Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The Power of Story

When I returned from Africa in 2013, I had been home six months before I had the chance to meet anyone from Hands US. I remember when I first met Lauren she encouraged me to write a story about my experience. Our time together got busy and the holidays came. I never did write a story.

Of course, I've written so many stories here. But you're probably here because we know each other somehow. We have connections. Lauren encouraged me to write a story for the Hands website, that would be seen by people I may not have personal connections to. Which is great! but kind of overwhelming, too.

I think it was after I returned home from South Africa in May, I was approached by other members of the Comms team to write about my time at Celebrations. I agreed, but oh how I struggled! Writers block of the worst kind! Finally, I just decided to pretend that I was blogging for all of you like any other day. It worked! In July it was published on the Hands US newsroom. Incidentally, I've never been much of a 'behind the scenes' person - but when it comes to Comms, now I am: I wrote the story, put it into the website and formatted it for our newsletter. If you want, you can read the story here.

I remember my first story for the website being a very dramatic. Dealing with my aforementioned writers block, not knowing how to express what I wanted to express, wanting to represent Hands well... so many things! I wrote another story in Zambia and the experience could not have been more different! It was a God moment - there is no other explanation. It was so sad, yet such an amazing day. George often says when he's been out in rural communities, where he tends to see hard circumstances and experience incredibly basic things, that is where he meets Jesus. For the first time, I really think I know what he means.

I scribbled everything I wanted to share on paper at the care point. I didn't want to miss a thing and risk forgetting it. Looking back, I didn't need to worry because that day is as etched into my mind as clear as if I was there right now - but I wanted to be sure to do it justice. I had my small netbook tucked away in my backpack. When we were back in the van, driving back to Lusaka, I pulled it out and typed feverishly away. My back-seat friend (I loved when we hit bumps! he did not!) looked at me, puzzled (though his puzzled expression in regards to me was not uncommon) wondering what on earth I could have to say so much about. He did insist on holding my notes for me so I could just focus on typing though. From there all I had to do was check the word count to make sure it was within target and finesse a few things. Almost as soon as I returned to the US, I sat down and edited it three times to make sure it was just right: honest, yet confidential.

I don't know when it will be published. I didn't tell anyone I had written it. I merely added it to the folder of stories. At the moment, it is not officially on the docket - which is fine. I'm sure it will be posted, and I will be sure to let you know what that happens. Really, it is a simple story about a day I spent with a four year old boy. It is such an ordinary story, yet God opened my heart to allow something extraordinary happen. It's so special to me and if no one ever reads it, that's fine by me - but if you get the chance to read it, I truly hope it touches you in some way.

I think I experienced a hint of mother's love that day, and I know that the little boy stole a piece of my heart!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Return from Zambia

I cannot believe our trip to Zambia was over a month ago - and I cannot believe I'm only sitting down to blog now. yikes! sorry for the delay

I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers. It was truly a blessed trip!

First, on Saturday, I flew to Chicago. Flights from PIT to ORD don't always have the most desirable options, so I spent an hour looking at this:




Exciting, right? After an hour, Korean Air morphed into Virgin Atlantic. And Mikhayla landed, so we were able to hang out in the airport. Later the group driving down from Minnesota would meet with us. But only after we got Chinese in the food court!

We flew from Chicago to London, landing on Sunday, and we had a long layover so...




Our group, minus Jed who had to work, took a 6 hour tour of the city. Here we are outside of the Tower of London. And yes, I'm holding fish and chips! We also saw the Tower Bridge (what people think is London Bridge, but is actually Tower Bridge), Buckingham Palace (this was interesting as there was a bike race that day and made things a bit complicated!), Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Then, finally, we flew from London to Johannesburg, landing on Monday, and on to Ndola.

I was pleasantly surprised when we landed at the airport and my dear friends Blessings was there to pick us up! We worked together in Kitwe two years ago and it was so good to see him again! Of course, once we got back to Kachele I was reunited with many dear friends. We spent a night at the farm and left Tuesday morning to drive to Lusaka, where we would stay for two weeks. Finally on Wednesday we went to the Chisamba care point. We met the amazing Service Center staff, Care Workers, and of course, the kids! We were split up into groups and went out into the community to go on holy home visits.

Holy home visits are exactly what they sound like. We go into the homes and visit with the families living there. I don't think there are ever two home visits that are exactly alike. Obviously, you start by walking into the community. This always gets me, especially since this was my first visit to Kabwe. I'm sure there are many things similar between the landscape of Kabwe and the landscape of Kitwe, but I am always drawn to the differences. They aren't always things you can identify, but there is something. I wish I could convey exactly what it was like to be walking down those roads: clear sky, bright sun, open spaces just beyond the construction sites. I can't really do it justice. At the first house we went to we met a gogo sitting in her backyard in the shade of a large tree. We (Peter, Donna and I) sat facing the gogo, our backs to the house. There was a very large layer of corncobs off to the right side. The dried kernels would be taken off of the cob, they would then be milled into cornmeal to make nshima, and the cob saved to be burnt later. Corn is both the food and fuel source in these communities. The tree was behind me to the left and in front of it was a makeshift well, surrounded and covered with rocks. They would use the water for washing, etc, but there are only three wells with safe drinking water in the community.

We walked in the community on our way to another house. It was then that we saw something that was new to me: a metal barrel with dried corn husks gathered and sticking out of the top. I asked Peter and he explained that it was a sign that there is alcohol ready. They mash corn and ferment it into a traditional beer that is potent enough, it can supposedly only takes two teaspoons to de-worm you. yikes! Later on, in the following week, we would hear stories of young children going to buy this beer for their fathers/uncles/care givers and admitting to drinking some. The challenges and temptations these children face!

Friday we thanked the care workers for all of their hard work. We let them do crafts we would be doing with the kids the following week, we took their photos and printed out pictures for them to have. (Making a picture frame was one of the crafts. Each person got a picture of themselves to keep - a special treat!) Finally we treated them to a meal. We bought the ingredients, they cooked because #1 they are much better at making nshima and #2 they probably didn't want to take the chance of us making lumpy nshima. We bought chicken and oranges (both are too expensive to have very often when you're feeding 100 children), Coca Cola and Orange Fanta. Let me tell you, they love Orange Fanta! The really special part of it all was when Pam presented them each with a book. Her entire family has been involved with supporting and praying for the community of Chisamba, and she has a wonderful, huge family! Pam invited her family to submit a photo, write a bit about themselves and how they're praying for Chisamba, and she put everything together in books so they could keep them. Can you imagine how amazing that would be to receive? I think about those care workers, and how many difficult days they must have, and I think being able to pull out that book and see pictures of the people that are praying for you and being able to read their stories - it must be such an amazing encouragement!

Our team was together 24/7 but we still set aside time to debrief about what we were experiencing. Our weekend in Zambia, we took a break. Well, maybe minus Jed who was the (un)lucky person who got to drive all the way from Kabwe to Livingstone! He is a trooper! When I was in Zambia in 2013 I didn't do any sightseeing, and four of our group had never been to Africa before, so naturally...

We went to Victoria Falls!!!






Just to clarify, this is the DRY season!




And there are baboons everywhere! One even stole our bag of apples, but a young African stole them back (we did not ask him to!)




