Help send Marji to Athens!
Below is a (slightly modified) copy of the letter the members of my church have written on my behalf, which gives some of the details about this trip. Thanks for taking the time to read more about this trip - and to prayerfully consider how you might join "Team Athens."

To our Fellow Believers, Followers of the Way - Grace and Peace to You!

This letter is being written on behalf of Marji Hughes, our sister in Christ. We confidently believe she has been blessed with the gift to serve others in a specific way, and has been provided with the opportunity to use that gift.
As many of you know, Southwest Baptist University has an active missions program, sending hundreds of students across the country and over seas each year. This summer they will be sending a team to Athens, Greece from July 23rd through August 2nd, 2013, to work with an established ministry there (GEM Immigrant Ministry (athens.gemimreach.org/), specifically, working with immigrants (the majority of which have an Islamic background) coming in large numbers from countries once difficult or impossible to reach with the gospel.
Athens has become a “gateway” city into Europe – much as New York was once here in the U.S, yet because of Greece’s current serious economic woes, the immigrants are not always well received. GEM seeks to find opportunities to present the gospel in hopes of producing disciples for the Lord, along with providing information to these new immigrants about available resources, helping them connect with local congregations and other immigrants from their home nations.
One of the students who has been led to join this team is a young deaf man named Austin. Because this trip is voluntary, the school is not required to provide an interpreter for him. As many of you know, through the relationship of a close friend, and a passion to reach the deaf community, Marji has spent the last several years studying American Sign Language. The team is being led by one of Marji’s long-time friends, who knew that her skills and her heart to serve could be useful on this trip. Through a series of events and conversations, the Lord struck a spark of interest in Marji’s heart that has grown to a burning flame. She believes that for this young man, the mission team, and the people they will try to reach, a bridge for the communication gap could prove to be invaluable – something that has already begun to be evidenced as they gather each week to prepare and train for the upcoming trip.
As a wife, mother, and an important member of both Foundations Ministries and our small body of Believers, she has many responsibilities weighing heavy on her heart, including a “financial crunch” so many of us are feeling at this point in time. All of this has caused her to feel the weight of the cost of this trip keenly, along with questioning the wisdom of pursing it with so many other things demanding her attention and resources. As she shared her heart with us as a body, we were led to take on this burden as our own, and we are writing to share that opportunity with you as well.
We know the Lord has blessed His body with many gifts and we flourish when we are given the opportunity to use them. Just as Marji has been blessed with the ability to learn to communicate using ASL and been given this opportunity to use that gift, others have been blessed with the ability to provide the necessary support to enable her to do this. If that is you, we would love for you to partner with us as part of her ministry team.
First and foremost, we ask that you join us in providing essential prayer support. As Believers, we know prayer is of utmost importance and without it, this trip would be both impossible and futile. Pray for Marji, for her teammates and for the hearts of those that God is even now preparing to touch through them this summer. Secondly, we ask that you prayerfully consider providing financial support as well, since all trips of this nature have a required financial commitment. The base cost of the trip is $2890, which will cover airfare, lodging, and two meals per day.
Marji is taking a leap of faith to pursue this trip at a time when all human logic goes against it, yet we believe God’s ways are higher than our ways and we trust that He is moving in this situation. We rejoice in His goodness, and look forward to seeing His provision.
In addition to using this page, donations can be made out to SBU CGC (Southwest Baptist University Center for Global Connects) with Marji’s name on the “for” line, to Foundations Ministries, with “Athens Trip” indicated somewhere on the check or via PayPal at "athens@fmmin.org." All donations will be channeled through SBU, and those providing their name & address will be provided with a tax receipt.