Fundraising update

Just an FYI about fundraising…. I have raised $1200 so far and have about $1600 left to cover the rest of the trip. Even though there is less than a month left before Malawi, I have no doubt that He'll get me there :)

T-minus 28 days

I can't believe I leave for Africa in less than a month!! What craziness! I've been dreaming of this day for SO long and now the final count down begins. This year has been such a whirlwind, full of change and difficulties but growth!! I am excited to see what plans God has for me this trip and how my experiences over this past year will be used to bring glory to Him.

The other day I was looking back on past journal entries and came across an entry about my realization of God's love for me and my hopes for another trip to Malawi. Thought I would share a section:

"Is this what it's like? Your love for me? You 'like' me? Lord, I am reading 'The Wisdom of Tenderness' (thanks Keltner) and hearing about how you don't love me because you have to but because you actually like me for me, faults and all. How the thought of me brings a smile to your face. Somehow my mind began drifting to Africa. Imagining seeing all my babies again! Loving on them...being so excited to see their smiling faces again, hear their chatter, laugh with them. I began thinking of how I would express my joy in seeing them again; how they would look at me funny because I probably won't be able to stop crying! And then it hit me.... that's how much you love me- but EVEN MORE! Honestly, the fact that I can only understand this small fraction of your love is amazing yet unbelievable. I mean I think I love these kids more than I love myself- YOU love me and us even more!! And despite all flaws! I now finally get it. I know these kids are far from perfect... I've seen their "imperfections" first hand... and I. don't. care. That doesn't change my love for them. Not only my love but my like; my urgent desire to go and love on these kids. Then that's when I started thinking about actually going back- what would I do? Teaching, village evangelism, typical mission trip stuff? Not quite..... Love them. Hug them. Play with them. Relate with them. Listen to them. Focus on getting to know them, what makes them tick, learn from each other...."

The simple act of love can carry God's message father and more completely than anything else. I pray that in everything I do, I do all things with a love that only comes from Jesus.... that He allows me to be so incredibly transparent and so real, His message is relayed perfectly. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

10 buck challenge

my fundraising goal for my trip to malawi this summer is $3,ooo. the reason why the price is so high this year is because of the plane ticket. with fuel prices on the rise, airfare prices have drastically increased, jumping from about $1,800 to $2,600!! this is pretty much terrible for me but i will not be discouraged, hence, the 10 buck challenge!! i am asking for you to donate just $10 to help me get to africa. giving up only 2 cups of coffee at starbucks (the fancy stuff) or a meal at chilis, you can make a difference by helping me help those in malawi! “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have” 2 Corinthians 8:12.

Three ways to donate:

1. My blog! look to the right for the PayPal button and click 

2. COTN; go to http://www.cotni.org/opportunities/7 (venture team code is MA_tlb_611) 

3. Mail a check to 4536 Reva Dr. Marietta, GA 30066

think about it :)

I'm coming home

so..... i'm excited to report that i have been given another opportunity to serve in Malawi this summer! i will be working on a team at johnson ferry baptist church through Children of the Nations and As a team, we will minister to village families as well as serve at COTN’s surrounding orphan homes. The trip will be june 20th-july 3rd; 13 days total. As many of you know, Africa has found a special place in my heart and the Lord has only furthered and continued my love for this continent over the year. 

just a reminder of what serving at children of the nations means....

village outreach

help with daily chores 

(shucking corn here)

give hugs

work at the village feeding program

sponsorship

fellowship

VBs

education

have fun!!

"if you have any encouragement from being united with christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others." philippians 2:1-4

i'm so looking forward to this summer and am excited for ya'll to follow me in this adventure! i'll be updating my blog up until my trip and hopefully throughout (cross your fingers for internet access!) so please follow :)

For more information on Children of the nations, check out this--> COTN video

Pictures

Here are just a few pictures that I've been working on

More to come :)

The time has come...