While at Victoria Falls, we stopped at the local shops to get some souvenirs. You either have to be prepared to bargain or pay up, which can be challenging if you aren't comfortable and walk into the wrong booth - but I think we were happy with what we got.

And we went on safari. First we drove through a safari park:






And later some of us went on a river safari. I have to say, it met my expectations!






The next morning we went to a church close to where we were staying, before driving back to Lusaka.

Then we had final preparations for our kids camp! Each day we had a skit, a craft, a memory verse, along with songs and games. It was a great time, but it was also very challenging. By this point Prag and her team of youth leaders had come to be with us. They were such a blessing: they could step in to translate and they could comfort the kids in a way we can't with the language barrier. Prag and her team got the older children together and split them into groups where they could pour out their hearts about the challenges they were facing. It's hard to hear these stories, but its important for them to be addressed so they can work through them.

One of our teammates joked that I was loving on a different kid every time he saw me. This isn't entirely true, but I did make a few special connections!

















Aren't they BEAUTIFUL?! By the way, in case you're wondering, scroll up to the pictures of children with food. The white stuff is nshima: finely ground cornmeal cooked similarly to grits, but thicker. Some people compare it to mashed potatoes. Everyday at the care point the children get nshima, relish (a vegetable - normally cabbage, pumpkin or rape leaves cut and stewed with oil, salt, onions and tomatoes) and a protein (normally beans, sausage or soya mince. Soya mince is good! its so meat-like some of our team didn't realize what they were eating wasn't meat.) During the kids camp we also fed them breakfast. Normally they only receive one meal a day. Our breakfast was simple: two pieces of bread with either butter or peanut butter and tea. Most of these kids had never had breakfast before. Some of these kids were so full from eating breakfast that they didn't have room for lunch. Talk about perspective!

We had a great time with these kiddos: over 100 came to our camp! It was challenging and heartbreaking and tiring and inspiring and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat!

After the kids camp we went back to Luanshya, to the farm. Half of our group rode back with Jed. The boys and I rode back with Prag and her team on the bus. Typically these buses have a Nigerian movie (or music video!) that they play over and over and over again BUT we lucked out and had not one, but three American movies. About 7 hours later, we made it to Luanshya and got dropped off at the roadside. Literally on the side of the road. The bus pulled over and I told the boys it was our stop. With some disbelief they followed. Once we got off the bus, Laurel gave me this look of protest and asked what I had talked him into.  What can I say? TIA #wheninAfrica Matteo was waiting for us, honestly, not too far down the road and drove us the rest of the way.

Back at the farm we had a braai with the volunteers living at Kachele and I got to soak up more time with my dear friends who live there full time. It was SO good, but far too short!

The next morning I was saying my goodbyes. I literally turned around and standing not more than two feet away from me was Clement! He is another friend I worked with in Kitwe two years ago and I had assumed our paths wouldn't cross. It was a happy coincidence as he needed to be there for a meeting. Not very long after, it was time for us to load up. Bryan from Canada took us and we were able to stop for coffee before heading back to the airport to retrace our steps. This was fun because we had long layovers again, aka we had more time to look in the souvenir shops. This was not fun because I faced 40 more hours of travel time. But by the grace of God, with the help of your prayers, we did it!


Thursday, July 30, 2015

Countdown...

Well, we just had our final team meeting over Skype. We fly on Saturday!!!

God has been SO KIND. As this trip drew near, I felt very uncertain about getting all of my work done, for my job and for Hands US, before I left. As of today, I've done the majority of what I needed to do - and the more time consuming jobs at that! So I just have to tidy a few things up during the next two days of work and I'll be good to go!

And finishing packing. That too.

Saturday morning I'll fly to Chicago. I'm the first one of the group to arrive. Mikhayla should arrive an hour after I do. We've never met in person, but we'll have plenty of time to chat. It will probably be a few more hours before five more of our group arrive. I don't mind. I've spent my fair share of hours lounging in ORD the last two years. I'll be the first to admit that when I went to Africa in 2013 I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't know anyone, I didn't really know what Hands did. There is still so much I still have to learn, but I'm so thankful for all God has done. I've taken more flights in the last 2.5 years than I did in the previous 10. Last July I lost my dad, but this trip to Zambia will be my fourth Hands trip in 11 months. Two trips within the United States and two trips to Africa. I fully believe that this is an example of God's perfect timing. I feel like I'm fulfilling something I was made for.

I have specific memories that I hadn't thought about in quite some time. When I was really little, I remember being in Sunday School hearing a story about the disciples and wondering if I would let go of all of my toys to follow Jesus. (Wrestling with God...as much as a 7 year old can wrestle with God...) Incidentally, this got me in trouble in Sunday School because I was thinking what it would be like to empty my toy chest in order to travel the world with the disciples when the preacher was trying to tell us about his decision to leave the church. (ah, childhood memories...) When I was 14, I asked my parents if I could go on a mission trip to Washington DC. My older brother either couldn't go or wasn't interested and they weren't sure about letting me go. They ultimately decided to let me go but, according to my mom, 'only because its not Africa' I'm not kidding. Famous last words. (Mothers, be VERY careful about what you say to your children. You never know what might come back to haunt you.) Those I thought about when I went to Africa in 2013. Recently, I've been tweaking html code for some emails that the COMMs team has been working on. I remembered a summer, I think I was 13, when my dad encouraged me to take a computer class at the local technology center. A major project was creating our own websites. (The classy kind...it was the 90s! I'm pretty sure Windows still had that old school desktop and the brick maze screen savers.) That was the first time I ever used html! 15 years later and I've let go of loads of material possessions because I want to be willing to go anywhere at any time God calls, I have no problem living out of a suitcase, I've been to Africa twice, and I'm on the COMMs team for Hands US. I'd be lying if I said I saw the real significance of any of those memories at the time, but looking back it's so obvious isn't it?! And while I still have major areas of uncertainty in my life, that could easily seem overwhelming, in my work with Hands I am content.

God made us all uniquely. Maybe you don't want to go to Africa, maybe you like your creature comforts. There's nothing wrong with that! But are you living for what God created you for? Have you even stopped to look at the seemingly inconsequential moments in your life? Sometimes those are the times when God was directly guiding you, but because they are so small, we don't even notice!

"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” -Jeremiah 29:10-14 [NIV]

I know where God is guiding me the next two weeks! Zambia will surely be an unforgettable experience. They are having a power crisis, which you can read about here. Ashley and Mel say power has been out nearly every day for 6-8 hours at Kachele. When we are not at Kachele, which is in Luanshya, we will be staying in Lusaka (the capitol.) Who knows what the power situation will be there. From Lusaka, it is about an hour and twenty minutes to Kabwe. I'll try to update everyone on our time in Zambia but, depending on the power, that could be very difficult. Thank you for your prayers throughout the next two weeks!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

The Value of 'No'

Well, the time is almost here!!!

We leave for Zambia NEXT SATURDAY!!! Can you believe it? I'm not sure I can!
I finally sat down to update you guys on what is going on. You can check out the prayer requests here and a little information about our trip here.

Can you believe it's July? (the end of July at that!) I just don't know where time has gone... and spending the first two weeks of August in Zambia, celebrating my birthday, and then celebrating one of my dear friend's weddings... Before I know it, August will be gone and it will be fall!

