Faith Like a Child

I have a friend. A sweet, hilarious, and darling friend.
Her name is Kenna, and she just turned 5.
She loves Jesus in a real, engaging, and whole-hearted way.
She cares for people and has a heart for those who are less fortunate.
Satan already sees Kenna as a mighty force against his terrible, dirty work.

As I was walking away from her family's house for the last time in awhile, Kenna gave me a commissioning I'll never forget:
"Bye! Have fun in Africa!"

Sweet. Simple. Beautiful.

I believe that Kenna is a perfect example of what it is to have faith like a child. God has an incredible plan for her life, for His little, pinkalicious princess! She has blessed me through laughter, prayers, and by consistently asking her mom if "today is the day that Carolyn leaves for Africa." I covet her sincere, heart-felt prayers as I go off to "have fun in Africa," so I made her this prayer booklet.

I covet your prayers, as well!

My ministry is nothing, has no foundation, without them.

God tells us in that He is ready to perform his word (Jer. 1:12 ) and whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith (Matt. 21:22).

That is a promise I'm claiming.

**Check out my prayer requests page for some more specific ways you can be praying for me and the team of missionaries already serving in Mbarara!

Milestone

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psalm 96:3

Check out the fundraising thermometer on the right hand side of my blog! This week you all helped me reach the 85% supported mark! What a huge accomplishment.
I have believed from the beginning of this process that I would be fully supported before I left for Uganda, and even though I have no idea where the final 15% ($2,226) will come from, I still do believe!

Francis Chan said in his book Forgotten God (which I would highly recommend):

God delights in showing up when His people are in desperate need of Him, because that means that no one else can steal His Glory.

Amen.

I'm raising financial support for reasons so much bigger than just supporting myself. I'm honored to be partnering with Africa Inland Mission, an organization with 600 missionaries working in 22 African countries who are fully committed to reaching the unreached and making disciples among all nations.
By being fully supported, I will be able to serve in Mbarara for an entire year. During that year I will have opportunities to teach and minister to Ugandan children, disciple teen girls, help teach the full-term missionary children who are home schooled, build relationships with those in the community, and much more! I will also learn how to be a support and encouragement to the full-term missionaries so that they can continue to serve and minister effectively and faithfully.

Raising support isn't just about meeting my needs in the coming year. It's about meeting the needs of others for eternity.

Please, please continue to pray that the last bit of support would come. This is not a task that I could ever do on my own, but rather it is an opportunity for God remind us of His glory, provision, and faithfulness as we look to Him with great expectancy!

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P.S. Please share my blog with anyone who you think would be interested in following me in this journey!

Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and people rediscover their identity and thereby increase self-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.

--Malcolm X

Snapshots of New York



Sometimes it feels like you've known your new friends for the longest time





Photo credits to Amanda Larsen



Amanda. Serving in Namibia through children's ministry.

 

Gray. Serving in Kenya through PR and Journalism.





NYC at its finest



Flag Day. 22nd birthday.



Orientation

 “Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

2 Timothy 1:9

I spent the last 3 days at AIM's headquarters in Pearl River, NY for orientation. It's hard to believe that it has already come and gone! That means that in six weeks I will be leaving for the field. Oh my.

I had the pleasure of meeting 15 other young women who are also going out to be the hands and feet of Jesus and serve in Africa. All of them except Kelsea, me, and two other lovely young ladies were going as teams to Africa for the summer straight from orientation. It was wonderful to get to know these girls a little bit and hear their stories and hearts before we all went our separate ways again.

Light and Life into the world

We look to Jesus as our example of how to minister to others and love them in the same way that God loved us. Isaiah 40:12-15 tells us that God is a god without limits. He measures all the water in the hollow of his hand  and the distance between his thumb and pinky covers the expanse of the heavens. His name is El Shaddai... the Lord God Almighty, the most powerful God. He is the source of all power and the ultimate authority over all.

How, then, can we reconcile all of the pain and suffering we see and experience in the world? God sees the world. He feels the pain of those we are hungry, hurting, hopeless, and tired. His heart breaks to see how a few people in the world are hoarding wealth and resources while others try to get by on next to nothing. Or on nothing. Or stop trying to get by and simply give up. God, who spoke the universe into existence, could solve the world's problems instantly if he so desired, but He doesn't. Instead, he invites us to join him in his work.