So these past two weeks have been a whirlwind!! So many amazing activities and experiences; I haven't had time to process it all yet! Last Monday we left Chiwengo :( Tears were shed and goodbyes said. Definitely one of the hardest moments of my life! Leaving the children, I had to trust in the Lord that the seeds we planted will be taken care of by God. He will bear fruit that will last! From Chiwengo we got to go on SAFARI!! I saw elephants, zebra, hippos, warthogs, crocs, and tons of deer/antelope type animals. One of the most amazing moments; one that I will never forget! We also got to go to Lake Malawi where we debriefed and relaxed. As I was watching the sunrise on the shores of Lake Malawi, it dawned on me that God brought me here. Of course my head knew this, but for the first time I felt it! The sunrise was His way of showing me His glory... the glory that I am to help others see and just a glimpse of the glory that He has in store for me in eternity. I felt destined to be in Africa in that moment. In that moment, I also knew He had created me to enjoy that sunrise. It was the most beautiful and unexpected thing for me! God showed up when I least expected it! My time is short today because I am getting ready to leave for the airport... 25 more minutes actually! I can't believe that it is over... no more time in Africa :( The past two months flew by and it is yet to hit me. I'm curious to see when exactly it does and what I'll feel. Be praying for safe travels and a smooth transition back into my "American" life again. I will update again soon with more details of the past 2 weeks and PICTURES!!!!!! I miss everyone dearly and will be home soon! Thank you for all your love and support over the months :)


By the way, I'm not sure if everyone has heard but my blog was featured in an article on COTN's website! I had no idea and was super excited when I found out! Here is the link: http://www.cotni.org/articles/446-a-heart-for-africa-in-malawi

Change

"I remember the sweet sensation of leaving, years ago, some 10 now, leaving Texas for who knows where. I could not have known about this beautiful place, the Oregon I have come to love, this city of great people, this smell of coffee and these evergreens reaching up into a mist of sky, these sunsets spilling over the west hills to slide a red glow down the streets of my town. And I could not have known then that if I had been born here, I would have left here, gone someplace south to deal with horses, to get on some open land where you can see tomorrow's storm brewing over a high desert. I could not have known then that everybody, every person, has to leave, has to change like seasons; they have to or they die. The seasons remind me that I must keep changing, and I want to change because it is God's way. All my life I have been changing. I changed from a baby to a child, from soft toys to play daggers. I changed into a teenager to drive a car, into a worker to spend money. I will change into a husband to love a woman, into a father to love a child, change houses so we are near water, and again so we are near mountains, and again so we are near friends; keep changing with my wife, getting our love so it dies and gets born again and again, like a garden, fed by four seasons, a cycle of change. Everybody has to change, or they will expire. Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons. I want to keep my soul fertile for the changes, so things keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it's time for things to die. I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, becasuse a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently.... And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children at play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about learning to move yourseld around water, around mountatins, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting, and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it? It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out. I want to repeat one word for you: Leave. Roll the word around on your tounge for a bit. It is a beautiful word isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You never have been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be the same when you get back. It is you who will have changed." -Donald Miller Through Painted Deserts

I remember how scared I was to leave and come on this trip; how terrified I was to change; how much I allowed myself to get caught up in distraction for fear of change... a change that I knew was going to happen but had no idea exactly when or what would change. I let fear take hold but not for long because I came here didn't I? For the first time in awhile, I trusted in the Lord and took a step out in faith. This trip was my step of faith towards change. The previous passage captures so perfectly how amazing change is and how God is a God of change! He is about irreplaceable, never going back type of change! He calls us to die to our sinfulness and accept a new life with Him. He tells us to replace fleshly desires with those of Jesus Christ, a change that revolutionizes who we are as individuals... goes against human nature completely. He commands us to leave our fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers to pursue Him and spread the good news; to teach others dicipleship. As His children, he calls us to grow up and develop in our faith, which brings about constant renewal. The Lord always demands change!

And yet as humans, we fear it so much.... conscienciously and subconscienciouly. Something new or different is not always a positive thing; new things can be scary and frightening.... but not always. Because we do not know, however, this is where fear arises and takes hold. The chances are 50/50.... too high for most. This mentality leads to the idea that we shouldn't rock the boat by taking chances; things are good now aren't they? And this is where fear wins and when it does, we are telling God that we know best. Fear holds us back from the great, from the amazing, from the unimaginable! God does not call us to be fearful but to replace fear with trust... trust in Him. It is through this trust that He builds our faith; faith so great it can move mountains! He wants us to take that chance, that 50/50 chance, and embrace whatever the outcome and give Him all the glory despite eveything. Life is too short and passes too quickly. Not only that but we don't know when our time will come to an end. As everyday passes, His coming draws near! Don't miss out on the unimaginable and settle for the good. Don't put God in that box. I have for too long and I can't anymore! Through my time in Africa and working with these children, the Lord has showed me how little is accomplished when we let fear win. If I let fear win, I would have never been with these children... seen them smile or hear them laugh! Never made these amazing memories! Never understood half the things God has revealed to me! Don't let fear win in your life. Don't settle for just good. Allow God to show you things you could have never dreamed of!!!