I don't mind necessarily that time is moving so fast, but I have to admit: I'm over-committed. I'm a 'yes' person. Sometimes even when I'm really thinking 'no thank you.' Earlier this year I was part of a ladies Bible study/book study. A recurring theme we discussed was the topic of self-care. Not self-care in a selfish way, but really how we should think of it. As we go through life with coworkers and children and really anyone other than ourselves who does not understand exactly what we mean at every second of the day...we can get a little run down, and dare I say, grouchy. Crabby, frustrated, angry, hangry... *insert your favorite Snickers commercial here* You get the idea. We need to practice self-care because when we get enough sleep and eat actual food that we didn't get in a drive through or from a box, we can react to the world with more grace. At the end of the day when you're emotionally spent, if a cup of tea and a piece of dark chocolate fills you up, then drink some tea and have some chocolate. How we care for ourselves and fill ourselves up impacts how we pour ourselves out to others, and that is important. We talked about the same theme in May during International Office Celebrations in South Africa. We talked about how the way we fall on each other is important. I can't fall on (make an impression on) everyone well every single time, but if I can fall consistently well on one person, and they fall consistently well on one person, and so on, before you know it people have been impacted!

I'm supposed to be on my way to a concert right now. I knew it was risky going to a concert on the last weekend before I leave for Zambia. Like I said, I'm a 'yes' person. And I'm a little dense sometimes, ya know? I like to trudge forward at all costs. Maybe it's all those civil war battlefield visits from my childhood... You know the guy who didn't successfully trudge through the battle got left on the battlefield, but I digress. I have a long list of things I would really like to get done in the next week, plus I still have to go to work like a grown-up. So I went to sleep at a semi-reasonable time last night, and woke up with optimism about all I could get done before the concert. But my body had other plans. I ended up with a terrible, throbbing headache. Because I have mixed degrees of relief when I do get headaches, I opted to stay home from the concert. Who wants to be that person who isn't feeling well, and therefore miserable, at a concert? I didn't want to ruin anyone else's fun. And I didn't want to be stuck at an outdoor concert with 2,000+ people and 8 artists/bands if the headache did persist. So I stayed home to do more quiet activities, including blogging (a very quiet, low-impact activity, eh?)

So I need to learn to be less of a Martha and more of a Mary sometimes. And breath, and take time to enjoy the quiet instead of rushing through life all of the time. I need to learn to value of saying 'no' - not all the time, but at the right times. Sounds like the perfect time to go back to Zambia! Life is so much harder and more challenging in Africa, and yet it is so much simpler. They wrestle with what is in front of them and don't worry about the rest. A lesson I could take to heart.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Zambia

Flights booked!!!

It's official, I'm going back to Zambia for the first two weeks of August! We have an eight member team with an exciting mix of old faces, new faces, youth and experience. It's going to be a busy two weeks. (And it's going to be here before we know it!)

Stay tuned for more details soon!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Home

Hi Everyone!

I made it home yesterday by lunchtime. I was able to spend the afternoon unpacking and taking it easy.

The key to traveling long distance is, for me, a head game. On my way to Africa I can't sleep eight hours on a plane, so I watch the flight-map. I normally take a short nap while we are waiting for dinner to be served, then another afternoon nap after dinner (because carb-comas, am I right?) I normally wake up after a few hours, but try to fall asleep when we're off the coast of Liberia and again when we're close to Angola. We did take cat-naps on our last flight from Johannesburg to Nelspruit, which is only about 30 minutes. Once you're on the ground, no matter how you feel, no napping! Friends don't let friends take naps!

Flying home is similar. I normally take two naps on the first half of the flight (Johannesburg to Dakar) but there is an extra three hours on the return flight, so I can stay up longer. (I watched four movies on the way home between my naps!) When we take off from Dakar, that's when sleep becomes important. I try to take two more good naps. I didn't have the best seat-mate on the return flight. (This is why headphones and eye masks are important!) After a leisurely drive home (my GPS normally takes me through the Northside to 28 and 422, but yesterday it took me through Monroeville and Saltsburg) I took time to unpack, sorting laundry and souvenirs as I went. I thought I might have less to fly home with, since I had an entire carry-on of American food items for the Rebros. As it turns out, they had a friend visit a few months ago and he forgot some souvenirs he bought, so I brought those home to mail to him.

I would say I don't do a lot when I come home, but anyone who knows me knows I'd be lying. I had ordered a shelving unit prior to my trip, so of course it was in a box waiting for me. I put that together and organized things accordingly. After that I did relax! For me, on the East Coast, 8pm is the magic number. It's not too dramatically early for bed on our end, and that puts you at 2am South African time. Being that you're no longer on a plan or any other form of transportation, you can really sleep! And trust me, after 24 hours of being in transit, you can really sleep! I slept about 9.5 hours, which means I'm back on American time and well rested to go back to my day job today!

Now that I'm past the first recovery day, I'll try to write again soon about the rest of my time in South Africa and what that means as we move forward in our work.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Two Years On...

As I tried to fall asleep last night after I wrote the last post, I was struck by the fact that I can notice my own growth. I've been home from Africa about 25 months. Maybe because I'm here in this place so infrequently, it's easy to see changes in myself and how I operate. Obviously I've grown in my knowledge about Hands, but that is really minor and a much slower process than other things. We were talking about living in community and the interactions that come with that. It can often make us see the ugliness we can so easily ignore when we are home in our respective offices, because we are so often isolated. There is definite truth it that! The really exciting thing for me is noticing that I have changed though. The ugliness is there, but there is also such encouragement that my heart and my default mode of operation is being changed. I've even been thinking about the post I wrote last night and the conversation I've referenced. I am truly amazed at the events of that conversation and how I really trusted. This is not to brag, but it is definitely an amazing way God has worked in me! If you know me well, you know I am often the queen of indecisiveness. That has been really encouraging! But also, how I interact and love people in general. I've learned to treat people with more grace and not take things so personally. I've also happily noticed a few other general things that are encouraging. I know I'm blessed because Hands is kind of a 'control group' outside of my normal social circle and that might make it easier to judge my own growth. Just know that I'm growing, and be encouraged that if you are pursuing a healthy Christian life, you are too!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Celebrations: Days One and Two

Greetings FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!! Well we are here! It ended up that Sara's other flight was cancelled so she switched to the flight that Jennifer and I were on. We arrived in Johannesburg early Sunday morning and had a few hours to relax before our final flight to Nelspruit. Marc met us at the airport and brought us back to our rooms, and we met a few of the people around the HUB that we hadn't met previously. After that we had a chance to shower and get settled before dinner when everything kicked off. It's so nice to be back!

