'"For
I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."' - Jeremiah 29:11 [NIV]
Thank you for visiting my blog! I am absolutely thrilled to let you know that my application has been accepted by Hands at Work. All of my impatience, paperwork, prayers, and, count them!, eight injected vaccines have paid off: I will be serving as a volunteer in February and March of 2013!
It's certainly been a long journey. I have wanted to go to South Africa since May of 2008. That spring I took a course on the Anthropology of Food, highlighting food insecurity and extreme malnutrition states. That May I was participated in a mission trip to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. My friend, Ben, was passionate about bringing relief to Myanmar amid the chaos following Cyclone Nargis. He was the one to encourage me to take a leap of faith by going to serve in Africa. There we were: two kids from western Pennsylvania, sitting on a porch on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was a carefree summer evening, but our hearts were drawn thousands of miles away to peoples' lives that were anything but carefree.
I did my best to be patient. If you know me well, you know how difficult that was for me! I was in school finishing my undergraduate degree. I weighed my options. I researched organizations, costs, and regulations. I debated and questioned and prayed. In my free time, I was constantly searching the internet to find an organization that seemed like a perfect fit. One day I happened to find Hands at Work. It was completely random, though obviously it was meant to be. I found a blog of Peace Corps volunteers who were working there and followed their posts until they returned to the United States. I graduated college, my work schedule changed, but I remained steadfast in my hopes to go to South Africa. It wasn't always easy, and it wasn't always easy to trust in God's timing. Plans were made and changed; made again and changed again. It takes time to get clearances and passports. It takes time to put yourself down on paper: to describe who you are, where you've been and where you hope to go. It takes even more time to get eight injectable vaccines: it took 9 months if you were wondering. [Luckily, I won't need another shot for ten years.]
It was very frustrating at times, and would have been easy to just give up. Ironically, when everything was out of my hands and I had no control whatsoever, I relaxed. It feels incredibly terrifying to make yourself that vulnerable: to put yourself down on paper and then have to wait while your hopes and dreams are in the hands of people you've never met. Being powerless in the situation strengthened my resolve that God is sovereign, and that His timing is perfect - more perfect than anything I could ever plan.
It's been such a long journey, but it's only just begun! I am so grateful for everyone who has supported my journey thus far: you've all had a greater impact than you realize! I hope you all keep reading my blogs leading up to and during my time with Hands at Work. Feel free to leave comments or questions on my blog! I will do my best to respond and keep everyone updated!
Until next time,
Jess
