Doors are opening...

So for a little over two years before leaving for school I worked at a high-end sports resort called Courtside Club. About a week ago I e-mailed my former boss to see if she had any shifts I could pick up while I was home. She knew all about Malawi since she was one of my references for the internship and was thrilled to hear that I wanted to work before I left. She said that I couldn't have asked at a more perfect time because two key employees were leaving which left a huge gap at the front desk. She was able to give me 48 hours right on the spot!! Then, during my first shift yesterday I was able to pick up an additional 20+ hours just by talking to fellow employees that need coverage over the next couple weeks. I have been worrying a lot about my financial situation, and by this work opportunity opening up I have been able to rest more in God's provision. I was instantly reminded that God doesn't just leave us hanging out to dry, but that He will provide us with what we need when He leads us somewhere. He is preparing the way for me this summer and I am so thankful for His faithfulness :)

Please pray that God will continue to open up financial opportunities like these as well as bring people into my life who are willing to give. Also, that I would have faith that God can make this work even though I have so much more to go. I need to see that God doesn't rely on the same means that the world does and that He is so much bigger than money!

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Goodbye San Diego

Here we are (Rachel, Leslie, me, and Sarah) at our last Wednesday night college group. We had a BBQ party to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. It was a memorable event where our whole community got to reflect on what an awesome year of growth it has been. The night also focused on extending prayer over all the short-term missions that Flood is going to be sending out this summer. It was cool to hear all the places that God has called a lot of my friends to this summer including a few different trips to Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Connecticut, and Hume Lake Christian Camps. It was encouraging to see others step out in their faith as well as being supported in prayer by those who are staying back home. The party continued with a slide show of pictures from the past year which reminded me of how many friendships have been formed in such a little amount of time. I can't believe that I came to San Diego without knowing a single person and now I am surrounded by so many amazing people that I'm going to miss while I'm gone this summer. Everyone seems to be going their separate ways this summer, but I am so excited to return in the fall and hear about everyone's experiences. Since I was leaving to drive home the next day, this night was the last time us four girls would be together until we see each other at the airport. It would also be the last time that our whole college group would be together how we are because even though we will return in the fall, our hearts will be forever changed by the things God shows us through other cultures that we choose to serve this summer.

Please pray that I can be filled with peace as I think about returning home in the fall. I have been more worried about who I will be when I come back then about actually being in Malawi. Usually we don't get to know ahead of time when our lives are about to change, so I need prayer on how to prepare for that as well as trusting God even though change scares me.

Our creative juices are flowing...

Although Children of the Nations already has programs set up in Malawi, as interns we are expected to be proactive in coming up with additional ideas we can contribute while we are there. Along with our single bag of personal belongings (clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc.), we are each allotted 50 lbs. of supplies to bring over and use within our programs. It has been challenging to think of what we want to bring since we still don't know exactly where we will be placed within the organization. However, we are pretty sure that Sarah and Leslie will be developing some sort of art program with the orphans and Rachel and I will most likely be working within the Widow's program. This would include helping them with their daily activities of making jewelry, textiles, bowls, etc. for them to sell at the markets for their source of income. It would be a mixture of craftiness and business as well as being able to build relationships with the women through learning their trade. We are in the process of trying to get donations for art supplies such as paints, markers, paper, glue, scissors etc. and sewing materials such as buttons, zippers, thread, yarn, needles, patterns etc. We also want to bring lots of jumpropes since that is always a fun activity that the kids love and are currently using anything they can find to tie together. In addition we have been brainstorming a unique program that we can do in addition to our internship roles. All of us feel on our hearts that since we are a team of just girls then we want to spend some extra time getting to know the older girls since they tend not to get as much attention as the little kids. They are used to having people come in and out of their village all the time, and visitors are more inclined to love on the 4-10 year olds rather than the junior high and younger high school kids. We feel that just because these kids live in a different culture than we do doesn't mean they don't go through the normal struggles of adolescence that we have all experienced. Therefore we want to form a sort of big sister-little sister program where we meet with the older girls once a week and really get to know them and spend time with them. We want to plan something different to do with them every week such as making crafts, baking, painting nails, etc. We are still working out the details since there are cultural barriers to work through, but we are definitely passionate about this idea! Even though we have been bouncing a lot of cool ideas off each other we still have to be reminded that our plans way not work out the way we envision. Please pray for faith to follow our passions as well as being open to allow God to change our plans. Thanks for reading and I'll keep you updated on more to come :) Hope you're having a blessed day!!

