for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord's favor has come."
[Luke 4:18-19, NLT]
Well... this is probably going to be my last post until the end of February. I board a plane in three hours and will be on my way to The Gambia, West Africa. Even now... as I am all packed and ready to go, it hasn't really hit me yet. I have been given the opportunity to go and serve in a place they call "the ends of the earth," a place that has potentially never seen a foreigner, a place where 90% of its people are Muslims living in fear and bondage, a place that is in desperate need of Jesus Christ. Though we don't know exactly what God has in store for us, our mission is simple; we are going to Africa to love and to serve. Through this, I truly believe that God is going to preform miracles.
There are a few things we really need some prayer for.
1. Travel mercies. We leave here around noon (Dec. 31st) and won't be arriving in The Gambia until about noon on January 2nd. We will be bringing in the New Year 30,000 ft. above the Atlantic on our way to Manchester, England, where we will spend one whole day before taking off to the Gambia.
2. Another route of travel. We found out last night that the UK transit visas we have eagerly been waiting for were all denied. This means that unless God provides another way to get there, all of the Jamaican students who need the visa will not be joining us in The Gambia. It is possible to go through the US, but ticket prices are exceeding $5,000. Because of this complication, our group of 12 has been cut in half to 6:
Our leaders John and Danya
Myself and Morgan from the USA
Katie and Allison from Canada
God is already showing us a way that our Mexican, Eddie, and Jamaicans, Jackie, Gabby, and Denzil, could possibly be joining us in about a week... just pray that it goes through.
3. Protection. We aren't going to be staying in fancy hotels, eating proper meals, driving a nice jeep, or having police escorts wherever we go. We could quite possibly be sleeping on the red dirt in a village that has no electricity or running water, eating out of a community bowl of rice and penut sauce, traveling by public transportation and foot, and in a place where the laws of the tribes are the laws of the lands. My mind is at total ease about this. Why? I find my peace in Romans 8:31, which asks "If our God is for us, then what can stand against us?"
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Since we are not sure whether or not we are going to have electricity, my ability to communicate (if at all) will be very limited. I have asked my parents to check my email regularly, so if there is anything you would like to tell me, they will somehow try to find a way to relay the message to me.
I will continue to keep a daily journal so that I can share with you my wonderful experiences and stories when I get back to Jamaica.
Thank you all for your support. It makes it so much easier to go on an adventure like this when I know that I have people thinking and praying about me. I truly wouldn't be able to do this if it weren't for you.
I love you Mom and Dad. You will never know how much I appreciate your commitment to me.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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| http://g8.no/247-the-gambia-series-i |
There are a few things we really need some prayer for.
1. Travel mercies. We leave here around noon (Dec. 31st) and won't be arriving in The Gambia until about noon on January 2nd. We will be bringing in the New Year 30,000 ft. above the Atlantic on our way to Manchester, England, where we will spend one whole day before taking off to the Gambia.
2. Another route of travel. We found out last night that the UK transit visas we have eagerly been waiting for were all denied. This means that unless God provides another way to get there, all of the Jamaican students who need the visa will not be joining us in The Gambia. It is possible to go through the US, but ticket prices are exceeding $5,000. Because of this complication, our group of 12 has been cut in half to 6:
Our leaders John and Danya
Myself and Morgan from the USA
Katie and Allison from Canada
God is already showing us a way that our Mexican, Eddie, and Jamaicans, Jackie, Gabby, and Denzil, could possibly be joining us in about a week... just pray that it goes through.
3. Protection. We aren't going to be staying in fancy hotels, eating proper meals, driving a nice jeep, or having police escorts wherever we go. We could quite possibly be sleeping on the red dirt in a village that has no electricity or running water, eating out of a community bowl of rice and penut sauce, traveling by public transportation and foot, and in a place where the laws of the tribes are the laws of the lands. My mind is at total ease about this. Why? I find my peace in Romans 8:31, which asks "If our God is for us, then what can stand against us?"
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Since we are not sure whether or not we are going to have electricity, my ability to communicate (if at all) will be very limited. I have asked my parents to check my email regularly, so if there is anything you would like to tell me, they will somehow try to find a way to relay the message to me.
I will continue to keep a daily journal so that I can share with you my wonderful experiences and stories when I get back to Jamaica.
Thank you all for your support. It makes it so much easier to go on an adventure like this when I know that I have people thinking and praying about me. I truly wouldn't be able to do this if it weren't for you.
I love you Mom and Dad. You will never know how much I appreciate your commitment to me.
 |
| PEACH. |
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