One more day!

Tomorrow (Sunday, July 11) at 2:30p, I will be on a plane headed to Zambia!

It has been such a humbling experience to see this all come together. When I was presented with this opportunity almost a year ago, I just knew that God wanted me to go. Many phone calls, emails, and gracious blessings later, I am on my way! I have felt a call to be a part of mission work for many years, and that is why I chose to go to nursing school. I've always felt that God wants me to use the skills and knowledge He has blessed me with to attend to His people's physical and spiritual needs. Lord willing, I will get to use some of my "nursing knowledge" on this trip, but I know the other spiritual gifts He has given me will be utilized, too!

A little about our trip (always subject to change as the Lord sees fit!)-
Meg, Tanner and I will leave tomorrow from the Tri-State Airport and fly to Cincinnati, then on to Atlanta. We will then get on a plane for an 18-hour ride to Johannesburg, South Africa. Once we arrive (Monday evening, 1:00am in WV), we will meet Dave Akers and spend the night in a Bible college. The next morning, we'll catch a plane to Ndola, Zambia and get a ride to where we are staying. Meg and I will be staying with Bernard Mwepu, his wife & 5 children, while Tanner will stay with Christopher Chanda, his wife & 2 children. Dave will stay with us for about 11 days and then head back to the US.

We will be helping with an orphanage. 200 double-orphaned children are registered, but there is no building for them to live in. They stay with whoever will take them in, and come to small area of land two or three days a week. We'll also be visiting the homes that these children live in and assisting the caregivers with whatever we can. We'll teach Sunday school, travel to & speak in the local schools, and take children to the hospital. We will simply be servants while we're there. On August 8th or 9th, Kristen and Lana Davenport will come over with medical supplies. We hope to set up a small clinic and screen as many people as we can, since there is no health care for the 25,000 people who live in the area.
Meg, Tanner and I will be gone for about 40 days, and Kristen and Lana will be gone for about 12 days. We'll all return together to the states on Aug. 19th.

Many people have told me they are praying for my trip, and I'm so thankful for this! I've asked some individuals and families to be prayer warriors while we're gone and pray for a specific thing. If you would like something specific to pray for, you can choose one of the aspects of the trip I've listed below. Or, you can pray for whatever you feel led to pray for!

- Safety: I truly have a sense of peace and security about all of this, and I feel that the Lord is going to keep us safe throughout this journey. Please pray for us as we are traveling to and from Africa, and as we travel to unknown places each day. We have no idea what we'll face while we're gone, but we know can face it with courage.

- Children: We've been told that the children we'll meet are not like "normal" children. Most kids are happy to just be around other kids, but theses children have no joy. They don't play or laugh and they rarely smile; they just seem to have nothing to live for. Please, pray for these little ones. We want them to enjoy themselves and their time with us, but most of all we want them to experience the true joy that comes from receiving Christ as their Savior.

- Medical clinic: Not much is set up with this. We have a few supplies, but we're not sure how to get them over to Africa. Uncertainty is all around this, but it's something we desire to do. Pray that everything works out for the best and that plans come to light in the next few weeks.

- Host families: Bernard, Christopher and their families have been gracious enough to let us be a part of their lives and homes. They will be our leaders while we are in Africa, so please pray for them to make wise decisions and lead us in a way that honors our God. Also pray that we submit to them wholly as our authorities.

- Team: We ask that you pray for us, since we'll be spending every hour with each other. Please pray for unity among us; that we will make wise decisions and have positive attitudes towards not only the people we come in contact with, but towards each other. Please pray that we will be aware of what God wants us to do and how to act in each situation we face, & that His love will be reflected to others by the way we show love to each other.

- Families: This has been really rough on our families! Please, please keep our parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members in your prayers! They're very proud of us, but very nervous at the same time. Pray that they will be comforted by knowing that we are doing good things in the name of the Lord, and the the Creator of the Universe is in control of us and our safety! And pray that we'll be able to get in touch with them at least a couple of times on our trip! (:

- Emotions: I personally am afraid that I am going to become overwhelmed by what I see and experience. I'm not afraid of my heart being broken, but I am scared that I will get so caught up in despair that I won't be able to focus on what God has sent us to do. Pray for me and the team, that we will be able to realize that we have been sent to make a difference in these people's lives, and are able to do so through the power of Christ. I don't want to come back and feel guilty for what God has blessed me with, but I don't want to completely forget the pain and suffering I've seen. Pray for me to find a balance.


Hopefully I will be able to get on here every so often and update you with news of what is going on! I hope to see many of you in church tomorrow (I'll be a crying mess, but please come and tell me goodbye!), and I'll see the rest of you in about 6 weeks!

With love,
Jessica

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him." - Psalm 24:1