We are so humbled by all the support and giving of prayers and money for our upcoming Zimbabwe mission. 20 days ago, our overwhelming needs to accomplish this upcoming trip seemed like an unattainable goal. Over and over and over throughout the last month, though, God has shown us what He is able to do when we truly give it to Him.... several received our prayer magnets and have expressed interest in praying for us as we prepare to go and as we're away. One group of men even committed to getting on their knees together several times a week on our behalf while we prepare and during the six months we're away... a dear couple at our home church asked to help with the storing of our belongings while we're gone for the six months... the congregation we grew up in held a special "Mission Sunday" highlighting our trip and took up a special contribution for our financial needs. Several were in attendance, including an old friend who hasn't been to church in years and welcomed the invitation to attend church for our special day, rekindling old friendships in the process of worshiping together... elders of other church congregations have approached us, showing interest in supporting us in anyway they can... family members have stepped up and volunteered their time to help pack and clean as we prepare to leave, others have expressed interest in keeping our dog while we're away... a sweet little girl who attended church with her grandparents, brought a dollar bill she had earned earlier in the week. Much to her grandparents' surprise, she didn't want to put her dollar in the regular children's collection that day, but instead after hearing of our plans to go to Zimbabwe, we she cheerfully and confidently gave all she had to our trip... friends have offered their vehicles and basements for transportation and storage... a family member has shown her support by reaching out to her friends and church family, voicing our cause and passionately asking others for their support... our family photographer asked to publish our information on her site, promoting our trip and helping raise awareness and support... messages of encouragement have filled our inboxes with words so rich in support and love, carrying us through moments of doubt or fear...
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." - Ephesians 3:20
Thank you so much to all of you! This isn't just the "Scharrer's" mission, this is YOUR mission, too. We're all doing this together. Thank you for joining us!
If you've come to our blog for questions on our specific mission or on giving, please see the tabs at the top for more specific information or feel free to contact us and/or leave a comment. Just a quick wrap up for some questions we've received recently...
Our family of six will depart for Zimbabwe, Africa just after May 1st of this year. We plan to work at the Brian Lemons Memorial Hospital, which will also include work with the church, school, and orphanage there. Erik is currently an Emergency Medicine physician at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and will jump right in to work at the hospital at Nhowe Mission. Kara and the kids hope to connect in all areas of Nhowe Mission with God-driven hearts to serve wherever they are needed. It's our goal to raise $30,000 by May 1st. If you are moved to give, please see the "Donate" tab above. Prayers are always welcome. Without prayer as our lifeline, we would not be able to fulfill the Great Commission.
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