Support Letter-
Thanks to the support from family and friends like you, last year I had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to a small village called Hopkins, Belize. It was an amazing journey and experience that I will never forget.
To best explain why, I have included an excerpt from my journal 5 days after I got back.
Today I felt “home sick” for Belize. About 5 days from [leaving] Hopkins Village, I really miss them. When asked if I plan to return next year I say yes, but [simply] reply “because I liked it”. I’m afraid to [explain] that the kids are so loveable and easy to connect with or more that I don’t know what effect my befriending them has of any Kingdom work. Doubtfulness is bad, but is unavoidable. I feel bad not knowing what effect I had and then sad because I feel I let down my supporters. Yet inside knowing that the children down there connected to me and cried when they knew I was leaving, I know I did connect. And why did I get accepted on the trip and have a child come to life in emotions to cry in my arms if it wasn’t for God’s plan? Wouldn’t it be easier to schedule out some big services where we “ask everyone to say a prayer” and then leave a day later to “feel good about what we did”? What is that trip really for? Did we not show God’s love with a connection to the church? Did we not worship with them and lead Sunday school, do crafts and play games? We painted houses not [just] to get work done or stay busy, but to build relationships with the people who feel lost. Those racially segregated or because of physical disablements. We loved the worlds “unlovable” and abandoned the ideology of forcing America and its God on their native people. Do we know anything about them? We don’t know their culture in order to understand the effects and problems but instead we give our hearts and hands and souls to God and his work in serving His people. By our love we will see His loving heart. Yet whose love is it to give if all gifts are gifts of God?
I feel God calling me back to Belize. Last year He revealed gifts of serving in me. That is where I am most alive - experiencing different ways of living and channels to connect with God. June 19-30th, I am returning to Belize to join with other church members in Hopkins, Belize, as we reach out to their village, to participate in their daily prayer groups, and to serve the children and teens. We will again serve a family with three children who have Brittle Bone Disease, of whom are the nicest and most adorable children in the world. We will definitely be painting houses and doing service projects, and sharing our testimonies and minister individually as God leads us to serve.
We will need a lot of prayer support when we are down there. There are diseases and could get injured, I felt the prayers last year tremendously and they brought much peace and calming. I also desperately need your financial help! The Missions trip costs $1400.00, which is an incredibly large amount to an upcoming college student. God has created the faith in me that He will provide. Last year God miraculously provided exactly enough!
Whether it’s $5, $25, or even $100 gift, any size is greatly appreciated and very much needed. Your gifts are tax deductible if made Payable to “Church of the Open Door”. PLEASE MAKE SURE that TRAVIS JOHANSEN is written in the MEMO part of the check or it will not go towards my account. If you are going to partner with my finances (which is much needed), please note that I leave in just a few short weeks.
Thank you for your support and partnership!!!
