Hello from St Louis!

As you may know, I am currently taking the year off to adjust to the major move 15 hours away from my home town and work on some personal projects that I know God has given me gifts to do.
I'm nervous but excited for what God has for me in the future. For the past few years, I've been trying to discover my purpose and the unique plan that God has for my life. In October of 2021, I was feeling restless, and I was calling out to God to show me and lead me where I should go. His answer was to write, and He gave me an amazing opportunity to take time off and do just that. On top of that time off, I also wanted to utilize it by giving back and using the other two gifts God gave me: art and teaching.

I recently started feeling like God wanted me to serve in a more long-term way. That's when I discovered Experience Mission and their IMMERSION program. IMMERSION is a one to twelve-month program for young adults who want to travel and serve in a cross-cultural setting. It was exactly what I was looking for, so I applied, and the unbelievable happened: I got accepted! (Shout out to my amazing friends and colleagues for your letters of recommendations!)

Since then, the details have come together so quickly, and I really feel like is God in all of it. So, I'm leaving in May 2023! I'll join a team for three months, traveling to Costa Rica.

I never imagined I would get the opportunity to use my bachelors degree to help me travel to South America, and I'm so excited to partner with local people and tackle meaningful projects like water sanitation and church outreach.

While we're there, we'll build relationships and learn from local people, living and serving alongside them by diving head first into their culture. Many of the people have a vision for making their community better, so our team will get to help make it a reality. I know we will learn a lot, especially since their cultures are so different from ours. I hope that we will be able to bless them, too.

Now, here's where you come in. A trip like this would not possible without external support. It's my great desire that I would have a big network of people supporting me through prayer and donations. I've started fundraising and have some creative ideas to get as many people involved as possible. Knowing that people are cheering me
on will help encourage me when life gets challenging overseas. l'd love it if you could be a part of that network! (As a bonus, any donation through the Immersion website is tax deductible!)

There's two ways you can help donate:

The first way is to contribute financially is through a one-time donation. You can give through the Experience Mission website (which I recommend: experiencemission.org/sponsor/SMH_CostaRica23)

The second way is my favorite, and I've created a TIER system to help! I'm selling my artwork to those who are interested, and depending on the amount sent either through a one-time donation or a monthly donation towards the different tier levels.
TIER ONE:
$20 donation includes a choice of a 6x6 gouache painting of your choice (check out my Facebook/Instagram for the options)
TIER TWO:
$50 donation includes tier one prize (if not already claimed) and a 9x12 digital pdf of a minimalist family picture.
TIER THREE:
$75 donation includes the first two tier prizes AND a 9x12 canvas shipped directly to your house.
(If you're a friend, and you're interested in the second option, please send me a message so we can communicate about your prizes!)

You can give one-time or monthly donations through the EM
website by visiting my personal sponsorship profile here:

experiencemission.org/sponsor/SMH_CostaRica23

Please remember that all donations via
the website will automatically be tax-deductible.

Thank you in advance for partnering with me in this big adventure. I know it may be a sacrifice to support me financially, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it! I also want to be clear that your emotional and prayerful support mean much more to me than any donation.

I'd love to talk with you more about the IMMERSION program or hear any creative ideas you might have for fundraising. (Also, I'm thinking of setting up a blog, so if you're interested in catching up while I'm gone, let me know!)

I can't wait to see what God continues to teach me through this opportunity. Thanks for being a part of it!