December 2006
Dear
Family and Friends,
Before
any more time passes, I want to let you know about some
things that are happening in my life.
The
Lord has brought before me the opportunity to travel to
Uganda, Africa
next spring. I will be volunteering in a baby orphanage,
helping with the care of about 30-40 babies. I might also
have a chance to work with the school-aged children there.
As a
child, I knew that I wanted to do anything the Lord called
me to, yet I must admit that I really didn’t want to be
involved in any mission work overseas because that would
mean leaving my family and friends here and I didn’t think I
could handle that.
A few
years ago, the Lord began to work in my heart and I realized
that this life is way too short and eternity way too long to
worry about what happens here on earth. My place is with my
heavenly Father and while it’s easy to get caught up in
daily living, my life is temporary. My plans, dreams, goals
etc. must be my Savior’s.
This
past May, during a conference on the
Oregon coast, I had the privilege of
sitting down with a woman I highly respect and admire to
hear about the ministry she has with an orphanage in
Kenya. I felt a stirring in
my heart and knew that if the Lord opened the door, I would
be honored to help there.
She
related that the need there was for an accountant.
Coincidentally, I went through a college accounting course
my senior year of high school and loved it! We prayed
together and agreed to move forward with plans, should the
Lord provide.
There
were two things that I knew the Lord would have to
miraculously provide; the Funding and a traveling
companion.
I came
home from that weekend and excitedly told my friend, Joy,
about my conversation. She looked at me, wide-eyed, and
exclaimed that she had been feeling like the Lord was
leading her into something different this year such as
mission work, instead of heading back to school! So, within
a few days the Lord had already provided the companion.
At
that time, I had about 7 piano students. Since I had made a
commitment to my parents that I wouldn’t go out and seek out
a career/job, I knew that whichever way the Lord chose to
provide the funds, it would be amazing.
In
August, my neighbor, whom I had never met before, called and
asked if I’d be willing to watch her children a couple days
a week, which also opened the door for an amazing friendship
with her and her family, the owners of the local Airport.
Along
with being a Nanny and teaching piano, I was asked to clean
house for a few different people. All of a sudden I had
more opportunities to earn money than I could handle. Why
do I ever doubt or wonder? God provided beyond what I could
have imagined or even hoped for.
After
a few months it became apparent that the time just wasn’t
right for me to be involved with the work in
Kenya. I believe that the
Lord brought that up to confirm my willingness to serve.
Throughout the summer, I had been hearing from my friend,
Michal, about her plan to serve in
Uganda. She begged me to
come and was excited when I told her I wasn’t going to
Kenya
and that I was now praying about coming with her.
The
Lord completely paved the way and plans are in the making
for our trip.
As
I looked into the required immunizations, I knew that they
would be quite expensive considering I hadn’t gotten some of
those commonly administered, let alone those for travel. I
consulted the travel nurse at Group Health and was given a
list with a total of 9 immunizations — only one of which
would be covered. I called around and found that the total
cost would be close to $500! I gulped and made plans to go
in for them.
When I called back about my appointment and double checked
on the cost of one of the shots, the receptionist asked a
few questions about my trip and was personally interested in
hearing about it. She then told me that had I been a few
years younger, a couple of the shots I was scheduled to
receive would have been covered. She wanted to check into
that and said that she would get back to me. She called me
back a little later and told me that they had reviewed my
situation and, with the exception of my Yellow Fever shot,
they wanted to cover my immunizations! I couldn’t believe
how, yet again, the Lord had cared for me!
So, I
am now fully immunized, I already have a passport from a
previous trip and I will be getting my visa once we enter
the country. Other than minor things to purchase and pack,
I am ready to go! We will be leaving early February and
returning mid to late May.
Another
blessing in this is an opportunity to spend a week in
London
on the return trip, for which I am very excited!
I am
humbled by the awesome way in which the Lord is leading me
along. He has been so gracious to me! What a blessing to
have a personal and deep relationship with the God of all
creation.
Please
pray that:
The Lord would provide comfort for my family and me as we
are separated.
I would stay healthy and free of malaria while I am in the
country.
I would have God’s strength to handle whatever may come and
that I would be able to serve in every way possible.
