NERVOSITY 2009

For those faithful blog readers, the past few weeks' posts have been filled with updates and insights into the recent Forgotten Voices trip to Zimbabwe and Zambia. Today, we wanted to give you just one example of the amazing ways God was at work among His Church in the United States, while Ryan and some of our team were visiting the Church in Southern Africa.

On June 19th, Forgotten Voices staff Nate & Ellen Shaffer (Directors of Church Relations) and Jordan Brensinger (Director of Student Relations) were honored to participate in NERVOSITY 2009. This annual event in Guilderland, NY, brings together high schol and college students from around the region to "listen to great music, eat food, have fun and help take a stand against the AIDS epidemic in Africa and the world." For the second year in a row, Nervosity has generously partnered with Forgotten Voices International, using this event to raise funds and awareness for our ministry. 12 bands played throughout the night, battling it out for the title of 1st place. Attendees bought hundreds of raffle tickets, tshirts and food items, with all proceeds going directly to Forgotten Voices. Students and families wrote letters to each of the children cared for by one of our project sites in Zimbabwe. There was even an art project station, where students painted individual squares with images of hope, which will be combined into a mural and sent to a project site in Southern Africa. Throughout the night, the theme of giving generously and using our talents to serve others was reaffirmed over and over again. We were humbled by the generosity and hard work of the Nervosity staff (a great number of whom were high school students) and the students in attendance.

Even more humbling were the stories of students who have been working for months to raise funds even before Nervosity arrived. Youth pastor Jonathan Hentrich shared that a girl in his youth group had decided she didn't need Christmas presents last year, and instead asked her family to give her money for Forgotten Voices instead. She raised $300. A friend loved the idea and made the same request of her family regarding birthday presents - and ended up with $500. It was an honor and privelege to meet these girls in person and share with them the impact that their selflessness would have on children and families served by our ministries in Southern Africa!

See more images from Nervosity online at www.Nervosity.org

This entire event is hosted by a church we have come to love and respect dearly - Christ Church of the Capital District, near Albany NY. They are committed to serving the youth in their region, and inspiring their youth to thinking beyond their own lives and circumstances, with a view of how they can make an impact on the world. We are so incredibly blessed to work with this phenomenal congregation, particularly their youth ministry staff! They have truly caught the vision for how the church in the United States can partner with the church around the world, in places like Zimbabwe and Zambia, to be the hands and feet of Christ to those in need. Watching all that God has accomplished through this one church's commitment, we more fully realize the potential that exists among the church of the United States to partner in the global response to the AIDS pandemic and other needs. Our thanks to everyone involved in making Nervosity 2009 the amazing success that it was! We'll see you in 2010!