Hello! :) I am currently a graduate student at Biola University getting my Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology. I will be graduating in May of 2019. I’d like to share about a great opportunity that I believe God is leading me to – an opportunity to serve children in Uganda with severe special needs on a short-term speech therapy mission trip this summer.

Uganda is considered the “Pearl of Africa” and is home to 40 million people. Nearly 75% of the population lives on less than $3 a day. Uganda has an extremely young population, with 65% under the age of 30. Today, over 19% of Uganda’s population is living with a disability. 1 in 7 children in Uganda are living with a disability and many of them have never received services.

Myself and 11 others from my cohort, along with our professor will be traveling to Uganda on August 11-25 to provide speech and language therapy alongside an organization called Hope Speaks. Their mission is to bring hope and raise voices for children with disabilities through speech therapy, advocacy, and education to see families and communities empowered to defend the rights of children with disabilities. For more information, check out their website at joinhopespeaks.org.

I am looking forward to be a part of this team because I get to combine my passion for speech therapy with my heart for missionary work! I aspire to be a bilingual speech-language pathologist who is a light to others through Christ’s work in me. I want to show God’s love by serving and giving back to those who have lost the ability to communicate and that despite their communicative flaws, they are still LOVED. I am a firm believer that my patients will be able to experience God’s love through the skills He has blessed me with and the path He has opened for me with my career.

As I prepare for the trip, I need your prayers for safety and for God to work through me. I also want to humbly ask you to consider supporting me financially. The cost of the trip is roughly $3,000 (includes airfare, accommodations, airport pickup & drop-off, transportation, ministry activities, a cultural day, meals, place to stay, health insurance there, and administrative expenses). Any financial support would be greatly appreciated.

Please prayerfully consider how you would be willing to support me during this trip. All donations are tax-deductible and if you would like other ways to contribute financially, message me and I will let you know! Thank you for partnering with me and supporting me as I prepare for this adventure! I look forward to letting you know how the trip impacted my life when I return.