Tangled in Missions

I'm not sure if you've seen the Disney movie Tangled yet, but it is a fabulous movie full of adventure and dreams. I’m sure you’re wondering what in the world a Disney movie has to do with going to Tanzania to do missionary work, but lately, I've been feeling a lot like how the main character, Rapunzel felt during the course of the movie.

The main character, Rapunzel has a dream and she will stop at nothing in order to see her dream fulfilled (even if that includes disobeying her mother and kidnapping a thief). She has been locked in a tower for 18 years and every year on her birthday she sees floating lights in the sky and she wonders what they are. Through her determination and a series of fortunate events (and unfortunate events), she finds herself in the kingdom just in time to experience the release of thousands of lanterns into the sky. But, as the moment approaches, she begins to have doubts. She wonders if the experience will be everything that she has dreamt it will be. What if it isn’t? And then again, what if it is? What then?

That seems to be exactly where I am finding myself. I’ve imagined for years what it would be like to go to a foreign culture and completely immerse myself in it. I’ve dreamed of helping people and changing the world in the name of Christ. For years I’ve wrestled with God over whether or not this was actually what HE had planned for my life or if it was just something that seemed like a good idea, but would quickly be forgotten. But, God hasn’t let me forget it and I know that this is where I’m supposed to be. But, am I really prepared for what will happen once I get there? Am I ready for what I will learn and how I will feel? I guess the only way to find out is to press forward into the unknown and trust that God knows what HE’s doing in my life. That’s truly all we can ever do, no matter how hard or scary it may seem at times. Sometimes it may mean risking everything (family, friends, job), other times it may mean getting on a plane, and sometimes it’s as simple as greeting a stranger. My prayer is that you too will find a place of complete (and maybe insane) faith in God to direct your steps to fulfill HIS vision and purpose for your life.

“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23

Blessings and peace,

Christine

It's Official

Well, it's official!! I have booked my flights to and from Tanzania (with a quick stop in Europe on the way back). I'm SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!!! I'm officially leaving on January 10th and I have a series of flights that will land me at the Dar Es Salaam International Airport at 9pm (local time). The closer it gets and the more that I get done just makes me all the more excited for what is to come.
Some more super exciting news is that I will be bringing a piano keyboard with me along with a set of recorders to help me teach music! It's amazing how connections that you make can help you so much! I was a member of the Sigma Alpha Iota honors music fraternity in college. The organization contains a section that collects musical instruments and music and also raises money to purchase and send musical instruments to schools and orphanages in third world countries. Thus, the Wesley Primary School in Morogoro, Tanzania is a perfect candidate for such donations! I'm SOOO excited!!! Of course, it's going to be interesting trying to get all of that on the plane in addition the all the children's books that I'm trying to collect, but I know that with God on my side, a way will be made!
It's so exciting to me that God is working through my life to make an impact on a school half way around the world. It makes me feel so humbled and leaves me in awe of how He sees the greater picture and how everything is going to work together, even when I don't. All I have to do is keep leaning on his understanding!!

"Trust in the Lord your God with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Christine

Be Faithful to Him and He Will Be Faithful to You

God has continued to pour out His blessings on me in so many unreal ways. Today I was waitressing at the restaurant that I work at and two young ladies, about my age, came in to eat. One of them asked about my purity ring and soon we were on the topic about God. Somehow, as we talked, the topic of my mission trip to Tanzania came up. As it turned out the two of them had been on some mission trips previously and one was wanting to go on a longer term mission trip soon. We were talking about God's timing and how it's always perfect. I told her about how I've been wanting to go on this mission trip for years (and truthfully, it's been nearly a decade since I first felt the call) before I actually am getting to go. But, I know that if I had tried to go sooner, it wouldn't have worked out so well. I just know that God is in this trip because everything is falling in to place so well. The second blessing was the gift that they left for me at the table: my first donation of $100. I am overwhelmed with how God works in the lives of His children to change the world!!

I hope that each of you is having a blessed day. Remember, no matter where you are in life, God is walking with you and leading you in the direction, to the place He has called you.

"The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

Blessings,
Christine

A God-Ordained Encounter

Over and over again, I am simply overwhelmed by people's responses to the fact that I am going to Tanzania to do missionary work for 6 months. It is truly a blessing to me that others are willing to bless this journey by providing financial support, donations of books and instruments, or simply by following my blog to find out how things are doing.
This weekend I am visiting the college that I graduated from for a choir reunion concert. While I am here, I've been trying to get together with the many friends I have up here. So, today a wonderful friend and mentor and I met at a local tearoom to catch up and talk about life. It was a completely wonderful time! As we were leaving, we began talking to the owners and the topic of my mission trip came up. They do a lot of collecting items for the troops and they want to add me to their list!! I'm so excited I can't even contain it! I just know that this is what God's will for my life is right now and I feel like so many things are falling into place! Every new encounter renews my excitement about this trip and reassures me that this is where I am supposed to be.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28

God bless,
Christine

Is This Really Happening?

WOW! Things seem to be happening so fast now! There have been so many exciting things happening this past month that have offered me all kinds of distraction. I competed in the USKA LA State Championships a couple weeks ago and this past weekend I ran my first ever 1/2 marathon. Now that I am past all of the intense training for those two events, I am now finding my attention is redirected to training/preparing for January and the exciting possibilities that this long-anticipated adventure brings!! I've been researching flights and trying to find the best deals and I've also been working on my support letter that I'll be sending out soon! It's all so exciting and each new thing makes this whole adventure seem more and more real!!

