The Beginning

Well, I suppose if I really told the whole story I would have to go back to Passion 2010, because that's really where this all began, I think.  God burdened me for justice and worship there, and I've not been the same since.  He changed me.  Out of that change came my activity with Project Peanut Butter with Liz.  It was incredibly rewarding and exhausting, and God really taught me a lot through it.  Which still isn't done, by that way.  We're still working there and Liz is still hoping to make it to Zambia this Spring Break.  Zambia, which is right next to Malawi. And PPB is all about Malawi.  That's where it all started for them.

Moving on, I spent the summer in Chicago.  It was incredible in many ways. It wasn't always fun, but it taught me so many things.  Maybe most importantly, it helped me to see that I wasn't happy with the life I'd always planned for myself.  I wasn't ready to settle down into some normal job and live a normal life.  I realized teaching in the States wasn't exactly what I was hoping to do at this point, so I dropped my education major and went back to English.  And in the mean time, I couldn't quit thinking about Africa. Which was odd, ya know?  I mean, I fell in love with the Ethiopians in Chicago, but that was NOT the people group I worked with most of the time. In all reality, I only really knew one girl from Ethiopia.  But I was determined to go to Africa somehow, so I started thinking about summer missions or Spring Break trips I could take.

At some point in the semester I switched Sunday School classes and started going to Jan Harper's all-girls class. So one week she told me she and Mr. Thad were going to Liberia and she kinda asked if I would be interested in that sort of trip.  Well, I was. However, God had other things in mind. A couple weeks later we had a missions emphasis night in Kaleo and the Kyser family spoke a little about what they were planning to do in Malawi and I just kinda decided I would go with them. It just made sense to me. I'd been throwing around lots of different ideas concerning what I would do with my life and my future, and this was the first that had any true appeal.  I was really interested, so I started talking with Jill about it and I read a bunch of blogs and...well...it was all downhill from there.  I found the website and researched ABC and when I realized Mrs. Jan actually worked for ABC I knew it was all coming together.  I went to an open-house at the Kysers' house just before thanksgiving holidays and spoke with Mrs. Jan's son and daughter-in-law who have recently returned from the Academy and with a family who has been there for almost ten years. The more I learned the more I realized how much I wanted to be a part of this.

Since then, God has provided confirmation in so many ways.  My parents are all for this (though I know it's not been a lot of fun for them to accept that I'm running off for two years.)  Aly, one of my dearest friends, sensed God calling her to go with me.  If that's not confirmation, I don't know what is. You'd have to know Aly and hear her story to grasp just how incredible this was, but...yeah...I knew then there was no escaping this.  And finally, a wonderful lady in one of Amber's classes got her Sunday School class to donate money to buy a Nook for Aly and I to take with us. It was an incredible promise of God's provision.

So, I've applied and everything seems to be in line.  I've heard from ABC and am just awaiting official confirmation from them.  I've got more information about what I'll be doing there, etc. but I want to save that for a later post when I'm officially hired and have more details.  For now, I need your prayers. This is an incredible opportunity and I'm excited about what lies ahead.  There's a long road of preparation ahead, and a lot of support-raising that needs to happen, but that will come in due time. Pray with me that God will continue to reveal Himself and his plan to me, and that I'll be bold enough to follow wherever He leads without hesitation.