Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
- James 1:27
Over this upcoming break break, I have been given the opportunity to go on a mission trip to St. Louis with my campus ministry (RUF). If you own a TV, have a Facebook, or have had any sort of access to any form of communication, you know that St. Louis enduring a trying time right now.Poverty is crippling families, and racial tensions are suffocating the community. This is a city that is in desperate, dire need of love. Specifically, it is a city that is in need of the reconciling, reparative, healing love of Jesus. St. Louis is a place that the body of Christ has been called to serve and rehabilitate.
Over a week long period, I will work alongside my fellow students in the inner city of St. Louis with a ministry called City Lights. We will go to the homes of widows and needy families and serve them as members of the same body. Our jobs may be anything from gardening to painting to playing with children, but it will also be so much more than that. Our primary job is to shroud the neighborhoods that we are in with redemptive love. With each shovel full of dirt, we will be acting out the love of Christ. As we hammer nails into boards, we will demonstrate the life changing impact of grace that transforms individuals and communities. This service is the modern day application of us washing our fellow believers' feet.
I cannot express to you how I excited I am for this opportunity. The Lord has really given me a heart for this ministry, and I am thrilled to be able to pour into the neighborhoods of St. Louis. However, my dilemma is that the cost of the trip is $320 per person. As many of you know, I will be beginning physical therapy school in August (another blessing from the Lord!). Unfortunately, PT school will suck my financial resources dry, and then it will keep sucking until I've accumulated enough debt to make a grown man cry. Thus, I have no resources of my own to pay for this trip. This is where you come in, friends! As the body of Christ, we each have different jobs and callings. At this point in my life, I am being called to serve as the hands and feet of the body-- the muscle, if you will. However, muscle is useless without energy. Thus, I need to ask the other members of the body to provide a way for me to pay for this ministry opportunity. Because I feel that I have been called to this mission trip, I have full faith that the Lord will provide the resources for me to go. Now I ask you, as my brothers and sisters in Christ, to prayerfully consider supporting me. Whatever you are able to give, whether it be $10 or $100, I will gratefully and gleefully accept. Please consider serving the Kingdom of God through your financial resources!
If you feel led to donate to my trip, there are two ways you can make payments:
1.) You can directly give me cash or a check. Checks should be made out to me (Christina Bozarth), and I can assure you that all money will go toward the mission trip! This method is perfectly fine, but you won't be able to get a tax refund on your donation. The next method will allow this!
1.) You can directly give me cash or a check. Checks should be made out to me (Christina Bozarth), and I can assure you that all money will go toward the mission trip! This method is perfectly fine, but you won't be able to get a tax refund on your donation. The next method will allow this!
2.) If you would prefer to pay online, you can go to the RUF website (http://givetoruf.org) and make a payment through it. It will ask you to specify what you would like to donate towards. Click on "Specific campus mission trip" and then enter "Western Kentucky University Mission Account (WKU)". Below that, you will enter my name (Christina Bozarth) and then however much you plan to donate. From there, you can fill out your payment information, and a tax deductible receipt will be email to you. This money will go towards my particular account, so you can be sure that it is going to me specifically.
Friends, I cannot tell you how much I would appreciate your support. Additionally, if you are unable to make any monetary donations, my team and I covet your prayers! Please be praying that the Lord works through us to make Himself known in the heart of St. Louis. Pray that they can see the beauty of God's love and grace, and that they will come running into the arms of their Savior. Please also be in prayer for the safety of our team as we travel, work, and live in St. Louis over the course of the week. I cannot wait to see how God uses this trip to grow His fame!
