Dear Friends,

I wanted to share some exciting news with you all! I’m preparing to travel to Central America, where I will spend two years serving as a volunteer Nurse Practitioner in a clinic connected to an orphanage called Farm of the Child in rural Honduras.

The Farm of the Child, “Finca del Nino”, is a community which serves 50 orphaned children, ages 2 to 18, as well as around 200 families in the surrounding mountain villages. At the Farm, the children who have survived poverty, abandonment, and difficult family situations, now receive a good education, health care, spiritual formation, and love, provided by international volunteers and Honduran house parents. As a nurse practitioner, my first priority will be to provide care for the children and staff of the orphanage, but I am also looking forward to serving the people of the nearby villages.

I know that I will receive so many blessings through my work with the people of Honduras which will officially begin on October 1, 2012. I would like to invite you to join me in this new mission as well! First and foremost I ask for your support through prayers for the children of the Farm and the good work being done there, and also for myself as I prepare for these upcoming two years of service. If you are interested I would love to keep you updated on my work through blog postings and pictures.

Additionally, I am in need of financial support to make this mission possible. As unpaid volunteers, we are asked to raise around $7000 which will go directly toward supporting our work, which includes medical supplies, basic living expenses, health insurance, language school, and transportation, as well as the expenses of the orphanage. It would mean a great deal to me if you would consider making a gift to the Farm of the Child in support of my medical volunteer work. A gift at any level is greatly appreciated and needed!

Donations are tax deductable. There are two options for making your donation:

1. Donate with a credit card by following this link to the Laura Shaw Mission Fund:
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=56296
If that does not work, you may also follow these steps: go to http://www.farmofthechild.org/, click on Call for Missionaries on the top, click “Our Missionaries”, click on my picture in the bottom row, and then once on my webpage, click “Donate to support Laura’s Mission Fund”.

2. Donate by check- Please make checks payable to “Farm of the Child”, enter “Laura Shaw” on the memo line of your check and send to the U.S. donation coordinator at: Farm of the Child, 1616 Nottingham Knoll Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32225

If you have any questions about my mission or this organization, please don't hesitate to contact me!  I will miss you all while I am away but would love to stay in touch!

Email: laurashaw1@gmail.com                                     
Phone: 703-732-8847

My Address until July 31, 2012:
707 20th St S.
Arlington, VA 22202

Address starting October 1, 2012:
Finca del Nino
Apartado Postal #110
Trujillo, Colon
Honduras, Central America

Thank you for your support and prayers!