Hola!

My name is Tom and I will be traveling with 10 other Blackhawkers to Bolivia in April 2018.  First, I want to thank everyone who has supported this trip, financially and through prayer.  Your support of all kinds is absolutely necessary!  It helps fund the trip, shows God the large group of people who support the trip, and is incredibly encouraging to feel so well supported as a traveler on the trip.

Along with other men of Blackhawk, I recently read a book about various Christians who were leaders of our faith over the past 150 years (Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, and others).  One of these leaders said something along the line of – you can’t really feel and know poverty until you visit or live in a place with people day to day and see the conditions they live in.  I agree with this statement and it is one of the reasons I continue to be involved in mission trips with Blackhawk Church.  Each time I visit communities with whom we partner, I am reminded of how privileged we are in America and, in contrast, how most of the world really lives…and this inspires me to be more giving of my time and other resources in communities like Lajastambo, where we will be going in April 2018.

I have been privileged to go on Blackhawk mission trips to Honduras and Bolivia and each trip gives me a renewed sense of giving and serving others.  I’ve been attending Blackhawk Church since 2005 and I appreciate the opportunity provided to me to serve God and serve other people in many ways, including participating in international mission trips.  Thank you for your interest in this trip and in the people who will be traveling to Bolivia in April 2018.  Please continue to pray for the people of Lajastambo, the Food for the Hungry staff (who we partner with on the ground there), the team members and the Blackhawk staff who support us.

The picture is from a celebration of the opening of a nutrition center in Lajastambo in late 2016. It is within walking distance of many people (and one of five nutrition centers planned for the very spread out area of Lajastambo) to help primarily with children’s health issues.

Hasta luego!