Donations!

After sending my letters in last week I have had donations rolling in! I have already received almost $800 in donations!  How amazing is that!? People are incredible! If you are one of those people who have already donated, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

In other news:
I am currently in the process of renewing my passport! Pretty exciting! I'm also working on getting my wardrobe Africa ready! I need knee-length or longer skirts and light, simple t-shirts! I don't mind shopping at all! Especially for something as awesome as Africa!

Thanks so much for your support! I'll keep you updated!

FLIGHTS BOOKED

Today I found out that my flight to Africa has been booked!!! I am beyond excited! I am also scared because it is a freaking long flight. Ready for how long it is? I leave at 10:15 from Dulles and arrive in Ethiopia the next day at 7:45am (their time 12pm our time), then from Ethiopia to Entebbe, Uganda where I arrive at 1:05pm (their time, 6am our time)! Then from there I drive 6 hours to Mbale! That all adds up to be about 23 hours of traveling. So I think it's safe to say I will be accepting all ideas and suggestions to keep occupied while on the plane.

While I am a little nervous to be traveling so far away with everything going to be so new, I am over-the-moon excited! I am so blessed to be able to have this amazing experience and am so excited to start getting ready! Thanks for your support and donations being sent in! Let me know if I can answer any questions for you!

Check Your Mail!

My letters have been sent out! It took a lot of time, envelopes, stamps and paper, but it is done! Go check your mail right now if you haven't already gotten the letter! I would really appreciate the time you would take to read the letter and maybe even donate a little! Here is what the letter said if you didn't get one!

Dear Friends and Family,

This Summer I have an amazing opportunity to go to Mbale, Uganda for an Internship with HELP International. I will be going from July 15^th to August 15^th and could not be more excited! There are so many amazing opportunities to serve and I can’t wait to get started! But in order for my trip to be as effective as possible, I need your help. Let me start by telling you about this amazing organization, HELP International.

HELP International is an organization that was founded by some of Brigham Young University’s faculty in 1999. They started out just wanting to help Honduras after Hurricane Mitch, and now this organization has grown to send teams all around the world to help those in need. The Mission of HELP International is to empower people to fight global poverty through sustainable, life-changing development programs. HELP currently runs programs in El Salvador, India, Uganda, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand, Belize and Fiji.

A project I am hoping to start with other members of my team is a soccer program for the orphans in neighboring slums in Mbale. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from taking part of a sports team. I hope that my team and I can empower and increase the joy for these orphans! Not only will we teach them the basics of soccer but also the basics of good health and hygiene.

There are many other projects I will have the chance to work with and I would love to explain them all, but there are far too many. As I said before, in order to have the most productive and beneficial trip I need your help. The amount of good that can be done for the people in Uganda increases significantly with even a small donation! We are inviting you to join us in serving the people of Uganda by donating $35, $50, $100, $250, $500 or whatever you can! Checks can be made payable to HELP International with “Annie Turner” in the memo line. Donations can be mailed directly to HELP International with the provided pre-stamped return envelope, or through Network for Good online. For online donations, go to the help website (listed below), click on “Donate” at the top of the home page, and include “Annie Turner” in the dedication box. If you’d like more information please visit the HELP International website www.help-international.org, or email me at aturn126@gmail.com, or you can call me at 703-945-8659.

Thanks for your undying support to me over the years. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I will be able to update my blog while in country so you can easily know what your donation has done to help those who really need our help. Here is a link to the team blog we will keep this summer: http://ugandambale.help-international.org/. Also, here is the link to my personal blog I will be keeping about my experience in Uganda: http://anniedoesafrica.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Annie Turner

HELP International website: www.help-international.org

Team Blog: http://ugandambale.help-international.org/

My Blog: http://anniedoesafrica.blogspot.com/

My E-mail: aturn126@gmail.com

My Number: 703-945-8659