After 2 days of travel, I've made it to Zambia with no visa issues. PTL!
Please keep praying as I get into a routine here. Pray that God's leading and truth are loud and clear. Pray that His truth drowns out all fears and doubts.
Praise Him for safe travels with sweet people on the planes (more on this later). Praise Him for the opportunity to love and be loved on. Praise Him for using us to do His will. Praise Him for His mercy, favor, and grace.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
God's mysterious plan
Hey friends!
Just wanted to let you all know that I'm not going to Zambia.
Well, at least not today. Secretly, I wanted to brag on the incredible God that we have.
Essentially, I've spent the past 3 days moping, asking God for a way out. I was stressed out with all of the little things going on Zambia wise (BA strike, visa stuff, flying internationally solo, etc). It's pretty much been a wrestling match of wills this week; I'd ask God to give me a way out, and He'd ask me whose will I wanted done. Eish.
Begrudgingly, I went to the airport this evening, still asking God for some way out. I was overwhelmed with unknowns. We got up to the check out line just before the rush. In the middle of checking in, I received a text from Orbitz that told me my flight from GR to Chicago was canceled. Moments later, the woman who was helping me check in confirmed this. I turned to my mom with a smile on my face and said, "Flight canceled? Ok, let's go home."
But here's the cool part. This summer, my brother is also going to Rwanda. Originally, I thought he was leaving at the end of June; I found out yesterday that he's actually flying out on Friday. We pretty much had the exact same flight, but his was two days later.
So as we're at the check in desk and the woman, Nancy, informed us that the soonest I would be able to fly out would be tomorrow; I turned to my mom and asked if I could fly out Friday with Phil instead. I whipped out my phone; by the time I got a hold of him, Nancy had his flight information up. She switched my first flight to match his, then informed me that she couldn't change the next flight because it was through a different airline. As she said this, the computer started automatically changing my flights to tomorrow, switching my flight to London so that I flew the same airline as my brother. Nancy said, "Well, it the robot can do it, so can I" then switched my flight to match my brother's all the way from GR to London. Thus, I'm not longer flying solo until I get to Joburg, and I can handle the Joburg airport on my own. :-) But it gets better. I had (and still have) an 8 hour layover in London that I wasn't exactly looking forward to. My brother, who spent a semester studying in Ireland and knows Europe well, told me to venture out in the city instead of boring myself in the airport. I listened politely as he told me of the places that I should visit, but knew I wouldn't leave the airport; it simply wouldn't be smart or safe for me to venture out on my own. Now that I'm flying with him and he also has an 8 hour layover in London, we can explore the city together. Bonus brother time! I'm a fan. Tehe.
AND I no longer am flying British Airways from London to Joburg, which means the only place that I could get stuck is Joburg, which I'd be ok with. Tehe.
Plus, this gives an extra two days for my visa to come in (which I'm praying it does).
PLUS! So, originally I was going to be in Zambia for 32 days; the visa that I'd get would last 30 days, meaning I'd have to go through the process of renewing it for those last 2 days. Now, I'm only in Zambia for 30 days exactly, which means no need for an extension. Thank You Jesus!
Yeah, I'd say God's got a pretty good plan going on. :-)
Plus, it's been a sweet (though incredibly difficult) lesson on faith. So many times I've wanted to walk away, but God kept me going. I'm excited to see what He has in store for my future. :-)
AND I am FINALLY, FULLY excited to be in Zambia. I can't wait to hold those little ones close to me and fall in love with each and every one of them. Oh yeah, it's gonna hurt like no other when I have to leave, but that's the price of love. And quite frankly, it's worth it (I learned that in Haiti). If I can impact one of these little one's for the better, it's worth the heartache of leaving them.
So essentially, God is good. Always! Tehe.
Just wanted to let you all know that I'm not going to Zambia.
Well, at least not today. Secretly, I wanted to brag on the incredible God that we have.
Essentially, I've spent the past 3 days moping, asking God for a way out. I was stressed out with all of the little things going on Zambia wise (BA strike, visa stuff, flying internationally solo, etc). It's pretty much been a wrestling match of wills this week; I'd ask God to give me a way out, and He'd ask me whose will I wanted done. Eish.
Begrudgingly, I went to the airport this evening, still asking God for some way out. I was overwhelmed with unknowns. We got up to the check out line just before the rush. In the middle of checking in, I received a text from Orbitz that told me my flight from GR to Chicago was canceled. Moments later, the woman who was helping me check in confirmed this. I turned to my mom with a smile on my face and said, "Flight canceled? Ok, let's go home."
But here's the cool part. This summer, my brother is also going to Rwanda. Originally, I thought he was leaving at the end of June; I found out yesterday that he's actually flying out on Friday. We pretty much had the exact same flight, but his was two days later.
So as we're at the check in desk and the woman, Nancy, informed us that the soonest I would be able to fly out would be tomorrow; I turned to my mom and asked if I could fly out Friday with Phil instead. I whipped out my phone; by the time I got a hold of him, Nancy had his flight information up. She switched my first flight to match his, then informed me that she couldn't change the next flight because it was through a different airline. As she said this, the computer started automatically changing my flights to tomorrow, switching my flight to London so that I flew the same airline as my brother. Nancy said, "Well, it the robot can do it, so can I" then switched my flight to match my brother's all the way from GR to London. Thus, I'm not longer flying solo until I get to Joburg, and I can handle the Joburg airport on my own. :-) But it gets better. I had (and still have) an 8 hour layover in London that I wasn't exactly looking forward to. My brother, who spent a semester studying in Ireland and knows Europe well, told me to venture out in the city instead of boring myself in the airport. I listened politely as he told me of the places that I should visit, but knew I wouldn't leave the airport; it simply wouldn't be smart or safe for me to venture out on my own. Now that I'm flying with him and he also has an 8 hour layover in London, we can explore the city together. Bonus brother time! I'm a fan. Tehe.
