Hey guys! My name is Jocelyn, and I am so excited about the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia with a group from my church, Multiply Community Church, later this year in August 2026. Doing missions work has been on my heart for about a year or so now, and I haven't yet had the chance to actually go overseas until now!

As a Global Studies major at Judson College, I've been excited to GO! and serve those who are in need across the sea, sharing the gospel with those who may have never heard the name of Christ. While we are there, we will be partnering with friends overseas, providing meals for families in the city, and sharing the gospel through Bible stories. Not only will I encourage you to be praying alongside me for the hearts of those that we will be serving, but I would also appreciate if you would join in praying for the Lord to work in a mighty way through the lives of those who are going on the trip, which will include laypeople, elders, associational leaders, and pastors, that our hearts would be further stirred to love God, his people, and his mission for us. That this trip might serve as a catalyst for others to GO to the nations and face the stark reality of lostness across the globe.

As mentioned previously, this is my first time overseas, and I would so appreciate your heartfelt prayers and encouragement! It means the world to me that there will be countless men and women lifting this team of believers up as we go to Ethiopia's capital to proclaim the name of Christ, sustaining us in moments of exhaustion or frustration, giving us the strength to keep moving.

I would also appreciate your prayerful consideration in giving financially towards this trip - I am a broke college student trying to reach people near and far with the love of Christ, but I just need some help getting there. I believe the Lord loves to use the people of God to accomplish the mission of God, and this is not just by people going or sending, but also by people giving. When we give to advance the mission of God in all places and spaces, I believe the Lord is pleased. There is no such thing as too little or too big of a donation - every little bit helps!

There are so many little things I've witnessed over the past couple months that have confirmed my desire to go on this trip with these people, and I just want to be part of the Lord's work in Ethiopia. It is this passage in Romans 10 that convicted me heavily at a Missions conference a couple years ago, and caused me to consider what the repercussions will be if I don't take God's mission seriously:

"14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.

I would love to be part of what God is doing in Africa, and appreciate your prayers and consideration as I (and many others) prepare to take the gospel beyond the States. Thank you!