My Support Letter

The following letter is what I sent out my family and friends:

I can’t believe how fast time has flown by! I am writing to you during my spring break as the end of my junior year at San Diego State is quickly approaching. To catch everyone up to speed I have been living down south since last August when I transferred from my community college to complete my degree as a Kinesiology major. It was a huge act of faith and very scary moving to an unknown place completely on my own for the first time. However, through much prayer and encouragement from my friends and family back home I was able to adjust very quickly and have since grown to love it here. It has been such a testimony to how faithful God is when we surrender everything to Him and trust His perfect will for our lives. He has blessed me with a beautiful city to live in and an amazing campus to study at, but I am mostly thankful for the community of believers at Flood church that I can serve Him with.
Flood (www.diveintoflood.com) is a creative church always coming up with new ways to experience God and providing outlets to grow in my faith with other college students. They are dedicated to serving the San Diego community and creating environments where people are transformed by the living God. As I have become more involved in my community as a servant of Christ, loving others through His love and grace, I have realized that my true passion has always been people. As a physically active person it has been great learning how the human body works through my studies, but where I get most of my energy from is getting to know others and ministering to them through love and laughter.
With summer soon around the corner, and the looming thought of having to take a summer class in order to graduate on time subsided, ideas for how to spend my three months of freedom began to circle through my head. Would I stay in San Diego, working and spending free time at the beach? Or would I go back home and just relax in the comfort of my family and friends? While there was nothing wrong with either option, I felt that I needed to be challenged more and began to pray for different ways I could serve this summer, truly wanting to be part of something bigger than myself. This is when the opportunity of a summer internship in Malawi, Africa was presented to me during an announcement at church. Although I have always been drawn to the stories and images of this unknown world there was no way I would ever be qualified enough to take part in this sort of ministry. I have always separated myself from the “spiritual giants” who went to Africa, and although I have been presented with short-term trips before I avoided the opportunity out of fear that God could not possibly use me in such a big way. What could I ever offer a nation in so much turmoil that is completely foreign to my “rich American” world? With all these fears and resistance it would be easy to just look for other opportunities that wouldn’t require as much sacrifice, but God kept putting this mission on my heart and drawing me toward the people in Malawi. After being reminded of all the times He has been faithful by trusting Him, especially through my recent move, I was able to cling to the truth that I can be used anywhere as long as I allow His Spirit to work through me.
For eight weeks, I will undertake an internship with other college students from Flood and across the country with a non-profit organization called Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org). Their mission is to assist orphaned and destitute children, pulling them out of their poverty, giving them a chance to live, and then providing them with skills and opportunities to become tomorrow’s leaders. In Malawi most of these children have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, famine, malaria, and other untreatable diseases. While the main focus of the internship is mentoring these children in the COTN program, it also includes new skills, where we are given an opportunity to be fully immersed in another culture by assisting a family in day-to-day activities. Another aspect of the internship is personal ministry, where we are able to utilize our individual talents and passions to serve. Lastly, COTN offers us a better understanding of the many facets of the ministry as we get to see firsthand the work that they are already doing.
I’m writing to ask if you would be my partner in this by committing to prayer and assisting with finances. We are asked to individually raise $4,800 for this trip and any contribution you could make to my experience would be greatly appreciated. Your gift will be fully tax deductible and any contributions I receive above my individual cost will be applied to the internship program as a whole. Please make your checks payable to “Flood” and make sure not to write my name in the “memo” line. Instead, return the response portion below with your donation to me by May 31st if possible.
Even if you can’t give financially I still ask that you would consider partnering with me in prayer. I’m very excited to be participating in this trip, but I know that I cannot prepare myself fully for the experiences I will be encountering. I can’t wait to love on these precious lives and to tell you about it when I return! Thank you so much for your support and blessings!

Video: Rob Bell "Dust"

So, I am a huge Rob Bell fan and love hearing his insight through his short film series called NOOMA. He has so much knowledge about the Jewish culture and is able to bring it into the context of today. The ability to apply scripture written thousands of years ago to stuff I am dealing with currently is such an awesome testimony that God's Word is living and active and that He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. This video was such a good reminder for me since lately I have been feeling overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy. However, Jesus makes it clear that He calls us exactly where we are. So often I feel like I need to have all my stuff together in order to serve Him. That I'm not able to come before Him unless I'm perfect. Thank God that's not the case, and that Jesus offers grace and most importanly faith in His people. I was reminded of something that I so often forget, that God has faith in us too! He wouldn't say "Come, follow me" if he didn't think we could do what He does. Of course I have faith in God that He can do anything, but do I really believe that He has faith in me to carry out His plans? I hope you are encouraged by this video because it has added to my knowledge of what faith really means.

Part 1


Part 2