El Salvador

Our dear friend Heidi is going on a short-term mission trip to El Salvador this summer. Yes, she's the one with two little ones at home. She is sacrificing her time and Andrew's sanity (I joke, I joke) to go help out some children less fortunate than her own. She's been raising money for her trip and has a cut-off of March 25th to finish raising funds. I'm sharing her letter below so you can see how passionate she is about this mission trip. If you have the means please help her reach her goal. We've given a donation already and she's raised $315 so far. This means she needs to raise $1,535 THIS WEEK to be funded. That's a big goal. Let's help her reach it! UPDATE: SHE REACHED HER GOAL! :)

From Heidi:
I wanted to share with you some exciting news in my life. I have the wonderful opportunity to travel back to San Salvador, El Salvador this June! You might remember that I traveled with a group from our church two years ago to visit Exodo, an orphanage that Hands of Hope (Grace's adoption and orphan care ministry) partners with and sponsors in El Salvador. During that trip, I was able to meet a young boy named Jose, that my family helps sponsor at Exodo, as well as several other children that I immediately fell in love with. Well, since my last trip, Jose has been reunited with his biological parents; therefore, he is no longer at the orphanage. While I am sad that I will not get to love on this adorable boy, I most certainly praise the Lord that he is able to be with his parents once again, as this very rarely happens. We continue to pray for him and his family as well as their health and safety.


Since we no longer are able to sponsor Jose, we now help sponsor another little boy named Christian Alexander. He is new to the orphanage and arrived with two other siblings. I am so excited to meet him, his brothers, and be reunited with the other children at Exodo. I not only bonded with Jose while I was there two years ago, but I bonded with many of the other younger children as I led them during Vacation Bible School that week. We will be doing another VBS this year as well as doing some painting and tile work at the orphanage.
God definitely changed my heart after my first trip to El Sal; it's impossible to come back from a short-term missions trip unchanged. After spending a week with children, who have been abandoned, have no mommy or daddy to tuck them in at night, and are still able to laugh and play and smile all the while, I was changed. It's ironic because these children desperately need us to pray for, support, and love on them, but I need to be the one there, loving on them just as much. I also need a reminder of those simple things we take for granted every day, such as drinking water from a faucet or flushing toilet paper down the toilet. I need my eyes to be opened once again to the poverty and injustices of this world, so that I can live out God's purpose in my life.

As I prepare for this trip, I am asking two things of you. First and foremost, please PRAY! I need your prayers along with our team, the children at Exodo, and those who we'll meet and help along the way both now and during our trip, the week of June 15-22. Secondly, please consider supporting my financially. The total cost of my trip is $1850. If you feel you are able to support me financially, I have included a couple of different ways of giving below.
Please, know that whether you can support me by praying or financially, you are making an impact not only in my life but in the lives of orphans! I appreciate your friendship and support!!!!
***Here is how you can give, keeping in mind that all funds are due March 25th and are tax deductible.

Pay on the Hands of Hope website by going to https://www.gracehandsofhope.org/Make-a-Donation.html&wd_stage=single Fill out the online form, selecting "2013 El Salvador Trip" in drop down menu and put my name, Heidi Porterfield, in the "Notes" section.

Sincerely,
Heidi