Coming to an end...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So how can you save $10, $20, even $100 a month? I know your time is precious so let me fill you in with what ever way is best for you...

The Short of It:
Due to a lack of funds I am coming off of the field and going home. If you are a monthly supporter this means that your last payment made is your last payment. If you send in checks you can stop and if you are a direct depositor you will need to call or email to get that canceled. You can call your email:

Sheryl Root: 954-975-7777 x127 or sherylroot@bookofhope.net

The Long of It:
Yes, the time has come for me to say goodbye to my missionary friends and the life that I have been living for the past 16 months. I am coming home 8 months sooner than I first signed up for but through prayer and the advice of my leaders we think it best to bow out gracefully and just come home. I came back to Florida in September knowing that my support had not increased as much as it needed to. I sat down with our "Money Guy" and we decided that we would look at the numbers and I would stay with Book of Hope as long as the money would allow me to. We were looking at either December or May. It turns out that with what I did have coming in monthly and what I had saved in my cash fund I would be able to stay until December and I would have a plane ticket home. We have checked and I have enough money in my account to cover my expenses in December so there is no need for you all to support me that last month of December.

In July when things financially first started going south I cried and cried because this is where the Lord had called me and I just couldn't understand what was happening. It wasn't until September that I got some answers. I was reading about the fear and lack of trust in the Lord that the Israelites had regarding the daily provisions of manna. The Lord spoke to the Israelites: "Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days." Exodus 16:29 The Lord spoke to my heart: If the Lord planned it He will provide the resources. He also spoke to my heart Psalm 127:1a "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain..." Was I laboring in vain trying to raise more support?

I believe it is in the Lord's will for me to come home and spend time with my family before I get married and move to Mexico. I believe it is the Lord's will for me to come home and work on building a strong foundation for our marriage. Missions and I are not through and neither is support raising. Kyle and I are planning on spending 2010 in Mexico serving with a college ministry there. We will begin support raising some time in the spring so please be in prayer about whether you will be able to team with us. If you would like more information about that please let me know!!

Thank you for supporting me this past year. I hope and pray that it was a blessing to you all as it was a blessing to me! I also hope that you enjoyed the blogs, the pictures, and the stories...I enjoyed bringing the "field" to you!




A young boy in Peru reading his book :)





Part of my room in Cusco, Peru.





We don't sign the books to keep the value of them all about Jesus and not about the crazy Americans who gave the books to them. The way the kids get around this is by having us sign their notebooks :) And that is what I am doing here.


Me doing the "Heart Drama". We shared with the youth that drugs, sex, alcohol, pretty much anything that isn't Jesus doesn't fill your heart. That is a job only our Lord can do!

It Never Gets Easier...

It is only Jesus that can bring people together for just a week and make me cry when I leave. After 14 months, 10 countries and 8 teams it hasn't gotten any easier to say good-bye. This past week (in 5 days!!!) We were able to reach roughly 15,724 kids with the Book of Hope (God's Word) in 24 presentations. That is sooo many kids and with an estimated 5 people who read each book that is possibly 78,620 lives reached!!! Now lets just keep praying that these lives would be transformed by the books and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

One day I had the privilege of standing in front of 2 different groups of 700 ladies (it was an all girls school) and tell them my story. I told them how I wanted to feel special, feel loved, feel important. I told them how I tried to fill my empty heart with different things, mostly guys. When this didn't seem to be working I started to question my purpose here on earth and if it was even worth living anymore. I felt lonely, lost, and really sad. Then just at the right moment a now friend stopped to tell me about the goodness of our God and that I did have a purpose for my life. I told them how trusting in Jesus has changed my life drastically and that there is this same hope for them. Some of the girls were crying by the time I was finished and all I could do was praise Jesus for pulling me out of the deep dark pit and thank Him for His goodness that He offers new hope for anyone who is willing to accept it. I am not the only one that He can and will save.

Thank you for your support and your prayers...you have reached many people with the message of Jesus and your prayers have been heard!

The all girls school I was talking about. This is roughly the view we had from the stage...there were so many of them! It was amazing being able to speak into their lives and tell them how important and special they are!


This is my friend, Skippy (Jonathan) and myself on the bus we rode around in all week. Jonathon is probably the coolest 18 year old I know with a huge heart for missions and he is a great servant!!




We got to do an extra school not on the schedule in between our scheduled schools. We stopped in and talked to preschoolers about Jesus :) There were about 170 of them and they were soooo adorable!!!!