A Mission Ordained

I still can hardly believe that I'm actually going back to Kenya. That within a week or two, I'll be sitting (or maybe standing, who knows) somewhere in Kenya. I'm honestly dumbfounded at how fast this has been moving along. I would be foolish to not realize that God is sending me and has ordained this trip. I just want to take a minute to look at just how supernatural this whole thing is.

Alright, so for starters, my application. Normally, when a person wants to go work with Bread of Life, they have to submit their application for the internship at least 3 months before the proposed trip. For me, I submitted mine just under 3 weeks before I wanted to go to Kenya. That shouldn't have worked at all. However, the point of the application is mostly so that the staff can learn the applicants heart for missions. I had already gone on a mission trip (Christmas break with Clemson FCA) through BOL and so I already knew one of the staff members and they knew me. They already knew how much I loved missions and how I just want to bring love and the Gospel to the people of Kenya. So 2 weeks after I submitted my application, they let me know that everyone had signed off on it and that I was good to go pending money, shots, and a plane ticket. I can only praise God for how he honored my request and spoke to the hearts of the staff at BOL.

Second, the money. Arguably the hardest part about any mission trip is the fundraising involved before hand. If you have ever had to raise money for something, you know what I'm talking about. Actually raising the money (which usually consists of mailing out support letters) isn't physically taxing in any way, but it can end up being a major point of stress and frustration when it comes down to the line for getting money in. That's usually the time when faith is tested. There's nothing you can do so you have to trust that God isn't going to open the door and then not let you through. You might be wondering how I was able to raise the money for this trip in just two weeks ( submitted 3 weeks away and then got confirmation a week later), and it's a good question. This time though, God worked things out in a way that I wasn't expecting.

This past semester (spring 2011) I participated in a cooperative education program, better known as a Co-Op, instead of taking classes. I can safely say that working 40 hours a week instead of taking classes wasn't what I expected to be doing. But God had a plan for me that I was completely unaware of. See, this program was and is designed for students looking to get an edge into the job market as well as gaining some real world experience in their respective field. I worked at AFL, a fiber optic cable manufacturing company, up in Duncan, SC. Working as a process engineer gave me a chance to learn what I liked about the job, and my major in general, and also what I didn't want to be doing for a career. For those of you that are wondering, this was a paid program and I'm so glad that I was obedient and didn't spend the money right away (no expenses and a paying job = way more money than I needed and a huge temptation to spend spend spend). The reason I say this is because I now realize the why I got the job in the first place. It was this job that paid for me to be able to go to Kenya. What I'm saying is that at this very moment, I already have all the money that I need for the entire trip. I don't have to go through the time consuming process of trying to raise the money (which is such a blessing because I wouldn't have had time to do it if I had to!). Never do I want to doubt that God's plan is the best, that His plan is perfect. There's no way I could have planned that. But He didn't just work out the application process and the money...

If you have ever traveled out of the country, then you know that it usually comes hand in hand with an extensive resume of medications and vaccinations. Let me say that if the first place you go out of the country to is Kenya, you should be prepared to get yourself pricked, a lot! Off the top of my head some of the vaccinations that one needs to get into Kenya are Hep A, Hep B, Tetanus, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Polio, and one or two others that are escaping me. Of course then once you've gotten all of those you also have to get malaria prevention pills that could very possibly leave you in another country having day-mares (I've luckily managed to avoid those). Needless to say this can end up being a lengthy, and possibly expensive, process. God already had me set up for this one though. Like I mentioned earlier, I went on a mission trip with Clemson FCA to Kenya, which means that I already had all of the necessary shots. The only thing I needed was the malaria meds which I now have in my possession and happened to be the least expensive one to acquire. God is so good. He's had all of this planned out from the beginning and I can't wait to see what He has in store in Kenya.

I really want this blog to be an encouragement to everyone that reads it. I want people to not see me, and what I'm doing, but instead be inspired and stirred to action by what God has done through me. One thing that I keep being reminded of is that all of this, the entire idea of a ministry in Kenya, of bringing people to Christ, would be impossible without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Human hands can do nothing to save and mine are no different. But I desire, I long for the Spirit to use me in ways that I can only give the glory and praise to the Father! I want you to read these stories of the Spirit's power, Christ's love, and the Father's sovereignty, and through them I want your faith to grow; to know in your mind and believe in your heart that God is alive and working in ways that we can't even begin to fathom. That not only is He constantly working to bring the lost back to Himself, but that He has called you and me to an amazing life, the privilege of acting as His hands and feet to go out and pour out His love on those around us. The last thing I want is for you to read this and become jealous or discouraged because that's not why I wrote this at all. I want each and every one of you to be able to join me on an amazing journey in faith. Together, I want us to learn about ourselves and our hearts. I want to grow with you and learn to trust God more and more. I want you to open your heart and in each story listen to the Spirit moving in you. I know that I still have so much to learn about Him, but I also know that where ever He takes you and me, what ever His plans are, they are going to be wild, glorious, and full of Him.

Peace be with you in Christ Jesus, our beloved Savior

I love you all and I will keep you in my prayers
CT