He Did It!

Feeding thousands with 2 fish and 5 loaves.

Turning water into wine.

Allowing Peter, James, and John to catch so many fish their boats began to sink after a long day of catching nothing.
Raising Lazarus from the dead.

Providing 100% of my financial support to serve in Uganda for the year.

Yep! That's right! I'm fully funded, and it is truly a miracle!

Because so many of you have believed in me
...believed that investing in this work and in these children is something worthwhile
...believed in a God who wants to have a saving relationship with those at "the ends of the earth," I am so humbled and amazed to say that all $15,364 have been raised!

THANK YOU!!!

It started out as a looming and seemingly impossible task to raise that kind of money. But then I remember the One whom I serve and the One who is on my side.

His name is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide.
His name is El Shaddai, the Lord Almighty.
His name is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is Peace.

And suddenly the task it didn't seem so impossible anymore! I became confident that God would fulfill my every need and that I would be fully supported before I left for Uganda. Over the past 8 months, there were times that I prayed without ceasing with full faith in God's abilities, and there were times when I didn't even know how to pray and simply thanked God for knowing my heart and asked others to pray for me.

Before I knew it gifts began pouring in, and thankfulness began flowing out of my heart bringing me to my knees time and time again. Gifts from people who have known me since I was born and from people who I've never met before. Each one of them a blessing to me and to the children and others I'll be serving, working with, and learning from. Each gift served as a reminder that this ministry I'm about to enter is important. Life-changing. Eternal. And that I'm being entrusted with the responsibility of being salt and light in the darkness and reaching out to "the least of these."

I'm beginning to feel the weight of God's glory all over again. For He alone is worthy of all the praise. He alone made it happen. Before I left. Just like I believed He would from day 1 and just like we have been praying for ever since.

This is the work and ministry that God has called me to right now, but this journey is not my own. You have all played an integral part of sending me, and I literally could not have done it without you! Nor could I function effectively throughout the coming year without your prayer support. I'm thankful, in advance, for each prayer on my behalf as well as for the rest of the team and those in our community.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

* "Fully funded" includes counting pledges toward the total percentage. Because I don't actually have all the money in my account yet, please continue to pray that my supporters are still willing and able to give throughout the year!

It's Simple, Really

I love this article taken from the Desiring God website. It reminds me a lot of how I got to this point in my life. I didn't see any angels or audibly hear the voice of God, nor did I have any visions or experiences burning bushes.

In fact, looking back I can see that it was a long, slow process of God working in me and providing me with many influential experiences and sound Biblical teaching throughout my life that would shape my current plans and dreams. Although there was never a cloud-breaking, blinding sun-beaming moment where I "found my calling," there were many people who encouraged and inspired me, trips that taught me, and a God who saved and loves me. Together, all of those things and more have brought me to the point of packing up my life and moving to serve in Uganda for a time.

For me, it's simply a matter of reading God's Word, taking it to heart, and being obedient to it while using the skills and passions that God has given me. But this article explains it better than I ever could!
       __________________________________________________________________

Don't Complicate the Missionary Call

by David Sitton

I was never called to be a missionary, nor was I drafted. I volunteered. No special call was needed. I chose to go; I wanted to go; I was compelled to go. And where I go is always determined by an open Bible and a stretched-out map of the regions where Christ is still unknown and un-praised!

I chuckle when I hear missionaries and pastors talk about “surrendering to the call” of ministry. I always want to ask, “After you surrendered, were you water-boarded, or just hauled off in handcuffs and leg irons.” Was it really necessary for you to be abducted by a heavenly vision before you would go into the work of the gospel?

The missionary call is not like a prison dog that tracks us down, sniffs us out, and hog-ties us for the nations. That is silly-talk and really bad theology. Nowhere in Scripture is a mysterious (supernatural) call a prerequisite before we can respond to the Great Commission. The opposite is actually true.

Don’t Wait for a Call

No aspect of mission is more bogged down with extra-biblical baggage than the “missionary call.”  The clear command of Christ “to go” should be, by itself, sufficient to set you on your way “into all the world. . . proclaiming the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). You can’t go wrong by trying to go. Trust the Lord to direct your moving feet. If you are convinced of your “call” to “stay”, this will only serve as added confirmation that you are right. Don’t fear the risk of ending up some place the Lord doesn’t want you. Too many already took that “risk” when they assumed a stateside ministry or vocation with no confirmation other than their own desires.

