Back 2 Life in the U.S.

As of now I have been home nearly a week. I have adjusted to life back home pretty well, or at least alot better than I thought I would. It is still a daily process. I have to tell myself 2 or 3 times a day that I will be ok. I have taken a shower EVERYDAY since I have been home, it seems unreal. I still freak out everytime I see toilet paper in the comode and everytime I use toilet paper I want to put it in the trash can next to the comode, but then I remember that I can flush toilet paper in North America. For a little while I got so excited when I saw someone wearing a crimson Alabama football t-shirt, but then again I have to be reminded that I am in AL. The language differance was a little hard at first but I am back to English for now. I have not been sick at all since I have been home, and I just knew that I would get sick once I got home.

I also miss blogging. Yesterday I was constantly thinking "I have not blogged in 4 days. I need to blog." I think I may turn it into a weekly thing and just write about what God is doing in my life or some new things He is teaching me. I also learned how to knit while in Peru. I never thought I would pick up 2 new hobbies with this trip, but that is more than ok.

Over the past few days I have been busy, but that has been good. It has kept my mind off of Peru. I miss my teammates. It would not have bothered me to be in Peru for a longer term, but i know for now I have to be in the U.S to finish school and who knows what else.

I'm Home!

I left Peru at 11pm Sunday night and I arrived in Birmingham at 5pm Monday. I had to travel about 20 hours coming back, but really it did not seem like it. It really feels more like 8 hours of traveling. We got through customs and all security without any major problems.



ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!!!!!



It is so weird being the US now. I have gotten used to being a Peruvian. Whenever someone asks me a question my natural responce is to answer in Spanish, I freak out whenever I flush toilet paper (in South America you can not do that), and I know the language that everyone speaks. I just have to keep reminding myself that I will be ok. It was hard not to cry on the way home from the airport. Life as I have known it for the past 10 weeks is no more, but I have learned and seen some wonderful things.

the Last

Plane ticket - $1086

Traveling Expenses - $1553

SUMMER MISSIONS - PRICELESS

As of today we are 5 days away from being on our way home. We can finally count on one hand how many days we have left and right now it is hard not to start crying. We are in our last village and tomorrow will be our last full day in this village. I have learned so much this summer from I can go 8 days without a shower to knowing how much the world needs to know the one who died to take thier place. I have had fun but there also some moments I would not care to relive. I know there has been some people who have prayed for me and are still praying.

My moma, who let me come to Peru for 10 weeks and has been more than supportive since I said I wanted to come.

Mrs. Christy, Thank You so much for taking the time to talk to me about summer missions and answer my every question.

Willis family, thank you all so much for the neverending support and prayers, I thank God that He has put ya´ll in my life.

And many thanks to all of the churches who have supported me.

I have not come to Peru alone. I could not have done any of this without you and Jesus Christ being My Lord and Strength.

I ask that you please pray for us over the next few days. We leave Lima, Peru 11.30 pm August 2, and I will arrive in Birmingham, AL around 6pm on August 3. Please pray for us as we leave, that we will get through customs without any problems. And as we are about to be at home please pray 1. for our health, over 2 hours I am sure our eating habits will change dramaticlly and 2. we are going back to a differnet culture and language. Most of us have gotten in Spanish mode and everytime someone talks to us in English we even answer in Spanish.

Change of Plans

Yesterday we were about to leave Ica and go to our next village but we got a phone call saying there is a festival and we wouldn't be able to get out. So now we are in Lima and hopefully in an hour we will be headed to our last village. Brandon is not feeling so well right now, so we are waiting to see how he feels within the next hour. We arrived in Lima yesterday and last night we ate dinner at TGI Fridays. That was the best food we have had in 2 months. Hamburgers and Hiens Ketchup never tasted so good. And I got to go to Starbucks in Lima. I love my Starbucks!

