Greetings Family & Friends!
Wow! It is hard to believe that it’s been 6 months since I last visited Ethiopia. It seems like just yesterday I was boarding a plane to return to the country God has allowed me to serve in with Doctors Giving Back.
I told myself after my 2011 trip I would NOT be returning in 2012 because I could not stand to miss my oldest daughter’s birthday again. It was a heart-wrenching decision because I felt like my Ethiopian friends had become my extended family over the past 2 years. And then, BAM! God changed things again for me. Doctor’s Giving Back announced their 2012 trip dates would be March 10-24. I would NOT miss Emma’s birthday after all! I was thrilled to be given both options - I am quite blessed.
This letter is to thank you for your prayers & support for my past trips to Addis & Asossa, and to let you know I AM RETURNING!
I am very excited to be able to see the real-life results of the Sawyer filters we left in March 2011. We have heard reports of diminished diarrhea & over all improved health. It’s amazing how a thing as tiny as clean water can turn the course of a village completely around.
I vividly remember as we were hearing reports of Hurricane Irene heading our way, how lucky we were to be able to simply purchase clean, bottled water in case of contamination. And then I felt a pang of guilt as I recalled how difficult that is for the majority of my Ethiopian friends. Water = Life!
So here I am again, asking for your prayers, your support, and your money. In these difficult economic times, I find it hard to part with money for any unnecessary expenses. But I am confident that God is bigger than all of that & will provide abundantly more than we need.
Besides a direct donation, I am having a few fundraising opportunities we well.
1. Fall/Christmas Mini Photo Sessions - $100 tax-deductible donation to DGB to attend a 20-minute photo session in Annapolis or Baltimore. Get photos, give money, have fun! (Oct 22, Oct 23, Nov 19). E-mail or check my Facebook page for details: www.facebook.com/MandySrokaPhotography
2. Pampered Chef Party - October 14 at my house. Kathi Berry has graciously offered to have another PC party & donate a portion of sales to my trip. This was a huge success last year & a yummy evening.
3. Ledo’s Night - I am in the process of setting a date for this event. We will have a set night to all eat at Ledo’s in Severna Park as a fundraiser for my trip.
Thank you again for taking the time from your busy schedule to read this letter.
I encourage you to see for yourself what exactly was accomplished in Ethiopia in 2011. I have several videos on YouTube that show just what my trip was all about.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mandysroka Go & see!
Thank you again for taking the time to read this letter & prayerfully consider how you can support this endeavor. And be sure to visit my blog in March/April 2012. I’ll be posting LOTS of photos from my trip! (http://www.mandysrokaphotography.com/blog) I can’t wait to show you!
Sincerely,
Mandy
PS -
There are three ways you can give to my trip to Ethiopia:
1) Check - made to Doctors Giving Back with “Mandy Sroka” in the memo line. These can be handed to me or mailed directly to Doctors Giving Back. This donation is tax-deductible. Doctors Giving Back
7172 Regional St. #155
Dublin, CA 94568
memo line: Mandy Sroka
2) PayPal - http://www.doctorsgivingback.org - click on the “Donate” tab at the bottom. All transactions will have a 4% fee deducted from the total payment. This is a PayPal fee. PayPal donations will only be accepted until January 15, 2012. All donations received thru PayPal after Jan 15, 2012 will be considered a donation to Doctors Giving Back and will not be applied towards my trip. This donation is tax-deductible. Please make a note that the donation is for Mandy Sroka.
3) First Giving - http://www.firstgiving.com/amandasroka/2012 All transactions will have a 7% fee deducted from the total payment. This is a First Giving fee. First Giving donations must be submitted by December 15, 2011. Any donations made after Dec. 15, 2011 will not go towards my individual trip costs. This donation is tax-deductible.