Time is flying

Soon, I'll be flying. In exactly two weeks, actually.

Two weeks from now, I will be on an airplane, traveling to Ethiopia. I'll have been on the plane for just about 7 hours and will still have 6.5 hours left. Pray for that. It's a 13.5 hour flight. When I land in Ethiopia, it will be 7:45am there, I have an hour and a half to get to my next plane and take off for Lusaka, Zambia. If everything goes well, I'll arrive in Zambia at 12:05 in the afternoon Zambia time. (which is 5:05 in the morning Eastern Standard Time) That's about 40 minutes shy of a 24 hour trip, assuming all goes as planned. Prayers much appreciated during those 24 hours!

I am beyond excited to see what God has in store for me in Zambia, but I say that every blog post. I still am not sure how many students I'm teaching and still don't have many details on that. I still am teaching photography which I am pumped about.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, I know a lot of you are praying for me because I can feel it. Those of you who have been on mission trips before know how difficult it can be to prepare yourself spiritually BEFORE you go because the enemy tries to attack, and sometimes he ends up successful. With me, I've felt the hunger more than ever to really get into His Word and prepare my heart for ministry. I know I am feeling that because I have a multitude of people showering me with prayers that I am forever grateful for.

I was able to spend some quality time with my family this past weekend, that was wonderful and much needed. Also, for all those wondering, my family will be just fine with out me on Christmas, though it will be weird for all of us, we'll be celebrating as a family when I get back in January.

I'm not sure what type of internet I will have when I'm there, but I hope to see as many of you as I can before I head out and say "see ya next year!" I'll be arriving back in CLE on January 7th, starting my 29 hour trip on the 6th. (8:35 am EST)

Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
 

Plane Ticket: Purchased!!!

It's getting real now, I have a flight itinerary. I will leave Cleveland on December 16th, travel for 23.5 hours and arrive in Lusaka, Zambia on December 17th. Jonny will pick me up, show me around, and drop me off at Family Legacy where I will get to do some organizing and help out around the orphanage, what ever that might look like. Friday, Jonny will pick me up, and I'll spend the next 6 nights with him, both of us will have a friend to celebrate Christmas with. He'll take me back to Family Legacy on the 26th for Dream Camp that will run until January 4th, I'll spend that weekend with Jonny and head back to the airport on Monday, the 6th arriving back in Cleveland on the 7th.

I would be wrong if I said I don't have any fears about Dream Camp. I found out last week they would like me to teach a class, I promptly, but politely told them I'm not ready to teach and that I was sure I'd be better at assisting someone who already had lesson plans. Photography? There is no way I can teach a photography class. Sure, I enjoy photography...but I don't know everything there is to know about photography...there is no way I can teach if I don't know the in's and out's. Right? The more I spoke about it out loud, the less daunting it became. Within 15 minutes I wrote my contact, Katie, back and told her I was sorry for my quick response and that I'd pray about it over the weekend. I knew in my heart that Jesus was trying to stretch me. By Sunday, I had prayed, talked it over with a couple people and decided that I'll give it a try. I know I can do this, I know that if I listen to the Spirit in me, everything will work out just fine. Much prayers appreciated on this subject though, as it's still a little bit scary.

This next part is probably my favorite. It's the constant reassurance of Christ that gets me every time. I went to church on Sunday, sat with a new friend and loved the entire service, our Micah 6:8 weekend. After the benediction, said friend gave me a card, I love cards. :) I waited until I got to my car to open it and inside I found a letter that had me in tears before I even looked at the amount she had written on the check. When I looked at the check, being one of the highest anyone has supported me thus far, I sobbed, not because of the number and not because of the person, but because God is good. He knew I needed it, He knew when to show me that this is exactly where he has placed me. Complete affirmation.


I'm excited to continue planning and tell you all about my journey getting there. I can't express enough how good and gracious God is. Thank you for all the continued prayers, I enjoy talking to people about it, so if you ever have questions or just want to chat about Jesus, feel free to email, or facebook message me. Ask me what the Lord is doing in my life. 

Love and hugs to you all.

Everything is Coming Together

Last post, I had no idea what God wanted me to do in Zambia. I asked for your prayers, that God would provide me with something to do while in Zambia. Prayers were answered!

I will be working with an orphanage called Family Legacy doing a program called Dream Camp. (Click the link to check them out.)

This program runs from December 26th - January 4th, so my dates are changing slightly. I will purchase my plane ticket this week, researching the best dates for the best prices, this is beyond exciting. I can not thank you all enough for your prayers. Please continue to pray that I find a great ticket price and dates that work for me. I know it's all going to work out just as the Lord has planned.

In other news, I was in my first wedding this weekend. My friend Meredith married a great man, Todd. They are a lovely couple and I enjoy them both. I almost made it through the ceremony with out crying, wait...who am I kidding? I cried when I got to read a bible verse to their guests. I started thinking about how honored I was to be speaking God's truth to them, how true this verse was to Todd and Mere's lives and how he has brought them together, specifically for each other. It all came crashing into my head and my emotions gave way, but I'm told it was endearing, so I guess I didn't do too bad.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,    out of the mud and the mire. 
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along. 
He has given me a new song to sing,    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

Photo Credit: Valerie

That's all for now, pray that I find the plane ticket God has reserved for me. We can also start praying, if you haven't already, for the people I will come in contact with on my 30+ hour journey there and back, and those I will interact with while I am in Zambia. Pray that I will listen when the Lord gives me an opportunity to speak about His love. 

