Support Ana's Mission Trips to Uganda and Romania

Hi, for those who don't know me, my name is Ana and since I was a little girl I have wanted to be a missionary. This dream began to come true for me 3 years ago when I was first given the opportunity to travel to Uganda, Africa for mission work. While in Uganda I worked with the missions team in schools all across the nation, from those more privileged to those in one of the worst slums in Kampala, the capitol. That trip changed my life and only strengthened the call I believe God has placed on my heart to go to the mission field. I have been to Uganda 3 times now and the work the Lord is doing over there is so inspiring to watch and is such an honor to be a part of.

Over the course of these three years doing ministry I have helped with organizations that aspire to get young women an education to remove them from an environment steeped in child prostitution, as well as given time and effort into their lives and children in the surrounding schools. The Lord has used me to share my testimony and share His word to multiple groups, including an all-girls school of over 900 women. It goes without saying that I cannot imagine the horrors these girls have been through and yet when I share the parts of my story that they relate to, and tell them that Jesus does not see them as unclean but He washes us white as snow and calls us pure; watching the transformation take place on their faces is a breathtaking experience.

Spending time with the children is also something I hold very dear to my heart. Thought these kids have been neglected and abused more often than not, they are some of the most joyful children I have ever met. They simply want to spend time with you and learn about Jesus. Their joy is so contagious that I can't help but carry it with me long after I've come home to the States. I have also made so many friends who have become like family to me in Uganda and cannot imagine my life without them.

On my most recent trip to Uganda last summer, I had a moment of revelation from the Holy Spirit. As I was playing with the children in a tickle fight and we were all laughing at the top of our lungs, I felt this peace and a voice in my spirit tell me that this is what I was made for. In that moment, I knew I was the most joyful I had ever been and I could do this for the rest of my life. My call to the mission field had been confirmed.

Fast forward to present day where I am getting ready to graduate high school and rather than taking the typical American path to college, for right now I have decided to run with this calling God has placed upon my heart. So, this summer I will being going on two missions trips. One to Uganda, for the fourth time in June, and to Romania in July. I am traveling to Uganda once again through my school's mission's organization and to Romania through my church.

The Uganda trip will include many of the same serving opportunities the previous trips have held while the Romania trip will focus mainly on visiting and working at the orphanage of Casa Emanuel, (which my church is the main sponsor of.) While Uganda will always have a part of my heart, for the moment I do not feel as if the Lord has tied my calling to one specific nation. And so, when our missions organizer at the church asked if I would go to Romania with them this summer even though I had plans to go back to Uganda, I said yes.

My prayer for both of these trips is that lives will be changed and the Gospel will make its home in the hearts of kids and adults alike. The harvest is ready. I have to go. I will be part of the Great Commission. I will go until the Lord says no. Here I am Lord, send me. I won't stop until the whole world knows the power of your blood to save the lost and set captives free.

Thank you so much for taking time to read just a small portion of my story. I would appreciate so much any gift you have to offer that the Lord lays upon your heart. Even if you can't give personally, please share this gofundme with your friends, and most of all please be praying for me, the teams I will be traveling with, and the hearts of those we are going to reach. Prayer is the most powerful gift, and I am so thankful for each and every one of you who choose to intercede. Have a blessed day!

Love, Ana

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." -Mattew 28:19