Enroute to God Knows What

In a matter of days I'll be leaving for Rwanda.  Hopefully, as my days increase there, I'll be able to finally answer all those pertinent questions (if you've had any conversation with me about what I'm doing, you understand).

Where will you live?

Who will you be working with?

How will you get around?

Will you have internet?

Is it safe?

What will you be doing?

Are you going to raise enough money?

Are you going to be eaten by a gorilla?
Why is the sky blue?

When can I come and visit you?

It's almost comical as I attempt to answer questions, often repeating the phrase, "I don't know."  Yet, as I have prepared for this journey, I've settled on the idea, rather fact, that I am on a need-to-know basis with God.  It is true that I do not know a lot of what is considered common knowledge before any trip.  However, here is what I do know:  I know where I am going,  I know Who is sending me, and I know I am not alone.


Do not let this create some kind of image of me that involves unshakeable faith and immovable courage. As my departure date draws close, I am growing more and more nervous.  However, it's not the unanswered questions that give root to my anxiety.  Rather, it is the answered ones.  I am going on a mission set out by a God I do not see, to a land I do not know, with money I do not have.


There is ample room for fear and doubt.  The temptation to fill the void with common reactions to the unknown is strong, and I do not think anyone would blink an eye if those temptations gave way to action, but that same amount of room is also available to faith and surrender.  There is opportunity before me to not only help bring justice to Rwanda, but also to allow God to strengthen my faith - faith that He will provide.  This is not an easy lesson learned, at least not by me, as God has been teaching me this lesson since I have been aware of His existence.  So here I am again: me, the worried student and Christ, the perfect teacher.

What is a Life Worth?

Imagine a 4-year old girl playing outside when a neighbor grabs her, kidnaps her, and rapes her.  Devastating.  Now imagine an arrest is made, but some of the rapist's allies threaten to kill the girl's father if the charges are not dropped.  They even pressure the police to release the rapist, resulting in freedom for a dangerous man who committed a heinous crime.  Imagine the despair - a despair that is paralyzing.

This is exactly what I'll be up against in Rwanda.  There's a need for someone to answer to the cries of help of countless little girls who are experiencing injustice, and I have the opportunity to meet it.  In fact, you have the opportunity to meet it.  IJM and I need your help, and we need your help in two critical ways:

Prayer - God hates injustice, and God's people is His plan to stop it.  Without Him, there is 

              no hope.

Donations - There are victims to rescue, I am willing to go and have the skill set to be 

                    successful, but I need the finances to get there.

What do you think she was crying out for when she was being raped?  Food?  Shelter?  What about when she later saw the rapist walking the streets as a free man while her father's life rests in the perp's hands?  Did she want clothes or clean water?  Not likely.  She wanted someone to rescue her, someone to stop the violence and pain, someone to bring justice and freedom.  If you're not safe, nothing else matters.

What is it worth to you save this girl's life?  What about any other girl, or what about the 4-year old that you know?  What is it worth to you to save THAT girl?

1 minute of prayer or 1 hour of prayer?

1 day of your life or 1 year of your life?

$100 donation or $1,000 donation?

This past week in DC for training has only increased my passion and excitement to help bring justice to the poor and oppressed in Rwanda.  There are a lot of fears and anxieties that come with this endeavor.  However, I know God is going with me, and you can be apart of it.  Please prayerfully consider your involvement.  Then act.  That's it.  Just do something.  That is all God wants from you.  There's no minimum limit of what you have to do.  Just doing something, one simple act against injustice, is an act that helps eliminate injustice.  Check out IJM's website or post to this blog to learn more.

God's Wrecking Ball

First phase of my journey: moving out of LA.

I took a road-trip over a thousand miles and four days in a Uhaul, pulling a trailer, with my girlfriend riding shotgun as a sort of "commencement ceremony" to this next year of life.  Besides being costly and time-consuming, it could not have been better.  Making several stops to visit dear friends along the way, we finally made it to the Couve.  Over the next several weeks, I'll be visiting family and friends and doing a little bit of traveling in between.  Although hectic, I look forward to what each new week will bring.

God has not wasted time in preparing me for this next year.  Already, He is at work with His wrecking ball.  Five years in LA meant five years of financial security, five years of every insurance you could think of, five years of a fully stocked cereal shelf, and five years of building up walls of comfort.  I greatly underestimated the affect that not having these comforts would have on me.  To be completely honest, it has taken up a lot of mental real estate, and it shouldn't.


I've been talking the talk of "discomfort" for a while.  I know God does not call me, nor anyone, to a life of comfort.  It's not something for which we should strive.  It's not something for which we should pray. Rather, we should strive for the mission.  We should pray for the mission.  We are all called to a mission, and whether we accept it or not is the difference between warriors and peasants.  It could be a mission of evangelism.  It could be a mission of pastoring.  It could be a mission of parenting.  It could be a mission of learning.  It could be a mission of laboring.  Either way, it's a mission, with a call, waiting for an answer.


My mission this next year is one of justice: to pursue it, deliver it, and promote it.  It's one of leaving my family and friends.  It's one of abandoning a lifestyle.  It's one of entering a world unknown to me.  It's one of discomfort.


It's also one not to be taken alone.  Not one mission is meant as a solo endeavor.  Although there's only one seat being filled on that airplane at the end of June, there's an army of warriors staying on the ground praying, supporting, donating.  That's exactly your role.  That's exactly what I need.  Please join me in this mission through prayer, support, and donations.

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First things first...

Dear Friends and Family,

As you may or may not have known, I’ve been praying for my next direction in life.  Over recent years, I have realized that I have become too comfortable in Southern California.  Comfort has never been something I’ve strived for, yet here I am, finding myself trapped by the allure.  Although my heart wanted to leave Los Angeles, I know I needed to wait for God’s leading.  Was He going to keep me in LA, or was He going to provide another opportunity?  As doors have closed, I continued to wait on Him.  He has now opened a door of great adventure and opportunity.

Starting at the end of June, I will be leaving the United States and working for International Justice Mission (IJM) as an Investigations Fellow in Rwanda.  IJM is a human rights agency based in Washington, DC that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression internationally. IJM lawyers, investigators, and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators, and to promote functioning public justice systems.  My role as an Investigations Fellow includes leading cases of illegal property seizure and sexual violence, conducting training for the local police, and working alongside other investigators and the local police to apprehend perpetrators.

My move to Rwanda will be for one year and is a volunteer position.  I will receive no pay, and I am responsible for the finances associated with this new journey.  That being said, I need your help, and I need your help in two crucial ways:

1. Prayer.  God is leading me down this path.  It is for Him that I follow.  It is through Him that I will succeed.  However, He does not intend for me to do it alone.  If you do anything at all, please pray - for Rwanda, for IJM, for me.  I will be setting up a Prayer Support Team, and if you will commit to regularly praying for me, I will put you on that list.  In return, I will commit to regularly updating you on how God is working in Rwanda through IJM and me.
2. Financial support.  Below, I’ve listed a projected budget for the year.  You can give in two ways. First, you can give to IJM.  Further information is listed in the attached “How to Provide Financial Support.”  IJM reimburses me through the support that I’ve raised, and your donation is tax-deductible.  Second, you can give directly to me.  There are several costs that aren’t reimbursed by IJM, and that direct donation will be extremely helpful.

Qualified Reimbursements:
Training Week Airfare/Transportation						$400
Training Week Per Diem						$195
Airfare to/from Field Office						$2,500
Visa Runs/Fees/Postage						$400
Support Raising Costs (postage, materials, etc.)						$200
Immunizations						$700
International insurance	$170	/month	X	12	months =	$2,040
Total Estimated Costs:						$6,435
Per Diem:	$35	/day	X	365	days =	$12,775
		Total Suggested Budget:				$19,210
Housing Per Diem:	$20.30	/day	X	365	days =	$7,409.50
		Total Maximum Budget:				$26,619.50

“All that is required for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” - Edmund Burke

Thank you in advance for doing something.  It is with great honor that I partner with you and IJM to battle injustice for Christ in a land that thirsts for it.  If you want to know more about IJM and the work that they do visit www.ijm.org or email me at ams.angelo@gmail.com.  

Thank you and may God bless you greatly,

Anthony Angelo

PS

Also, please forward this blog to, or put me in touch with others who you think would be interested in walking alongside me this next year as well.