Connexus Heroes: Sarah & Matthew Chaloux

Hello friends!  We wanted to bring you up to speed on something going on with a couple in our church this week.  Read on . . . and help how you can!

—————————————————————————————

Connexus Community and friends,

Hello! We hope everything is going
well with you. We can’t believe how fast this year is flying by! We’d really
love to let you know about some of the great things that are happening in our
lives.

This past year has been a huge life change for both of us since
we are now attending York University in Toronto. Matthew is working towards his
major/minor in film and photography, and Sarah is working on her BA in
international development studies. Being at home in Muskoka for the summer is a
wonderful and welcomed break from the stress of school and city life. The shift
from schoolwork to paid work is nice, but we’ll both be glad to be back in
school come September. On top of having a wedding on August second, we are going
on a mission trip on June 6th to Africa with an organization, Seventy Two, located in St. Louis,
Missouri. The head of Seventy Two is Ryan Hale, who attends the church Matthew’s
brother in law is the pastor for. As soon as we heard about a trip to Africa
with them (two of Matthew’s sisters went to China with Seventy Two), we signed
up. It will be an amazing experience to see how God is changing lives in Africa,
and how He will change our lives through this trip.

On June
6th, we will be flying from Toronto to Paris, where we will stay for one week.
On June 13th we will fly from Paris to Johannesburg, South Africa and connect to
a flight to Manzini, Swaziland. When we reach Manzini we will meet with the rest
of the group that is coming from St. Louis, Missouri. From Manzini we will
travel to the remote village of Mgambeni (not found on a map) to begin
worshiping and working. Swaziland the country most affected by the AIDS
pandemic; it has the highest rate of infection at almost 40 percent. Because
basic sanitation is not practiced and clean water is not readily available, AIDS
has had a larger effect in Swaziland than any other country in the world.
Swaziland is also the smallest country in Africa. Our mission is to build a
chicken coop which will provide the orphanage with an income to provide all
basic needs that the children require. It is difficult for the community and
nation to financially support orphaned children especially when the local
community can barely provide for themselves. Our work will have a huge impact on
the children orphaned by AIDS in the Mgambeni area. We will also be integrating
with the local Church and joining them for worship.

This trip provides an opportunity to meet the physical
and spiritual needs of a community that is desperately in need. More than
anything, we would value your prayers for our team and those whose lives will be
touched by God through us. We believe that God answers prayers, and we’re asking
you to pray for the safety, good health, and smooth travel of our entire group.
We also ask that you pray that God will be able to use us according to His will
and that we will bring blessing to the community. Our hearts ache for the
children and communities that have been living in poverty and with AIDS and we
want them to know that God hears their cries. Just knowing that you will be
praying will give us peace and comfort as we go into an unfamiliar place.

Beyond your prayers, if you feel led to financially support this
mission, we would be very grateful. As students, money is not something we have
an abundance of, especially with a wedding to pay for. God has been so gracious
to us to allow this mission to happen. We dedicated ourselves to the trip, and
it is finally coming together. This is a journey that God has called us to and
we would greatly appreciate any level of support you are able to offer.

We also are willing to take any donations you can offer. We will be
travelling with some extra luggage so that we can provide the villagers with the
basic needs that we are so blessed with. If you have any of the following that
you wish to donate then please contact us and we will be willing to pick it up
before Friday, June 6th. Some items of high demand include: blankets, clothing,
underwear, toothbrushes/paste, flip flops, and mosquito nets for protection from
malaria while sleeping. Some other fun donations could include colouring books,
crayons, balls, hats, or anything you can dream of.

As soon as we return from Africa or if we have access
to the internet in Africa, we will update you with a blog posting on how the
trip went with LOTS of photos of the children, the church worshiping, and your
donations being handed out and enjoyed.

Again, we really hope things are
going well for you. We’d love to hear anything you wish to say about the trip,
so please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will definitely be praying for you.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter, and if you have any
questions, please let us know. Take care, and we hope to hear from you soon!

With gratitude,

Sarah and Matthew Chaloux

Mission
Information: http://www.seventytwo.org/swaziland

Contact:

Sarah & Matthew Chaloux
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 705-323-5599

190 Tiffany Trail
Gravenhurst Ontario
P1P 1A6

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Stay Connected By Subscribing To Our Blog!

No data was found

You May Also Like