Hey all! My name is Kyra and this go fund me is a plea for financial support as I join with my church family on a mission trip to Romania.

For many years, a number of families from my church community have been making the journey to Lipova in Romania to support a church and children's home out there. It only took a few stories of what they are achieving and dealing with to push me into saying yes and immediately getting involved.

In general, this is our brief as I look to join them for a week in mid-August:

- Help with any jobs that need doing – working in the greenhouse, handling fruit/veg for preserving, cooking daily meals, cleaning, maintenance and the like.

- Support and encourage Moise, Nuti and the rest of the team who run the home and the church there.

- Take part in any church gatherings which are going on.

- Entertain the children in the children’s home with games, craft activities and outings and anything else we think could bring them joy!

For those of you who know me well, you will know that for all of my (short) adult life so far, I have been passionate about youth work and anything that benefits and supports the teenage generation! I think that being a teenager is hard, but when I heard about this church in Romania looking after those who have it tougher than most, my heart jumped at the opportunity to go and do whatever I could to help! I know that after my training with SWYM and my job with Acorn AP, I have a set of youth work skills that I can contribute to this community. Conversations about befriending young adults over there trying to understand neurodivergence is just one chat among many that has left me knowing that this is a place where I will have something to offer.

Working for a charity means that I unfortunately can't pull the money together fast enough to entirely fund myself to get over there. The flights are expensive and I will be making a donation to stay in their on-site accommodation. So, if you have a few pennies spare, and fancy helping an overly enthusiastic youth worker make her way to Romania, I would appreciate it more than words could say!

My prayer and hope is that God would direct me to serve as is needed in a place that relies so heavily on people being willing to give. It would super duper great if you could partner with me in that!