My Letter

I am writing with very exciting news; this Fall I will be moving to South Africa to be a missionary for the Episcopal Young Adult Service Corps, which many of you know has been a dream of mine for years. As a Christian, I am called to serve God by serving others. For the past two years I have been serving as the Youth Minister at Trinity Church in Boston, which has helped me to solidify this call to help others through faith-based mission work.

For me, being a missionary means answering a call from God to serve and love others and to seek peace and justice in this broken world. The focus of The Young Adult Service Corps, is to introduce American young adults into the life of the wider Anglican Communion and into the daily life and work of a particular community. The emphasis of the Young Adult Service Corps includes cultural engagement, spiritual commitment, and vocational reflection--lived out together in a work of service.

My appointment in South Africa will last for one year in the greater Cape Town area. While the details of my duties are still being arranged, I know that I will be working with an organization called Hope Africa. The Mission of Hope Africa is “to promote and implement a social development programme for the Anglican Church in Southern Africa for the improvement of the Spiritual, Physical and Emotional Well Being of the Poor and Oppressed People of Africa on a non-denominational basis.” For more information on this great organization please visit (http://www.hopeafrica.org.za/). Regardless of the specific work I will be performing while I am there, I am extremely proud to represent both the Diocese of Massachusetts, and Trinity Church Copley Square to the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The Province of Southern Africa will serve as my host, but they are unable to fully fund this journey. Another aspect of my going on this mission trip is to raise the balance of the money needed to support living costs and materials for the work I will be performing. My goal is to raise $10,000.00 before I leave the United States at the end of August 2009. This money, joined with funds from the national church and funds from Southern Africa, will allow me to serve as a volunteer for one year. I understand many people are under additional financial pressure given the circumstances of the last year. However, if are able to support me financially in any way, I would greatly appreciate it. Some sponsorship figures include $30 for one day, or $210 for one week, but I would appreciate any amount you are comfortable with sharing. More so than financial support, I would also like to ask for your love and support through prayer.
If you are interested in donating, please email me at embeal@gmail.com