We are about to be in the last village. This summer has went by so fast. This time next week we will be in final debriefing. It has been wonderful seeing God work through all things. I know this will not be my last time to be in Latin America. Please pray for us as we are about to be home. It is a completely different world. I can not wait to get a hold of some cold sweet tea, Jim-N-Nicks BBQ, and I miss going to Birmingham and going to see my besties at thier work. I don't know what I am going to do when everybody speaks English instead of Spanish, I have to take a shower everyday, and I can put toilet paper in the comode. It was hard coming home after I had been in another country for one week. I really can not imagine coming home after 10 weeks. It is not going to be easy, but I know I will be ok.

it´s our last week

One week from today we will be leaving our last village and on our way to final debriefing. This summer has been amazing. I never thought I would be in Peru for the entire summer. It is so amazing now to look back over the summer. Just 2 months ago 70 days seemed like an eturnity. God has worked in so many ways and I know I will never be the same. Please continue to pray for us as we are about to go home. And thank you all so much for all of the concern and support you have shown this summer.

STILL in Nazca.

Well yesterday I told you healtwise we are all doing fine. Today, however, Jon is not feeling good. It seemswhenever we tell everybody we are doing so well someone gets sick. I think now we are determined not to talk health issues.

In other news, we are staying in Nazca until tommorow morning. Then we go to Laramate for 1 day then we are off to our final 3 villages. :( I got the chance to talk to a friend last night and they said that they thought I would love Peru and woiuld end up staying, but I know I have to come home and finish school. So I am coming home in 17 days.

And I finally took a shower last night after going 8 days without a shower. I had to wash my hair 4 times before it would become clean.

We´re in Nazca!!

After getting up at 5am to get on a bus at 6:30, we have made it to Nazca. It was suposed to be an 8 hour trip but turned out to be 11 hours. There were not any combies going to Laramate (our next village) so tomorrow morning we will be on our way to one of our last 4 villages.

I have went 8 days without a shower but I think tonight I am going to give in and take a shower. We are in Nazca with some warm running water, so why not? I was trying to go 2 weeks but I still have some time for that. Going without shower has not been that bad. I have washed my hair and feet once in the sink. We travled through the desert today and that is my favorite place to go through. I am not sure why, but probably just because it is so different from any other places we have been. Healthwise we are all doing wonderful. I am going to miss all of my teammates this time next month. We have grown so close and now we have all of our inside jokes I don´t know what I will do once I don´t have them anymore. I have not gotten homesick hardly any this summer. Thanks to all of your never ceasing prayers and we have been safe 99% of our time in Peru.

I miss my Alabama more and more everyday, but I think it is just beacause we are getting closer to going home. I think most of us have our first week planned once we get home; where we are going, and even what we are going to eat and wear. We all miss some wonderful cold sweet tea. I most of all am going to miss this weather in Peru. It is winter time here because we are below the Equator. We have been on the Bolivia and Peru border where it was about 20 degrees at night. But during the day it does not get above 75 degrees and I am a hot natured girl from Alabama (NO exageration). This weather was made for me, I LOVE it.

50 Days in Peru!!!

We have now been in Peru for 50 days and 20 days from now we will be on plane on our way to the US. We are in Cabana right now and we will leave tomorrow. We have 4 villages left. For the past week we have been without internet access and I have not taken a shower in 6 days. It is not as bad as it seems. Our time in Peru has been so amazing. When we get home we have so many stories to tell.

Cuatro de Julio!

It is the forth of July and we are going to celebrate tonight with 2 village teams and maybe some fireworks. We arrived in Coracora yesterday after travling 8 hours on a miserable bus ride. Let´s just say we will be so glad when we actually see a paved road again. This weekend is more laid back than most days, so we are going to enjoy it while it last.

Most of the team has been sick over the past four days with a virus. Ashley & I have not been sick and we are praying that we do not. Please pray for them, it is not so easy being sick in Peru. We are now 29 days away from being at home. It´s not long but at times we may think it will never be here. It so wierd we are counting in days now because we have never really done that. As the tme is getting closer it is so easy to ponder on things that nedd to be done, all the school stuff, family issues, and all the choices we have to make. I found out a few days ago that the pastor of my home church resigned and now I don´t really know what the future brings once I go home. If there is one thing I have learned in Peru it is don´t worry about planning because things won´t turn out the way you planned anyway. I moved back home so I could be at church more and be more involved, and who knows now I may not even be going to the same church.

