2/18/2018 0 Comments Ethiopia 2019 ~ Application
I include such a high cost for additional trip supplies because of possible different clothes I may need to buy as well as any special supplies and possible visa costs if those are not included in the cost of the trip.
Length of trip: 3 months Application fee: $30 There is quite a process to go through until this trip is set up and I am approved for it. I have filled out the first application and have had a phone interview, and have been approved for the second application process. Now I am filling out the second, more in-depth application. So far I have had nothing but a good experience with SIM and it is a unique situation because SIM was actually the first missions organization that I discovered when I first took and interest and felt God calling me to missions. I am excited to hopefully get the opportunity to work with them soon. I am not sure exactly what this internship will look like right now so I am not able to give a lot of (or any) specifics right now but I would love and appreciate your prayers throughout this process! I am also looking for donations for my $30 application fee. I currently have $20 that has already been donated that is going toward this fee, but I am in need of $10 more dollars. In addition to financial help, I would love prayers for motivation... or maybe just against my own tendency to procrastinate.... in order to complete this larger application. I love the trips and the opportunities that God gives me through them... but in a moment of raw honesty, I hate filling out applications. I think everyone does. I am very excited and humbled to have this opportunity. This trip is very special to me not only because it is an opportunity for me to reach people with the love of Christ, but because I have felt called to work full-time as a bi-vocational missionary in Ethiopia for a very long time. Those of you who know me have heard of all of the crazy stories that I have told of how God has continually reminded me of the work that He wants me to be a part of in this country. I have tried and tried to go on missions trips to Ethiopia in the past and have continually received closed doors and a simple "no" from God, without understanding why. I have prayed for years for this opportunity and so far deeply feel as if God has been saying "yes" to this opportunity. I will continue to update everyone on this trip and I already know that God is going to continue to do amazing things as He always does.
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Today we met our guide. She is by far one of the sweetest people I have ever met. We get up and ready and she came in order to give us our orientation as well as show us around and act as our translator. We walked a ways until we arrived at a small American looking coffee and snack plane to get breakfast. It is run by American who may also be doing ministry (?). But of course that place was closed, so we walked to a different coffee and food place that the owner of the closed shop recommended to us, and followed behind us to go as well. It was some how comforting to be greeted by another American and be able to talking in English with them. I had an egg and cheese sandwich (which was amazing) and an iced latte *thank you, Lord* (also amazing and something that I didn't expect to get on this trip). The cafe was of a super industrial/steampunk vibe which seemed for me to clash with my traditional kurta. In conclusion, it was probably one of the most edgy places that I have been to. I'm going to be extremely honest, today was not the best. It was exciting to get out and about in the area, but between the remaining jet lag and "gutting" out schedules for the week, our to-do list for planning filled up quickly. I was instantly stressed with the idea of visiting three different groups and planning a lesson, songs, games, and skits for two of those groups. One group which knows zero English whatsoever (thank you, Lord for our translator). We are thankful for our translator, but translator becomes a bit more difficult in game and skit format. Again in all honestly, things have not been the way I thought they would e, and that has made me a bit frustrated. There has been some clashing in the group and awkward tension that has already been tough to deal with today. Of course in the midst of my stress and frustration, God decided to work through an amazing piece of modern technology.... The Bible app. My verse of the day popped up and it was Matthew 28:19. Matthew 28:19 ~ This verse was a reminder of my purpose of being here in India. To make disciples of all nations... no matter what that looks like or what stress comes along with it.
Anyways.... tonight we had Indian food and it was amazing. We all squeezed into one auto (like a tiny green and yellow, three wheeled taxi with no doors) several times today, which was really fun. We also went to a large store called the D Mart and bought Indian clothes (kurtas, leggings, and a scarf). I got 3 kurtas with three different colored leggings and I would not mind wearing them for the rest of my life. (They are super comfy) Something that was interesting was that you have to give your bag up to store security before going into the store. I of course took our my tiny sling bag (meant for holding my passport while traveling) with all my important documents in it. But before we went shopping, we went and exchanged money. I exchanged some (to spend and some to take back home). Back to the store.... For safety, we also had to go through a metal detector into the store and after buying our clothes we had to show our receipt and get it stamped before going out of the store.... ~continue to next journal entries for more~ 2/2/2018 0 Comments Journal Entry #2 ~ 12/28
long it will take us to understand that what is said in the media should not define how we view God's creation, yes even those in the Middle East. God loves the people in the Middle East. God loves Arabs, and Syrians and Iraqis and the Kurdish in the mountains. God loves all of these people... so why are we still turning our eyes away from them? I understand that this is a touchy subject and this is more complicated than just loving or hating a people group... but id it really? God calls us to love everyone and He did not say that excluding those that may be hard to love because of culture or whatever. Loving people can be extremely hard, yet for some reason we think that if it is hard we don't have to do it. God commands His people to do difficult things throughout history and this is no exception.
So I challenge you, as well as myself, to chose a people group that has disgusted you or that you have said several negative things about before, whether in the Middle East or outside of it. Choose a group or region and pray for that region. Once a day or once a week or something. Just pray for them and allow God to change your vision to be able to see what He sees when He looks at this people group. Lord, I pray that you will forgive us for hating people. Your creation and the ones You love. I pray that you will soften our hearts and allow our eyes to be changed to see what You see when we look at others, whether across the street or across the world. We love you. We desire to be more like you, and because of that we will strive to show the love of Christ to all people. Thank you for thinking about us when you died on the cross. It is because of Your perfect love that we are now able to be with you again. Restores into a relationship with You that we had lost because of our sin. Help us love others. Amen. I have been travelling pretty much all day and I am finally in Paris. A small part of me feels like I am having a (deep) spiritual connection with Julia Child right now, in this place, but I am trying to stay focused on the trip itself (trying!). Everything in me wants to just stay in Paris, knowing that all of my culinary dreams and passions would be fulfilled here, but again, that is not my purpose on this trip. I am yet again reminded of how fading all of my material, macaron and fois gras filled dreams are, and how eternal the impact of spreading the Gospel to those around the world is. God will never let me forget the eternal things, the important things... and I hope that He never does. I truly believe that God puts different talents and passion in people for very specific reasons and purposes. Cooking (next to Jesus) is also one of my many loves. (Those of you that know me, know that.) It was an internal battle when I felt God calling me to missions instead of to cooking. I have learned since that no dish, flavor, or plating presentation can compare to the eternal reward of spreading the Gospel to God's children everywhere (young and old). Some dishes may taste like Heaven, but they do not get you there. I do believe that God will use my passion for cooking within my ministry in a specific way (and I may even get to culinary school some day who knows ?!?), but until then I will cook and do missions... and cook some more, but I will always remember (and forget a lot and have to have God remind me) that my passions and talents should never come before God's will for my life. The Lord gives gifts, talents, and passions not to be a substitute for His plans, but to work within His plans and within His time.
2/2/2018 0 Comments India Journal Entries Coming!During my time in India, I kept a journal and attempted to journal as much as possible about every aspect of my trip. I really wanted to be able to share with my supporters as well as be able to look back later and see how I handled and what I thought about every aspect of my trip. Since I almost filled up my entire travel journal with entries, I will post my journal entries separately according to the day that I wrote them (I wrote entries multiple times per day). I hope that you are able to follow along with me as you read my journal entries and are able to get a glimpse into everything that God did while I was in India.
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