My week from here on will involve a lot of sessions. (Just like orientation - the good old days!) BUT our first full day (Monday) started off with Morning Prayer Meeting, a short talk with Dan to put us in the right mind, and then it was off to Siyathuthuka! Siyathuthuka is one of the first communities I went to during my orientation over two years ago. It was great walking those roads again, and the building looks amazing! We met at the life center. It was a pension day, so not many care workers were there as they had gone to retrieve their pensions. The kids were still in school at the time, so 10 of us got to go on home visits. I was in a group led by Bentwell. Two of the families we were trying to visit were not home, but Bentwell told us what he knew about their stories and we prayed for them. The second family we went to see was home. A gogo(grandmother), her daughter, and neighbor. Her oldest grandchildren were in school and her youngest were a few yards away playing at the family market. Every family you meet has a similar story. They face a lot of the same challenges and yet every family has such a unique story. This gogo is from Mozambique. She moved to give her family a chance at a better life, but was relocated from her neighborhood (along with her entire community!!!) in order to accommodate the construction of Mbombela Stadium. There are many dark sides to professional sports, and this is just another instance of that. They were relocated to another area but it didn't feel like home and she wasn't happy there. She relocated to Siyathuthuka and is so happy now, she says this is where she will stay.

After visiting with that gogo and her family, we went back to the life center and ate samp with the care workers. The children were still not there yet, so the care workers decided to eat with us first and then we washed the dishes and waited for the children to arrive. We played with the kids. We hoola-hooped (the kids were WAY better at it than we were!) and we danced!!! We sang a few songs, including Wahamba Nathi which is the song I know best and often sing at home in America! After that we had a proper African rain storm and hid out in the life center while we waited for the storm to pass. Then we came back to the Village to clean up, go to debrief and dinner.

Today we woke up and went to Ladies Prayer. We have a devotional, list praises and prayer requests. There is always much to pray about, but as Byron and Diane are leaving to go home this Friday, today was very emotional and bittersweet. There were many hugs and tears.

After Ladies Prayer it was time to dig in to sessions. We are here, after all, because we are each involved with the work of our respective country's International Office in some context. Today we had three sessions. The morning session was broken up into two parts, followed by two additional sessions in the afternoon. It is very challenging, emotional, but also very good. We've seen amazing amounts of honesty and vulnerability these last two days. That has allowed us to really speak into each others' lives through encouragement and new ideas. There are four International Offices outside of South Africa, so it is such a blessing to have these tough discussions together. Different offices have different ideas, and if something isn't working, another office often has good advice. We don't need to reinvent the wheel! Hopefully this experience will strengthen and rejuvenate all of our offices!

It has also been so special to be back and to have face to face conversation with people who have dramatically impacted my life and how I interact with others. Today after one of the sessions, something was really bothering me. I immediately sought advice from someone here who already knows the full context of the situation. While in the past I may have weighed the pros and cons back and forth and come up with a list, etc etc etc (you know how this goes...) I said what I needed to say and I listened to the answer. I trusted in the relationship I have with this friend and in the advice I received. And I'm moving on. Indirectly, in a separate session, we discussed boundaries and the boundaries we need to tear down but also boundaries we need to put in place. How we need to discern the way we allow people to speak into our lives. Some people are loving and truly have our best interest at heart, and some people are not 'our people.' The person I sought out, for better or for worse (but not in the marriage sense) is one of my people. I guess this is part of growing up. It's hard to learn, but so rewarding.

After that, we had another debrief. Today our last session ran long, so luckily the debrief group I attended let us just decompress. Honestly we spent a few minutes of silence just staring at each other. This was a good thing, not an awkward uncomfortable thing. Finally  Brooke and I went to dinner at Daytona and Kristi's. Kristi made us an amazing Greek meal with still-warm chocolate lava cake and ice cream for dessert! After dinner we talked for a long time about anything and everything. My heart is full! I received such a warm 'welcome back' from everyone I knew from my last time in Africa. I've reconnected with old friends and am forming relationships with new friends. God is good!

Tomorrow I know we begin our day with small groups. Then we meet in the field for team building activities... I'll let you know how that goes.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Itinerary!!!

My bags are packed and have been weighed! Today I'm working until 6, spending the night at the airport hotel (in theory, sleeping for a few hours) and leaving bright and early tomorrow! My flight is scheduled to leave Pittsburgh on Saturday at 5:45am and land at 7:20am at JFK. There I will find Jennifer and our flight to Johannesburg takes off at 11:15am. We'll land in South Africa at 8:05am local time (2:05am here) and hopefully meet up with Sara for our final flight at 11:10am (5:05am here) and land in Nelspruit by noon! After that it's only a short drive to Hands at Work in Africa in White River! Celebrations kick off Sunday night. It's going to be a great week!

Thursday, May 7, 2015

A Day In The Life...

I have a moment of downtime between Skype meetings. (I just ended a Communications call and will be on a call for the Zambia trip in a bit!) I could be packing, but I decided to blog instead.

In the past I know I've promised to write about what my life is really like. Living in America. Working for orphans in Africa. Two worlds that are so different and yet both so very special to me.

There are many people who read this blog who know me on many different levels. This blog may be very enlightening, or very redundant, but I digress...

So this may shock you, but I am a normal adult with a normal full-time job. I work in an independently owned pharmacy that is open 9 - 6 Monday through Friday and 9 - 3 on Saturday. I either work five week days, or I have one day off during the week and work Saturday. It's busy and it always keeps me on my toes! It's also provides me a structured schedule.

Outside of work, there is a lot more up in the air. In terms of Hands at Work, the main office is in White River, South Africa, with a secondary location in Luanshya, Zambia. We're currently in Daylight Savings Time which means South Africa is 6 hours ahead of EST. In the winter it's 7! The Hands US office is located in San Francisco, California, which is 3 hours behind EST. Meetings are almost always planned clarifying time in Pacific, Central, and Eastern so no one has any confusion!

Hands US came to be in 2007, but in the last two years it has really grown with our incorporation of the Hands Family Reunion into George's fall tour! There are so many people with such varied and unique connections to Hands. Once a month we get together for a general advocates call called 'Hands on Deck', which is a mirror of what happens Friday mornings in South Africa. It's an opportunity to look beyond ourselves and see what God is doing throughout Africa and in the people we work with. As you can imagine, life is a little different in Africa. There is load-shedding, which has been happening a lot recently, which is scheduled (or unscheduled) power outages. The internet is a little less reliable, and technology isn't always at the forefront. So in an effort to keep everyone connected despite distance, the HUB in South Africa will take time out to highlight what is going on in Malawi or Nigeria, etc. We do the same thing with our US staff, highlighting the amazing stories of what is happening in Africa and also lifting up the Americans living in Africa. Right now we have a family from Wisconsin living in South Africa and a volunteer from California living in Zambia. In addition to the Hands on Deck calls, there are prayer meetings every Tuesday evening. Again, this is a mirror of how Hands operates in Africa. It's important to come together to share concerns that we can lift up for one another and also give praise for how God has been working in our lives. Within the last two months we changed the time of our prayer meetings, which has allowed more people to join. It is changing and deepening the bonds within our group.

So in case I've confused you, I work full time 9 - 6, attend Hands on Deck meetings once a month(typically the first Sunday of the month) and attend prayer meetings every Tuesday night.

Now, on to the other, unpredictable stuff. My work is almost entirely done within the US office. Obviously we are spread out across the country, so the concept of the 'office' might be hard to grasp. Hands at Work(US) is a registered non-profit. We have an Executive Board, a Management Team, a Finance Team, and a Communications Team. I'm part of the Communications Team, which works to tell the stories in Africa to our American partners. We send out Newsletters and emails, post stories to the website and also design brochures. I'm sure you get the general idea. The Communications Team is very fulfilling and sometimes unpredictable. Depending on the season and the workload, we might have meetings every week or every other week, once a month, or we might even go without meeting for two months. The Communications Team is a fairly new/young team. We started meeting together last winter, but we have been quite busy recently. The Communications Team in South Africa has launched our new website. (It's the same domain, but an entirely new layout) www.handsatwork.org If you haven't seen it, you should honestly check it out to just see a glimpse of what God is doing in Africa!