Life in Peru.

Today we areleaving Caraveli and we are on to the next village. Our time in Caraveli has been interesting, it is very full of Catholism, so much so that we do not use the word Catholic. The village team that is here goes through alot of persecution, the catholics will not listen to what they have to say. Yesterday we went to a local highschool and they were so surprised that the students actually listened to us. Yesterday and today Brandon has not been feeling so well. At first we thought he had the same thing Jon had about two weeks ago but now we dont think so. At 11:30pm tonight we leave for Coracora. We have only 6 villages left.

As of today we are one month away from being home. It is so strange now that we can count villages left in single digits and counting down days we are about to be in the twenties. For me it is exciting and sad at the same time, but I continue to ask for your prayers. Please pray that we will not lose our focus, we get more anxious everyday but I want my heart to be in all I do. And another prayer request, Kristen Seay is from Trussville, AL has been a missionary here in Peru for two years but now she is coming to the end of her term of service. She leaves with us, Aug. 2, please pray for her I know it is hard to leave a country no matter how long you stay, but she especially loves every bit of Peru.

HALFWAY.

Well, we are now halfway through our summer missions in Peru. We have spent yesterday and today doing some debriefing and talking about things we are going to do different our second half of the summer. One thing we are hopefully going to do some more rest time, PRAISE THE LORD!!! We are going to seven villages this half but I know it is going to go well.

Our time in Nazca has been amazing. It was good to see everyone again, eat some American food , and have a toilet seat which we have not had in a while. We leave Nazca tomorrow and we are out in the villages for a month. Hopefully, tomorrow we are going sand boarding. We think how many times will we get to go sand boarding in Peru? Sometimes we feel kind of guilty for doing some fun things or even just resting sometimes, because we came to Peru just to be missionaries not to be some tourist.

Then after we go sand boarding, tomorrow afternoon we will be on an 8 hour bus ride to Carabelli. Carabelli is one of the bigger villages we will be in, and Valleydale Baptist Church in Hoover, AL adopted this village to disciple believers and get a house church going. So the team in this village is 5 college students from the Birmingham area. There are more people here from Alabama than any other state, out of 120 students about 16 of us are from AL. It wa so amazing to sit down at lunch yesterday and have a conversation about Alabama football. If there is anything I miss most it is my moma, Chick-fil-A, and my Alabama football.

Mid-Summer!!

Well, I haven´t updated in a few days, we were in a village with out internet. Now we are in Nascua for mid summer. Monday will make 5 weeks in Peru and our halfway point. It is sad and exciting at the same time, I love Peru and would love to stay here but I know I have to go home.

As we are halfway and we have traveled so much we are so very close to be exhausted. We got up at 6am this morning (for us that is early) and planned on napping as soon as we got here but come to find out we can not get in our rooms until 2pm. Then we will get our much needed rest. While we have been waiting on our rooms, we have been out in the town and we got to do some souvenier shopping, which yhas been so fun. We went to one shop and there was a lady listening to some worship songs in Spanish, which we knew and started singing along to. We told her we were missionaries and she shared some scripture with us. Here in Peru it is a big thing to meet a believer, because there are not that many. I think I can count on one hand how many Evangelical churches I have seen, and I have been alot of places.

We left one of our last villages Monday and traveled about 6 hours. We stayed in Arequpa for one night. That was one of the most beautiful cities we have been to. Tuesday we got on a bus for 8 hours and went to Bella Union, which is in the desert. The ride to Bella Union was amazing, it is funny to be riding down a road seeing the desert on one side and the ocean on the other. Once we got off the bus it was still another 45 minutes to Bella Union, so we got 1 taxi. All 7 of us, plus a driver, and all of our luggage got into one taxi, and it was so painful but thank God it was only 45 minutes. In a taxi, bus, or convie there is always room for one more.

