Peru, South America

I have been asked to share the following, which is the begining of something amazing! To God be the glory!

Several months ago now, I was at church and was stopped by Sherry, a woman who I'd spent a week with on our Kentucky mission trip, but still didn't know her super well. She told me how she'd ran across my blog and would possibly use my photography skills in the future if I were interested. She told me about how God had been laying it on her heart to start a sewing co-op in Peru for women who might otherwise be being trafficked in various forms of modern day slavery. This got my interest going, so I asked her who all was going to teach sewing. To which she replied, that I was one of the first people she'd said anything to about it. I told her that I knew how to sew pretty well. Then she admitted that she wasn't quite sure why she felt called to do this when she knew very little about sewing or Spanish. And my excitement began to build! I don't know Spanish either, but at that time there was a good possibility that our homeschool group was going to have an opportunity to learn it this fall! She told me to pray. :) And I did.

Time passed and the Spanish class became a go and we'll be starting the end of this month. As the days went by more details began to build. Others were expressing interest too and it appeared that there would be at least two future trips. One this December, to start the project and then again next summer, to expand on and continue the work started this winter. Sherry felt that she was to only have a team of four go the first time and I honestly didn't know what to make of that. I wanted to go so bad! I've already gotten my passport so that my husband and I could go to Haiti sometime, but it just seemed to never work out...yet. ;) And here this opportunity came along and it seemed like I was maybe to be a part of it. Anyway, long story short, it became clear that I was to be one of the four. Of those I'm the only one to have never been there previously! I'm the newbie and about as green as you can get! My out of country experience is Canada, several times, but that doesn't count! ha! I haven't even been there since you need a passport, so looks like Peru will be my very first stamp!

Here is our team...Sherry, Linda, Jeanna, and myself.

We are calling ourselves Esperanza, which means hope in Spanish. I love these ladies already and can hardly wait to begin our journey together! I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do both through us and IN each of us during this trip! He's got great big plans and I'm excited to be a part of them!!!

If you would like to know more about human trafficking, freedom parties, or ways to help with our trip check out Sherry's website/store, Accessories for Hope. Slavery isn't just a thing of the past!