only one month until i embark on my missionary journey to malawi, africa

 it's hard to believe my missionary to Malawi, Africa is exactly one month away! y'all i have all kinds of emotions. I am beyond excited for what the LORD is going to do in and through this journey. satan has tried to throw a lot curve balls my way this summer and you know that if satan is fighting something he knows that God is planning to do something big..i am nervous...nervous about flying for 17 hours...yes i've done it before but i'll be honest with recent things that i've seen in the news it's given me some worry...nervous about raising the support...i'm hanging on to the promises in Psalm 24:1 that everything in the earth is the Lord's and Philippians 4:19 that God will supply all my needs...i am so full of joy to see the orphans and widows that stole my heart when i was there three years ago..

so now that y'all have a little insight as to how i am feeling about this journey right now...I wanted to share with y'all how God lead me to go on this journey back to Malawi and then share some prayer requests/updates about the journey to Malawi.

first my story on how the Lord called me back to Malawi. I have been praying for the last two years for the Lord to allow me to return to Malawi (either short or long term.) then back in january of this year I began to pray specifically if i were to in september of this year or march of next year. I had a conversation with a friend who is going in september with me and I felt then that God was leading me to the september team but i tried to brush it off and say "nah...its not really the Lord leading me to do this..." so i continued to pray. well one particular saturday i went for a really long run (ten or eleven miles) and for most of that run prayed about if i were to go back to malawi and if i was supposed to go back to malawi if that was to be in september of this year or march or next year. by the time i made it back home...I really felt like again the Lord was saying September...so i asked the Lord to give me a specific sign that night at church (we were having a special saturday night service instead of our sunday night service for some reason that night)....so at the end of the service as everyone is leaving...I'm talking to a friend who is about to go Malawi the next day...finding out how i could pray for her and telling her that i was praying for (that kind of stuff)...well about mid-conversation she looks at me and asks me "so when are you going back to Malawi? I know its THIS year but when are you going?"  I'm not sure the Lord could have given me a more clear sign than this. This friend knew i had gone to malawi before but did not know i was praying about going back or praying for this year or next year. so when she asked me and said "i know its this year"  i knew i had been given my sign. y'all i had had plans of going with another friend next year in march but the Lord changed it all that night...God was telling me that night i was going back in September of this year...so why am i going back to malawi? I'm going because God answered prayer...I am going back in obedience.  I am going to do what the Lord has prepared for us to do there.

so some prayer requests:
- pray that the Lord prepares our hearts and the hearts of the people we encounter. pray for gospel conversations on airplane rides, in airports, and in the villages we go to. part of what we will do is evagelism in the villages.
- pray for our safety: spiritual: that we are protected from the enemy physical: specifically in traveling and in health (with eating foods our bodies aren't used to and going to a country where Malaria is almost as common as the common cold)
- pray for us all to be fully supported financially. (if you feel lead to give financially to support my journey back to malawi click here ...any gift of any size is greatly appreciated!!)

thank y'all for praying and joining me in this journey to malawi, africa!!

september malawi journey update

this last week we had our first "official" team meeting for the journey to malawi in september. i was so excited to have a meeting and meeting those i would be serving with for two weeks in malawi. we did get to find out that we will be doing evangelism in villages that surround Esther's House and that we would be spending time with the orphans and widows of esther's house. both of which i am super excited about since it allows  to fulfill the follwoing scriptures:

Matt 28:19-20  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
    
James 1:27   "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to VISIT orphans and widows in their affliction."


other things we will do while there are potentially some construction work, vacation bible school activities, and we will get to minister to missionary families living there (the Wilsons and the Carneys.)

I am beyond excited for what God is going to do in and through this journey to Malawi in September!

but can i ask you to pray for us?


- pray for many, many Gospel opportunities (in airports, airplanes (lots of time spent in airplanes one of our airplane rides is 17 hours long!!!!), and in Malawi)
- pray for the safety of our team in traveling and in health
- pray that we are an encouragement tot the missionary families living over there now
- pray for more guys to join our team
- pray that each of us fully financially supported in the cost that it takes to go over there.
-  pray about whether the Lord would have you financially support me (please click here if you would like to financially support me)

Thanks everyone in advance!

excited for my next post which i hope to have up later this weekend...