Jon is doing much better, and we can all tell. Thank you all so much for your prayers. Please continue to remeber us. As we are at our halfway point, pray that we will not forget why we are here and what we are doing this for. Now I think our time here will be going by alot faster.

37 days until we come home.

UPDATE!!!!

Jon is back with the team, thanks to all of your many prayers. He had some intestinal blockage, but he is up, feeling much better, and walking around now. Please pray for him though he is on a strict diet and the doctor said it would take about 3 weeks for his body to completely heal.

Right now we are in Aryaviri, but tomorrow we are off to our next village and in less than a week we will be at mid-summer. I think once we hit our half way point the time after will go alot faster. We have not really done alot over the weeekend, due to Jon and Brandon not being here, but we got to sit in on a ESL class and that was interesting. All of us had forget how hard the English language really is.

Although, things may be going great today please continue to remember the team in your prayers. We have been here nearly one month, but we all are going through a great amount of spiritual warfare while we are doing so much for God and His kngdom. Jon has been sick, Ashleys dad has some serious health problems, and my mom is have test done for some serious health conditions. We have so much going on at home, but God called us here and I know that my work in Peru is not done. We have to believe and know that our parents and teammates will be ok. God is working in all of our lives, no doubt. He takes delight in my every breath, now I want my every breath to take delight in Him.

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!!!!

Today Jon woke up feeling weak. We started just like any other day but Jon did not have enough strength to get through. He went back to our hostel to rest and later a nurse come to care for him. We ended up leaving our village early to get to the next village and take Jon to the hospital. It was a long bumpy ride, and I think we were all praying the whole way. Right now Jon, Brandon, and our translator are all at the hospital waiting on some test results, they think he has appendicitis. As of right now his family does not know about all of this, and I know it is going to be hard on them, so please pray for them as well. Once the test results come back we will know if Jon has to be taken to Lima or another city for surgery. So far, through all of this, i have realized Jesus has to be our strength. There is absolutely no way we can make it on our own.

Pray for the team as well. We are a team so when half of us are away things are not the same.

Much Love,
Britney

22 DAYS IN PERU!!!

Well as of today we have been here 22 days, or half way point is quickly approaching. It is so hard to believe we have been here that long and I feel after mid-summer it will go by even faster.

Yesterday we left Pomacachi to go to our next village, and there has been a strike within the transportation system here in Peru, so things got kind of interesting. We got on a convie (that is a taxi but a van or in the US we would call it a shuttle) and we drive on a bumpy dirt road for about 2 or 3 hours. They dropped us off in a village that is about hlfway to where we are supossed to be going and we thought we would be waiting on bus to take us to Punno. In the meantime, we sat on a street corner for about 4 hours waiting on our bus, we started talking to a few people and 2 people that I know of accepted Christ. Around 7pm a convie randomly came through the town we were in and he willingly took us to Punno. It was a wonderful gift straight from God. It was so luxurious compared to what we had been traveling in. Due to the strike we really did not plan on being in our current village so soon, we thought we would could not get out of Pomacachi and there was a time we were concerned of our safety. GOD IS SO GREAT!!!!!

The last few days have been amazing. I have got to see at least 4 people come to Christ. One lady worked at our hostel and she started talking to our translator about why some greengos are in Peru and what we are doing. They talked a little more and she prayed the prayer of salvation, all by herself. A few nights ago, we were in Pomacachi and the village team have there a few times and they have got to know a man, named Louise. He knew the Gospel and understood all of it but never knew and accepted who made the Gospel. We prayed for him just the night before, and the village team has been praying for him for a while.

I have realized, now that I have been to Peru, I can say many things. I have been to North, Central, and South America, I have got to see the Atlantic and Pacific ocean, I have been on the other side of the Equator, I have seen the Andes Mountains, and the list goes on. I can say I have been here and done all these things, but I have to stop and think, what can God say about me doing all these things? I mean after all, He knows my every thought and every motive. I want all I do to be done in and for His glory and none other. I have also thougth about missions in my home state and what I do there. I( am only in Peru for 10 weeks, that is one little portion of my life. I am at home alot longer than I will be in Peru.

