Egypt Change

A couple of weeks ago I was told that the Egypt trip was canceled. As some of you can imagine I was extremely disappointed. I spent five days trying to figure out what happened and why. I didn't feel the same way that everyone else felt. People had dropped out because they didn't feel right about it. I'm not exactly sure what that meant for each individual, but I knew that I didn't feel the same way. How could God allow others to feel that way about going to Egypt and I just didn't?

I spent the last couple of weeks praying about what I should do and where I should go if at all. I had raised over $1000 and the number continued to rise and I didn't think I should tell people yet because I knew I would probably go somewhere else, but where? I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going on a mission trip to fulfill some desire I have within myself or to see the world and have another place to brag about being. I needed to know for myself that I was going because I was not only being obedient to the Lord I was doing what he has asked me to do.

When the funds continued to come in and I was reaffirmed by several friends that they would still support me no matter where I would go it helped me realize that it really was about doing the Lord's work. Yes, I want to see the world and experience new places. However I believe this desire helps in being willing to go anywhere the Lord calls me to go. I am not sure the destination, but I do know there will be a place.

There are a few possibilities for this summer. The one that stands out the most is the Dominican Republic. I really don't have many details to share right now, but I do know that the trip will be in June and we will be working with youth.

More details will come as the Lord leads me to the new destination. Keep you posted!!

Go, Serve, Give, and Share Egypt 2012

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." Matthew 28:19-20

I have an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Egypt this coming June. My team will be mostly people from a singles group that I am a part of called, Kairos; which is a subgroup from Grace Church of Eden Prairie, MN. I am extremely excited about it for several reasons. Friendships, serving, giving, and sharing.

My former Bible study leader is serving in Egypt for an organization called Healing Grace. I am one of her supporters and I would love nothing more than to serve right along side of her and see first hand what she is doing on a daily basis.

The team will have an opportunity to bring food to various homes in villages that surround Cairo. We will sit and talk with them about life and their faith in Jesus. Not all people we will sit with will know who Jesus is, but it will be our mission to share the love Jesus has for each one of us. We will pray for their needs. And we will encourage them in their faith journey and/or spur them on to fight the good fight.

We will also travel to Upper Egypt where we will visit some churches. There we will conduct vacation bible schools, preform the Lifehouse skit, play games, and sing songs. Last year when I went to India, I was the human in the Lifehouse skit. I really enjoyed playing that role. It was very powerful and many people understood the love Jesus has for us after seeing the skit. I am hoping to play another part in the skit again this year.

Our main focus is to share the love of Jesus with the people in Egypt. Many people are fearful of us going into a country that is so violent and seemingly unstable, but there is no fear in Christ. He is our protector and we will not be put in situations that will cause us harm. This country is under some changes politically and these changes could make Egypt a "closed" country. Now is the time for us to go.

Why me? Well, I am a big believer in building relationships and sharing Jesus with my life by being an example of Jesus. I also believe that we are called to use our time we have for the glory and honor of God. With that being said. I am available. I am willing. God makes me able to do his mighty works whatever they may be. I don't mind traveling (in fact I love it!) and being in situations that might be uncomfortable. I know not all people are able to go because of their life situations. I will go until I am unable. Because I am a teacher I have lots of time to devote to mission trips like these. I told God that if I was going to have time off that I wanted to use it for His glory and purposes. I fulfilled that commitment last year by going to India.

India was life changing for me. I knew I needed to go, my heart was open to whatever God had in store, and I came back ready to serve him even more. I made a decision that as far as it depends on me I will go on at least one mission trip a year.

So I will (as far as it depends on me) GO to Egypt, I will SERVE the people of Egypt, I will GIVE to the needy spiritually and physically, and I will SHARE the love of Jesus Christ!

Not Quite the Last Minute Stuff

I have a list of things that I need to do in order to prepare for India. I am officially getting my first round of immunizations tomorrow. I say first round because I don't know what I am actually getting and if there will be any with a series of shots. I start my Sunday night meetings this coming Sunday and will be every Sunday until I leave with the team in March. I have two books that I want to read before I go which will help with my preparation, scripture I want to memorize, and I am supposed to have a testimony for about 2 minutes prepared and practiced. There are several items I need to purchase, but I am not exactly sure what I am looking for and if I can bring them. So many things to do. It seems that I have a ton of time to do these things, but the reality is its only one and a half months away. That really isn't that much time. It will go extremely fast, which it already has up to this point.

