Hi! I am Ashley Bylsma and I am a junior at Olivet Nazarene University! I am currently studying early childhood education and involved in a bible study for transfer students and a leader with a middle school youth group at a local church. I have grown so much in just the couple of months I have been at Olivet, and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to go to school here.
This coming spring, Shalom Project is sending out various ministry trips to all over the world. I have the incredible opportunity to be a part of the Honduras trip and to serve the people and community in the mountain town of Santa Barbara. This is a cool way to get immersed in a culture so different from America. While this is an exciting and awesome adventure, I will need help raising the funds to take part in the trip. If you're willing to, please donate here! Thank you for all the support and prayers as I commit to raising these funds and as my team goes to share the love of Jesus with the people of Honduras!! I am so excited to see how God will work through this trip.
We will be working with our partnering organization Footsteps Missions to work with the children of the Garden of Love and Hope. The Garden is an economic orphanage that gives these children supplementary education, bible classes, meals, mentoring, Godly examples of leadership, and love to support and sustain impoverished children. Our team will help with additional skills and business training at the new community center that features a coffee shop, pizza cafe, and beauty salon. We may also run a VBS style camp including music ministry, art ministry, and other creative ministries. Footsteps has also just completed a new Sports Ministry site where we can help teach and interact with kids to learn basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and more. We will have the opportunity to interact with the children as well as encourage and support the staff.