AND I no longer am flying British Airways from London to Joburg, which means the only place that I could get stuck is Joburg, which I'd be ok with. Tehe.
Plus, this gives an extra two days for my visa to come in (which I'm praying it does).
PLUS! So, originally I was going to be in Zambia for 32 days; the visa that I'd get would last 30 days, meaning I'd have to go through the process of renewing it for those last 2 days. Now, I'm only in Zambia for 30 days exactly, which means no need for an extension. Thank You Jesus!
Yeah, I'd say God's got a pretty good plan going on. :-)
Plus, it's been a sweet (though incredibly difficult) lesson on faith. So many times I've wanted to walk away, but God kept me going. I'm excited to see what He has in store for my future. :-)
AND I am FINALLY, FULLY excited to be in Zambia. I can't wait to hold those little ones close to me and fall in love with each and every one of them. Oh yeah, it's gonna hurt like no other when I have to leave, but that's the price of love. And quite frankly, it's worth it (I learned that in Haiti). If I can impact one of these little one's for the better, it's worth the heartache of leaving them.
So essentially, God is good. Always! Tehe.
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:1. 16-18
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Zambia
Reasons not to go to Zambia:
-British Airways strike
- Visa isn't sorted
-Flying alone internationally
-I "should" (my plan) be in SA instead
-Missing out on family time
-Missing out on time with friends
-Risky
-It's only a month
-I'm going to fall in love with these kids, then have to leave them
-It doesn't seem worth it
-I could use that time to prepare for the rest of the summer/next year
-I could use that time to rest
-It jam packs my summer
-I'm scared
-I flat out don't want to
Reasons to go to Zambia:
-God said go
Not my will, but Yours be done.
-British Airways strike
- Visa isn't sorted
-Flying alone internationally
-I "should" (my plan) be in SA instead
-Missing out on family time
-Missing out on time with friends
-Risky
-It's only a month
-I'm going to fall in love with these kids, then have to leave them
-It doesn't seem worth it
-I could use that time to prepare for the rest of the summer/next year
-I could use that time to rest
-It jam packs my summer
-I'm scared
-I flat out don't want to
Reasons to go to Zambia:
-God said go
Not my will, but Yours be done.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
British Airways
Hey friends!
Pray please. Apparently British Airways, the carrier that's to bring me from England to South Africa then to Zambia, is planning to begin a 15 day strike starting Monday if some breakthrough doesn't occur. This leaves it up in the air (and in God's hands) as to how I'm going to get from the States to Zambia. Pray for a breakthrough. Pray that God's will is done. Pray that He makes a way when there seems to be no way.
More info here
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Let Us Pray
Hey friends,
Please pray for me as I prepare to leave for Zambia in 10 days. During this past week, spiritual warfare is intense and tiring. Pray that God continues to provide me with faith and strength. Pray that He prepares me to do His will.
Where You lead me, LORD
Psalm 69:13
But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
Psalm 86:6
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
James 5:13-16
Please pray for me as I prepare to leave for Zambia in 10 days. During this past week, spiritual warfare is intense and tiring. Pray that God continues to provide me with faith and strength. Pray that He prepares me to do His will.
Where You lead me, LORD
Psalm 69:13
But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
Psalm 86:6
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
James 5:13-16
The Prayer of Faith
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.Thursday, May 13, 2010
Red Letters
Let the quotes continue. These are from Tom Davis
In essence, we limit our range of motion. We can't reach far enough to offer compassion because our arms are too busy holding all that we own. If, on the other hand, we recognize that what we have is a gift, then we can extend reach. We discover that we can use a portion of our gift to improve someone else's life, maybe even to save someone else's life.
[Jesus] made other men and women's sufferings his own sufferings. We're to follow in His footsteps.
I have a dream too, that God's justice will rule and reign over all of thi green earth. I have a dream of a world where no one has to live in extreme poverty, where slavery isn't in the hearts of people, where there is no such word as orphan. I have a dream that God's people will wake up and recognize who they truly are in Christ- people God can use to set the captive free.
When we see the world through God's eyes, we see a different picture than when we look only through our own eyes.
We are the first generation that can look extreme and stupid poverty in the eye, look across the water to Africa and elsewhere and say this and mean it: we have the cash, we have the drugs, we have the science- but do we have the will? Do we have this will to make poverty history?
How do you want to be remembered?
In essence, we limit our range of motion. We can't reach far enough to offer compassion because our arms are too busy holding all that we own. If, on the other hand, we recognize that what we have is a gift, then we can extend reach. We discover that we can use a portion of our gift to improve someone else's life, maybe even to save someone else's life.
[Jesus] made other men and women's sufferings his own sufferings. We're to follow in His footsteps.
I have a dream too, that God's justice will rule and reign over all of thi green earth. I have a dream of a world where no one has to live in extreme poverty, where slavery isn't in the hearts of people, where there is no such word as orphan. I have a dream that God's people will wake up and recognize who they truly are in Christ- people God can use to set the captive free.
When we see the world through God's eyes, we see a different picture than when we look only through our own eyes.
We are the first generation that can look extreme and stupid poverty in the eye, look across the water to Africa and elsewhere and say this and mean it: we have the cash, we have the drugs, we have the science- but do we have the will? Do we have this will to make poverty history?
How do you want to be remembered?
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