Support Letter

Dearest Family and Friends,

God is infinite in His wisdom and plans for our lives, so it is my honor to share with you the work that God has begun in me, and will continue, until its completion. For several years now I have had two passions in my life – teaching and doing mission work. While I was able to combine those two passions while working at Gainesville State College, I still felt a deeper desire to do them long-term, on an international level, and in some of the most desolate areas. In July of 2007, while taking part in a short-term mission trip to Kenya, God confirmed my calling to be a missionary.

After returning from Kenya, God immediately began to put things into motion that I still would not comprehend until months later. One of those things was the specific organization that He desired for my training and mission work – Youth With A Mission, also known as YWAM. YWAM has 200 mission bases around the world.

The first part of my journey will take me to Denver, Colorado on September 29, 2008 to take a Discipleship Training School (DTS) program. The first three months will be dedicated to classroom work, as well as plugging into mission opportunities with the YWAM staff in the Denver area. The last two months will consist of a seven week international mission trip (location unknown until the DTS begins), followed by a week of debriefing, with completion of DTS on February 13, 2009.

Once my training is complete I am then eligible to apply to be staff at any of the YWAM bases. Certain locations may require more training such as cultural training pertinent to a specific area, etc. At this point in my life I feel God is calling me to make a 3-5 year commitment to missions. I know He is calling me to go abroad after completion of DTS in Denver, but I do not know yet where He is leading. I trust that in His time, He will put all the pieces of the puzzle together and lead me once again to where He desires me to use the gifts and talents that He has given me.

In preparation for this next phase of my life, I have resigned my position at Gainesville State College, effective July 1, 2008…the end of the second summer session. I plan to take some time off to have a little vacation, spend some time with my family and get my business affairs in order. Since I will no longer need my car, I have it for sale. I can use my parents’ old car they have at our Georgia house if my car sells before I have completed my time at the college. Once I sell my car, I will use the proceeds left after I pay off my car loan towards my expenses for DTS in Denver. I also plan to do temporary jobs in August and September to make some money to fund this endeavor.

I am personally responsible for all the expenses involved with DTS and my future mission trips. In order to go and fulfill all that God has planned for me, I need to develop a prayer and financial support team. This team would be made up of churches and/or people willing to either pray regularly for my ministry, provide financially for my ministry, or a combination of the two. My church, Lakewood Baptist Church, in Gainesville, Georgia, has already pledged to provide some support, for which I am very grateful. The total cost for my training in Denver will be $6,000. The cost includes lodging, meals, and training in Denver, international airfare for the 7 week mission trip, visas, and lodging and food at the YWAM base where I do my mission trip. All my personal needs, including laundry, etc. will be my personal responsibility, as this is not included in my costs. Presently I am trying to secure short-term support for the first part of my journey, the DTS training in Denver. Because this is basically considered schooling, any financial contributions made will not be tax-deductible and will have to be made to me personally. Once I become staff with YWAM, as with many mission organizations, I will not be paid a salary, but will have to depend on continued support to fund my ministry. One of the things I liked about YWAM is that they do allow their staff to work part-time, if they can find employment, to help raise their funds. As a YWAM staffer and when I am on the mission field, any contributions made at that time can be made through YWAM, for my benefit, and can be used as a tax-deduction. If any of you feel that you can pledge any form of long-term support, I will provide you at a later time with more information about that.

I am asking you to consider whether or not you can be a part of my team. My most urgent need is support for DTS, but I hope that some of you will feel you can also support me for the long-term. I need to have my team complete as soon as possible, hopefully no later than September 15, 2008. I have enclosed a Response Form and an envelope for your response.

If you would like to be part of my support team, please mark whichever area/areas are appropriate for you on the response form. If you decide to support me financially, please make your check payable to me, attach your completed response form, and either bring to me or my father, Andrew (Andy) Barnette, or mail it in the enclosed, addressed envelope I’ve provided.

I am very excited about this opportunity, and for getting to be a part of what God is going to do through me, and in the lives of all those that I will meet. I appreciate your love and friendship. Thanks for considering joining my team.

For those of you who are my friends in my home state of Florida, I will be home the second weekend in August, and I hope that I will get to see at least some of you while I am there.

Yours in Christ,
Andrea Barnette

If any of you do not have access to a computer, and prefer to receive periodic written updates from me, there is a place on your Response Form where you can request that.

Also, if you would like more information about YWAM Denver, feel free to visit their website at:
http://www.ywamdenver.com/