Sunday, June 28, 2009

It's Time to Say Goodbye.

GOING AWAY PARTY

WHERE: MY HOUSE
WHEN: MONDAY, JUNE 29 @ 8

There have been so many who have told me that they want to say goodbye so this is your chance! If you can, come around 8 for a fire/volleyball/food/etc. Hope to see you there! If you can, please bring a chair! Let me know if you need directions!




It's hard to believe that next week at this time I will be in Africa! I feel like I have been waiting for this all of my life. I still haven't started packing anything. This past month has been crazy! 2 weeks ago I spent the week in Cincinnati, OH with our youth group for a mission trip. While I was there my wisdom teeth started giving my problems and I ended up getting all 4 out on Monday. I was also the maid of honor in my friend's wedding yesterday so thankfully I didn't swell up too much and I looked almost normal for the pictures! Please continue to pray that the rest of the pain in my mouth and ears goes away before I leave. Thank you so much for all of your support, whether it is with prayer or money. I really appreciate it! Hope to see you tomorrow night!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

-Questions and Answers-

Q: Where are you going and for how long?!?
A: July 1, 2009 is the date that I fly to South Africa! I will be staying at a Youth With a Mission [YWAM] base in Jeffery's Bay, South Africa where I will spend 6 months doing Discipleship Training School [DTS] .

Q: What is DTS?
A:
DTS is a 6 month program for people interested in growing in their faith and also serving others. The 6 months is split up into 2 phases- Lecture and Outreach. The lecture phase is an intense Bible study where we are challenged to grow closer to God in many ways. The outreach phase is an opportunity to go out and to put into practice what we have learned during the lecture phase.

Q: Will the outreach phase also be in South Africa?
A:
Something that I just learned is that our group does not know where we will be for the outreach phase yet. When we arrive for the lecture phase we will begin to pray as a group about where God is calling us to do the outreach. We may possibly stay in South Africa or we may feel like we are being called to another country. We will then buy plane tickets to wherever we are being called and serve there!

Q: Why are you doing this now? Is it even possible to have everything ready in a month?
A:
I have known for the past few years that God was calling me to Africa. I kept ignoring this plan God had for me and continuing on with my own plans. In the past few months God has made it very clear that I am supposed to be in Africa. Sooo I finally realized that if God is calling me to Africa I need to follow that plan. After looking at the website I decided that the July session is the best option so I don't get too far behind in school. So far everything has been working out pretty well. There is still a lot I need to do[money/student visa/plane tickets] before I am completely ready to go but I am confident that everything will work out exactly as it is supposed to if this is truly what I am supposed to be doing.

Q: How much will this cost you?
A:
Around $5,000- $6,000. This should cover everything that I need including shots, plane tickets, and the DTS program. Depending on where we go for the outreach phase it may be more or less because we might need to purchase another plane ticket.


Q: Do you have all the money that you need for this trip?

A: NOPE! After finishing my first year of college there is not a lot of money left in my bank account! I am trusting that I will be able to raise all of the money that I need through support letters and fundraisers [let me know if you have any good ideas!].


Q: How can we support you with this trip?

A: Prayer and donations! Obviously I am going to be going through a lot of adjustments in the next few months so prayers during this time are greatly appreciated. Also continue to pray that everything will continue to work out smoothly and that the needed paperwork is completed on time. If you want to support me financially you can write out checks to me which I will then combine and send to YWAM or use for the plane ticket. If you would like a tax reduction write the check out to YWAM and put my name in the memo but still send the check to me.

- If you have any more questions please feel free to let me know! -