Redlands-Loma Linda Woman Seeks Sponsors for Church Mission in U.S.

A woman who grew up in Redlands and works in Loma Linda is seeking sponsors for a nine-month church mission journey that begins in August with five weeks of training in Minnesota.

Stephanie Mahè says she has already raised $2,600 and she is trying to raise $1,900 more to cover the balance of her mission costs.

A total of $4,500 covers her expenses through National Evangelization Teams Ministries, a registered 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable organization, Mahè said. She is one of 120 Catholic young adults invited to do volunteer work with NET, she said.

Mahè graduated from Redlands East Valley High and she's worked at the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce the past five years. She attends St. Adelaide Catholic Community Church.

"It's a Roman Catholic church," Mahè said Monday in an interview at the chamber of commerce. "I'm not sure how long they've been there but I've attended the church since I was 16. I'm 25 now.

"I grew up in Redlands, California, right by Clement Middle School," she said. "I graduated from Redlands East Valley High in 2004. . . .

"The nonprofit organization is called NET Ministries. It's 'National Evangelization Team.' It's established in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the first five weeks we'll do faith training, and then the young Catholics will go out to different states or diosceses and promote the gospel to young teens, and put on retreats through adoration, mass, reconciliation, and small group discussions."

Mahè said her distination after Minnesota will not be revealed until she is finished with training.

"We won't know until the last day where we'll be going," she said. "Then we'll figure out who our teammates will be as well. It will be within the U.S."

Mahè said she hasn't traveled much, but she looks forward to embracing the unknown elements of her mission journey.

"I haven't really, so this is a beautiful opportunity and a nice challenge," she said. "It's more like a simple lifestyle," she said. "You take a backpack and a suitcase and leave your job and everything, possessions behind to go serve. You're with six men, six women, in a van, so you have a total of 12 people going and they're with you 24-7. They're your family for the next year.

"You get to learn each others' character. You travel to host families who are nice enough to let us stay for a couple days, as we're traveling to our next destination."

Mahè said she started fundraising in late April and she's raised $2,600 through donations from members of her parish and others, through word-of-mouth.

If she finds sponsors for the remaining $1,900, her mission will start Aug. 16 and end May 16, 2013.

"I learned about NET when I was in high school," Mahè wrote in a June 3 letter to prospective sponsors. "I've had the opportunity to participate in several retreats and had amazing experiences.

"I’m looking forward to serving with NET because I enjoy working with young people and I am passionate about God. . . .

"I feel called to be a missionary and I know the Holy Spirit is leading me in this direction," she wrote. "Please pray for me as I go through this beautiful journey."

Sponsors of Mahè's mission will receive personal updates during her service as well as NET newsletters, she said.

A pdf copy of her letter and a NET Team Member Giving Tree of suggested donations are attached to this report.

For more information about National Evangelization Teams Ministries, visit www.netusa.org. Donations can be made to support Mahè's mission at www.netusa.org/donate and by naming her in the comment section of the online donation form.