Attention San Diego friends!!! Need a Babysitter? I’m your girl! I’ll be in town through July 2012 before I leave for Botswana.

As many of you may know, I’m planning on moving to Botswana, Africa soon to do a 1-year missions internship. In an effort to raise funds for my trip, I’m making myself available for your babysitting needs.

Planning a date night soon? Have a special event coming up you can’t bring the kiddos to? Please contact me to babysit!

Please also refer me to your friends! I can provide great references and I am First Aid & CPR certified!

Don’t have kids, but have pets? I pet sit, too! I love animals and work great with them!

Suggested Donation: $10-$15/hr or reasonable donation (all funds go towards my trip)

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

Lauren and I held a bake sale at church yesterday to raise money for our trips and we made over $500!!! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to purchase a baked good or homemade craft! Special thanks to my dear friend Heather Dean (and her business Smashing Cakes & More) who donated most of the products for our fundraiser. It was a success!

The yummy treats we had for sale!

Crafts for sale - I made the fabric bowls and flower hair clips!

For the month of November, my dear friend Lauren Scott and I have been designated as our church’s Missionaries of the Month. Very exciting! Yesterday, we both had the opportunity to share our heart for missions and Africa with our church family. We were so blessed by the outpouring of support and encouragement we received. Thank you, ORCC!

Our official "Missionary of the Month" flier

Sharing about the work I'll be doing in Botswana with Light of the World Ministries

Lauren sharing about the work she'll be doing with Campus Crusade for Christ in Capetown, South Africa

Lauren and I behind our info table

Send me to Botswana!!!

I’ve had several friends express how much they would like to support me (financially) as I get ready to enter the mission field, but are unable to do so, which I completely understand. For those of my friends and family who may (or may not) find themselves in that position, you can still definitely support me in prayer. I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer, and if you know me well at all, I always say that I always need prayer! And lately, it seems like I need it now more than ever – entering the mission field is HARD WORK!!!

With that said, here are some specific ways you can pray for me:

1. Of course, as you all know, I need to raise $14,000 to spend one year in Botswana. Currently, I’ve nearly raised 50% of the funds (woohoo!). Please help me pray for the rest to come in, whether it’s through individual sponsors, more church sponsorships (I have 3 churches supporting me right now.), creative fundraising ideas, etc.
2. I have some personal debt I need to pay off before I move to Botswana. Many of you may remember my infamous meniscus injury/surgery of 2008 (never wrestle anyone for piñata candy on Cinco de Mayo). It’s crazy to think I’m still paying those medical bills, but I’m motivated more than ever to pay them off. I’m currently working 4 jobs, so please pray for daily strength/energy and the ability to manage my time and money wisely.
3. As I’ve already mentioned, entering the mission field is very hard work. In fact, I don’t think I’ve worked so hard in my life. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices in order to raise the necessary funds and pay off my debt, and there are definitely days when I feel very alone and very discouraged. Please pray that I can stay focused, determined, and motivated.

And if you so feel led, please send me a word of encouragement by commenting here on my blog or mailing me a letter or card (2420 Trailblazer Way, Castle Rock, CO 80109). Words of affirmation is my love language, and you would definitely be supporting me in a huge way by sending me an encouraging note!

Thanks in advance for the prayers and encouragement! If I need prayer for other things, I will definitely let you know!

I LOVE MISSIONS!  YES, I DO!  I LOVE MISSIONS!  HOW ‘BOUT YOU?!

I love missions and I love missionaries. I have been financially supporting missions work ever since I was a kid. I actually remember committing to giving 50 cents every month on Missions Sunday at my church when I was really young. And I’m happy to say that my giving has grown significantly since that time.

Missions matters to God, and it was something that He proved to me in a very real way back in 2005.