I love the idea that life is an adventure worth experiencing. Every new encounter or activity gives us new insights about who we are as people and how the world functions. I hope that through this experience in Tanzania I will learn about and appreciate the culture of the people there. I hope to also gain new insights into a different way of living compared to how we function here in America. I believe that every culture has something wonderful and beautiful to contribute to the world and I hope to explore that while I am in Morogoro. I also hope to learn more about myself and how I view the world and how those views affect me and my life decisions.

Well, for now I've been working on my sponsor letter that I will be sending out to friends and family soon. I hope that everyone will contribute in some way (and that does not necessarily mean money). Of course, it is a strong aspect of the trip because there is no way that this trip could happen without financial support from others. But, there are other kinds of support that I will need as well. For example, I believe that prayer support is one of the most crucial elements to a successful mission, so if you are a pray-er, please add this mission to your prayer list! Also, I would like to collect childrens' books and sheet music to bring with me. The guy I will be replacing has mentioned that the Wesley Primary School is looking to build up a library, but they are sorely lacking books. Thus, any contributions would be greatly appreciated! Also, the students are very excited about learning music and how to read music, but they lack the supplies to make this happen. Thus, if you happen to have any old childrens' books or sheet music lying around that you would like to donate, please let me know asap!!

As promised in my first post, here is the information about what my expenses will look like and how to donate money to my cause through The Advance:

This is what my projected budget is looking like right now:

       Travel Expenses (flights to and from Tanzania): $3,000-$4,000

       Housing: $100/month, $600 total for 6 months

       Food: $100/month, $600 total for 6 months
       Miscellaneous (medical expenses, emergency fund, etc.): $100/month, $600 total for 6 months

In order to make a donation, please go to:

http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?id=3020917&code=982465

At this site you can easily enter the amount you wish to donate and under “special designation”, you will find my name listed. Please note that through The Advance, 100% of your donation will go to support me. By setting up a completely separate account from my personal finances, I am even better able to make sure that 100% of your money goes directly towards my necessary mission expenses (this money will NOT be used towards weekend trips, the purchase of souvenirs, or anything non-mission related). Please note that, YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTABLE. If you would like more information, please visit: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/advance/

Good night everyone and blessings to all!!!

<3 Christine

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
~Harriet Tubman

  

The Beginning

People sometimes wonder why in the world I would ever want to go to some far off, 3rd world country where they don't always have luxuries such as 24-hour electricity, plumbing, air conditioning, good medical facilities, malls, and Starbucks. I mean, really? Who can't live without Starbucks?? I don't know...maybe I am crazy. And then again, maybe I'm not. ;)
I remember the first time I ever had so much as a passing thought about wanting to do long-term missionary work. I was in junior high and I went to this Jars of Clay concert. In the middle of the concert they began talking about how they had just gotten back from Africa and the work that they were doing down there to bring clean water to the people there. It was as if a light bulb went off in my brain "I want to do that!!" I didn't really think to much about it again for a while, but the idea kept coming up over the years. Over and over again, I would think about how awesome it would be to go to another country and not just teach them about Christ, but also learn from them and learn about their culture.
After years of this idea growing in my heart, but never actually doing anything about it, I finally reached graduation from high school. I thought to myself "Dude! Now that I'm graduated from high school, I might actually have a chance to do this! Maybe I'll get to go somewhere for a summer during college!" But, much to my dismay and frustration, it didn't happen during college. I couldn't understand why God had given me such a passion and yet I had no opportunity to fulfill the dream. That's not completely true. Throughout college, I had many opportunities to put coordinate and participate in a number of fundraisers that raised money to 1) build water wells in Kenya through the 410 Bridge, 2) help build schools in Uganda through Invisible Children, and 3) bring recovery to Haiti after the earthquake. But, it wasn't enough. I didn't just want to read about these places or send them money from a distance, I wanted to go.
After graduating from college this past May and realizing that I didn't actually want to do what I had majored in (which is teach music), I decided that I needed to take a year off and figure out what I DID want to do. What a perfect opportunity that God has given me to finally fulfill my dream!! At the suggestion of a worker in the religious life offices at my college, who is also a mentor and friend, I sent in an application to the General Board of Global Ministries. From that point on it has been a thrilling adventure of turning in paperwork (everything from medical records to what to do with my body if I should die during the 6 months I will be gone (definitely NOT a first option! O_o)), going on a retreat to train and meet other missionaries, and finally accepting my placement. My placement will be a 6 month stay in Morogoro, Tanzania where I will be teaching English at the Wesley Primary School. I am thrilled for what this adventure will bring!! I have now begun my correspondence with the person that I will be replacing, which of course increases my excitement level even more!!! :D
Of course things that I now have to consider are: what shots do I need? What will the weather be like and how should I pack accordingly? Will I get sick if I eat certain foods? How much money is this adventure actually going to cost me? Luckily, with the General Board, they have a thing called The Advance that allows people to donate directly to individual missionaries who are out in the field. As soon as I have a breakdown of what my expenses will be, I will post it as well as my advance number so that I can begin raising funds for this new adventure!!
For now, I will leave with my blessings to you and prayer that you will continue to pursue your dreams, no matter what the cost. And, do not worry if it doesn't happen today or tomorrow because everything will come to fruition in the time that God has deemed it. The point is to never give up!!

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philipians 3:13-14

Blessings and peace,
Christine