On Sunday, I will find out what my specific roles will be and what I will need to learn to do in order to do my role. These could be singing, acting, and/or crafts. I know there are other possibilities, but I don't remember the other options. I am really excited to go. I know this is where I need to be and what I need to do. I am excited to see what God has in store for our team in India.

My prayer has been that God would prepare me for the things I will encounter and/or experience while I'm over there. So far I've been busy and bombarded with people on a constant bases. I'm not sure if it is distracting me from what I really should be doing or if this is God's way of preparing me...maybe a little of both. Pray that I will find rest in Him as I prepare and that I can really have a firm foundation in scripture (specifically the scripture I should memorize) and an understanding of the Indian culture when I'm there.

Thanks for your continual support! Thanks also to those that have continued to give financially so that my other team members are able to go. I know that God is using your gifts for the greater good of His kingdom!

Amazed, Blessed, and Honored!

When I found out about India, I just knew I was supposed to go. I can't explain exactly why I have been so confident, but I am. I knew that God owned the whole world and could afford to send me to serve Him in another country. I knew that I was willing to go, especially for what we will be doing. And I knew that I was able to go because I already had the time off and my body is functioning well. There have been only a few things that I have been this confident about in my life. 1. That Jesus is the Messiah and has died to save me from my sins, and rose again to bring me into relationship with my Heavenly Father. 2. That I would move back to MN after moving to IA when I was 5 years old. 3. That I would teach inner-city kids in St Paul living skills. None of these (OK the first one is a little different, but the other two fit this statement) I can explain other than an overwhelming peace and confidence that leaves my entire being at ease. This is how going to India has been for me.

I am amazed at the generosity of God's people and how quickly people are responding to this need. Today I received two more checks for financial support. With these two checks I have become $288 shy of reaching the financial goal for the entire trip! I haven't even had my first goal meeting yet!

I feel blessed by God because I am playing a part in his will and I have no idea what is in store, but I am excited to be a part of it. This process, although short, has really made me think of the things that I struggle to have confidence in. God is showing me how faithful he is when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing and believing that he will do it. And he is!!! I praise him for the provision and the lessons that have come with it. This is challenging me to continually work on finding confidence in him in every area of my life. Interestingly enough I have found more peace in those areas and joy even when all else seems hopeless. When tempted to believe lies, I am quickly reminded of God's faithfulness and control in everything. The worry leaves and I move on. Truly a huge step in the right direction for me. And a long time coming.

I am honored to be a part of this once in a life time opportunity! I desire others to be able to do this as well. There are people I know on my team that are struggling to raise support. The first goal is due this Sunday (Jan 9 th) and they may not be able to go because of it. God may not want them to go and I respect that, but I am going to do everything that I can to help these people out. I desire for people to continue to give so that the abundance I am able to raise can spill over into those who do not have as much support.

I am asking that you prayerfully consider helping these people out. If you do want to be a part of this you can still send the checks to me, made out to GRACE CHURCH and on the slip of paper I gave you you can make a statement that says you want to help the other team members. I would love for those people in need of support to know where their funds came from. If not, the overflow will spill into the overall India trip to where it is needed. Thank you all for being a part of this! I couldn't do it without your support both prayerfully and financially!!

Introduction to Indian Food

A friend of mine, who is going to India with me, asked to go to a local Indian restaurant to try their authentic cuisine before bible study last night. So we were driving around to find a specific restaurant but we couldn't find it. As we were driving I spotted an Indian Spice House. We decided to try it instead since we were running out of time.

We walked in to an empty restaurant with a young Indian man standing behind the counter anxiously waiting for us to come to the counter and order. We had no idea what to order. I have only had two Indian foods in my life -at least to my knowledge- and my friend hadn't eaten any. We asked the young man what was good and close to the real Indian cuisine. He suggested a few things. We looked over the menu several times. I had no idea what to order. Everything had onions in it, which I am allergic to. I made a decision that I would try anything and I needed to start becoming more tolerant of onion before I am immersed into a culture where I will be encouraged to eat anything in front of me. So I took some recommended medicine a half hour before and we just picked two cuisines on the menu. One was vegetarian and the other had poultry.

