Dear Friends and Family,

           As you may have heard, in August, I will be headed to Thailand to pursue my long-anticipated dream of working to abolish sex trafficking. Words simply cannot express how excited I am and how much this trip means to me. It has been my dream ever since I was eleven to go to Asia, and since I first heard about the atrocities of sex trafficking, I have had an unbearable ache in my heart to fight against this issue. After nearly seven years of dreaming, praying, and hoping that one day I would have the opportunity to live out these desires in my heart, I cannot believe they are finally happening!

            
       For the past year and a half, my life has been a whirlwind, to say the least. Since the loss of my mom, day-to-day living has been a struggle, every moment I feel her absence and miss her prayers and guidance, and trying to figure out what to do with the next phase of my life has been anything but easy. I have lost the person who encouraged me more than anyone else, especially in pursuit of my dreams. Without my mom’s encouragement, and missing the person I dreamed with the most, searching for something to pursue after I graduate was a painful process. I was broken; fear and doubt were beginning to hinder my pursuit of missions. I was lacking hope in ever finding something that embodied what I truly wanted to do in life. Living out my dreams of going to Asia was beginning to feel like an impossible dream that was perhaps too far -fetched for me.

In the midst of my doubts, a still, small voice would whisper, “Your life cannot be defined by death.”  I realized that even if death threatened to take everything away from me: my mom, my encouragement, my strength, my hope, and my joy - I could not let it take away my dreams. Death will not have that kind of hold on my life. I can still live the life that I always dreamed of living. At times I feel unworthy, and like I have little to offer because of my circumstances, I am broken but I am not broken beyond redemption. God can and will still use me. Asia is not impossible. In my heart I knew that Asia was where I needed to spend the year after graduation, and when I found Remember Nhu, there was not a doubt in my mind that it was where I needed to be. This is God’s gift to me - this is Him reminding me that there is beauty from ashes, there is hope after despair, there is joy after sorrow. It is Him reminding me that He will rebuild me and that I will again go out and dance with the joyful - death will not define my life, it will not have the last word.

Located in Chaing Mai, Thailand, Remember Nhu is an organization that is working to alleviate sex trafficking. Remember Nhu takes in girls who are at-risk of being forced into sex-slavery and gives them a home, an education, and provides a safe haven where their physical, mental and spiritual needs can be met. Their goal is to prevent the cycle of sex trafficking and to protect young girls. It is considered a preventative program, which means that their focus is on protecting young girls from entering into the trade. They aim to offer hope for a future where sex trafficking ceases to exist. In August, I will be heading to Chaing Mai, Thailand to live and work with Remember Nhu until February 2013.

I ask that you would please be praying for me, the missionaries that I will be working alongside, and the girls who live at Remember Nhu. Please pray for emotional, spiritual and physical protection over all of us. I believe that there is not only redemption and healing for me, but also for these girls; please pray we would see His Kingdom of restoration come to the city of Chiang Mai. Finally, I ask that you please pray that the financial needs for my trip will be met.

The total cost for my trip will be about $7,200. If you would like to support me, you can mail a check to:

Remember Nhu

PO Box 27000

Akron OH 44319

Please write Remember Nhu in the memo line, and attach a letter stating that the check is for my trip. Due to tax reasons that I don’t understand, please do not write my name in the check memo. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter! Words cannot express what a huge blessing you are in my life.

Grace & Peace,

Emily