Anyway, at the same time the Comm Team in South Africa was launching the website, the Comm Team in the US changed our marketing software, and to top it off, the US team changed our workflow. The workflow process is of course a bit hectic, but will ultimately help us better distribute responsibility moving forward. We've just about figured the new marketing software. I have to admit, this was my baby. I didn't realize it at the time, but I've grown into it. I volunteered to compare and contrast our previous software with our perspective software.  Prior to switching, I set up the new account so I could play with it and see what it would be like, and sent emails to myself to make sure I knew how easy it was to use. Once we decided to make the switch, I added the rest of the committee to the account and set out test campaigns to see what they would look like, etc. And last week I imported all of our contacts into the new software. You can see for the last few weeks, my schedule has been quite busy! Since I ended up spearheading the software switch, I've been doing a lot of troubleshooting and editing. (I'm the one who researched it, so, when it comes to practical application, I'm ahead of the learning curve.) Typically I've been waking up around 6am, emailing someone one the South African team as needed (remember they are 6 hours ahead!), going to work all day, coming home to Skype meetings or sending out and responding to a lot of emails with the other US team members (our graphic designer is in California so he is 3 hours behind!) and finally falling asleep around 1am. I'm a bit of an insomniac to begin with, but this is especially true before I fly to South Africa! I'm a content insomniac; I know I should sleep more, but I don't feel tired throughout the day. Things will really calm down in the next few days, and I think when I return home the team will really develop a nice rhythm.

There it is! My life as a Hands US Advocate in a nutshell! A jumbled and confusing nutshell: I think it'd be a walnut... but a nutshell nonetheless!!!

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Life: A lot of Love and a lot of Faith

I've spent the last three days at my best friend's house with their dog, which I loved!, but I am happy to be back in my own space with my own bed. I just woke up from a quiet afternoon nap with my cat!.A change of scenery can really help to put things in perspective!

This particular blog post gives me great anxiety, but perhaps that is why I need to write it. I've met new friends, but I have been guarded the last year I as move forward one day at a time. I am feeling very happy and healthy these days. I'm so excited to see what God does in the next year and to see where He leads! I would be amiss to downplay what He has already done.

I first went to South Africa in February 2013. I didn't meet any of the Hands US staff until October 2013 at the Hands US Family Reunion. Going into 2014, I assumed I'd see everyone at the next October event and that was it. But God knew better.
  • On July 10, 2014: my father died of a heart-attack with no warning and no prior symptoms.
  • On July 15, 2014: I was invited to go back to Africa in 2015 as part of a team.
  • Late September 2014: my best friend of over 15 years told me she was pregnant! During this time I was also busy with meetings and assignments for the Communications team as we prepped for George's fall tour!
  • October 10-12, 2014: I traveled to Minnesota to see George and to meet the friends and families that support Mwaiseni and Chisamba in Zambia. The one time I knew I'd be with Hands staff in person instead of just a computer screen, but God had other plans! I was already working with the Communications team, but this is when Brooke encouraged me to go to Celebrations, and to be with and learn from the Communications team at the HUB.
  • After returning from Minnesota, I joined the symphony band sponsored by the local university's Community Music School. This forced me to play the French horn on a regular basis. It's been awhile, so this has been both challenging and relaxing!
  • January 24, 2015: I joined a book study with a new group of ladies. There were old friends and new friends, and baby Liam! Moms of babies, teenagers, and even grown-ups! Women in all sorts of seasons of life. We meet weekly to be together and quiet the chaos, to talk, pray and laugh together. And eat together, we love desserts! 
  • February 6-7, 2015: I traveled to New York to see George, Hands staff, and former Hands volunteers.
  • After having the chance to be together, Hands US decided to move its prayer meeting time to allow more volunteers and advocates to join in. We meet weekly over Skype to take time out of our hectic lives to sit, be still, and lift up prayers of praise or concern to our Father. It is a time where we can shift our focus from our to-do lists to build each other up and lean on each other.
  • March 25, 2015: Communications meetings picked up again. This meant more meetings and more assignments that challenged me to change my routine, step out of my comfort zone and trust that God would make it work for His glory!
  • Last November some ladies from church found out that I played the French horn. A few weeks ago I was approached by the choir director(who is also a trumpet player) about forming an orchestra to play during first service. We've played the last two Sundays and it's been fun!
  • Since I've been playing with the orchestra during first service (which is obviously traditional), I've been going to a second church for second service. The second service I've been attending is a contemporary service that is real, no frills, and full of people I love! And two churches = two different sermons, two opportunities for God to challenge you(me)!
  • April 28, 2015: my best friend's water broke and baby Madelyn decided she didn't want me to miss her birthday (she was supposed to come when I was in South Africa!) I've spent the last three days at my best friend's house taking care of the dog, and doing what I could to make their homecoming a little bit easier. I put away a load of clean washes from the dishwasher, loaded up all the dirty dishes I could find and hand washed everything else. I also bought a supply of snacks for her husband and bought two quarts of ice cream from The Meadows. One fruity flavor and one chocolaty flavor: balance is key! (This may be the most helpful thing I've done, lol!) I met Madelyn last night and I got to snuggle her for over an hour today. What a blessing to celebrate new life! (And a testimony to what God has done in my life these last nine months!)
  • And next week, on May 9th I'll fly to South Africa for International Office Celebrations where I'll be with Brooke, Jennifer, Sara, and Suzette from Hands US(it will be the longest I've been with them in person!) in addition to old and new friends, and of course George! This will be my third trip for Hands in eight months and my first trip to Africa since 2013!
  • And next week, on May 9th I'll fly to South Africa for International Office Celebrations where I'll be with Brooke, Jennifer, Sara, and Suzette from Hands US(it will be the longest I've been with them in person!) in addition to old and new friends, and of course George! This will be my third trip for Hands in eight months and my first trip to Africa since 2013!
  • Finally, this August(right before my birthday!) I have the opportunity to go to Zambia as part of a team. Old friends and yes, even more new friends! And my fourth trip for Hands in eleven months! I do not think for one second that the increase in my travel and responsibility for Hands is coincidence. God not only knew what I needed in this season, but also how to use this season to grow my faith after my father's death(a loss that so many people struggle with and could easily be paralyzing!)
At first thought, I think my life is pretty uneventful but when I write it down, it's obviously not!

