Pray, pray, pray!

So yesterday I had my phone interview. Seems there was a mix-up and I was being interviewed to be an assistant at a school over the summer... but I quickly explained that my heart was set on working with orphans. The cool part was that the woman who was doing my interview had actually help start the orphanage years ago so she had a lot of knowledge of it. It's an all girls orphanage with 50-60 girls. All along I have felt that this is where God is calling me to go. I was told that my interviewer with talk with some other folks and someone will get back with me. Please, please pray with me that I will receive an invite soon and that it will be to work at this orphanage. I hope to leave in about two months but can't do much at this point because I'm still not 100% sure of my location. I covet your prayers that God will allow me to volunteer at this location over the summer. This is the website for the orphanage, they also are getting ready to open a boys orphanage. I've been looking over this website constantly in the past 24 hours and feel that my heart is already there.  It is in the city of Lubumbashi in the Congo DR.
This summer is going to be a busy one in the Congo because they will be celebrating the 100th year anniversary of Methodism there and people will be coming in from all over the world to celebrate. I would love, love to be able to be there to celebrate with all of God's children!
Thank you so much for your questions, support, prayers and good thoughts. This is not only my ministry, this is OUR ministry!
The peace of Christ be with you!
Rachel

NOLA trip & making donations

Well, this time last week I was in New Orleans with a bunch of other folks who have the crazy wish to serve God around the world :-) It was a great trip and spending time with new friends who have heard God’s call to care for God’s family everywhere was such a blessing!! (Including the leaders, our group was 28 strong!)

Thursday I flew in and met two other volunteers at the airport. Two of the leaders picked us up and took us to the North Rampart Community Center, which we called home for the weekend. We all spent the evening getting to know each other and eating jelly beans. (Actually, we ate jelly beans all weekend, yum!)

Friday we spent the day in conversation about being Individual Volunteers for God and the church. For lunch we enjoyed gumbo. It was the first time I have eaten gumbo and I liked it! Friday evening we went out to dinner where I had a bunch of fried stuff. I also tried fried frog legs… not a fan. (The following photo are some folks from the group.)

We also broke into smaller groups throughout the day and evening Friday to have more in depth conversations. Right before bed time, a small group of us walked down to Cafe Du Monde where I tried my first (and second) beignet!! YUM!

We spent more time in large and small group conversations throughout the day Saturday. We also were taken down to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans where busy neighborhoods were completely wiped out by hurricane Katrina in 2005. What we saw were open fields with cement foundations, a few houses and empty roads. There were houses that were still left from the hurricane, but they were bare shells and not habitable. On the plus side, we saw small clusters of new homes that have been built and even drove by two vans full of college kids on spring break who were getting ready to build a new foundation for a home!! We saw the homes Brad Pitt’s foundation was helping to build; they were nice looking homes and eco-friendly. We also drove through neighborhoods where the homes were damaged but not completely wiped away. These homes still had the markings on them from being searched after the hurricane. (The markings had the date searched, what team searched it, the number of bodies found, if there were dead pets inside and a few other important details… It was surreal.)  After that we went to lunch at Acme Oyster House and I tried char-grilled oysters for the first time and they were good!!   

Saturday night we performed skits that related to situations we might experience at our volunteer sites. The skits were all very informational but beyond that, they were hilarious! Most of us were laughing so hard we had tears at some point or another. Laughter is amazing medicine!

Sunday we were blessed with being able to worship at St. Mark’s UMC which is the church the community center is attached too. What a beautiful congregation! There were folks from middle-class to homeless, all colors of the rainbow and all worshipping God. After Worship the church serves lunch to the homeless. Since our leaders didn’t know about this in time for us to volunteer to help, we walked down the street and grabbed some lunch. After this many folks headed home but I headed down to the French Quarter with some other ladies and had a great time sightseeing. Our home-away-from-home was right on the edge of the French Quarter so we were surrounded by beautiful architecture!! 

Monday I said goodbye to New Orleans and flew back to Alexandria. I will say that NOLA is a nice and interesting place and the weather was divine! However, I’m glad to be home. I already miss the folks I trained with but hope to stay in touch with them and share stories from our experiences.

Many, many thanks to all of you who have been keeping me and this experience in your thoughts and prayers! My application has been received and looked over by a site in the Congo DR. The full-time missionaries who are there and run the site should be calling me in the next week to chat and if I seem like a good fit for the site, hopefully I’ll receive my invitation! If not, there are a few other sites that my application will be sent to.

Many folks have already asked where they can make donations to help cover expenses for this experience. Since this is a volunteer program, we have to cover all expenses on our own. Whether you are able to make a donation or not, THANK YOU for having an interest in what I’m doing. I ask that everyone keeps me in your thoughts and prayers as I strive to follow God’s call and the tug on my heart to go to Africa and share God’s love, my love and your love with orphans!!

