I am currently working on recovering from wisdom teeth removal, which I will be blogging about soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share some exciting news with you all!
Exactly one week ago I learned that I got a spot on the ORIGINS 2019 team! In June I will be traveling to the Holy Land to volunteer alongside Israelis at a hospital.
I am super excited for this experience and have started studying up thanks to some book donations from my brother.
Many of you probably know all about my obsession with the Middle East, my passion for Israel and my love of volunteering. Does Dance Marathon ring a bell? I know I NEVER mention it. I first applied for this mission trip through an essay contest where 1st place would win a paid trip and 2nd place would win a half-paid trip. We can only assume I came in 3rd.
Part of the reason I am so fascinated by Israel and the Middle East is my own heritage. Guys frequently ask if I have Italian ancestry (maybe it's all the pasta and bread?) and when I speak Spanish in the classroom my students assume I'm Hispanic porque mi espanol es muy bueno y yo se cuando ellos usan mal lenguaje en espanol. Thanks to some recent DNA testing and the research my family did trying to find a bone marrow donor for my grandfather when he had leukemia, I have discovered that my paternal great-great-grandmother was Portuguese. A Sephardic Jew. Which is what I have been telling people since 2010 based on a series of guesses and unfounded assumptions.
I feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity to travel to Israel but I will need to raise $2,000 to make this a reality. And that's the easy part. I also had to tell my mother I would be traveling to the other side of the world for the second year in a row. When I told her how long I would be gone for, she seemed relieved that it was only 8-10 days. But then I had to point out that she heard me wrong and it's really 18 days and she literally laid down on the floor. Pray for Missy.
I am starting my fundraising efforts now because I figured some people might be interested in a last minute tax refund before 2018 ends. Everyone who donates will receive a thank you sticker, letter explaining the mission, a slip to send in so that the money goes to my fundraising account and one of my blog business cards so you can keep up with my progress and travels.
If you are interested in receiving a fundraising letter from me please complete this Google form and I will mail you one! The form is also embedded at the bottom of this post whatever that means. If you are related to me by blood you are getting one no matter what. There is no unsubscribe button for you.
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