*LOVE* knows no borders

Dear Friends and Family,

            As you probably know, I am engaged!  It is such a weird and exciting feeling to finally be planning the day that I have dreamed about.  However, before this wedding can take place, there are some other things that must happen first.  Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with YWAM Louisville (Youth With a Mission.)  I was so blessed by the team that I traveled with, and the people that we served.  While in Nicaragua last summer, I was asked to apply for the summer internship with YWAM for Summer 2015.

            That is why I am writing to you today.  After coming home from Nicaragua last summer, I prayed about where the Lord was leading me.  As the Fall 2014 school semester began, I was also reminded that I need an internship to graduate from Indiana University Southeast.  The Lord placed it on my heart to apply for the internship with YWAM and I was accepted!  This summer I have the opportunity to grow in my faith while serving the people of Louisville and Nicaragua, and at the same time fulfill my internship requirement for graduation.

            The YWAM internship is a six-week long, unpaid program that will include many different aspects. The first portion of the internship will be a time of training and preparation, through leadership development and hands-on experience in leading youth during Encounter week in Louisville.  Encounter is a week long, intensive camp for training and preparing youth to serve the Lord.

            The remainder of the six-week internship will be spent in Nicaragua. The other interns and I will fly out ahead of the other teams to prepare for the short-term mission outreaches.  We will continue where we left off last summer, reaching out to the lost people of Nicaragua, while growing together in our faith.  We will be ministering to those in nursing homes, local churches, and the slums.  We will have the opportunity to serve in a physical way, while also leaving a lasting impact by giving bibles to those who do not have one.  In Nicaragua, bibles are very expensive, and can be difficult to acquire.

            To be honest, I have struggled a bit with my decision to leave the States for such a long period of time.  I love my home.  I love my fiancé, and I don’t relish the idea of being gone during such a crucial time of wedding planning.  However, God has made it clear that this is where I need to be, and I will not allow even a wedding to keep me from doing the Lord’s will!  It will be hard to not be able to see or talk to my fiancé and family much while I’m gone, but I know that God blesses obedience.  I am excited to see the work that the Lord does through me and the others on the YWAM team!

            I truly believe that prayer is powerful.  We have the ability to converse freely with the Creator of the Universe, what could be better than that?!  I would like to ask if you would please partner with me by praying for the hearts of those in Nicaragua, that they would be ready to receive the Gospel.  Also, I ask that you would pray for me, and the rest of the team, that we would be the hands and feet of Christ.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would be so obvious in our lives and that we will have the words and courage to share our faith!

            And lastly, this trip will not be possible without financial support from my generous friends and family.  YWAM asks for $1285 a person, which covers food, housing, transportation, and ministry expenses in Nicaragua.  I will also need to pay for a flight, and miscellaneous expenses, which should be about $1300.  The total cost of the trip will be approximately $2600.  If you would, please prayerfully consider supporting me, and the YWAM team as we accept the commandment to go and make disciples!

           

If you feel that God is prompting you to support me financially, please make your tax-deductible check payable to DIFJ Inc. If it is easier for you to give online, please go to www.davidmbaird.com where you will find an option to make a one-time donation on the right hand side.

I look forward to partnering with you on this journey!

Much Love,

Kailey Baird

“Prayer in action is love, and love in action is service. Try to give unconditionally whatever a person needs in the moment. The point is to do something, however small, and show you care through your actions by giving your time … We are all God’s children so it is important to share His gifts. Do not worry about why problems exist in the world – just respond to people’s needs … We feel what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but that ocean would be less without that drop.“- Mother Teresa