Come and see
the work in person.
These aren’t open sign-ups. If we’re already in conversation — through giving, the newsletter, or reaching out — and a trip feels right, let’s talk about making one happen.
Your group, your story.
These trips aren’t a program or a package. We’ll sit with you before you come, understand who is on your team, what you’re each carrying, and what you have to offer — then we shape the trip around that. No art experience is needed or expected.
You might spend mornings in the studio working alongside our students and community there. Afternoons might look like painting in the old town, visiting families we work with, sharing a long dinner. The pace is intentional. These trips have a way of being as much for the team as for anyone else.
Teams can also come alongside one of our Heart Hub partner ministries — bringing extra hands to help with what those communities are already doing with the creative arts. That’s one of the things that makes this different: you’re not just serving a studio, you’re helping sustain something that’s already rooted in a place.
“Establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”— Psalm 90:17
The way in is through this site and through me. If you’re already reading this, you’re already in the right place. Reach out and we’ll go from there.
Where we do this work.
The same studio, two continents. Teams come to either location — or sometimes both.
Toccoa, Georgia
Our home base in the Northeast Georgia foothills. Classes, workshops, and the slow creative life of a small town that takes art seriously. A good place to start if you’re new to what we do.
Albania
Based between Tirana and Durrës along the Adriatic coast. The majority of our year-round mission work happens here. Teams that come to Albania come into something living.
How a trip comes together.
Be in the conversation
These trips happen through relationship, not registration. If you’re already connected — as a prayer partner, a monthly giver, through the newsletter, or just because you reached out — that’s the starting place. This site is the door.
Reach out directly
Tell me your team is interested and a little about who will be coming. I’ll be in touch to start a real conversation about timing, shape, and what the trip could look like — including whether there’s a Heart Hub community your team could serve alongside.
Plan and fundraise together
We’ll work through the logistics with you. Trip fundraising is tax-deductible through ACT International, a registered 501(c)(3), and we can help you communicate that to your supporters.
Come and work
No script. No performance. Just your hands, our community, and time that tends to change people quietly. Teams usually leave saying they received more than they gave.
Tax-deductible giving for your team.
Trip fundraising runs through ACT International, the same 501(c)(3) that administers all Big Heart Studios giving. This means every dollar your team raises toward the trip is fully tax-deductible, and your supporters receive proper receipts.
Big Heart Studios is a ministry department of Artists in Christian Testimony International (ACT Intl) — a fully registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating since 1973.
To set up your team’s fundraising page or coordinate giving directly, reach out to me and we’ll get it sorted. I can walk through the process with you so your supporters have a clear and easy path to give.
One-time gifts toward a trip are welcome. So is ongoing monthly support for the studio itself, which keeps this work running year-round regardless of who is on the ground.
Partner with
Big Heart Studios
Monthly giving sustains the studio and keeps trips possible. All giving is processed securely through ACT International.
Suggested Monthly AmountsSecured through ACT International · All giving options →
Your team can help what’s already growing.
Part of what makes these trips meaningful is that there’s real, rooted work to step into. Our Heart Hub partners — churches and ministries already using the curriculum and doing creative arts work in their communities — can directly benefit from teams that come alongside them.
That might mean helping lead a workshop, setting up for a community art day, or just being extra hands and encouragement for the people who are faithfully showing up week after week. You don’t replace what’s there. You add to it.
Interested in Heart Hub?
If your ministry is drawn to the curriculum side of this work, the Heart Hub program is worth exploring on its own terms — separate from a trip.
Let’s start a conversation.
There’s no form for this part. If you’re already in the conversation and a trip sounds right for your group, reach out. We’ll talk through the timing, what your team has to offer, and whether there’s a Heart Hub community that would be well-served by having you there.