Got my ticket!! --And fundraising update.

Exciting news-- my ticket is booked!!! I'm officially Lumbumbashi-bound on July 14th!! I'm super excited. :)

In other news, things are really coming together for this trip!! God is definitely opening doors to make this a reality. For those of you who don't know, my mom travels all the time. She accumulates a ton of frequent flyer miles, and she graciously offered to let me use her miles for the first leg of my trip-- Indy to London. Because of that, my ticket price ended up being a lot cheaper. On top of that, I got offered a testing job here in Indy that should earn me about $1000 dollars toward the remaining price of my ticket. Talk about good timing!! That leaves me with needing to raise only about $500 to cover the remaining ticket cost and travel insurance etc.
 
So that brings down my fundraising grand total quite a bit... I still want to raise money so I can make a significant donation to the nursing school in the town where I will be staying. BUT, it's awesome because you guys know that if you do choose to donate, for the most part it's going directly to the people of the town I'll be staying in, not my own personal expenses. I know money stuff is kind of boring, but I prefer to be completely transparent with the money aspect of this trip so that people know exactly where it is all going.

Bob is in DR Congo right now, where I'll be in July. He's been posting pictures on facebook as he goes, so I'll post some here pretty soon so you can see where i'll be going!!

Love,
Emily

Training Update

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me-- I'm just getting back into school and trying to get stuff squared away for semester II. Last weekend, I traveled to New Orleans to attend a conference on African-centered Approaches to Trauma Therapy. I signed up back in November, after I decided I was going to DR Congo this summer!! It was really interesting, and I learned a lot!

A lot of the conference was about what we've learned about trauma treatment in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. So in that sense, it wasn't directly "applicable" to what I'll be doing in the DR Congo, but boy was it ever interesting!! I loved hearing the story from the mental health first responders-- it was so inspiring to know that "therapy" can be on the ground with anyone who wants it, instead of just being a 50 minute hour in an office building. The other thing I learned a lot about that I suspect I will definitely use is Ubuntu Psychology-- a therapeutic framework that is more holistic, and integrates ritual and spirituality into the treatment as a mechanism for healing. Such a cool concept, and I'm hoping to learn more before I leave.

A financial update-- This week I'm getting my student loan refund for semester II, so I'll be able to buy my plane ticket!! I am really excited!! (Thanks, UIndy!) Ideally I will be able to raise enough money to cover the cost of it, but the longer I wait, the more expensive the tickets will be, so I'm buying now and trusting that God will provide everything I need. This week I got my first donation, too-- thanks Josh!! Every little bit helps, so if you feel moved to give, please do!! If you don't have the money or you just feel moved to pray, that's okay too!! I appreciate everyone's love and support. :)

Love,
Emily

Dear friends and family,

                I hope this letter finds you well as 2010 draws to a close and we kick off 2011. As some of you may have heard, I have been presented with a wonderful opportunity to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo during the summer of 2011. In the 1990s, DR Congo experienced an extremely destructive civil war, which devastated both the population and the infrastructure. Many families were destroyed and traumatized, and the conservative death count was estimated at around 4 million. Most civilians had little stake in the political conflict, and yet bore the brunt of the war through displacement and mass violence. While the political environment is now relatively stable in most parts of the country, the citizens were left isolated and in poverty, with few resources. Most people do not access to electricity, clean water, medical care, or education. The majority of children born in DR Congo die before age five. Most villages are also inaccessible by car, which leaves them unlikely to receive aid. Many people describe feelings of abandonment and isolation, and suffer long-standing fall-out from the trauma. 

                In October, Pastors Bob Walters and Joseph Mulango visited my church to talk about their work in the DR Congo. They didn’t bring a fancy presentation, or an elaborate fundraising project. Rather, they merely stood before us and spoke from the heart. They spoke of the United Methodist pastors and their families who’ve been on the ground since the war, with no relief. The villages that are devastated and haven’t seen any aid since the 1990s. The pervasive feelings of isolation and desperation. Bob expressed that what they needed most wasn’t money thrown at them from outside—they needed hope. They needed to know that they weren’t abandoned. 

                Hearing this made me realize that I have something to give—my presence and my skill as a counselor. I knew that I had to go. I am not a rich person, and I’ve never before that I had something to give in the face of such overwhelming problems. But this time, God has impressed upon my heart that I do. My goal for this trip is to visit the villages of DR Congo and provide short-term trauma counseling—to use my professional skill to let them know they’re not alone. I’m also hoping to raise enough money to provide them some resources for them. In order to do this, I will need money to support my travel expenses and lots and lots of prayer. 

In the DR Congo, many people don’t have resources to endure their daily challenges. Join me in becoming their extended support network. My departure date is set for approximately July 18^th, and before then, my goal is to raise $5000 to cover my travel expenses and give to Friendly Planet Missology’s(http://friendlyplanet.weebly.com/index.html) goals of buying bikes and educational facilities for the people of DR Congo. 

Please visit my blog at http://emilyindrc.blogspot.com/ to follow my journey. There is a link at the top of the page that allows you to donate towards my trip, and an accounting of all funds will be provided upon my return. I thank you in advance for your prayers and your financial support. May God bless you richly!

Sincerely,

Emily Johnson