Dramatic calls to ministry are the exception. If you have it in your heart to go, then go. Then, lean on the sovereignty of God to get you where he wants you in the harvest. Don’t worry about “running ahead of God.” You aren’t that quick!

Try to Go

Paul tried to go into Asia, but the Lord wouldn’t let him. He then tried to go to Bithynia, but was “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Still, he kept trying to go. I count at least six cities in Acts 16 where Paul tried to take the gospel. It was only then that the Lord gave him a vision of the Macedonian. He woke up the next morning and immediately headed for the regions north, having “concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel in Macedonia.

The heavenly vision wasn’t a “call” to mission, it was specific guidance for missionaries that were already going.

The point?  Don’t complicate the missionary call. Get radical with the going and God will get radical in the specific guiding.

David Sitton is the founder and president of To Every Tribe Ministries. David is a career church planting missionary who lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for 16 years, making first gospel contact with several headhunting, cannibalistic tribes.

Some Perspective

Africa is huge. 54 countries (Southern Sudan being the most recent). 1 billion people. 2,000 different languages. 3,000 distinct ethnic groups.

Here is a link to a map that I've created on Google. On it you can see where I'll be living and teaching. Ruharo Infant school will be a nice 1.5 mile walk each day. I'm really looking forward to that! I hope to add more markers once I'm there and know where more things are!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201734538498544714291.0004a93b59947148c5dca&msa=0&ll=-0.606726,30.648208&spn=0.026735,0.045276

Leaving in 6 days...!

What I'm most excited for:

• Learning Runyankole! It's been awhile since I've learned a new language, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.
• Meeting the team! I've heard about and have been communicated with many of our team members already, and I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone, learn from them, and see how God is using them to further His kingdom.
• Bananas! Many of you know how much I love Uganda bananas, and I stand by the fact that until you've tried a banana from Uganda you don't know what a banana is really supposed to taste like. I plan on eating them every day :)
• Meeting my students! I'm eager to get to know the children and begin developing relationships with the other teachers there, as well. I have so very much to learn about Ugandan schools and education.
• Living with Kelsea! I'm eager to begin sharing life with her on a daily basis and picking up this dream where we left off.

What I need prayer for:

• Safe and uneventful travels. Going through customs with so much stuff can be a stressful thing, and  although there aren't usually any problems, it will be a relief when it's all over.
• Intentionally spending time in prayer and in the Word during our travel over. Satan hates the work that God has called me to and would like to take advantage of my vulnerability.
• Adjusting to the time change quickly and getting rested (Uganda is 8 hours ahead of CST).
• A heart and mind that desire to intentionally listen so that I might learn.
• Health and safety. I realize that getting malaria is a real possibility, but I would rather not! A friend of mine who spent time in Uganda said that the Ugandans told her you're not a "real African" until you've gotten malaria, shed blood, and received an African name. I think I'll be ok if I miss out on the first two initiations :)
• Raising the last $341 of support so that I can fully invest all of my time, thoughts, and energy in serving in this ministry and adjusting to life in a new country and culture.

For those who prayed...

I know many of you were praying for Kelsea and I this weekend as we both were trying to raise the last bit of support. I'm grateful for every prayer that was breathed from hearts of gratitude and spirits of faith.

You see, I've been learning that "eucharisteo precedes the miracle." Thankfulness always, always precedes the miracle. And when we pray with thankfulness for who God is, for what we already have, and with gratitude in our hearts for what we know He will do... miracles happen!

After this weekend, Kelsea is 100% supported! What an incredible testament to all of our prayers. I am so thankful!

I still have $441 to go.

I have opened a new "store" on my blog with photos taken in Uganda, Mali, and Swaziland. They come in 5x7 or 8x10 sizes and are ready for framing! Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email with your order! All proceeds will go toward my time in Uganda.

And most importantly, please continue to pray! With thankfulness, gratitude, and faith. Because eucharisteo always preceeds the miracle.

Jehovah Jireh means "the Lord will see to it."

That is His name,

and "we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever."

Micah 4:5

Call to Prayer

I spoke with Kelsea on the phone this afternoon, and she told me that she is also incredibly close to being 100% supported. We are both so, so close!

With only 12 days until we leave, will you join us in prayer this weekend as we pray with confidence for God's provision and miracles? The Word tells us that if any two of us will agree on anything on earth that God will do it for us in Heaven. I believe this promise.

"Faith means being sure of the things we hope for

and knowing that something is real even if we don't see it."

Hebrews 11:1

Chosen

And having chosen them, he called them to come to him...