Every year my church holds an annual missions banquet. During this particular banquet, one of the missionaries my church supports spoke and challenged our church body to give a gift that would challenge our faith – basically giving something that would hurt our wallet, trusting that God would take care of us as we give to take care of the work being done through our missionaries overseas. While this missionary was sharing this, I felt God leading me to write a check in the amount of my upcoming rent that was due later that month. It was the first and only time that God spoke to me a specific amount that he wanted me to give. I was super broke at the time, and if I gave that check, I didn’t know how I would be able to make rent that month. So, when the offering buckets were passed around to collect our “faith gifts”, I let it pass me by. My heart felt so conflicted about not giving, that after the offering buckets had already been completely collected, I quickly wrote out a check in the amount of my upcoming rent and ran through the halls of my church to catch up with an usher so I could give my “faith gift”.  I then remember telling God in a half trusting, half disgruntled sort of way, “You better bless me.” Probably not the best attitude, especially considering how gracious God was to me in response to that gift.

A week later, I received a check in the mail that was over twice the amount of the check I had given at the missions banquet. Also, I was working two jobs at the time, and I received a raise at both jobs that same week.

This experience proved to me how much missions matters to God.

And since that time, it matters to me, too. I’ve always known that I should support missionaries, but it is so much more meaningful for me now because of this experience. I know I share a part of changing lives all over the world because of the dollars I’ve given to support missions work.

And now, I feel so honored and privileged that I get to transfer from a position of financial giving to a place of being able to give of myself.

If you don’t currently support missions, please consider making missions matter to you. It will change your life, and many lives around the world that you may never meet – but changing lives, nonetheless.

As many of you may know, I’ve been accepted to do a 1-year missions internship in Francistown, Botswana (Africa) with Light of the World Ministries.

To raise funds for my trip, I’ve decided to hold a fundraiser event on my birthday!

This year is my golden birthday – I’ll be turning 30 on April 30th! In lieu of presents, I’m asking all my friends to please consider giving me $30 (or more!) on my 30th birthday. All gifts will go towards the funding of my trip.

I will also be holding a silent auction, so please come prepared to bid on some awesome stuff! We’ll be auctioning off art work, photography, gift certificates and more!

If you can’t attend or don’t live in Colorado, please still consider supporting me by making an online donation: http://melmendoza.com/support-mel/

I appreciate your support!

Reading this newsletter makes me even more excited to work with Light of the World Ministries! An awesome look into what I’ll get to do in Botswana!

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Buckleys!

Need a Babysitter?

As many of you may know, I’m planning on moving to Botswana, Africa before the end of this year to do a 1-year missions internship. In an effort to raise funds for my trip, I’m making myself available for your babysitting needs.

Planning a date night soon? Have a special event coming up you can’t bring the kiddos to? Please contact me to babysit!

Please also refer me to your friends! I can provide great references and I am First Aid & CPR certified!

Don’t have kids, but have pets you consider as children? I pet sit, too! I love animals and work great with them!

Suggested Donation: $10-$12/hr or reasonable donation (all funds go towards my trip)

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

For over a year now, I’ve volunteered weekly as a leader with the Jr. high ministry at my church, and during my time of service, I’ve met some pretty amazing kids. Today, one of the kids I work with approached me after service to give me a contribution towards my internship. He opened his wallet in front of me and gave me everything that was inside – $48 exactly, mostly in one dollar bills. Being inspired by a message given by our Jr. high pastor, he told me he had been saving up for a while because he really wanted to do something good by helping me get to Botswana. Needless to say, I was extremely touched. I have about $14,000 dollars to raise for my internship, but his contribution is probably the most generous gift I will receive – not because of the amount, but because he gave me everything he had. Very much like the widow Jesus commended for her offering of two copper coins (Mark 12:41-43).  Thank you so much, Ben. You definitely share a part in the work and ministry I’ll be doing in Botswana. I know God will bless and reward you for your obedience, generosity and thoughtfulness.

A special “thank you” to Pacific Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in San Diego, CA for being my first supporters!  The staff of this church used to be my own pastors, youth leaders, mentors and Sunday school teachers when I was growing up.  Thank you for pouring into my life as a teenager, and thank you for your continued support as I pursue God’s call for my life as an adult.  It means so much!  Thank you Pastor Ron, Vangie, Alex, John and the whole congregation at Pacific Lighthouse!  You all share a part in the ministry I’ll be doing in Botswana.