Plan B is in place

I wanted to go to Tanzania, God had other plans for me.

I really love when God shows me his plan so clearly. I put plan B in place back in July or August, I didn't tell many people, I prayed about it and I know that this has been His plan A all along. Thank goodness for that, right? 

I came across this in my YouVersion bible app this morning, it was the perfect verse for me. 

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 

8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

What is plan B you ask? Zambia. I will be traveling to Zambia alone, where I have a very good friend working as a missionary pilot. Alone, unless anyone who reads this feels like the Lord is calling them to go with me. :) 

Since this recent change in plans I now get to decide what God wants me to do there. Jonny is doing some leg work for me since he is already in Zambia. I have not bought a plane ticket yet as final details are still being worked out. 

I am blogging to ask for prayer; that God will provide guidance in what he needs me for in Zambia. I know he's called me there for a reason. 

I will post another update as soon as details are figured out and my plane ticket is bought. I'm really excited for how the Lord is going to use me in Plan B. 

Pray hard guys, I know there is power in prayer. 

Blessed

I know I'm constantly talking about how blessed I am. People might be tired of it but I'm alright with that. 

I visited my home town, Linesville, PA this past weekend for my 10 year high school reunion. While I go home often, this time was different. I took time to reflect, soak in the surroundings and think about all I learned growing up there. 

I remember sleep overs at Grandma's, Mr. Schmidt riding the mower while smoking his pipe, playing all through the woods by the lake, fishing on the pontoon boat with Gramps and Sandy, after dance sleep overs at Tara's where we literally giggled at giggles, sounds of baseball and little league coming from the complex, Waterfowl weekends, Crawford County Fair, the smell of country living, vo-tech bus rides that I'm still convinced were more fun than the lunch room, end of the road sunsets at the lake, our after-school program "The Gap," and being blessed most by having the same pastor my entire life, Pastor Art and Kristy.

That's where I reflected the most. Pastor Art answered God's call to become head pastor at Linesville First Baptist in 1987, when I was two. He is all I can remember, as far as time goes back. A man shared his testimony this Sunday and spoke of how Pastor helped nudge him along in his decision to make Christ the center of his life. When he was finished, Art ran up on stage and embraced him. Memories came flooding back all at once and tears ran down my face, how many stories similar to that must he have to tell after 26 years of faithful service? I am blessed because I had someone who was willing to invest in me and so many others from the congregation. He doesn't just stand up and preach on Sundays, he is a part of our family, he allows us to get to know him on a personal level. I believe he helped shape me into the woman I am today, even if he wasn't conscious of it. I was one of those kids who wanted to be at church every Sunday because I loved it so much. One week my parents were both sick, and I was quite upset when they told me we weren't going to church. I called Tim and Brenda McQuiston and asked them to pick me up for church because there was no way I was missing a week. It's hard for me to think about a time when Art won't be head pastor any more but I know the time is coming when he gets to retire. For now I choose to think about how much of an impact he's had on not only mine and my families lives but the lives of those throughout the church. 

So, this week I am blessed by Pastor Art and Kristy Barnes, and their family. Thank you for answering the call and allowing God to speak through you for so many faithful years. I love you guys. 

I'm going to Tanzania!

In the beginning of this year I was awarded an additional weeks vacation for 5 years of service at Windstream. I prayed about it and decided I would give that week to the Lord, I wanted Him to use me wherever He needed me. Soon after I felt He was asking for all 4 weeks of my vacation time. I was then presented the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic with Meeting God in Missions. I answered the call, June 12th I traveled with 7 of my friends to Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. I felt called to encourage the Dominican people in Christ. Instead, I ended up learning from them what authentic and true faith in God looks like. I met a lady, Bahietta, who invited us into her home. She shared her testimony with us. She hasn't had an easy life and doesn't always have money for food, but the joy that overflowed from her changed my life. We also helped a village build a place to burn trash, met lots of kids, sang songs, did David and Goliath skits at VBS and helped with a village building project. The most memorable experiences I had were the relationships I built, whether with the people of Hato Mayor or the Americans I met while on the compound. I learned that fruits of the Spirit are universal, the language we spoke was irrelevant, love and joy flow from the soul. 

Bahietta, Marin, Myself and a family member of Bahietta. 

I was given another opportunity to travel to Zumbawanga, Tanzania. The name means "city of Witchcraft", I believe God is calling me to pray over the city, for the city to be changed through the love of Christ Jesus. I want to be a light that shines in this dark city. (Matthew 5:14-16) At this time, I'm planning to leave for Africa on December 11th, returning on December 31st. Please pray that God would soften the hardened hearts of the people in Zumbawanga and that we would have the opportunity to show them Christ's love and Salvation through our actions.

I would enjoy talking to you about my recent trip to the Dominican or about my upcoming trip to Africa. Feel free to call me with any questions or to simply pray with me. 

If you are feeling lead to financially support me you can send your gift to me at,

3836 Wyndham RIdge Dr.

Apt 310

Stow, Ohio 44224

More blog posts to follow, I promise they'll be exciting, perhaps funny and who knows maybe even yummy if I decide to talk about cupcakes. ;)