remaining in Christ

     just barely over  three years ago my oldest brother died and then two weeks later on July 27, 2011 my dad passed away. I knew my dad was in failing health but was NOT even prepared for the shock of loosing two family members within two weeks of each other.
     today i stopped at a gas station on my way home from work. the cashier has seen in me in there a few times. she asked me what exactly i did for a living. i told i worked with two year olds at a daycare. she then proceeded to ask me if i smoked or drank...both to which i replied no. she told me that there was no way that she could do it. i told her it was God who gave me the strenghth (and the love for what i do.) don't get me wrong....i absolutely LOVE what i do but any body who is around kids will know that there are just hard days now and again (its just how you choose to respond on those days.)
   so why did i choose to share these two stories together in one post? glad you asked! Remaining in Christ is (and the faithful prayers & love that God surrounded me with) is how i was able to come through a very difficult two weeks three years ago. it is still hard every time this time of year rolls around but again God never fails to give me strength to make it through. and on those hard days with my two year olds...God gives me strength and reminds me that what i am doing is investing in the future of these little minds and that i have the potential to show them so much of Christ's love (doesn't Christ do the same for us when we have hard days?). and then when i get to see that my work has payed off...like when my just turning two year olds know how to pray before meals or know almost every word to every toddler Christian song that i play for them or they want to say thank you to the lady who brings us lunch or give a hug themselves when someone is sad...let me tell you MY HEART IS OH SO FULL!!
   my conclusion: "I am the vine. You are the branches. If anyone remains joined to me, and I to him, he will bear a lot of fruit. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME."    ~ John 15:5

when God did the unexpected

          In October of 2010 God had layed on my heart that He wanted me to start praying about taking a mission trip. I had been on two in the previous year but really felt like God was leading me to pray. So I began to pray. Through much prayer God lead me to go to Malawi, Africa with CrossChurch in March 2011. God did amazing things in and through our team. We were able to serve and see around 200 kids at a pediatric medical clinic and serve the kids and waidows of Esther's House.
         What I did NOT expect was what God would do in the life of my dad through this trip! During a conversation with my dad about me going on this journey to Malawi, my dad said something to the effect of "I can see what your doing is God's work." He then proceeded to give me a financial gift towards my Malawi trip. That was definetely encouraging. But  it was during the rest of my preparation for the journey to Malawi that I saw God continue to change my dad's heart and during this time frame that my dad was saved!
         With Father's Day being just a couple of weeks ago and the 3 year anniversary of my dad's exactly a month from now...I've been reflecting on this a lot. I'm so thankful for the eternal hope that there is  in Christ, the power of prayer, and how God works in unexpected ways!!

hope

over the last couple of months:
- there are people I know who have lost loved ones
- there are people I know who have been diagnosed with cancer
- I have failed miserablely at doing this thing called life

But the beauty of it all is that there is hope. there is hope for the believer that one day Jesus will return again and we will get to live where there is no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain and we will get to live in a place where He is making all things new (Revelation 21:4-5)

but that hope is for the believer. if you do NOT know Christ as your personal Lord & Savior please feel free to message me and I would love to share with you how can have the hope that the believer has!

I leave you with the following song that has spoke to me in times of brokeness in all that is around me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pze4kMuvcfk

Malawi bound in September for two weeks

I am going to attempt to start blogging again; especially in the next three months as i prepare to go back Malawi, Africa in September. by the way that's only 113 days away, 2712 hours away, or 16 weeks away. in short NOT very long!

I am beyond excited that the Lord has called me to go back! But at the same time I am so nervous so please be praying for me!! Please also check back here from time to time with updates on how trip preparation and for other trip details.

click on the following link to view pictures of the other two times that I have gone to Malawi (both trips three years ago)
http://flipagram.com/f/zblZMr4TR8

"God is with us"

          I hear the phrase "God is with us" every year at Christmas and don't usually stop to think about what it really means. A few weeks ago at church  my pastor talked about it. And it dawned on me (i'm not sure why it did for the first time) that because God came as a baby 2000 years ago, He is ALWAYS with us.
          Another thing that has happened recently is that I have learned of several people who have been diagnosed with some sort of cancer, some who have lost loved ones in the recent months, one who has had a stroke, and one who had such a bad heart that he needed to have a heart transplant (which praise God he had the transplant on Monday night and is doing very well!!.) My heart has been absolutely heartbroken that all these people are having to suffer all because sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. And because of that sin that entered the world through them, we suffer. My heart and soul have cried out, "That's NOT fair!!!"
         "Yes my child I know how you feel but I AM with those who are suffering," God has told me over and over! Because Christ entered the world as a baby 2000 years ago, God is with us. He is with us in the good times and He is with us through the suffering, whatever form that suffering may take on.
            I pray that you are encouraged this Christmas by the fact that because God entered the world through a baby years ago, that we have hope because God is with us! And if you are going through a difficult trial (whatever that looks like for you) remember that God is with you if you just believe Him to be your Savior and King!!