i expect God to use myself and my teammates in ways we never thought we could be used

    
i expect to be challenged more then ive ever been challenged before

 

i love to see where i have learned and grown in the past when i have stepped out of my comfort zone. there is always room for more growth and i am excited to for God to show me the areas in my life where He wants me to grow more. i pray that i am able to see ways that i can step more out of my comfort zone and that i have enough faith to do that.

 

i expect my heart to be broken 

The devestation caused by AIDS is a reality in southern Africa.  

i am a huge people person and i have always wanted to be a nurse. it is going to be hard for me to see what AIDS is doing to the people of Africa, especially to the children who have been ripped from their families by this disease. the statistics are sad enough, but to put faces to the numbers is going to be heart breaking. i pray that God breaks my heart, but gives me a vision of hope to share with the beautiful people there.

 

God has plans prepared for me, and will use me to be a change. change doesn't always happen fast, but it starts when people realize that it is needed. a smile or a hug can change a persons day. time spent with someone can change their life. i feel that i am just a small instrument in the change that God is bringing to Africa, and i pray that i can focus on His will in my life.

i expect my relationship with God to grow deeper

i expect a confirmation from God about a possible future in long term missions.

This is one of the main reasons i am going on this trip.  My interest in missions has grown during each of the past mission trips i've participated in, and after much prayer, God led me to this trip to Swaziland.  This trip will give me a first-hand view at what a life in missions could look like, and i expect that God will show me the role missions may play in my future. 

We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to this mission trip.

Here's my story...

 

As I shared briefly in my bio, I have been so blessed to be able to participate on several mission trips. Through these, I have realized that God is calling me to the mission field. This was most clear during a mission trip to Guatemala I went on in July 2008. The fact that I was able to go on this trip was a miracle.

 

Ever since this trip was introduced, I felt that I was meant to go. It was different from all the other mission trips I had gone on. The length of the trip was longer, fewer people were on the team, and only two leaders were leading us. It was more out of my comfort zone then any other trip I had been on and I knew it would be more of a challenge to me. I was so excited to go on this trip and I looked forward to it even more then my graduation.

 

 

After graduation, the school staff had planned an all night "grad party" for all the graduates. It was there that I injured myself due to an accidental fall. I wound up in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down. There was no change in my condition for 10 days, and I tried to hold onto hope as long as I could. A week and a half before the trip, I broke down. I cried out to God for an answer. I wept as I asked Him to confirm to me that I was going on this trip, or give me peace if I wasn't meant to go. My heart broke as I prayed that prayer.

 

However, as I continued to pray, my toes began to wiggle. This was the first movement I had from the waist down in days. I knew at that point that I was going to Guatemala, and in a week and a half, we were on a plane.

 

In Guatemala, I found the reason for my being able to go there. I met a boy who had been paralyzed from the waist down and was hopeless. My heart broke for him and his family. It was so humbling to see that God had put us there to bring him hope; and because I had been in his position, I was able to relate to him so much more then I ever could have before.

 

 

Seeing the awesome things God did and how he used us on that trip helped me to realize how much I wanted to go into missions long term. I definitely didn't want to leave Guatemala and I wanted to return to the mission field as soon as I got home. I found the FYM Program and see it as my perfect next step into long term missions. At this point, I have 9 months until I leave for Africa, and I am glad to have this time to get to know my fellow teamates and prepare myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically for this trip.

This post, by Seth Barnes, explains the reason why I want to go to Swaziland:

Swaziland is home to 130,000 orphans, a number that, incredibly, is growing approximately 10% a year.  AIDS is killing the adults, leaving behind the children. The average age of death is 30.

Swaziland stresses cultural tradition continually.  Culture allows for multiple marital partners and several children. Tradition dictates that children are cared for by the community.  If a parent dies then the extended family is supposed to take them in.  The problem now is that, in many cases, all the extended family members are dead. 

The traditional caregiver in a family is called a "go-go" or a grandmother.  In a sense she is the orphan director, trying to cope with a continually growing number of orphans.  It is not uncommon for a go-go to be responsible for over 30 children with no access to funds or food.

70% of the land in Swaziland is owned by the King.  Land is parceled out to over 300 chiefs to care for and divide among the people.  Chiefs are the traditional rulers in a these divided communities. 

The rural areas are still very traditional.  Many Swazi people still live on homesteads and these are passed down through the family.  Even Swazi people who live in the towns or cities often still have ties to a homestead which they may visit on the holidays or weekends.  Swaziland is called a "Christian" country in its own constitution, but the real religion that dominates is ancestral worship.  The spirit of the dead is revered above the spirit of Christ.