The Voeltners!

This is Matt and Emily Voeltner. They have been married since July, are in our Newlywed class at church, and are amazing God-seeking people.

If you've been reading a while, you know I have a heart for missions, particularly those involving children or medical needs, and I am a sucker for anyone who needs our money more than we do.

Matt and Emily are planning to leave this summer for a mission trip in Lebanon and Syria.

Matt and Emily will be working with H.O.M.E. providing medical care to the men, women, and children of the particular areas they visit.

In Lebanon, H.O.M.E. operates a mobile clinic providing dental, opthamology, and other much needed care to about 80 people a day. Do you know how many patients that is? I worked for a very busy Dr. while I was in college. He saw maybe 20 people a day with a 20 minute lunch. 80 patients a day. No wonder they need people like Emily and Matt to come help.

In Syria, Matt, Emily, and their team will be working at the Taballeh clinic that was purchased by the BECA. I love the description of what they do. People who have fled from Damascus because of the war in Iraq are given food, health care, and spiritual support through this clinic. I can't imagine how busy it must be. The Voeltners will be hard at work for sure.

So here is the deal. Matt and Emily need some support to go on this trip.

For one, please pray for them. For safety, for preparation, for finances. If you are going to pray for them before and during their trip, they would love to hear from you and send you something to remind you. Contact me via the contact form (up top) and I will get you connected with the Voeltners.

They would also love words of encouragement- letters, emails, postcards, packages...whatever. A trip of this magnitude as a newlywed couple is sure to hold some stresses, some emotion, some transparency, some growth, maybe some fights. I'm just being real. Send them some boxing gloves. Kidding. Let's do pray for no fighting. If you would like to send them something, again, hit me up and I'll get you the info you need.

But the real deal holyfield truth is that Matt and Emily need financial support to go on this trip. This is a huge trip, but it is also the one they feel God has called them to go on, and he has sent confirmation after confirmation their way. This trip is $3000 per person. Oof. And they leave in 69 days!

If you would like to give $50, $20, $1, $100, $5, $1000, $6.43, $10, $13.22, or the change in your pocket, they will gladly accept it. It really does not matter how much. If you would like to give, please go here and enter either Matt Voeltner or Emily Voeltner in the field for who you would like to give to. It doesn't matter which you put. You will enter the Lebanon/Syria trip in the field required. Your donation will be tax deductible.

I totally realize that a lot of you are thinking that the U.S. has enough health care problems by themselves...that maybe you are one of the ones who is in need of some care and can't get it or afford it right now... but I bet you have a bed to sleep in and food to eat and I know you're not leaving everything you know to get away from a war. Maybe you think that you don't feel like these people need your help. But, the way I look at it is if I don't help send Matt and Emily over to provide health care and share what they know about Jesus, then who is going to go tell those people? We live in a very fortunate country. We are a blessed people.

I really thought about doing a giveaway for anyone who donates to their trip...but I really think that I have a good group of readers who don't necessarily need an incentive to give to someone else.