Lastly, I want to thank each and everyone of you that has reached out to me before my trip. I sent out photo cards to many of you. I really had no expectations. I know I can't control what other people do or do not do so I just left it up to God. I have been touched by each donation, each note and each encouragement I've received! Whether you gave $2 or $200, I am so grateful! I know a local bakery that sells amazing cookies for $1 and I realize you could buy two cookies with the $2 you gave me. That might be a silly example, but I'm food-motivated and you get the point. Everyone has responsibilities and priorities in their life and the fact that so many of you chose to make my trip one of your priorities has been truly humbling. If you were unable to donate financially, don't fret - pray! Prayers are the most worthy currency and the ultimate gesture! Pray that over the next week everyone would arrive in South Africa healthy and in one piece. That jet-lag and travel would not completely drain us. That we would arrive ready to worship, to be stretched and to be challenged. This work is so rewarding, but it does not get easier. Our hearts are continually broken for the children of Africa: as we strive to care for more vulnerable children, we are inevitably met with more terrible stories of injustice. 


Thank you for all of your support. Thank you for taking the time to read this! (I know the perils of the internet. Facebook, buzzfeed, and candy crush - oh my!) And please, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to use the contact form on the left or email jessinsafrica@gmail.com. I'd be happy to write about what you want to know more about!

Friday, May 1, 2015

Countdown!!!

Well it's almost here!!! There is only one more week until my trip to South Africa. I'm sure this week will fly by and feel like time is moving to slowly at the same time.

People will be attending from our international offices in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and of course the United States. Some people will be traveling as early as the 5th, while three of us from the US office are flying out on the 9th. Prayers for safe travels, successful connections, and health our appreciated! Brooke, Jennifer, Sara and Suzette are traveling from the US office (and me of course!) Brooke and Suzette are traveling earlier. I'm spending the night, or at least a few hours, at the airport hotel Friday night. My first flight leaves at 5:45am and will take me to JFK. I'll have a few hours to relax and find food, and find Jennifer! Jennifer is on the US MGMT team in addition to the COMM team, and we happened to book the same flight out of JFK. Sara is on the next flight out of JFK and will hopefully meet us in Johannesburg before our short flight to Kruger. We'll land around noon local time and once we make it back to the HUB we'll have time to shower and make ourselves feel human again before kicking things off Sunday night.

International Celebrations will last for four days, culminating with meetings Thursday afternoon. I am looking forward to it very much and cannot wait to tell you everything that happens! Friday I'll have time to just soak up time with friends and life in Africa. I'll fly out Saturday evening and land early Sunday morning.

Another thing to be praying about: Teams season is also getting into high gear. We have teams that have members who have been to Africa before, but we are also sending people to Africa for the first time. We have teams of college students, teams with young families, old families...it's an exciting mix!!!

Thursday, April 9, 2015

One Month

I woke up this morning and realized at this time next month I will have landed in New York, and will we waiting for my flight to Johannesburg, South Africa!!! While there I'll be spending a week with the staff that live in South Africa (lots of old friends, in addition to some new ones!) and also staff from the four international offices. It's going to be an awesome time! And it will be here before we know it, which is convenient because I can't wait!!!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

New York

About five weeks ago (still improving the curve!) I traveled to New York to see George, Brooke, Sara and Suzette. I met a few new friends too!

Thursday night I drove to the airport. I left late in the evening and didn't hit the Parkway until after 10. It didn't matter, traffic was still crazy! But I didn't see any deer on 422 and I made all my lane changes on the Parkway without any issues - praise God! [For those of you who don't live in Western, PA, the Parkway is an intersection of two major interstate highways. There is the Parkway East, the Parkway West and the Parkway North. You follow the Parkway West to get to the airport. It's not a huge deal, as long as you drive fast and make all of the right merges, but I've never heard anyone say they enjoy it! Friends of mine who drove on the Parkway daily have gotten used to it, but everyone seems to have some level of disdain. You have to drive with purpose, and if you ever hesitate you'll be in an accident. I always breath a sigh of relief once I've made it to the tunnels!]

So my drive was just about as easy as it could be and I made it to the airport in good time. It was freezing this particular weekend! It was about 7 degrees when I parked my car and I walked very quickly to the moving walkway! My flight was schedule for the early morning, so I reserved a room at the airport hotel. I got settled and ready for bed, which was a struggle because I was so excited! My excitement was quickly tempered because I got an email that my flight was canceled due to airplane maintenance. While I was grateful that I wouldn't be flying in an unsafe plane, I did wonder if and when I would make it to New York. I had a book that I'm reading in a ladies Bible study, so I reread that weeks chapter while on hold with the airline. Thankfully I was re-booked on the next flight to LaGuardia and would arrive about 2 hours later than originally scheduled.

Before you see Franco Harris and George Washington,
you have to greet the T-Rex. As it should be.


The flight was easy. It was a smaller plane that probably held 40-50 people, but I've gotten used to flying in planes of any size. I also had a seat to myself, which is always nice! Once I made it to LaGuardia, Sara and Suzette came to pick me up and we were on our way to Queens. I had never been to New York before. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. I took in the traffic and the appearance of everything. New York was exactly what I should have expected it to be, and it surprised me at the same time. There's something about it that is intangible.

We made it to Sara's house in Queens. It's a place that can simultaneously block out the hustle and bustle of the world beyond its doors while being an unmistakable product of such a great city. I'm not sure this is an adequate description of what I'm trying to say, but know that I mean that in the best way!

The dining room had become our office for the duration of our stay. When I arrived, I was greeted by George and Brooke who had stayed to take care of a few things. Once I got settled, there was a Skype call George, Suzette and Brooke needed to make. Working in an multi-national organization, Skype is a regular presence in our lives. I helped by distracting Sara's adorable dog!


After the call, we took a break to eat lunch and just catch up. It's so rare to see each other face to face! We had some time before Laura, another Hands volunteer from the Footprint days, arrived from Boston. (She was born in Canada, but moved to Boston in October with her husband, who is completing fellowships in pediatric anesthesia and pediatric critical care at Harvard Medical School.) Soon we ventured outside in to the cold to see a bit of the city. First stop: the Empire State Building!

From the observation deck on the 86th floor:



It was so cold outside, my camera froze after taking just a few photos!


We tried taking group-selfies all weekend, but the Selfie King was in India
and all we got were pictures that looked like this:


After we left the Empire State Building, we walked to a restaurant called Burger & Lobster that serves, you guessed it, burgers and lobster. That's it. You get a burger with a side of salad and fries or you get a lobster with a side of salad and fries. Or a lobster roll, that also comes with a side of salad and fries. Brilliant! We ('we' being the people on my side of the table) thought this was an excellent idea. Less choices = easier decisions. Just pick one and get on with it, eh?

We found the restaurant thanks to Hannah, another volunteer from the Footprint days. She's originally from California, but moved to New York a few years ago. She met us at the restaurant, as did Danny, yet another Footprints volunteer from England who has been living in New York. He lives pretty close to Burger & Lobster, which we didn't even know when we picked it! Laura, Hannah and Danny all briefly overlapped in their time in Africa. They all lived in Mozambique; it was so fun to hear their stories! We also caught up with Myra, who is from California but moved to NYC in January to study Nursing at NYU. I told her she was crazy for moving from San Diego to New York in January! (Always let yourself acclimate: this is very important!) Myra has been to Zambia as part of a team trip. She loves Africa: she even got her Zambian name tattooed on (I think) her forearm! (Disclaimer: I have a Zambian name, but I do not have a tattoo.)

