This year’s trip is one that our heart’s have been asking for a long time.  We are thankful that the opportunity to meet some of the women we have been partnering with since Yobel’s beginning has finally arrived!  We will first have the opportunity to learn from In His Steps Intl.’s Sak Saum project based in the capital city of Phnom Penh where women at risk of being trafficked into slavery receive job and life skills, spiritual development, and friendship while earning a fair wage creating beautiful silk products.  While in Thailand, we will be visiting our partner jewelry project with Nightlight Bangkok, an organization that has been rescuing women from a life of prostitution and offering hope and healing through equitable trade and community.  We will then head north to Chang Mai where we hope to establish a new partnership with Hill Tribe weavers and Burmese refugees living in the area. 

Lastly, we make our maiden voyage to India...a country we have dreamed of from the start.  We will spend time in the larger cities soaking up as much of the culture as possible and taking the opportunity to scout new partnerships and visit Mother Teresa homes.  We will then head north to the border of Nepal and India, the state of Darjeeling nestled in the Himalayan Mountains.  We will have the opportunity to serve alongside YWAM as they love on locals and seek an income generation project to encourage villagers to remain in their native north rather than become victims of urbanization by moving to larger cities in search of employment.  We also will be aiding in Human Trafficking awareness endeavors and hoping to establish an income source that leaves families less at risk of having themselves or their children enslaved. 

Our hearts are hopeful, excited, and prepared to encounter both the beauty and the darkness of these lands and to come armed with light, love, and truth.  Your thoughts and prayers as we walk into unknown territory seeking justice are much needed and appreciated. 

                                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                          Sarah, Donavan, & Shanna