If you would like to make a donation, a fund has been set up at my church. Here’s how it works: Please make the check payable to “WSUMC.” In the memo line please write “VIM fund.” (VIM stands for Volunteers in Mission… by writing the name of the fund instead of my name, your donation is tax deductable.)

Checks may be mailed to:
WSUMC
c/o Barbara Harslem- Financial Administrator
115 S. Washington Street
 Alexandria, VA 22314

Please note: Unless you indicate otherwise, your name will be shared with me so that I can properly thank you for your donation.

Please continue to keep everyone involved in this process in your thoughts and prayers and know that I’m grateful beyond words for all the support I’ve been receiving.

Love to all!
Rachel

Is this for real?!?

This trip has just seemed like a lot of talk and paperwork up until now... but now I'm registered for training that will run from March 11th-14th, have my flight booked and have a hotel room booked for Sunday night. Not sure if I'm more excited about the training and meeting new folks or about visiting New Orleans for the first time :-)
Prayers are welcome that 1- the trip will go well and God will continue to give me peace about going to Africa, 2- after paying for this trip I'll still make it through the month alive (financially), 3- I'll learn more about my actual trip to Africa while at this training...
Thank you to each and every person who is lifting me up in their thoughts and prayers!!!! This trip isn't just me going to Africa, it's making a connection with God's children and blessing them with your prayers :-)

Love,
R

Well, I had planned to meet with my church's SPRC in February but mother nature had other plans... so I met with them this evening (Tuesday, March 2nd). I was very nervous but our SPRC is made up of great folks so I prayed it would all go well... and... IT WENT GREAT!!! Many thanks to everyone for your prayers today and to the SPRC committee members for your support!! :-)
I am going to New Orleans to do my training on March 11th and will return on the 15th. I was pretty discouraged b/c I didn't think I could pay for this, but by coming back to Alexandria on the 15th instead of the 14th (when the training ends) I'll be able to save hundreds of dollars and the trip is now booked!! :-)
I heard that they might have a site in mind for me now... I'll know more once I get to New Orleans for my training next week.
Want some info about UMVIM? http://www.umvim.org/ (check out Individual Volunteers under the International heading...)
Prayers are very, very welcome!!

We know love by this, that [Jesus] laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 1 John 3:16-18 NRSV

Lord, send me!

Welcome to my blog :-)
I haven't done one of these before but have decided it'll be a good way to keep folks updated about my life-changing decision... My news is: I'm planning to go to Africa for a few months during the summer of 2010 to work with kids/orphans!!!!!!!! :-D
I can't even explain how excited I am about this!!

Here are my favorite questions and some of the answers:

Why?- Well, I've always loved working with kids and have a huge heart for orphans. I've thought many times of going to Africa to work with orphans but it never really made sense. I've never been to Africa and I've never even been on a mission trip that includes packing up and leaving town! God placed this on my heart and after talking with folks, namely a great mentor, I decided that this is the time! NOW!

When?- I do not have the specific dates yet... I'm going as an Individual Volunteer with UMVIM (http://www.umvim.org/newsite/umvim/web-content/Pages/international/internationaliv.html) so the specific dates will be planned with them. However, the plan is summer 2010... hopefully late May/early June until late August/early September. (Yes, I totally plan to come back! I want to share my stories and experiences with everyone!!)

Where?- Again, planning for Africa... Haiti was also a thought after the natural disaster but it will take a while for the situation there to get under control and be assessed, so Africa is best for now. I'm looking at two orphanages and waiting to hear back about which would be best for me this summer.

How?- This will be the interesting part... I do plan to go to New Orleans in March for my training and have registered for that. The major "how" I'm stuck with right now is how to pay for this trip... for the training I only need to raise enough money to fly to New Orleans so that shouldn't be too hard... The big trip though will probably cost about $8000 (VERY rough estimate right now) and right now I'm totally trusting God that it will all work out. I hope to sublease my place this summer so I can move right back in when I return... My cat and car will stay with my parents in NC... I have no idea about making car and grad. school loan payments, but again, just trusting that God will show me the way :-)

I guess I don't have all the answers right now... just excited to share!! Yes, I'll watch out for myself! I might be with other UMVIM missionaries from the US or I might not. I might stay in a hotel, a home or who-knows-where... Right now, I'm thankful to those who are supporting me!!

Please support me with your prayers and thoughts  :-) I hope to stay in touch via this blog and email when I get to Africa, but since I don't know where I'm going, I don't know if I'll have any means of communication available to me... but those answers will come with time.

Love to all!
Rachel