Thank you so much for checking out the site and for your interest in learning more about this e3 Expedition to Amhara, Ethiopia!

Most importantly, we ask for you to keep all those involved in your prayers throughout this expedition. In addition to your prayers for meaningful impact and change in Ethiopia, we are thrilled to accept any donation you would like to make to the cause no matter how big or small. The truth is every little bit makes a big difference. Any monetary donation is tax deductible and goes to directly supporting the mission to cover food, flight, lodging and travel expenses in addition to costs for resources needed to reach out and impact local Ethiopians including the chickens we will be providing for families in great need.

For more information, to view a bit of media from previous trips and to stay updated on this upcoming expedition, please head over to https://e3iopiamissions.com. You can check out the media and read various blog posts from previous expeditions and can be sure that we will be updating the blog with more information and media during our upcoming trip as well.

On a personal note, I am working on my own blog and will share that with you all when it's ready! 

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Dear Friends and Family, 

As I reflect back on all that God has worked in my heart and life in 2017, I can’t help but be humbled and awed by His abundant love and grace! This past year has been both incredibly challenging and tremendously blessed and I’m so grateful that you were all a part of it. How fortunate I am to have such great friends and family and such a wonderful community of love and support!

As many of you may know, I was blessed with an incredible opportunity to travel to Ethiopia on a missions trip in April 2017. On that trip, we travelled through the Amhara Region and witnessed firsthand the many devastating and heartbreaking struggles and challenges of everyday life in the region. The majority of the eighteen million people living in Amhara suffer in severe poverty and desperation. Many rural families are taken advantage of in their desperation as traffickers in the area take children away from their families with empty promises of education and a future. In one village in particular, we listened to stories and wept with families whose children had been taken in this very way. It was absolutely overwhelming and heart shattering to witness the cruelty and mercilessness that can exist in this broken world. But, even in the midst of such heartbreak and unimaginable suffering, God provided reminders of His goodness and mercy as He performed true miracles and provided us with the opportunity to offer families hope in the midst of their despair.

I have to be completely honest and tell you that I had never really been able to fully comprehend how short-term missions trips could be effective or truly worthwhile. However, after being part of last April’s e3 expedition, I now couldn’t possibly feel stronger about the undeniable importance and worth of such short-term missions. The villages we visited were remote and rural and unless someone physically went to visit the people there and inform them of the truths of human trafficking, they would never know and children would continue to be torn from their families. Fortunately, because we shared the reality of what was happening with the people in those villages and pleaded with them to inform everyone they knew, families in those areas will no longer be tricked in to sending their children away.

Over the past few months I’ve felt and heard the call to return to Ethiopia for a second missions trip to reach more families and villages in the Amhara region. I intend to join a small team heading to the region from April 3rd-14th to compassionately bring truth, offer support, and serve the Ethiopian people.

On the trip, we will be addressing poverty in the region by offering chickens to each household we visit. The simple gift of these chickens and their ability to lay eggs offers long-term sustainability to families and also provides us with the opportunity to build personal relationships and to reveal the truth about human trafficking in the region. In addition, by working hand-in-hand with local Ethiopian partners, we have the opportunity to share the Gospel with people each day and leave behind new small groups and churches to share the love of God and hope of Jesus Christ.

Simply stated, I need your help. If you would like to join in the movement, aside from your much needed prayers, any financial donations and support is welcomed, needed and much appreciated. Just visit www.purecharity.com/miarouth2018 for more information or to donate to the fundraiser and be a part of making this trip happen in a very real and practical way. I know and trust that through God, our investment together will bring great impact and deliver much needed hope to the people of Ethiopia.

Sincerely,

Mia