Dear family and friends,

It was just a little over a year and half ago when I stumbled across a blog on the Internet that little did I know would change my life. Katie Davis is a 21-year-old girl from Nashville, TN, but she is anything but normal. Upon graduating high school, she didn’t go after the normal college or career path; she chose to move to Uganda all by herself to serve the orphans at Amani Baby Cottage. After just a few months, she started a ministry called Amazima, which now feeds over 1000 starving kids weekly! And even more, she provides over 400 children with sponsorships, giving them love and knowledge of Christ- in addition to medical supplies, education, and much more. She even has now taken in 13 girls of her own. Yes, you read that right. She has 13 kids and the number is ever growing. She has a boyfriend, friends, and family that she misses dearly, but wakes up every morning with an abundance of joy in her heart because she is following the plan God has for her and serving the least of these all day, every day. Now I realize that God doesn’t call us all to this exact way of life, but He does call us to live a no-excuses, radical life that will cause us to die empty, having given everything we have for Him.
Over the last year I have been learning what this kind of life looks like and God has placed the desire in my heart to travel to Africa, I just didn’t know how and when I was going to get there. I had been looking for an organization to go through for some time and a few weeks ago an amazing trip fell into my lap. I have been given the opportunity to travel with the organization Visiting Orphans to Uganda and Ethiopia for two weeks this summer. I had planned to travel by myself, but when I talked to my parents, my dad decided he wanted to go also, which I’m VERY excited about! We will be leaving on June 26th and coming back July 9th. Our team’s primary goal is to simply love and care for the orphans. The first week in Uganda we will be working alongside Katie Davis and her ministry; feeding and loving hundreds of children as well as volunteering in two different orphanages teaching English, leading V.B.S, and doing maintenance work on the buildings. The Ethiopian portion of this trip will be spent working with Kid’s Care orphanage, Mother Teresa HIV orphanage, and AHope HIV orphanage. At the end of the week we will be visiting children living and working in the dump in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and putting on a ministry for street children.
This opportunity to travel to Africa has captured my mind and heart, and I would love if you would join me in my adventure. Please pray! Prayer is so powerful, and it would be such a blessing to have support from you in that way. Overseas ministry and relief work is something I am considering doing full time after college and this trip is a prime opportunity for me to get first hand experience. Please pray that God will be in control of everything- my attitude, my team, and our time with the kids that everything we do and say will be done to glorify Him.
As always, funding for these trips are crucial. If you feel comfortable, I would greatly appreciate any financial support. The total cost is $3,400 and donations are tax deductible. All funds needs to be raised as soon as possible since my dad and I are a little late joining the team. If you feel led to help me this summer there are two ways to donate. If my mail please make checks out to Visiting Orphans and mail your check to: Visiting Orphans., P.O. Box 1766 Brentwood, TN 37024 and make sure to put “Elizabeth Williams/Africa June” on the memo line of the check. If giving online, go to www.visitingorphans.org. Once there click on the donate button in the far right hand corner. Then put the dollar amount you wish to give and then make sure to click on the June Ethiopia/Uganda trip and put my name in the space provided!

I thank you SO much! I really appreciate your consideration of supporting me in prayer and/or financially. Please feel free to call me with questions, visit Katie Davis’ blog, or the Visiting Orphans website to find out a little bit more about the organization and the things my team and I will be doing! I have also decided to start a blog to document my trip and hopefully keep everyone updated as I prepare for this life changing experience. I can’t promise how much I’ll write, but I’ll do my best! Thank you again so much!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Williams

My phone number: 503-475-4233
My Blog: http://myjourneytoafricain2010.blogspot.com/
Katie Davis’ website and blog http://amazima.org/ and http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/
Visiting Orphans website: http://www.visitingorphans.org

"SPEAK UP FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES."
PROVERBS 31:8