Leaving

(written Tuesday)

"For I am the Lord, your God,

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, "Do not fear;

I will help you."  -Isaiah 41:13

I'm leaving DC now for Brussels, and I am excited!  Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement.  I have felt SO supported in getting ready for this trip.  Thank you so much to those of you who have stopped and prayed with me or for me in the last few days. I'm so glad you're a part of this journey with me!

I really can't believe how calm and at peace I've felt—and that's how I can tell you've been praying, because if it was in my own strength, I'd be freaking out.

A couple of things that have encouraged me…

I read this in the prayer sheet I edited Monday morning:

"We will never be satisfied with knowing about God…we are satisfied only with our experience of God."  -Charles Price

And this, Psalm 62: 11-12a:

"One thing God has spoken,

two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong,

and that you, O Lord, are loving."

I'm excited to see how He will allow me to experience Him and those He loves. Please keep praying!

Burundi

I made it to Burundi safely last night (Wednesday afternoon U.S. time), and I was able to find my hosts at the airport quickly :)

I have a couple more things written from the trip but they will have to wait til my computer's cooperating.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Visas!

Visas are in hand!!!  Yay!  Thanks for praying for this.  It's a relief to have my passport with my visas for Burundi and Mozambique back before the weekend!

I posted new stories to the OMS website today-- the biggest work thing on my to-do list before leaving.  You can check them out here!

Now, it's off to Cbus to share a little about some opportunities to give in response to poverty.

OneWeekend and pics from Btown

OneWeekend is only five days away!!!  This weekend-long retreat is an awesome opportunity to deepen your relationship with Jesus, unpack how God might be calling you to missions, and get a clearer understanding of what it's like to be a missionary, as well as the many different ways you might fit in!


It was such a gift to volunteer during part of the first OneWeekend event in Nov. 2010, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for this weekend. 


Please be praying for us (the team facilitating the weekend) and for the 15 participants who will be arriving Friday and staying on OMS campus until Sunday afternoon.  We are praying for five more participants to come this weekend, so if you are interested, please contact me!  

In January, I had the opportunity to go to IU Christian Student Fellowship to share about this opportunity at Encounter, their Thursday night worship service.  I'm so excited that two of the students are already registered for OneWeekend, and we are hoping to see a few more :)


It was snowing so hard that night that I remember my co-workers worrying about me as I headed to Bloomington, but I left this trip feeling so nourished and just reminded that God knows just what we need.  I went down to make an announcement, but left feeling fed... He is good!  The women in the picture below are some of my spiritual sisters...they are quality and deep-- just being around them filled me up!!!  But having the chance to worship, hear Chris' sermon on Romans 10 and connect with supporters and friends made it that much better!

The next day I was able to catch up with my bro over Runcible breakfast...yum!  I stopped by a friend and supporter's home on my way out of town.  I think it had been months since I'd seen Mark and Cindy (and their kids pictured below), but they are dear friends and the first family I lived with while starting to raise support with OMS.  Cindy discipled me during my last couple of years at IU!  What started as a quick visit quickly turned into dinner and then helping put the kids to bed and then heartfelt conversation about some tough stuff and then prayer and then before I knew it...an extra night in Btown.
All this may seem everyday to you, but to me, it is just an example of one of my favorite things-- deep friendship and relationships that God gives us to nourish and encourage us in who He is!!!!  It's easy for me to write this tonight even a few weeks later, because I am finishing this weekend feeling the same way...so thankful for time with good friends, for my church family, for how He has provided!  Praying tonight that He will provide the same for you, too.
"I find myself praying for you with a glad heart." Philippians 1:4

Going to Africa!!!!

I'm leaving for Africa on March 8th!!!!  Surprised?!  Me too :)  Our International Ministries Director thought Africa would be the best fit and timing for my next trip, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to go and minister alongside our missionaries while gathering material for stories and communications work!  I'll be going for two and a half weeks and spending time in Burundi, Mozambique and South Africa!


I've been rushing to get in touch with the missionaries there and make it to Burundi while a missionary named Michelle is still there.  She is an OMS missionary loaned to a ministry called Sister Connection, which connects widows in Burundi with sponsors in the U.S... pretty cool, huh?  Sounds like it's straight out of James and I can't wait to learn more about it!  I can't believe things are coming together so last minute, but all the field leaders have said it's a go... apparently, I'm the only one who thinks going on such short notice is a little crazy :)


All that being said, I'm longing for your PRAYERS right now!  It has been confusing for me to try and keep in touch and correlate with people in these three different countries, and we have yet to apply for my visas.  I have felt so out of my element in trying to figure out the procedure for planning a trip and coordinating the schedule when I'm going alone.  I'm so thankful for help from Bill at MFM in planning and booking my tickets!  Please be praying over the planning, communication and just that the Holy Spirit would give me peace and direction as I'm preparing and trying to pull things together.


It means so much to have you as a teammate in this ministry!!!  Thank you for making this ministry possible!