Hello from Montgomery! As you may know, I am currently working for Area 1 Protection, and am taking a break from school. I am nervously excited for what God has in store for me this year. For the past few years, I've been trying to discover my purpose and the unique plan that God has for my life. I've enjoyed volunteering in the past with the Gospel Express Prison Crusade, the New Horizons Prison Ministry, and have been a part of several youth mission trips, but I've recently started feeling like God is asking me to serve in a more long-term venture. That's when I started looking into Experience Mission's Gap Year IMMERSION program.

Gap Year IMMERSION is a nine-month program for young adults who want to travel and serve in a cross-cultural setting. After praying and fasting, I applied, and I got accepted! Since then, the details have come together very quickly, and I am amazed with how God continues to lead.

The plan is for me to leave on August 25th, 2020. I'll join a team for nine months, traveling from Israel, South Africa, Lesotho, and Namibia. I never imagined that this would be an opportunity for me, and I'm very excited to partner with locals and tackle meaningful projects. While I am there my team will build meaningful relationships and learn from local people and serving alongside them. Many of the people have a vision for making their community better. I know I will learn a lot since their cultures are quite different from ours. While in Israel, I will be staying near Bethlehem in the West Bank with Christian, Jewish, and/or Islamic host families. I will take Arabic lessons, volunteer in refugee camps, do agricultural projects, tour Biblical sites, and meet with a wide range of religious leaders. This will help me better understand the struggles of the people in Israel. Next I will head to Africa. Their are over 200 languages that do not have a word for tomorrow! This means that it will be hard to know what I will be doing on a daily basis. I will most likely be sharing my faith by talking to youth, working on farms, teaching in schools, townships, and squatter camps, or just connecting with host families across racial, social, and language barriers. I trust that God will use my team to further His kingdom.

A trip like this would not be possible without external support. It's my desire that I could have a network of people supporting me through prayer and donations. I know it may be a sacrifice to support me, and I want you to know how much I would appreciate it! If you would like to talk to me more about this trip you can reach me by phone at (812) 787-2892 or you can send me an email at javam8@gmail.com. If you feel led to support me through donation, you may mail me directly at 7285 E US Highway 50, Montgomery, IN, 47558, or you can donate online by visiting the link listed below. Updates will be posted to my Facebook page. I can't wait to see what God continues to teach me through this opportunity!

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV