For decades I have been involved with domestic and international mission trips. To date, most of these trips had a work focus.  Things have been changing these last few years for me.  Early in the year, I had a butt call from a business friend from over 20 years ago. We connected and during our talks, he brought up the mission work he and his wife were doing in Guatemala.  After my wife Chris and I met with him and his wife, we both joined them on a mission trip down there.  Their trips are focused on building relationships with the children in a Christian school in Escuintla, Guatemala.  The K-12 school is doing great things with the local children that attend there.  Most of these children come from poverty none of us can imagine.  While the normal education is through the fourth grade, many of these children’s parents often have not attended any schooling. The children receive a quality education, three meals a day, counseling if needed and a solid Christian education.  The school is being so successful, many of the high school students are planning on attending college or are already working on their degrees.

During the March trip down there, Chris and I got to meet many of the children, prepare and serve lunch for them, attend a couple of meetings with graduating students and students preparing to graduate counseling them on the direction they should be headed, teaching English to two classes and meeting with the school administrators to help with the school’s financial matters.  While this trip was quite a change for me, developing relationships and investing in future generations for Christ is what I believe our mission trips should be about.

I am planning on returning this July and potentially again in November.  The trip is being coordinated under the umbrella of Perimeter Presbyterian Church in Johns Creek, Georgia. With all of the trips I took, we always pushed for those going to solicit funds for the trip but more importantly, to solicit friends and family to pray for them and the trip being taken.  Under Perimeter’s guidance, they have formalized the process of going.  Part of this is to write to our friends and family letting them know of our trip, keeping them updated on the trip and providing the opportunity to support me and the trip through prayers and to a lesser degree financially. Through prayers and doing His will, I believe anything is possible; therefore, prayers are my main focus for making this contact.  I think asking for donations with the current inflation, dropping stock market and general concerns about the cost of everything; I find idifficult to ask for any donations but at the same time, trips that used to cost $1,200-1,500 have now jumped to the $1,900-2,000 range. Therefore, most importantly, please pray for me leading up to and during the trip from July 20 through July 28. If during your prayers you feel the desire to donate any money towards this trip, I would be honored but it is not expected.

As part of this process, Perimeter Church has installed the ability for you to unsubscribe to any additional correspondence.  They have also made it easy to donate through their web site, Perimeter Church | Atlanta, GA | Give  Then just follow the drop down input boxes on the web site. Under “Other” donations, you will find mission trips and then another box on the various trips.  Our trip is the Guatemala trip of July 20-28.  Under the next drop down you will find my name.

I deeply thank you for your prayers for my direction and service over the next few months.

Blessings to each of you.

 Jim Hull

Donations are tax-deductible and must be made payable to Perimeter Church, who is training and sending the team and who requests that this be above your regular tithe and offerings to your local church. If I raise more than 100%, the additional funds will be allocated to the team fund, and, after that, used at the discretion of the Global Outreach Ministry Team.