Our food came and WOW what an interesting look both of them were. One was a huge- triangle- shaped crepe (but not a French crepe) filled with a small amount of curry potatoes and onion which you then dipped into a vegetable broth soup and put lentil chutney on top. The other was this green-thick-sauce made of some nuts and other spices unknown to me and bone with a small amount of chicken on it. We were in for a treat!

We started eating the crepe and it crumbled everywhere. The seasoning was very good and the consistency wasn't bad either. Nothing I have ever tried before that is for sure. The chicken was hard to find in the green sauce. It was potent with spices and overwhelmed my palate. I am glad that I tried it, however it was not my favorite food and after chocking on a bone I was done with the chicken dish. We enjoyed naan, an Indian bread, with our meal and washed it all down with Diet Coke.

Before we left the restaurant we decided to get a few of their desserts. They were small so we didn't feel guilty buying a few. That and we were headed to bible study where we could share our delicacies. My friend got three, I tried hers and then ordered three different ones. We both kept our facial expressions to ourselves as much as possible. This was a difficult task, but we both accomplished it. We both decided that if we were to live in India we would probably lose a lot of weight because we wouldn't be eating their sweets. Not good. At least the six we tried. They were saturated in fat and corn syrup, they had a gritty texture and flavor wasn't very delightful. We proudly passed along our treats to our friends and we had a good laugh about our choices.

All in all it was a very good experience. A half hour after eating the meal, I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest from eating onion, but I was satisfied and I was intrigued by the food that we ate. I'm excited to try other foods. I have now been introduced to a little more of India.

Over half way there

I had two weeks off over Christmas and New Years and for the majority of the time I was with family NOT at my home. I came home after being gone for six days to find seven envelopes. I was so encouraged to see the responses and encouragement that people are giving me. I have now raised $2100 towards the goal of $3200. So I am almost to the February due date which is for $2400. Thank you all for supporting me as I pursue God's calling in my life. It just becomes more and more evident to me that he desires for us to be willing to do things for his kingdom and when we are he blesses your sox off (not literally). Keep you posted!

Desire to go to India

I can honestly tell you that I know very little about India. I didn't have it in the back of my head that I would ever go to India and I certainly wasn't planning on going on a mission trip anytime soon. So when the opportunity to go to India came up, I was surprised to find myself not only wanting to go, but knowing I needed to go. There are three reasons why I know this is what I need to do.

About two months ago I was at my normal spot for a Tuesday night, Kairos - a single's group at Grace Church of Eden Prairie- and a few of the leaders of the group got up in front and started to describe the trip to India and a few things they were planning on doing. Their description included working with orphans, destitute women, and later I found out we will be working with inner city kids. For those people that know me at least a little bit they know that I work in an inner city high school and I have a passion for bringing hope to the hopeless.

When I started teaching eight years ago I made a decision that I would do something significant with my time off while I was single and didn't have children. I wanted to work in an orphanage or go on mission trips or volunteer at a homeless shelter. In the eight years that I have taught I haven't done any of those things. I am sure I had good reasons for it, but I wasn't doing what I set out to do with my time off. This trip fell over my spring break- which is normally at the end of March but this year is the middle of March.

Lastly, I am willing and I am able to go. I am single with no kids. I don't have house or anyone depending on me. I have the time off, I have a passion to work with people in need, and I desire for people to not only know of Christ's love but to experience it through meeting their needs.

After having a few conversations with some close friends and family members, I made the decision that I would apply. I was accepted a couple weeks later and I have been pursuing it ever since. Some people have been concerned about the financial aspect of the trip. I can honestly tell you that I am not worried. Not even an ounce. God owns everything! If he desires for me to go, which I believe he does, then the money will come in. I have experienced his financial provision over the last thirty years. I have yet to find him not provide for my needs especially when I have been responsible with what he has blessed me with.

I look forward to what God has in store for this trip. I appreciate all the prayerful and financial support that I have already received. My goal is to keep those interested up to date on how I am doing and specific prayer requests that I have through out this entire process.