Romans 8:30

I don't really know why I'm going to Uganda for a year.

I'm going because I felt more at home in Uganda than I have anywhere else

...because I fell deeply in love with the people there

...because my worldview was changed and my heart has never been the same

...because there are people in Uganda that need to know the saving love and amazing grace of Jesus

...because hardly a single day went by in the past 3 years that I didn't think about Uganda, and it just makes sense that I'm going back

...because I desire to use my gifts and talents to serve where they are needed

But I don't really know why I'm going.

It's certainly not because I'm the "adventurous" type. I don't seek thrills nor do I tend to take risks.

I'm going back to Uganda. I always knew I would. But why?

I don't have the answer for this question yet, but I'm sure that bits and pieces of it will be revealed to me over the course of the year. It's a strange feeling to be walking into the unknown on so many levels, but I couldn't be more at peace. My life is truly not my own. I belong to God, and this is the passion and desire that He has grown in me and the ministry that He has called me to at this point in my life... to serve in Uganda and encourage others to seek God and follow hard after Him!

I'm also sure that God is taking me to Uganda because he wants to teach me and show me things that I can learn and understand best while living there. I have no doubt that I will grow in my faith and deepen my relationship with Jesus in important ways. I will be challenged. Stretched. Grown. Redeemed.

God chose me to go to Uganda. I don't know why yet, but I have responded, and he is now calling me to simply come to him. The rest will fall into place at the fullness of time.

i'm so satisfied
at the thought of You
growing up in me...

i have found the answer is
to love You and be loved by You alone
-Shane and Shane

Mail in Mbarara

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. 

~Phyllis Theroux

Letters. Emails. Packages. They're all going to be so very welcome!

Because mail takes such a long time to get to Mbarara, anything that you sent right now would not beat me there.

On the right side of the page, about 1/3 of the way down, is my Ugandan mailing address for the year. I have also attached more specific shipping instructions.

Although I don't expect anything, please feel free to make use of this information!

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Big things are happening this week. I got my malaria and typhiod fever meds. I spoke with our team leader, Joel, on the phone. I got my international driver's permit and my Ugandan visa. I have great joy and peace about leaving.  

In other exciting and incredible news, I only have $526 to go! It wasn't all that long ago when that was how much total support I had raised. To be out of the thousands, and significantly so, is a miracle in itself! Your prayers are powerful, and God is supplying. No surprises there!
Humble adoration? Yes.
Amazement? Yes.
Joy over every gift received? Yes!
But am I surprised? Absolutely not!

I leave in 18 days. And I expect that during the next 18 days God will continue to show up and move in people's hearts in ways that I would never have imagined!
Money has never been a worry for me. I knew from the beginning that God would be in control.

It would be wonderful to enter the mission field knowing that I am 100% supported through gifts and pledges. To not have fundraising in the back of my mind would be a blessing, but I trust that however and whenever God chooses to provide will be perfect and all to His glory!

I cannot thank you all enough for your encouragement, support, prayers, and gifts!

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.... because of your partnership in the Gospel..." Phil. 1:3-5

Online Giving

There is now a way to support the mission and any AIM missionary by giving online!

This is a much easier and quicker way that also saves you a stamp :) I apologize for not having it available for you all earlier, but it's here now!

Follow the link below, click on "missionaries (from USA)" on the lefthand side of the screen, and scroll down to find my name in the alphabetical list. The page may take awhile to load all of the names.
https://giving.wesupport.org/gift2/gift.php?GUID=B259EAB9-5D37-46C5-A37B-C5089310A397&i=1102&c=A-Catalog&dt=1
I have also added a permanent tab, "online giving," at the top of my page with the same information.

Grace and peace to you!

So Close!

A Numerical Breakdown

25: days until departure

90%: supported so far (huge milestone hit this week!)

$1,386: financial total still needed
_____________________________________________

So many of you have already played a crucial part in closing this gap and meeting the financial need that allows me to serve the full year in Uganda. And I can feel the power of your prayers as you intercede for me! For that I am forever grateful and the Kingdom will be eternally changed!

As you can see, there is still a need in order to be fully supported by my departure date. I still trust and believe that God is going to show up in incredible and unexpected ways in order to meet this need! My Savior has always been able, and I'm still expecting the great.

If you would like to play a part in supporting this mission financially, please email me at carolyn.smellie@gmail.com (and I will give you my mailing address) or you can mail a check made out to Africa Inland Mission directly to me.

"It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But you never know the miracle the Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed"

--Selah, "Unredeemed"