A Step of Faith

Wow...I'm a little overwhelmed right now.  I just got of Skype with Aaron (my brother-in-law who is organizing the trip to Africa).  They need to purchase the tickets for the team next Tuesday.  That means I need to have $1600 to them by next Tuesday or some kind of guarantee (like my credit card) in order to purchase my ticket with the group.  My other option is waiting until I have the money raised and purchasing my ticket on my own...which means traveling by myself.  Not real excited about that prospect. 

I know God will do this if I'm to go.  I'm praying that he'll move in the hearts of 16 people to give $100 each by next Tuesday.  In the grand scheme of his plan for my life, raising $1600 is such a small thing.

Will you give?

Africa!!

Well, it looks like things are moving forward for me to go to Africa with the Journey Corps team.  Plans are being made, dates are being narrowed.  God is being sought.  My only hindrance now is the finances.  But God is so much bigger than financial needs!  I believe that if He wants me to go on this trip, He will provide the money I need.

I believe that He will provide it through people like you.  If I had the funds in the bank to go on this trip, it would make my life so much easier.  But I don't...and I believe that was part of God's plan.  It was in His timing that Dan's job fell apart.  It was in God's timing that He provided a new job.  It was in God's timing that the opportunity for me to go to Africa came about.  He knew all the details long before it had even crossed my mind.  He knew that I would have to rely on Him to provide the funds for me to go (and the short window in which I have to do it!).

I need to raise $2200 for the trip.  It looks like airline tickets are going to be about $1600 and then I'll need roughly $600 for additional expenses such as a visa, food and lodging and shots.  All gifts will go through my church, First Baptist Church of Lutz, so they will be tax deductible.  Checks should be made out to the church but mailed to me so if you want to give, please leave a comment below and I'll contact you with my address.

Please pray about what God would have you to give.  Allow your money to be used to spread the gospel to the furthest reaches of the world.  God bless you.

Focus!

I have no focus today!  Our annual women's conference is coming up in a few weeks and I'm teaching one of the sessions.  Can I just tell you how much this freaks me out?!?  I've never done anything like this before...teaching in that kind of setting, putting together that kind of talk...none of it.  But I believe it's something that God has called me to do so He is going to have to do it through me!

Parker's napping right now so I'm trying to get some study/writing time in and I seriously cannot focus at all.  I have ideas of what I believe God wants me to share and of the direction I'm going to go but I've written basically two paragraphs in two hours.  Not a lot.  I keep thinking about Parker's allergies or going to Africa or what's for dinner and on and on and on.  Everything BUT my talk.  I'm so distracted!

What am I doing about it??  Allowing myself to be distracted and writing a blog, obviously!!

I want to share something from the Bible study I'm doing that really spoke to my heart yesterday and I have a feeling I'm not the only person who could use these words right now.  This is from Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself:

"Today some of your who are trying so diligently to complete this study, to stay focused, to be victorious in the face of ever-increasing odds, are completely exhausted.  My heart aches for you.  I have been there.  You keep working and trusting and still you don't see any change in your husband, in your teenager, or your circumstances.  The striving is exhausting.  Please hang in there and remember two things:

1.  God brings results from your obedience; you do not.  Let Him do His job in His "proper" time.  He'll do it, all right.  His name depends on it and He cannot lie.  Keep waiting because:

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and, not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isa. 40:31, KJV).

2.  You have everything you need by virtue of the Holy Spirit within you to bear your load.  If He had energy enough to speak the worlds into being according to the Father's will and the Son's Word, He has the energy to carry your through your burden.  You've got the Father's will and the Son's Word on it.  Keep in mind, when we power walk in the Spirit, it is He who carries the weights."  (pg. 49)

Isn't that good??  And haven't we all been there?  There is always some kind of burden in life, whether it's a trying relationship, financial difficulties, depression, loss...the list goes on and on.  If I'm not the one suffering at this particular time, I probably know someone who is.  Isn't it amazing to know that we do not have to bear the burden on our own and that if we are faithful and obedient to Him, He will bring results in His own time??

So that was not really where I intended to go when I first started typing this post but there it is!  I hope it blesses someone today.

Here Goes Nothin'

Well, here I am.  Entering the world of "mommy blogs".  I've blogged some for our Women's Ministry website but this is just mine...more personal.  A friend suggested I start a blog to chronicle my journey as I pray about going to Africa on a mission trip with Journey Corps.  I loved the idea but thought I would incorporate every day life, also.

Who am I?  My name is Sarah, I'm married to a wonderful man, Dan (10 years next year!!) and we have one daughter, Parker Abigail, who I am simply obsessed with.  These two people are my life.  But, before I am a wife and mom, I am a Christ-follower.  I am daily striving to be more like Him.  Some days I feel successful in this endeavor, other days are complete and utter failures.  But as Paul says, "I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." (Philippians 3:12)

So this whole Africa thing....  It kind of came out of the blue (for me at least).  My mom went on a trip to Kenya the year I got married and I think since then, I've wanted to go.  My brother-in-law grew up as a missionary kid in Rwanda.  Spending time with his family and hearing about their experiences in the mission field there gave me even more of a desire to serve in Africa at some point.  I have not had any idea when or how this would come about but have just trusted that God knew my heart and would open the door at some point.  

Earlier this week, my sister, Alison, posted something on Facebook about going on a mission trip to Ivory Coast, Africa with Journey Corps, the missions organization that her husband, Aaron, works for.  My first thought was, "I want to go!!"  I shared my desire with Aaron but also told him that if he, or anyone on his team, said no or not right now, I was totally fine with that.  I only want to go in God's time.  But his whole team seems excited about the prospect so we're taking steps in that direction!

At the end of October, Journey Corps will be sending their first group of Journeyers to the training facility in Ivory Coast, Africa.  Aaron and Alison will be going to help get them acclimated their first couple of weeks there.  My role (still to be refined some) will be to plan and execute events of different varieties during those first couple of weeks.  I'll post more details about this as we get them worked out.  I'm really excited about this prospect because event planning is something I love.  I love having an idea or vision for a great event (a wedding, banquet, meeting, whatever it might be) and bringing all the pieces and details together to make it happen.  Doing this in Africa will certainly present new challenges that I haven't experienced before but I think that's part of what makes it exciting.  But beyond all of that, I'll have the opportunity to serve God's people, the people who are daily working to spread the gospel to every corner of the world!

What can you do?  Please pray.  I need all the prayer support I can get.  I need God's direction and wisdom as we work through details.  I need to know FOR SURE that He is calling me to go on this trip.  I firmly believe that doing something like this without His calling would be a huge mistake.

Thanks for joining me on this journey!

For more information about Journey Corps, check out http://myjourneycorps.com/.