Costa Rica Info and a Request

Warning: This is kind of long; I just can't help myself these days! so if you're short for time, just scroll down to the description of our trip and the couple paragraphs that follow.  

As a follower of Jesus, I believe the words of James 1:27a: "Pure and faultless religion before our God and Father is this: to care after widows and orphans in their distress." Not to say that works actually make our religion pure or faultless, but our response to the desolate, vulnerable, and hurting demonstrates a heart changed by a pure and faultless God.  I want my life to demonstrate the work of an almighty, pure, and faultless God, and so with the many resources God's given me, I go. I go to care for orphans in their distress.

Sometimes when I think about all the hurt in the world; it feels like a 14 day trip to Africa or a 9 day trip to Costa Rica really isn't going to fix anything, which is true. As Katie Davis says in her book, "Sometimes I feel like I'm emptying the ocean with an eyedropper." Me getting on a plane for a small chunk of my summer is not going to fix the lives of 147 million (and counting) orphans in this broken world. 

But 9 days of my summer with the power of Jesus Christ can change the life of one, and that one is worth every expense. Jesus would have died on the cross for just one, how can I not as a follower of Jesus try to make a difference for just one. 

With that said, I want all of you out there to know a little bit more about my trip to Costa Rica this summer with Visiting Orphans. This trip is my response to James 1:27 because of what God has done for me. 

This is a description about Limón, Costa Rica, the place we are going on the VO trip. 

"Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse countries on the planet.  Its natural beauty is stunning and its beaches breathtaking.  However, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in the port town of Limon there is something that is breathtaking in a different way.  There are kids sleeping in the streets, there are problems with drugs and prostitution, the Afro-Caribbean population there that originally came from the Caribbean islands has been forgotten by the central Costa Rican government.  Social programs are seldom seen and the ones that do exist have a difficult time getting resources.  

Fortunately, there are two orphanages in the port town of Limon that fight hard to take care of the towns youth.  These two orphanages offer hope to children from broken families.  Not only hope but education, justice, recreation, access to health care, culture and recreation.  Limon is one of the locations in Costa Rica with the most needs." 

Our team will be traveling to Limón on July 16, working with the two orphanages mentioned in the description above, and then returning July 23. 

I'm working hard to raise the funds for the trip. I'm using some of the money I have saved and am also working this semester. I know that God has called me to go, and I know that He will provide the needed funds. 

I have a request, dear blog readers, would you being willing to invest in this trip? Certainly, these investments need not be monetary. I'm a firm believer that prayer investments are just as valuable as monetary donations. Would you pray for our team and for the children we will be spending time with in Limón? 

And if you would like to donate money to help get me to Limón, there's a really easy way. 

Step #1: Go to www.visitingorphans.org

Step #2: Click on the Donate tab. 

Step #3: Choose Costa Rica- July 16 

and (importantly)

Step #4: Put Ellen Billman in the "Team member or ministry name blank" 

Your page should look about like this: 

Thank you in advance to all who donate whether in money or in prayer! I'm so excited to see what God is going to do on our trip!