the plan, as it currently stands

Time for the grand unveiling! There are many, many details still to be filled in, but here is the basic outline. I imagine that some details will only fall into place once I'm on the ground in Africa, so I probably won't know what all I'll be doing until I get back and can tell about what I did. But, then, that's how life really is anyway; we just pretend that we can plan it. :-)

I'll be leaving Nashville on July 27 or 28 and returning at the very end of November or very beginning of December. I'm working on finalizing my plane tickets and will post the exact dates when I have them.

1. Two weeks in Ghana with the Joseph Alliance, an organization that encourages African Americans to be involved in missions. I've been doing some publicity work for them since last fall, so I'm excited to be part of this missions trip with them. We'll also be participating in Ghana's 50th anniversary celebration of their independence and 200th anniversary celebration of the end of the slave trade. AND a bonus is that it looks like my sister Erin will be joining the group for 1 week of their mission trip!! yippee!
2. Approximately 5 weeks in Kenya, connecting with old family friends Andy and Jodi Keller, missionary pilots serving with AIM, and partnering with some still-to-be determined organizations.
3. Approximately 4 weeks in Uganda, connecting with Pam and Simon Wunderli, missionary pilots with MAF, and working with some other organizations that are yet-to-be-nailed-down.
4. Approximately 2 weeks in Zimbabwe, primarily working with Africa University, a private, Pan-African and United Methodist-related university.
5. Approximately 5 weeks in South Africa, doing some writing work for Africa Upper Room Ministries and possibly some other organizations; connecting with some of my South African relatives (my Grandpa Rice grew up here; one of his brothers stayed in South Africa, so some of my dad's first cousins are South African, and I've never met most of them); and wrapping up the four months with some retreat time somewhere in South Africa.

In order to complete this undertaking, I'm going to need your help. This isn't a one woman show. It's a group effort.

I'll need people to be praying with me along the way. See the prayer requests I've posted in the column on the right of this page to get started. If you'd like to be part of my core prayer team, email me (khakiface(at)yahoo.com). My goal is to send out a little prayer update message to the prayer team every week or every other week. So, let me know if you'd like to be added to the list.

I'll also need folks to join my financial support team. Since I'll be working in Africa with non-profit organizations who are themselves dependent on donations, I'm raising my own financial support in order to make this trip possible and donate my time to these organizations. New Hope International Ministries, a small missions organization that specializes in short-term trips and in "loaning" folks out to other mission organizations, will be overseeing my trip. It's been a big item of praise to get to be connected to them and the resources they've offered my way. New Hope is connected with Asbury College, my alma mater, and is helping coordinate all of my travel arrangements and my support raising.

I'm still working on finalizing the budget for this trip. With so many facets to the trip, exact numbers are difficult to nail down. My current fundraising goal is $10,000. I'll be making every effort to keep expenses as low as possible. My hope is that funds from your donations will be left over after my expenses are covered. While I'm in Africa, I'll be praying as I meet people, watching and listening for the best way to pass on some of what you've donated for this trip. With any leftover funds, I'd love to, say, buy a sewing machine for a woman who will use it to start a business or do something similarly sustainable for/with other people I meet. Additionally, leftover funds can be passed on to organizations I connect with while I'm in Africa or to African churches I interact with.

So, if you'd like to join my financial support team, please email me (khakiface(at)yahoo.com), and I'll get more info to you. You can also check out New Hope's address in the column to the right. And don't be shy...you're welcome to be part of both teams, prayer and financial...the more the merrier for sure! :-)

Thanks, friends, for joining me in this journey. I'm eager to see how God works through all of us and to discover what He wants us all to learn through being part of this together.