this is the letter i sent out to raise money for this trip, you can disregard the pleas for money because with the generosity of many i raised more than enough (yay praise God!)
When the Bible has over 2,000 passages in it referring to the poor and downtrodden, we must pay attention. 1 John: 3:17 says: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” James 2: 15-17 says: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” It is passages like these that really convict me to give more of myself, and so often I fall short.
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, and if our financial woes seem bad then imagine living in a country with roughly 80% of the population in abject poverty. Late into this summer, within a month’s time, this small Caribbean country was struck by four successive hurricanes and tropical storms. In a country with no control over erosion and no competent infrastructure to speak of, the only word to describe what happened is devastation. It is estimated that around 1 million people who once had homes no longer do because of these storms. With a total population of only 8.5 million people this number’s significance cannot be ignored.
In Spring of 2006 I fortunate enough to take a mission trip to Haiti for a week. This has been a huge blessing in my life, and has been one significant event of many that has compelled me to devote myself to the poorest of poor. I followed the aforementioned events from the comfort of my dormitory, and something about that just didn’t seem right. I could not stop thinking about what was going on in Haiti. Through much prayer, and also, affirming prayer from others, I found my call to come back to Haiti to offer myself to those who doubtlessly need it.
I have decided to take my next semester at Central College off and spend a little over two months in the coastal city of St. Marc from January 29 to April 2 (my birthday!). Through much searching and prayer, I found the missional organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM) as the group I will go with. I will be teaching school for middle school age children, distributing much needed food, and helping with hurricane disaster relief that is still in need across the country. I have a few general goals for this trip. I want to go into this situation under the assumption that I know nothing. Because I want to do this for the rest of, I want to use this opportunity to be a sponge to soak up as much knowledge and experience as possible. Most of all I want to offer hope to people, the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, and the hope that people I come into contact with genuinely know that people like you and I care about them.
This is the part I am so scared and reluctant to do in times such as these. I am asking that you enable me to bring hope to these people in need by making a contribution for me to fly there and stay there. At the very least (which is often the most we can do) I ask that you keep this Caribbean nation (or any people in need) in your prayers. Feel free to ask me any questions about Haiti, YWAM, or myself and my passions for the poor. My phone number is: (641)629-0167 and my email address is boeyinkc1@central.edu. If you feel you are able to make a contribution to not my cause, but God’s cause, please make checks payable to Clayton Boeyink and send to the following address:
Clayton Boeyink
407 E. 8th St.
Pella, Iowa 50219
Thank you so much for the consideration. Sincerely, I just want to help those who need it.
Your brother in Christ,
Clayton T. Boeyink
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, and if our financial woes seem bad then imagine living in a country with roughly 80% of the population in abject poverty. Late into this summer, within a month’s time, this small Caribbean country was struck by four successive hurricanes and tropical storms. In a country with no control over erosion and no competent infrastructure to speak of, the only word to describe what happened is devastation. It is estimated that around 1 million people who once had homes no longer do because of these storms. With a total population of only 8.5 million people this number’s significance cannot be ignored.
In Spring of 2006 I fortunate enough to take a mission trip to Haiti for a week. This has been a huge blessing in my life, and has been one significant event of many that has compelled me to devote myself to the poorest of poor. I followed the aforementioned events from the comfort of my dormitory, and something about that just didn’t seem right. I could not stop thinking about what was going on in Haiti. Through much prayer, and also, affirming prayer from others, I found my call to come back to Haiti to offer myself to those who doubtlessly need it.
I have decided to take my next semester at Central College off and spend a little over two months in the coastal city of St. Marc from January 29 to April 2 (my birthday!). Through much searching and prayer, I found the missional organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM) as the group I will go with. I will be teaching school for middle school age children, distributing much needed food, and helping with hurricane disaster relief that is still in need across the country. I have a few general goals for this trip. I want to go into this situation under the assumption that I know nothing. Because I want to do this for the rest of, I want to use this opportunity to be a sponge to soak up as much knowledge and experience as possible. Most of all I want to offer hope to people, the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, and the hope that people I come into contact with genuinely know that people like you and I care about them.
This is the part I am so scared and reluctant to do in times such as these. I am asking that you enable me to bring hope to these people in need by making a contribution for me to fly there and stay there. At the very least (which is often the most we can do) I ask that you keep this Caribbean nation (or any people in need) in your prayers. Feel free to ask me any questions about Haiti, YWAM, or myself and my passions for the poor. My phone number is: (641)629-0167 and my email address is boeyinkc1@central.edu. If you feel you are able to make a contribution to not my cause, but God’s cause, please make checks payable to Clayton Boeyink and send to the following address:
Clayton Boeyink
407 E. 8th St.
Pella, Iowa 50219
Thank you so much for the consideration. Sincerely, I just want to help those who need it.
Your brother in Christ,
Clayton T. Boeyink
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