When we spend time drawing near to God, we gain kingdom eyes and can see through a new type of lens. We begin to see the world as God sees it, and our hearts are also broken. Through this pain we draw even closer to the heart of Jesus, and we begin to see our mission in the world more clearly...to go out and share God's love and light. To bind up the brokenhearted. To loose the chains of injustice . To set the oppressed free. To proclaim good news to the poor. To comfort those who mourn. To proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners

Simply put... God loves the world and wants us to love the world, too.

And that is why I'm going to Uganda.

“…there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for,

there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity,

there is nothing living, nothing dying,

there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world,

there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning,

nothing in heaven

which is not contained in this text —

'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'”

~Charles Spurgeon

Often when people find out I'm going to Uganda one of the first questions they ask me is "Is it safe there?"

I know what they're asking and what they're thinking. Africa isn't exactly known for being a peaceful place void of political unrest. Idi Amin wasn't a particularly admirable president in the 70's, to say the very least. But when people wonder about my safety in going to Uganda, I have two thoughts:

Nothing is 100% safe. Something as simple as driving your car to the grocery store can be dangerous when you realize that on your way you'll pass hundreds of thousand-pound hunks of metal hurtling down the road at at least 25 mph. Of those hundreds of cars you have control over zero of them! Yes, we will be smart. We will take all the necessary precautions and won't be taking unnecessary risks, but nothing is completely safe.

On the other hand, I cannot think of a safer or better place to be than in the center of God's will. Uganda is where God has called me to serve, and I trust that he will fulfill his promise to uphold me with his righteous right hand and never leave me or forsake me. Nothing will be able to separate me from the love of God, and no harm will overtake me. Psalm 91 says it all. These are the promises that give me peace that surpasses understanding!

The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Update

It's official!
The tickets are booked. 
I'm leaving for Uganda on August 3rd!

Q & A

Here is a list of some FAQs and the answers, as of now:

What grade will you be teaching?
I don't know :) They tell me that I can decide when I get there.

What will your day look like?
Initially, I will only be teaching 8-10 hours a week at the school. During my first few months I will spend a significant amount of time in a language learning program. This will involve working with a local Ugandan who will be my tutor and help me go out and practice what I'm learning in the community. I hear that "While a 10 hour week in the US would be boring, a 10 hour week (in school), along with language learning, and cultural adjustments will wear you out – cooking takes longer (no frozen pizzas here), shopping takes longer and there is no such thing as a short 5 minute conversation." Once I finish some language learning and as I wrap up my first term teaching, my schedule for the next term will be re-evaluated and hours will be adjusted as necessary.

Where will you be living?
Kelsea and I will be living the the house of a missionary couple on our team who will be back in the US for the year that we are in Uganda. They have kindly opened up their (fully furnished!) home to us and another girl who will be joining us later. We will have a fridge, stove, and hot water... and a coffee maker!...luxuries we weren't counting on but ones that will be fully appreciated! We will be living on a hill where some of our team leaders and members also live. Although things are very subject to change, it looks like this is going to work out nicely! The house is also close enough to Ruharo that we'll be able to walk back and forth to school every day which will save on transportation costs and give me a chance to meet and interact with people in the community.

Will you be working with other people there?
Yes, we will be part of a team. Each member of the team is involved with some type of ministry in the community from agriculture work, to finances, to education, to physical therapy, to discipleship. We meet every Tuesday evening for team meetings and use this time to discuss ministries, business and study scripture or pray together. We are all within a 5 minute drive of each other.

Can people ship things to you?
Yes! However, it can take anywhere from 1-6 months for a package to arrive. The US Postal workers' estimates are not accurate. We will love to get them, though :) I'll keep you posted on an address...

Will you have internet and be able to communicate with people?
Yes! We will be able to communicate as much as we want. Although the internet is dial-up and very slow, most of the team can use Skype regularly with no problems – and even with video on good days.

Will you be able to travel around?
Yes! There will be break times, and we will be free to do whatever we want with this time. There will be opportunities for us to visit local game parks, such as Queen Elizabeth National Park, visit the genocide memorials in Rwanda, see some of the local lakes, and make some much needed “rest” trips to Kampala. I am also greatly looking forward to visiting the girl I've been sponsoring since my first trip to Uganda!