Stephen and I are SO SO excited to announce that we are going on a mission trip to Africa this summer for 2 weeks! We’ve been praying about going on a mission trip together for a LONG time and it was finally God’s timing! After I got back from El Salvador, we were talking about it a lot & started looking on Visiting Orphans website and found this fabulous trip to Ethiopia & Uganda for 2 weeks called “Man Up/Dig Deep” (you can find it at the bottom of this page http://www.visitingorphans.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=109024) – PS, there are women going on this trip too! But they are doing a documentary on mens involvement in the orphan crisis! how cool?! Back on track, we saw it & I’m not joking, immediately applied. Orphans + water wells = our passions combined! We knew it was just where we were supposed to go! So, we are going! Below is a letter we emailed out to friends & family yesterday – just thought I’d post it here too! We know it’s sort of bold to go to Africa this summer when we’ll be going twice to get Camp but we have to believe that God will provide! Please join us in praying for our team, our trip and the orphans we will serve this summer!
Hey family & friends,
Wynne and I are pleased to announce that this summer we are taking our first mission trip together and we will be visiting Ethiopia and Uganda for 2 weeks. We are leaving July 31st and will return August 14th. This is something that Wynne and I have been praying about for awhile. We will be going on our mission with a group out of Nashville called Visiting Orphans- http://www.visitingorphans.org/ We actually met the Visiting Orphans executive director at the Together for Adoption conference in Austin last fall which is what sparked this whole endeavor (and also have other friends who have lead VO trips). Wynne and I understand that this trip is somewhat boldbecause we will be headed over to Ethiopia twice in the next two-ish years for Camp but this is something that God has called us to do. We will be visiting orphans and helping drill a water well in Ethiopia & Uganda over a 2 week span. We were so excited to have found a mission trip that combined what Stephen is passionate about (water wells) and what Wynne is passionate about (visiting orphans) – it was a total God thing! After Wynne’s recent trip to El Salvador, she was encouraged by friends to not be fearful of the things that might get in the way of continuing to GO (mainly money) but to know that if the Lord was leading us, He would continue to provide all the resources we needed.
Not to mention that God is giving Wynne avenues to use the gifts He gave her (photography) to minister to others and this trip is no exception! We are excited about the possibilities for ministry in this area.
It is very important that we have a team at home who will be supporting us. Because we consider you to be friends & family members whom we trust and love, we would be blessed for you to be a part of this mission in some way. We would like to invite you all to pray about being a part of our mission to Africa. First of all, we need prayer for our team and for those that we will be ministering to in Ethiopia & Uganda. We will know in the near future how specifically you can pray, but we know that we need prayer! In addition, we both need to raise $3,830 to cover the cost of expenses. If you desire to give financially, there are two ways you can do that. You can either mail your donation directly to Visiting Orphans or you can give online through Visiting Orphans website. I will explain both methods below. All monetary donations are needed by June 13th.
If you would like to pray, give financial support, or bothplease email us so we can add you to our team at wynne.elder@gmail.com orjselder05@gmail.com. We don’t need to know HOW you want to support us, we only seek to keep you informed in our preparation and during our time in Africa so that you can know of ways to pray & praise along with us. We are so thankful for those of you who have lent us support in our journey to adopt Camp & in Wynne’s recent trip to El Salvador. We are very excited to be a part of this trip and are excited for YOU to be involved if you desire. We are praying that you will be blessed as you walk this road with us! Thank you for your love and support in all our endeavors.
Donations mailed to: (and checks written to)
Visiting Orphans
PO BOx 668
Nolensville, TN 37135
Memo Line: Wynne & Stephen Elder, Man Up/Dig Deep Trip
Donations made online athttps://www.visitingorphans.org/donations/donate.aspx
Gift resignation: look for July 31-Aug 14 Ethiopia/Uganda – Man Up – Dig Deep – Dude Perfect Trip (it’s in order by date)
Would you like to designate to specific team member: YES, Wynne Elder (so both of our donations will be in one place!)
Here is a video of one of the villages we will be visiting:http://vimeo.com/13771428 . As you can tell these people have nothing but the air in their lungs and they need our support. This makes us reevaluate what God has given us and how we can use it for His glory.
To Make Him Famous,
Wynne and Stephen
Hey, I'm Wynne!
Hi, friend! First, I truly am so giddy that you are here. I want you to know I 100% believe in you and all the ways you are growing towards living a more intentional life. I can’t wait to get to know you and your story, and I genuinely hope you are encouraged from our time together here.
A little about me, I’m a type 7 on the enneagram, a total extrovert + people lover, entrepreneur, connector, storyteller, people gatherer, and passionate wife, mama + friend. I feel most alive when I’m exploring new places and surrounded by people I love. Give me a day in the outdoors disconnected from wifi, and I am a happy girl. I run on oat milk lattes, Jesus, gratitude journaling and kitchen dance parties with my three kids.
Welcome, come on in!
Hey, thanks for writing me back the other day and filling me in on what you have been told. You and stephen will LOVE Africa, it is completely life changing. Andy and I went for 3 weeks, 2 years ago and it was AMAZING! Cant wait to hear all about it and again thanks for the response.