Let the journey begin...

This journey has been a long time coming. It probably started 20 years ago when I was watching Oprah Winfrey and her guest that day happened to be a South African who had written a book Kaffir Boy. His life was so terrible and by God's grace he got out on a tennis scholarship to America and went to college and wrote his story. At the time, I never thought about how God's hand had to be in it for all the things to align for him to leave South Africa, but now I know there's no other way. I immediately went to the bookstore to get this book and had to special order because it wasn't in yet. His book is one of the rare books that sticks with me and I remember some of the situations he lived thru. His mom, on days when they had money, would boil an animal's blood till it thickened to feed the family. His family would go to the dump and filter thru garbage to find food and one particular day they found a baby's corpse. At the time, I remember thinking how awful his life was, but I never thought about doing anything about it.

Fast forward 19 years when I picked up a book about Darfur and the needless killings. I read a book called A Devil Came on Horseback it's a documentation of an ex-marines eye-witness situations while working in Darfur. It's chilling what goes on in these places of the world. So, a few months after reading this book our church (People's Church) announced that we were partnering with Capital City church in Lilongwe, Malawi. We were going to build homes for families that would adopt AIDS orphans. I immediately felt the need to go. I felt the hair on my arms stand on end and I couldn't stop the tears. It was my time to listen to the Lord and do something. I was so drawn to go on the first mission trip; however, Jay was not hearing the same call I was. He had a lot of fear and I honored that. I need to be realistic lots of things can happen in 3rd world countries where poverty is rampant. We have 3 children. So, I decided to volunteer with the church to do behind the scenes work for those that do go on the mission trips. I had met with our missions minister, Ken Morris, and we were getting ready to kick things off.

My step-daughter, Hallie, didn't really understand me not going to Malawi on the first mission trip. She knew I heard God spoke to me and I think she thought I should follow God's mission and the rest would fall into place. She did not understand that her Dad & I had talked and prayed about it and decided it would be best to wait. So, there was another meeting after Thanksgiving announcing the mission trips and I went to it. Amberlee Holmes, friend of Hallie, was there and she brought me to tears with her description of what happened last year while in ADZIWA Malawi. I told Hallie about it and thru her speaking with Amberlee she ended up contacting Ken Morris and he encouraged her to send in her application to go to Africa; keep in mind that Hallie doesn't go to our church, she goes to church with her mom. Hallie had not talked to her mom or dad about this mission trip; she just followed God's plan. So, she enabled me to follow God's plan and now I'm filling out my application to go on the same mission trip as Hallie.

What am I thinking? Jay can't take off work 2 weeks to stay home with Sophie & Christian? I told my step-mom about this opportunity to go to Malawi and she said to bring the kids to her & my dad for that time and she would take care of them! Perfect! I really think my dad would have preferred childcare as the deterrent for me not going, but Linda came thru for me. God is opening the doors for his plan to happen. I'm not expecting to save the world, but I'd like to do something that's going to make a difference for someone. I'd like for someone to see God's promise & hope in me. I always pray that God would bless me that I could bless someone else and he's answering my prayer.