Welcome to Joni and Friends!

So, I have received my welcome packet, which talks about the importance of prayer and support letters. I had done my research. Great. Living in Agoura Hills, California for three months...this was going to be pricey.

I began praying, as I instantly began feeling anxious. I then sat down at my computer, and the words just started flowing. I can do this!

I wrote the following letter:

Hi, Friends!

I hope that this letter finds each of you doing well in 2012. Can you believe that it is already April? 2012 has been an eventful year for me, thus far. I have been volunteering at United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham as a receptionist, and I have really enjoyed being able to visit with the participants and help out and give back to an organization that I believe in, and that does so much for the people of Birmingham. There is talk about me joining payroll, which would be great, and a definite answer to prayer, but as of right now, I am just happy with serving them with my time.

I have been praying for opportunities in which to serve and incorporate my interests and desires, which is to be an advocate for children. God really pressed upon my heart one night a ministry called Joni and Friends, which is a Christian non-profit organization started by Joni Earekson Tada, who is a quadriplegic artist, author, speaker. This organization was started as a way of helping to provide wheelchairs and other mobility aids to children all over the globe with special needs as well as using this as a ministry tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

The Lord has given me a heart for advocating for children, and I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to serve His kingdom with Joni’s ministry, Joni and Friends at the International Disability Center in Los Angeles, California, this fall.

I applied for, and was accepted as a missionary intern, and will be in LA from August through October! I will be helping develop their marketing materials for 2013 and potentially helping with social networking strategies and implementation, (so if you are on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to follow us!) This opportunity will not be possible without donations from my peers. The cost for me to be a missionary intern in Los Angeles for three months is $13,500. This amount goes to cover transportation (flight and public transportation while there), lodging, food, and miscellaneous needs while there.

Throughout this experience, I really look forward to sharing my knowledge and skills with such an anointed ministry, as well as growing in Christ through my mentors and supervisors. First and foremost, I earnestly ask for, and covet, your prayers. Pray that God will prepare me for this journey, that He will provide for my every need, and that He will meet and exceed even my wildest expectations. Pray for my leadership team and each and every person I will be working with. Pray that God will prepare us all for what is ahead, and that He will knit us together in a way that no one or no thing could hinder. Please pray that I will not be anxious at all about this journey, and that I will not be overwhelmed or discouraged by anything that the Enemy might throw in my direction. Already, I can feel the Enemy trying to rob me of the joy of this opportunity with seeds of doubt. Pray that the confidence and faith that I have in my Provider will be unshakable as I face the challenging task of raising all of this support. 

I thank you in advance for your love and support for me in this amazing journey. I look forward to serving God’s kingdom in real and mighty ways in the coming months, and I cannot wait to update you all!

Grace and Peace,

Julie-Anne Dentici

https://www.joniandfriends.org/support/56BA3E/CFL06E605/ 

If you follow the link provided, you can donate directly online. All donations are tax deductible. Please let me know if you have any questions! Please feel free to pass this letter along to anyone whom you think will be interested in donating. Every little bit helps! :)

I have been so encouraged thus far by the encouragement I have been receiving. Knowing that I have so many people praying for me is an amazing comfort in a time of uncertainty. Please continue! I am so very excited to see just how much I grow in this experience. God has prepared me for such a time as this, and He is continuing to do so.

I look forward to updating you all on this new, exciting chapter in my life. 

Buckle up, life is about to get good! :)