Loving Family and Friends,
It is my eager pleasure to be sharing a very new, exhilarating puzzle piece of my life with you. I have sat in front of my computer for the last couple of hours; stirring upon how I might explain this new journey I have stumbled upon. Just last year I was returning home from the Republic of Haiti, thinking about where my hands and feet would be used next. For years, everything within me has been trying to seek clarity on what part of me is to serve different cultures affected by poverty – and I think that this season is where my voyage continues.
As of March 21st, 2011, I started working with Word Made Flesh (WMF), an organization which is called and committed to serve Jesus among the most vulnerable of the world’s poor. For twenty years WMF has provided relief and healing to victims of human trafficking, those who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, abandoned widows and children who live on the streets. There are currently over 250 WMF international staff members in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Moldova, Peru, Nepal, India, Romania, Serra Leone, and Thailand; but our headquarters is here in Omaha, and this is where I will be spending most of my days. While I write this letter, I find myself sitting at a new desk, with new faces, surrounded by a mission that has been stirring in my heart for years.
On March 14th I signed a negotiable contract to serve as Community Liaison for three years. I have a central role here that strives to create a warm, inviting office environment, to maintain all-around office organization and efficiency, and to serve as a general assistant to the directors. I will be discovering the depths of working with the poor on a more intimate level, as well as getting my feet wet through plenty of avenues. This will be a great opportunity to enrich my passion for missions and to raise awareness to friends and family who currently have no idea what horrific things are taking place in this world.
To honor the people we serve and the lifestyle celebrations we commit to, I will be raising full support from year to year, as all of my fellow staff members do. I am overwhelmed by the privilege I have in this while reflecting on a simple statement from our co director, “We will beg, so they do not have to”. Being a simplistic person with simplistic needs, I am very delighted to take part in raising my yearly funds.
So I am inviting you to join me in my new adventure, whether through much needed prayer and intercession, a one time donation, or a once-a-month pledge. In the midst of my current life situation, I will need to raise $25,000 a year, which would equal about $2,090 a month. This is one of the most humbling moves I have made in my lifetime, yet my complete reliance is in Our Father and I feel that this is His perfect timing. Who knows how long this chapter will last, as I believe there are many things in store for my life, but I am entirely thrilled about this opportunity and cannot wait to see everything that unfolds! Reflecting on how I got here and the blessing it was to be chosen among countless other applicants, I am certain that I am right where I need to be – completely at home.
You all are free to ask any questions that come to mind, and please feel more than welcome to share my monthly prayer letters and story with your friends and family as well. I have attached a “terms of agreement” slip that will help you with any automatic withdraw donations. If you would like to send cash or a check, you may use the envelop which I have also included, designating the funds to go towards “staff support”, writing Hope Jewell in the blank line. Please do not write in the memo portion of the check, as we will be unable to accept it. Finally, make sure to complete each slip that you send.
I hope the stories which I tell and the letters which I write will inspire you and challenge the very deepest places in your soul. Open your eyes dear ones, and breathe in every aspect of the world among you. I cherish your love, support, and beautiful spirits.
With warm thoughts,
Hope Jewell