I hope
this post finds you well! I want to let you in on something I am super excited
about. This summer, I have the amazing opportunity to travel to two completely
different places!
From May
6-19, I am going to Rwanda to conduct a research project on
international development. This will have a special emphasis on Jesus centered,
holistic development among the rural poor. I hope to witness, experience, and
learn as much as I can about development that is based on and inspired by
a holistic application of the Gospel. What is exciting about this research is
that it will actually be used. There are a couple Christian entrepreneurs from
Rwanda and Eastern Congo who will be working in war-torn regions in Central
Africa. They are looking for guidance in how to empower people living in
those communities and would like to make use of the research that I will be
doing in Rwanda.
From July
2-14, I have been asked to help head up a mission trip to East Asia.
The Center for Global Missions (of which I am the coordinator) at Regent
University is partnering with an organization that works specifically with
college students. My team and I will build relationships and share the gospel
with these students. The next half of the trip will bring us to another part of
the region to work among a culturally rich minority group. The primary purpose
of this half of the trip is to gain knowledge and cultural understanding and to
come in humility and in the same attitude as Jesus as described in Philippians
2.
I believe that God will use these trips in my life and the lives
of others in several important ways:
1. First of all, they are
opportunities to share the gospel in meaningful, powerful ways.
- Sharing our
experience of Jesus
- Loving the
culture
- Studying
development to contribute to the complete and holistic
transformation of the rural communities in Africa
This is the power of the Gospel being applied to all of life.
2. Secondly, these are
amazing opportunities for me to gain a deeper understanding of God’s vocational
calling on my life. The Rwanda trip is an early opportunity to see whether
holistic community development among the poor is how God wants to use me. I
would consider myself fairly culturally aware, but the East Asia trip will be a
completely new cultural experience which will open my eyes and heart and is
bound to be life-altering in some way or another.
However,
I am unable to go without a team. I would like to invite you to be a part of my
team.
There are
two primary ways that you can be a part of my team:
First of
all, you can pray. Pray for unity for the teams of which I will be a part. Pray
for safety for all the team members. Pray that we might be open vessels through
which God can work. Pray for the people we meet.
Secondly,
you can give financially. The East Asia trip will cost about $3500, and the
Rwanda trip will cost around $3000. Therefore, I need to raise around $6500. If
you are able to give, there are two ways to do so:
1. Check: Please make it payable to Clearview Church, and write on
the memo line Eric Ketcham/Rwanda or
Eric Ketcham/East Asia, depending on
the trip you want to support. Donating in this way makes your gift
tax-deductible. Please send it to the following address:
Clearview Church
PO Box 3049
Chesapeake, VA 23327-3049
2. Online: Please make your donation by
clicking on the following button:
The
donations are automatically deposited into my PayPal account through
which I can then finance these trips. While this is a very convenient
method, there is a 2.9%+.30 cents processing fee on each transaction.
If you
are able to give financially, I would ask that you do so as soon as you can,
that way I can purchase plane tickets while the prices are lower.
I hope
that by supporting me in whatever way you choose, you can work alongside me
despite not being physically present. We are all called, in one way or another,
to spread God’s kingdom, whether it be through giving, going, serving, etc.
If you have any questions about these trips or about how you can
be on my team, please feel free to comment.
Thank you!
Blessings,
Eric
