director and founder of Hope Missions, has asked me to lead the children’s ministry with the boys in the local neighborhoods we will impact. With my ability to write and photograph, Shawn has also asked me to catalog the trip in a digital journal capacity, an endeavor no volunteer before me has yet attempted to do so for marketing and testimonial reasons.     

The nature of this GoFundMe account is to request fundraising mission support with my trip described before you. This past year I have learned a great deal about nonprofit development, working as an event planner to raise money for cancer awareness, advocacy, patient services, and research - thinking of new ways to fundraise other than your typical means. My recent book tours, fundraisers, support letters, and now this GoFundMe account present a joint effort to make my goal of support a reality to take a trip and change the lives of the children I will encounter.

More Information About Nicaragua and the Need:

Nicaragua... officially the Republic of Nicaragua... is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest nation in Central America, and contains regions of thick rain forests, rugged highlands, and fertile farming areas. About half of Nicaragua’s territory consists of the eastern lowlands, known as the Mosquito Coast, which extend 40 miles inland from the Caribbean. Tropical rain forest covers much of the area, threaded with rivers that begin in the highlands and empty into the Caribbean. War and natural disasters, including earthquakes and hurricanes, have wreaked havoc on the area. Hopelessness abounds, as Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Half of the country’s urban residents live below the poverty line, with an overwhelmingly higher rate in rural areas. An estimated 82% of the population survives on less than $2 a day. Children are especially hurting, due to the lack of two-parent families. Adolescent pregnancy rates are excessive and it’s not uncommon for a Nicaragua homes to have a woman as head of household. To escape the brutal conditions and lack of unemployment in their homeland, a staggering number of Nicaraguans have been forced to emigrate to nearby Costa Rica or the United States.