Update 1
July 9, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
I hope this letter finds each of you in good spirits. I am writing you to simply update you on what God is doing in my life, and to ask you to join in on the fun!
A little background to my current story: After high school I found myself seeking God in a way I never had before. I was purposefully choosing to follow God rather than asking Him to follow me; I had done that enough and it led me nowhere. This journey took me across the country to Washington state where God began to grow me in ways I didn’t think possible. After a few summers and 18 months living out there God called me home to Georgia. It was in this difficult decision to move back home that God began pressing Africa on my heart. For quite some time my prayers literally looked something like this: “Lord, I’m up for anything. Lead me on and I’ll run after you! But God…please don’t let it be Africa.” I was scared of going somewhere that was so extreme to me. I didn’t want to go over there and get Malaria, and in all honesty, I know myself enough to know that I didn’t want to go for a long time without a hairdryer and hot showers! J Well, you guessed it! God did call me to Africa, and from that moment of I have had a passion growing inside of me for the continent of Africa that is now bursting out of my heart. I can’t explain it any other way except that it was just God working in the awesome ways He always does.
It is now, two years after God began to grow my passion for Africa and instilled a great desire in my heart to do medical missions, that I am going to Africa! Myself, along with a team of ten others from 12Stone (my church) are going to Liberia, West Africa from December 27th-Janurary 8th. Each of us on the team will be working in various ways, mine being the medical aspect of this trip. I will keep you informed in letters to come as to what exactly we will be doing, but for now, here is a brief overview of our mission and vision: We are going to serve five orphanages. After living through one of the bloodiest civil wars in history, the people of Liberia have little, if any, hope. They have bought into the lies that they are defeated and that they are of no value. As a child of God, I know this is a lie. God has plans for good and not for disaster, and to give them a HOPE and a future! (Jeremiah 29:11-14). I also know that this trip will grow me in ways I have yet to imagine. My greatest desire out of this trip is that I will begin to truly see the world as God sees it.
In preparation for the trip, I have been given the role of “Event Coordinator” on the team, which simply means I oversee fundraising and awareness events, and keep everyone on schedule! I will also be raising $3250 on top of the funds I have already invested myself for this trip. I hope you will join me on this adventure by keeping me and the team in your prayers. So, get excited! I’m going to have some amazing stories to tell and can’t wait to share them with each one of you. If you have any questions, please call or e-mail me at any time. I would love nothing more than to share more of what I’m doing with you!
Posted in: on Friday, October 3, 2008 at at 8:05 AM