After that we took the train to the Sara's church where George would be speaking at the evening service. We dropped of our nicer clothes prior to going to the Empire State Building. The church was much like Sara's house. Many doors, much history, and easily identified as a product of Queens. The congregation was small that night, but they had musicians! Sara played the flute, there were a few boys playing string instruments and a pianist. Being a French horn player, I loved hearing the instruments! Sara's father is the Pastor. It's always a privilege to meet people where they come from. It helps you put together the pieces and know their story a little bit better. And the congregation in attendance was small, but the world is smaller! Believe it or not, I traveled to a church in Queens, NY and a former member of that church know lives in Indiana, PA! I haven't tracked her down yet. I actually missed one chance just last week, but I'm not giving up.

Sara has been to Africa multiple times herself, and also led a group from her church. She's taking another group later this year. George spoke with passion and purpose, as always. It's important to convey that it is the Church's responsibility to care for these orphans and widows, but it's also important to nurture the relationships with our partners. This work is not something we do lightly. The team from Sara's church this year is college students. Still young in so many ways. The fact that a tight-knit church community from Queens is trusting Hands with their youth is such an awesome responsibility. We were able to mingle after the service and get to know people in the congregation. We caught up with people who went on the last trip and witnessed the excitement of the people going on the next trip.

Then we went back to Sara's house. Laura and I went to her grandmother's house next door for the night. Between restless sleep the night before and a long day of New York in the bitter cold, I don't think I have ever been so excited to sleep in a warm bed! It was a very restful sleep too.

The next morning, we had brunch at Sara's house with Hands supporters. Different people brought different things to what turned into an amazing breakfast spread. PJ and Ellie, Jed's cousins who live in New York, came, adding another puzzle piece to Jed's family. It was so nice to talk together, building relationship and of course eating together.

We took some time to worship and pray together. Brooke spoke about Hands, and about the work Sara does. It's hard to understand what we do, regardless of what we do. I'm planning to tackle what this means for my life in another post.

After brunch, it was time to wrap it up and head off to the airport. But not before getting a picture with Sara's parents in Queens.


We dropped off everyone else off at JFK, and then I got dropped off at LaGuardia. It was another quick flight and easy drive. It was such a whirlwind trip! But buckle your seat-belts because the whirlwind continues: two months until Mwaiseni!

Monday, February 16, 2015

40 Days

Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy few weeks, and a very cold few weeks at that!

Last week I had a whirlwind trip to NYC. I probably say that every trip I take with Hands is a whirlwind, but this one was jam packed! I think I was only in New York for about 29 hours. But more on that later.

One of the things that was discussed on the trip, first by George and then reinforced by Brooke, was the choices we make. Living in America, or any first world country, we're told that the world is our oyster. If we want something, we just have to make it happen. Every day we are bombarded by media, society and pop-culture with offers of things we have to have or do. We spend all of our time being faced with choices! "Should I turn on my television or read my Bible?" That's a simple example but it's so true! We choose how to spend our time, our money, and our selves.  But so, so many people in the world - including the people we serve in Africa! - only have one thing on their minds: "how am I going to afford to eat today?" They have no choices, no hope. We have so many choices to make, but these choices distract us from the most important thing in life: living to bring glory to God and tell people about the redeeming love of Christ.

This is a lesson I need to remember too! It is such a challenge to stay focused on Kingdom culture when I'm so far from Africa, and separated from other Hands advocates. It is SO easy to fall back into cultural norms. And so many times I know what to do. I can feel myself being convicted about things, but often times I'm just not motivated to be more disciplined. We talk about living intentionally and embracing Kingdom culture, but that can be a real struggle! After seeing George, Brooke, Sara and Suzette last weekend, and looking towards Lent, I'm motivated to make changes!

People choose to observe Lent in different ways. Some give up things (like sweets), others take on things (like random acts of kindness.) Some of you know that during the Lenten season, the Hands at Work family comes together from all across the world - from the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, the DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the whole way to Australia! - to pray together for 40 days. I want to invite you all to join us!

To join the facebook event go here

Every year we pick a vulnerable child to be the face of 40 days of prayer.
This year that child is Innocent from Kalende, Zambia. To read his story go here

To download the prayer guide go here

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28[NIV]

Let's all take time this Lent to intentionally pray for God to move in our lives so we might know how He is calling us. It could be as simple as making a meal for a neighbor or as big as moving to Africa to walk with some of the most vulnerable children - but if we never ask, we might never know.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

2015 Watchword

The watchword. One Bible passage chosen by George and Carolyn at the beginning of the year through rest and prayer. A passage to meditate on throughout the year as we continue drawing lines in the sand. Facing the uncomfortable truths. Knowing the names of the nameless. Loving those who do not know love.



"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."
-Habakkuk 3:2

Friday, January 16, 2015

So I'm going to New York...

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm going on a quick trip to New York in a few weeks! It was kindof last minute, but those trips can be the most fun! I'm very excited because not only have I never been to New York, but I get to see it with some of my favorite people!

What I know: George will be attending a conference in Toronto with a 'Footprinter' (Footprints was the name of Hands volunteer program several years ago) named Farzam. We've never met but I've heard his name often. Its exciting that George (and Prag too!) will have the opportunity to speak at this conference. Prior to that, George will be flying to Florida to meet a prospective new church partner (which is always exciting!) The Hands US board will also be meeting in Florida, right before George flies to Toronto. Time with George is always so precious and it's hard to make time to meet with everyone we would like him to. Since he was going to be on the east coast, it made sense that he would make a quick stop in New York to speak at Sara's church. Sara went to Africa with Hands in 2011 and has since sponsored team trips from her church. George was able to speak there in October of 2013, but did not make it on the North American tour last October. Suzette and Brooke will also be traveling with George. Suzette is from San Francisco. We actually met briefly at Kachele Farm when we were both in Luanshya, Zambia. She was in Zambia,  preparing to go to South Africa when I initially arrived in Zambia for my country stay. That was in March 2013. I haven't seen her since! I met Sara and Brooke both for the first time at the Hands Family Reunion in Wisconsin in October 2013. I haven't had the chance to see Sara in person since. I saw Brooke last October in Minnesota. This trip is so exciting to me 1) because the five of us(including George) have never all been in the same place at the same time and 2) because it's a ''bonus trip!

Since coming home from Africa in April 2013, I've relied on the fall tour as my time to break my normal routine and take a weekend to connect with other Hands volunteers and advocates. I honestly hadn't planned on taking any other trips prior to flying to Africa in May. When Sara invited me to come to New York last week, my initial gut response was 'no.' Oh believe me I wanted to go, but my rational brain was focused on the numbers. Cost of flights vs the fact that I'm already buying flights to Africa vs my budget. It's an easy trap. But, thankfully, I slept on it. Comments Brooke made at a lunch meeting prior to everyone arriving in Wisconsin over a year ago resounded in my heart AND my head. We may not live the typical missionary life but we are missionaries. Living in a relatively normal world while our thoughts/time/energy/hearts are half a world away. Do you know how many children I could feed with money I just spent on flights? Don't ask. That's my point. We are Christians who love and have committed ourselves to the vulnerable children in Africa. And that commitment comes with a price. Over the nearly two years I've been home - that's 643 days, I have spent 6 days in person with other Hands volunteers. That includes travel time, so it's actually a generous number. If you do that math (because of course I had to) that breaks down to less than 1%! Sure, we try to skype at least once a month. It's more depending on what you're involved with and what is going on at that time of the year. [It can be few and far between for some of us at certain times.] Suzette lives in California, Brooke lives in Minnesota, Sara lives in New York and I live in Pennsylvania. Thats why, even though we hate to spend the money, it is so important to make the sacrifice to be together when we get the chance. It makes such a difference! (I could list many Bible verses that reference the importance of fellowing, but I'm won't) It's a time we invest in each other, build each other up. We reflect with each other on the progress that has been made, give the glory to God, and challenge each other for the work that lies ahead. In our rational minds we hate to spend the money, but in our hearts we know we need to. Because we only have one life. Because people and relationships are what is important in life. We say we love them, but do we show it in action? We should value our friends and family more than our bank accounts!

