Your Generosity...

$1640! That's the latest update today. Nearly a third of the way there, but I'm actually still only a couple of hundred dollars short of the plane ticket funds, so even if you're planning on tossing in ten or twenty bucks, it will add up! Thank you all so much!

Funds Update

The letters went out last week and my first update came back probably as many of you were walking to your mailbox, so the first told me I had zero moneys in.
But now! Only a week later, $410 have been raised! Thanks, you friends who contributed!

A side note though- we've got to buy plane tickets soon, so if you have already decided to give financially but just have put off actually throwing it in that mail, then take a graduating student's advice: Procrastination does not pay off! And don't forget to send in that slip of paper so they know to put it in my account.

No really, you all are great and I have no doubt that the Lord will provide.

Keep praying for me and my team! Thanks :-)

Neither snow nor rain...

The letters are in the mail.


As our friends at the USPS say "Please allow 3-5 business days for your package to arrive". If after that, you still haven't gotten one (because I must still be in need of your mailing address) and you really really want a letter, email your address to me at bengoller@gmail.com.

Fundraising FAQ

In the past couple of days, I've had lots of responses to my online donation requests but there are lots of you who still want to write a conventional check and send it in the mail. Have faith! (and patience) I'm still assembling all the envelopes, stamps etc and I have a list of like 100 people I'm going to send stuff to. You're probably on that list. Expect instructions on where to send stuff and who to make checks out to, etc. coming in the mail maybe next week. Actually, I'll update when they're in the mail.
If after that, you still haven't gotten anything and you really want it (I'm sorry I may not have your mailing address) please send your address to me at bengoller@gmail.com.
Thanks!

Support Letter

Hey blog-world! Here is a copy of my support letter. Instructions for online donation are at the bottom.



Dear Friends,

This May, I will be graduating from Taylor University with a degree in History, Youth Ministry and Applied Missions. As you may know, my passion is for ministry and as I embark on this next chapter of my life, that passion will soon be taking the form of a missions trip from August 15-December 15 to Sierra Leone in West Africa with Word Made Flesh.

Word Made Flesh is a non-profit organization that exists to serve and advocate for the poorest of the poor. They are an incarnational ministry which identifies with the destitute by joining them in poverty and making Jesus known among them while reconciling the church with the poor. The particular corner of the world where I will be joining in this effort is Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Word Made Flesh community there seeks to love, serve, and accompany youth on the street, destitute families and young children in Freetown. Through offering teenagers relationships built on mutual vulnerability and trust, along with leadership training, skills and traditional education, they endeavor to bring God’s light, hope, wisdom and peace to West Africa.

Sierra Leone is one of the world's poorest countries due to mismanagement of natural resources and the effects of a debilitating ten year civil war that ended in 2002. Freetown is home to some of the largest slums in the country and the city is overflowing with refugees, children, and war veteran amputees who have been downtrodden and forgotten by society.

I wish to serve with Word Made Flesh in this capacity because I believe in the Biblical mandates to love and serve the poor. I feel the need to show God's redemptive love to people who may have never seen or heard of it before. I also recognize that this will be a transformational time in my life and I believe that living with the values that will be instilled and strengthened in me during this time will be values that I will keep for the rest of my life.

I would like for you to join me in praying for this ministry in Sierra Leone. There are several ways in which you can partner with me in this ministry:

1. Please pray for our team. Pray for our Servant Team of four people and our Team Coordinator that we may be supportive of one another and develop into an effective force of ministry in Freetown.
2. Please pray that I will be radically changed for Christ. Pray that this experience will open my eyes to the suffering that takes place around the world and that I may see people with God's eyes and love them with every aspect of my life.
3. Please pray that my team will be able to raise the financial support needed for this project. As a Servant Team member, I need to raise $5,500 to pay for expenses that include transportation, lodging, food, and ministry supplies.

If you choose to participate financially, please make your check payable to Word Made Flesh. Please do not list my name anywhere on the check. Complete the enclosed form and mail it along with your contribution in the enclosed envelope. Contributions are tax deductible.

Thank you for your investment in my life and in the Kingdom of God. Please follow updates on fund raising and the ministry this fall at http://gollerinmissions.blogspot.com/.







Online donation: Go to the Word Made Flesh home page and scroll to the bottom. In the lower left corner, click Donate. Please put my name (Ben Goller) where it asks for your designation. Thank you very much!