Copy of Sponsorship Letter

Just in case I missed anyone:

Dear Friend,

As many of you know, I am leaving very shortly for Ecuador in South America for approximately 6-7 months. While there, I will be teaching English at a language school, and volunteering with various community development projects around Cuenca, Ecuador.

I made the decision about three months ago. At the time, I was looking into teaching in Korea or Japan, because I had heard that you could make a lot of money in a short period of time. However, I wasn’t very excited at the prospect. One day, on a whim, I applied to five different schools in five different countries. The school in Ecuador was not only the first to get back to me and offer me a position, but it was also the most reputable (according to Lonely Planet, and many of the people I’ve spoken to who have traveled there). I had to make a choice; I was about to finish my Bachelors Degree, and was nearly penniless. Should I be responsible and go to an Asian country where they pay a lot of money to English teachers, even though my heart wasn’t in it? Or should I go to a developing country that can barely support it’s own teachers, let alone foreign teachers? Evidently, I chose the latter.

I leave Canada for Ecuador on September 21^st, 2007, and will begin officially on October 1^st in Cuenca, Ecuador. The school I am teaching at is called Center for Interamerican Studies/Centro de Estudios Interamericanos (CEDEI), and is a language school that teaches English, Spanish, Quichua and Latin American studies. It is a not-for-profit school that combines educational opportunities with social and volunteer opportunities such as working with orphanages, women’s shelters, family services, construction of schools and other necessary buildings, etc.

I am very excited to begin this new adventure. I will once again be able to live among and working with indigenous cultures and Latin American people. Three years ago, as most of you know, I spent 6 months in Guatemala, teaching English and working in a hospital for sick children. This experience changed me, and changed my perception of the world. I know now that armed with compassion and education, I can help enrich the lives of those who have less than I do. My heart has longed to continue in this endeavor, and I am planning to dedicate at least the next few years of my life to pursue this opportunity to work with and in developing countries.

There are three ways I am looking for help.

a) I am looking for financial support while I am in Ecuador. The teaching position I have accepted is called a “paid volunteer” position, which means that the school I am teaching at will pay for a portion of my living expenses, but it is minimal, and will not be enough to cover everything. Thus far, this trip has been a bigger financial undertaking than I had initially expected. I have had to pay all my expenses going down there, such as flight ticket, immunizations, medications, visa applications, etc. I trust that God will take care of me once I am down there.

b) I am also looking for small school supplies and trinkets of Canadiana to give away while I am there. Pens, stickers, erasers, keychains, Canadian flag pins, etc, are greatly appreciated by those who receive them.

c) I am looking for prayers and encouragement while I am preparing to leave, and also when I am living in Ecuador. It is a very emotional time for me, as I pack up my life in Victoria, and get ready to move to a country I don’t know much about. I am both nervous and excited to be embarking on this new adventure, and will cherish any thoughts and prayers that are sent my way.

If you would like to support me in any of the ways mentioned above, please let me know. As well, if you would like updates on my various adventures, please check my blog alwaysemily.blogspot.com. I will try to post at least once a week.

Sincerely,

Emily Raymond