Member Outreach: Global Mission Trip

January 29 – February 5

Linde Sundell

I am the daughter of Matt and Tracy Sundell. I have grown up at Luther Memorial, and have been an active member participating in choir, youth musicals, brass music on Sundays, youth representative on the Congregation Council, and have participated in the summer mission trips to Kentucky for four years now. I am currently a sophomore at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

This year I have the opportunity to participate in a wonderful service program with the organization Global Brigades (www.globalbrigades.org). A group of 33 students from St. Olaf are working diligently to raise  money to provide medicine and medical service to impoverished and underprivileged communities in Honduras. During our interim break (January 29-February 5), we will travel to rural Honduras to set up a medical clinic to provide greatly needed exams and medical attention for roughly 1,500 people. We are still in need of dental supplies and money to purchase medicines. I am also currently raising funds to pay for my flight and in-country stay in Honduras.

Our group at St. Olaf was started by two students who participated in this trip last year and wanted to get more St. Olaf students involved in the whole experience. I am so excited to start learning about the culture and what we will be doing while we are in Honduras. Throughout January we will have workshops to prepare ourselves right up until our departure. Then we will be able to put what we have learned into practice. This is such a wonderful opportunity for me to see a new culture, learn about medicine, and learn about public health, which is my main interest. I am so grateful for this opportunity to help so many people in such a short time, and to see how this experience will change me and my views about health in general. This will be one of the most life changing experiences that I will participate in, and I am ready to be inspired!

How you can help

If this project inspires you as well, please visit www.globalbrigades.org to expand your knowledge and to extend your support. To donate to our medication fund please visit www.empowered.org and search for “January 2012 St. Olaf Medical Brigade.”

To donate directly to me, please visit my personal fundraising site at www.empowered.org/Linde-Sundell. If you have any further questions or want more information, please contact mevia email at sundell@stolaf.edu.