GH native planning 11-month mission trip

A former Grand Haven resident who is going to college in Florida will be making a trip around the globe to take part in a nearly year-long mission beginning this summer.

“I will be leaving in July 2012 for an 11-month, 11-country mission trip,” said Samantha Francart, 22, a 2007 Grand Haven High School graduate attending college at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Francart is taking part in The World Race, a program that launched in 2006 doing mission work in Mexico.

“I am so excited,” she said. “I can’t believe this opportunity opened up.”

Francart, who expects to graduate from college in May, said she had been looking at different opportunities to serve prior to applying for the trip. Options she had considered included heading to Egypt and joining the Navy — both of which she said had some red flags.

“I looked into this after a girl from my class went on it last year,” Francart said of The World Race. “I heard nothing but good things.”

Francart said she then decided to apply and was accepted into the program in October 2011.

She won’t be alone. “There’s about 73 of us on our squad who are going,” Francart said.

From there, people are split up into teams of 12 and they are sent all over to do different projects.

Francart’s route overseas includes stops in India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Latvia and Estonia/Lithuania.

To help get her to where she needs to come for the July departure, a silent auction fundraiser is being planned at Ferrysburg Community Church, 17785 Mohawk Drive in Ferrysburg, during its worship service on Sunday.

During the 11-month mission, Francart will be detailing her experiences online at in a blog, and she already has entries about preparing for the trip. More information about Francart’s journey can be found online at http://samfrancart.theworldrace.org/.

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