Supporting the Call....

Friends and Family, This isn't going to be my usual blog post, nor is it a typical support letter. In today's media-crazed age I thought that writing a note this way might yield some bigger results. As some of you may or may not know I am going on a mission trip shortly after I graduate this May. It has been a passion of mine for quite some time to work in missions, and last summer I was given that opportunity for the first time. I spent 8 days in Jamaica with a bunch of middle school kids, helping with some last minute construction and a Vacation Bible School. It not only changed my life but also created a new desire in my heart to continue serving across the globe. This May I will be going to Ethiopia to serve for two weeks! I am so blessed to have this opportunity and I truly feel a call to step out of my comfort zone and do something big for the Kingdom. I have been passionate about Ethiopia and Africa for quite some time, so when the opportunity presented itself I couldn't ignore it. In the words of my dear friend Anna I can literally feel African drums beating in my heart. I have no idea what God has in store for me there, but I do know that I will be broken, uplifted, shaped, moved, awestruck, and mesmerized by the Creator for the entire two weeks that I am there. I am taking this trip with Southland Christian Church here in Lexington. It will be myself (the youngest) and 3 other men. We will be spending the entire two weeks helping to build a home for a family of missionaries, working right alongside Ethiopian men and women, getting to know them, getting to know each other, and getting to know ourselves. I can't tell you how excited I am for this trip! So excited that I couldn't wait to share it with all of you! I am striving to live my life much more like Abraham, in the sense that when Christ says Go! I go without question. Every morning since I made the decision to go on this trip, I wake up with the lyrics from a popular praise song resonating through my heart/soul/mind: "Where you go I'll go, where you stay I'll stay, Where you move, I'll move... I will follow YOU!" I have prayed and prayed for guidance and wisdom and answered prayers for as long as I can remember. God has finally made me realize that I just need to listen, I just need to listen to what He is asking and answer the Call. SO that is what this trip is all about... What I am asking from you is your support. Prayer is such a powerful tool and I have seen it work in amazing ways. I am asking all of you to pray for me, pray for our team and pray for the people of Ethiopia. I am praying for strength, good health, amazing acts of God, to be completely broken, to be completely made whole, to find answers to the questions I have, and to be changed into more of the man that God wants me to be. I ask that you pray all of these things with me. It's going to be a long two weeks, and it will be hard physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, but I know that I need it, I know that God is going to provide such amazing moments that it will be a life-changing trip just like Jamaica was, but in a completely different way. Here's the part I'm not good at... the money part. I don't like asking for money, and I know God will provide the money so I'm not going to specifically ask anyone to send support. I will give you an idea what it's going to take for me to go though. I have to raise $2900 in order to be able to go. That includes, food, airfare, and shots. Next Monday I am going to be getting a LOT of shots, anywhere from $350 to $500 dollars worth. I have to get everything, Typhoid, Yellowfever, Malaria, Hep A & B, Tetanus, the whole nine yards. The rest of the money I have to turn in by the day we leave, which is May 13th. I realize that this is very soon, and I apologize for the late notice. Deciding to take a mission trip immediately after graduating from college was definitely a challenge. It has left me very little time to fully commit to raising support because of my schoolwork. If you feel led to help financially, send me a message or send your support to the address listed below. You can also donate by clicking the Donate! button on my blog, through paypal. I am hoping to send out a physical letter, but this is the best way to reach the masses. What I really want you to do is pray for me, that is the number one thing I need. Thank you all for you love and support, I will continue to post notes and blogs leading up to the trip, during, and after I get back to let you all know what amazing things God does while we are in Ethiopia. Grace and Peace, Brad Brad Robertson 1200 Unity Drive Lexington, KY 40504