Bolivia Mission Trip 2009

Dinner and Auction POSTPONED

ellamennopea — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:52:55 +0000

We’ve postponed the dinner and auction at Aster’s until after we complete the trip. There will be more time for planning and more stories to share. Stay tuned!

Dinner and Auction @ Aster’s

ellamennopea — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:01:54 +0000

Team Bolivia is coming down to the home stretch. In just a few weeks, we’ll be on a plane to Bolivia to spend two weeks building a dormitory and spreading the good news about a life in Christ. We still need funds to complete the building project – we’re trying to raise $6,000. Help us reach our goal! We are hosting a Dinner and Auction on Monday, July 27, at 6:30pm at Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant. The Auction begins at 7. Come , eat great food, and score some terrific items and services given by the youth and young adults!

ASTER’S ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT

2804 N. IH 35 (IH35 South Frontage Road, near Dean Keeton)

Austin, TX 78705

Help Our Mission!

ellamennopea — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:07:35 +0000

This summer, we are a team of 11 adventurous people who will travel to Guayaramerin, Bolivia August 5-20 to help construct a much needed girls’ dormitory. This project is one of many projects that will address the needs of Unidad Educativa Tecnico Industrial “Richard Gates”. Missionaries Tara and Ruan Swanepoel and a staff of a few dedicated teachers work hard to bring hope and possibility to children who would otherwise have no other educational opportunities. The school, operated by Gospel Ministries International, does not require the students to pay admission. Instead, students who desire to attend must pay a $12 entrance fee and work to stay enrolled. Over the five years the school has been in operation, the student body has grown to 72 students – 53 in secondary school and 19 in primary school. The demand is growing and the little school is running out of space.

The students who attend the secondary school (U.S. equivalent – grades 9 -12, ages 12 – 19) come from all over Bolivia. Local students are from Rosario del Yata, Guayaramerín, and Riberalta. Many students are from the sister school/orphanage in Rurrenabaque. Others are from Magdalena, Santa Ana, San Joaquin, Ingavi, Las Amalias, Santa Cruz, and La Paz. In all, the school has students from 4 of the 9 states (departamentos) in Bolivia. As the word spreads about the school, they get requests from more and more places across Bolivia.
The dorms this year are full to the brim. Each dorm is a large thatch-roof hut. The students live in the hut in one large room shared by everyone. Because this year’s Senior class is so small, and the school expects another huge Freshman class next year, they desperately need new dorm buildings. The school has decided to start with the girls’ dorm. This is the part of the development that our group will be involved in. The dorm we plan to build will house up to 40 girls, the dean, and dean’s family. There will also be a chapel, bathrooms, small living area for the assistant dean, and a courtyard area. With at least one of the new dorms built, the school will be able to accommodate more students next year.
We have the amazing opportunity to jump start the dorm building project and help Tara and Ruan quickly make space for the incoming students. While we will be focusing primarily on the building project, we will impact the surrounding community with medical outreach and a nightly health and evangelism program.

In order to be God’s “hands and feet” in Guayaramerin, we’ve got to get there! We’re asking for your help and support to make our involvement in this trip possible. As a team, our group is raising funds that will go towards plane tickets, building supplies, and support material. We have a team goal of $12,000 that will go towards making this a reality.
While financial support is essential, the best support you can give us is that of your prayers. Please pray that our team will be able to make an impact on the students at Unidad Educativa Tecnico Industrial and the surrounding community!

If you would like to contribute to this effort, please send a check with the amount you’d like to donate. All donations are tax deductible (we will send you a receipt).

Send to:

Kijana Knight
9500 W. Parmer Ln. #321
Austin, TX 78717 USA

Please make checks out to:
Austin First SDA Church
memo line: YA Bolivia Trip 2009

Thank you!!

Where We’re Going

ellamennopea — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:59:31 +0000

Guayaramerin! It took me a while to find it on a map (Google maps wasn’t entirely helpful), but there it was – a little town practically in the Amazon basin of Brazil. Chatting with Tara through MSN Messanger, I learned that we’d have to take a small 19-seater plane from Santa Cruz to Guayaramerin!

We’ll probably be landing here:

A Jungle Adventure

ellamennopea — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:58:15 +0000

We’re going to Bolivia August 5 – 20! Yay!

For some of us, this is the first mission trip in a long time. For others, it’s the first mission trip, ever. Regardless, we know we’re in for an amazing adventure.

Our missionaries, Tara and Ruan Swanepoel! Yay!

Our Team:
Austin First SDA Church
Simone Andrade
Adam Barrera
Julie Arias
Mehone Tebedge
Melba Valdez
Ken & Addy Dean
Kijana Knight
Elizabeth Ortiz

Houston
Janice Becca

Corpus Christi
Jacob Pulido