So after my internal debate of head vs heart, my heart ultimately persevered. But then my next dilemma: I requested the Friday off with some anxiety because if you know me, you know I rarely use my vacation days. 2014 was actually the first year I used all of my vacation days within the calendar year. [It shouldn't really 'count' though because I used four of them to spend time with family the week following my father's death.] Anyway six years of not using all(if any - sad, but true) of my vacation days combined with the fact that I'm already planning to take off three weeks for my trip in May(which is more than my allotment of paid vacation to begin with) was messing with me. I submitted my request with great pause, not sure if it would be met with annoyance or indifference. But I told myself that 'its just one day' and 'May is three months from now.'

So after all that, here I sit. Flight tickets purchased and one night booked at the airport hotel. It's only January 15th and already I have been challenged on my perception of money and my job, and let's be honest my plan. (I'm a big planner!) I'm getting the feeling that 2015 is going to be a pivotal year. But I booked the flight I hadn't planned on taking, and that's the first step.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Housekeeping

I've made just a few more additions to the blog. (Hopefully you'll find them beneficial)
  • At the very top of the page you will find my new pages bar. On the right-hand side, you will see a tab called 'Watchwords Past'. Clicking on this tab will provide a complete list of Watchwords going back to 1999. In case you are interested in what verses George and Carolyn have felt led to in the past, it's all there!
  • On the top right of the page, right above the about me section, you can see the 2014 Watchword. I'll be updating this with the 2015 Watchword very soon. The Watchword is a verse that we focus on throughout the year to find strength and purpose. These verses are often a source of light and encouragement, especially when the work we do makes our hearts heavy.
  • If you scroll down the page, right underneath the total pageviews graph, you will find a new contact form. Try it out! If you'd like send me a question you have about Africa, our work, buying groceries, whatever. I'll certainly try to answer! (Or I will get in touch with someone who can give you a better answer!)
  • At the very bottom of the page, you will find a satellite map (the Powr Map). If you've ever been curious about where we do what we do, this is something to check out! But I must give you a disclaimer: there are still many areas that I personally know nothing about, except that we work there. I tried to highlight the main areas in each country to the best of my ability. I'll edit the map as I learn more specifics. If you're interested in what I will personally be doing be sure to check out: The HUB(our home-base and tentatively my first stop in May), Kachele Farm(It's becoming the 'Second HUB' where a lot of things go on and tentatively my second stop in May), The Kitwe Service Center(where I spent my time in Zambia during 2013, working with the staff and learning about Hands) and the Mwaiseni Community Based Organization(CBO)(where I had my community stay in Zambia and fell in love with Mwaiseni! This is the community I advocate for and will be working in: it's the main reason this trip came to be!) To use the map: You can scroll up and down on the left to see the places I have listed. Clicking on a location will show you that tag on the map (ie clicking on 'Kachele Farm' will show you the tag located in Luanshya, Zambia) If you stay zoomed in, which is the default of the gadget, you will only see individual tags. If you look at the map and see the + and - signs, underneath the yellow person, clicking the - sign will allow you to zoom out and see where tags are located in context. (ie in South Africa you will see the distance between the HUB and Service Centers) Feel free to play around with it!

***Disclaimer: at this point the blog is really changing. I will try to point out changes in the blog, but it's changing daily...so make sure you try to keep up! :-)

Monday, January 12, 2015

Another New Year

I have to admit, now that 2015 has arrived, my trip back to Mwaiseni seems so much closer! It's about four months away at this point. Today at the HUB in South Africa, everyone gathered for the announcement of the watchword for the year (more to come on this soon!) Some staff for Hands US has gathered in San Francisco to kick off our year as well. It's a very exciting time for us!

Things are busy, and will continue to be busy as my trip gets closer. I've begun to send out photo cards about my trip for anyone interested in what I'm doing. I mentioned supporting my trip through prayer so I've added a prayer requests section to my blog page. You can see them on by clicking the 'Prayer Requests' tab on my new pages bar underneath my header photo!. I'll update these throughout the year as needed, and I will try to keep you up to date by blogging specifically about new requests, and about how specific requests have been answered. Here's the first round:

Prayer Requests

  • Renewed energy and focus in the new year for everyone partnering with Hands at Work:
    For international staff living in Africa: these individuals sacrifice time with their families and the comforts of home in order to care for the most vulnerable.
    For international staff living in their home countries: these individuals have often been to Africa, but always have a heart for Africa and it's people. They have the comforts of home, but constantly wish they could be on African soil. They often feel isolated from Africa, living in societies that often do not understand the calling.
  • Continual support from current sponsors, and for new sponsors who want to help care for the most vulnerable:
    26,000 children die every day in Africa, and they do not need to. With sponsorships being $20/month, we pray people currently sponsoring one child may find it in their heart to promise additional sponsorships. We also pray for new partners for our cause to sponsor the most vulnerable.
  • For the Hands US Staff, Advocates and Family as we work together while being far apart:
    For continued relationships and unity so we can remain strong for our cause when the world is telling to us to do anything and everything but care for the most vulnerable.
  • For the 15 Short-term volunteer teams being sent by Hands US in the next year:
    Hands US is growing and our teams reflect that! FIFTEEN TEAMS!!! It's going to be an exciting year with more teams than we have sent previously and our continued partnership with Nurses for Africa teams! [Now don't worry: despite my excitement, it is NOT about the numbers. Quality is still more important than quantity, but it's hard to not be excited about these trips and the relationships that will be built!]
  • That God would challenge my comforts and expectations:
    In many ways I've come so far, but in many other ways I'm stuck in a rut! This year will be my return to Africa, and renewed love for Hands. I also hope it will bring new discipline and perspective. It's definitely going to be a telling year of challenge and growth!
  • That God would guide me to those who will partner in my journey through prayer or financial support:
    The last time I went to Africa, I did not push for financial support. While I did receive funding, and it was a blessing!, I also paid for most of the trip out of my personal savings. With different events over the last year, it doesn't look like that will be an option for this trip. Friends have encouraged me by saying "if it is His will, it is His bill" and that we should expect much from God. That is not to say that I feel worthy or entitled, and I certainly do not base God's goodness on funding. If I receive no funds God will still be good! But if my needs are met it is definitely all for His glory!

That's all I have for now. Thanks again for partnering with me on this journey!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Mwaiseni

Earlier this week Hands at Work posted a story featuring Mwaiseni in the newsroom.
You can read it here, and please do.
It's just one story, but it can help you understand why we fight for these children.
It might remind you just how blessed you are.