On to the Next Village!!!

Today we are leaving Cusco and heading to our next village, and THANK GOD it is only 4 hours away. Some of us are kind of attatched to the village near Cusco, but at the same time we ready to move on and see more. Please pray for some safety as we will be traveling his afternoon.

Yesterday we planned to go to a local school and do some skits and puppets, and that did not really go as planned. It seems when things do not go our way that is when God moves most. We took a random trip to a local convience store just to get some water and there was a boy, about 10 years old and knew a little bit of English. We started talking to him and eventually he brought his Bible outside and we started to read some stories with him. Meanwhile, another lady walks up and someone asks something like ¨What do you think you should do to be saved and go to heaven?¨ she reaplied ¨Good works.¨ as we talked more she had questons we answered and she accepted Christ. We could really tell she was real and was missing something. All through our conversation she never smiled, that was until she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart.

We have went to 4 or 5 schools over the past few days and it went really well. Yesterday we got to try some alpaca and it was good (tasted like steak). Monday we got see some Inca ruins, which was amazing. The long walks up some steeps hills made it all worth it.

So far about about 6 people have accepted Christ and a local pastor and a few summer missionaries are doing some follow up with them. I thank God that He has put some people in this area to do follow up with these people that give thier heart to Jesus. I was kind of wooried about what would happen after we left.

THE LAST FEW DAYS

Well we survived our 22 hour bus ride, to say the least. We arrived in Cusco (home of Machu Picchu) on Saturday and we are still trying to adjust to the altitude, so please pray about that it is not as easy as we thought it would be. We are now at 12,000 feet and soon we will be going to 15,000 feet.

Saturday the screen on my camera broke but it will still take pictures, so I can not complain. My greatest desire is for every bit of me to desire nothing but Jesus Christ. I think we all know when we desire Jesus so much we also have someone against us. Between our health and my camera screen breaking, sometimes all we want to do is just go home, but I know I do not belong at home this summer. Everyone of us come from a different setting and background. We all have burdens concerning things at home, but God called us here and we daily have to surrender to Him.

Yesterday we done some of our skits, puppets, and music in a plaza of a nearby village and 3 people accepted Christ. Today we went to a local school and done all of the same things and 2 or 3 kids accepted Christ. It is totally Christ that is working and not anything team is doing and there is not anything we could do on our own.

Today for just for some fun we got to do some hiking, which I love to do and we got to see some Andean runs. We went with a loal pastor who knew all of the history and it was amazing to see such a thing, it made that hike (that was all up hill) completely worth it.

LAST DAY IN LIMA :))

Tomorrow we will be on a bus for 20 hours going to our first village. I think it is a moment we have all been waiting for, it seems tough but we are going to make it fun. Healthwise we are doing much better, thanks to all of your prayers. Lima has been fun and we have got to do alot. Last night on the way back to our hostel we ran into the soccer team and they are staying in the same hostel as we are. It is such a huge blessing to have them around.

...On Other Note.

Ever since I knew I would be coming to Peru, I have been so excited about lack of technology. It doesnt really seem like I am in South America because I have gotten on Facebook nearly everyday. Hopefully, that will change soon. I want to take hold of Jesus like I never have before, especially since I do not have access to all the technology and things I have at home. I mean He has already captured me, so now it is up to me to pursue Him. The first few days I have been in Peru it seems all I have been concerned about is praying for the trip and my team and God have His will with all of the things we will be doing. Truth is I still pray for those things and need to pray about those things, but that does not need to be the only thing I pray about. God just kind of said "you know Britney while you are here away from everything there is so many things I need to be praying about and should be praying about."

I do not want to get so caught up in myself, as it seems I always do. I feel I pray so much for God to do stuff in my own life, but I really need to praying for others more than I pray for myself. I do not want to get caught up in praying for God to do so much that I forget who He truly is. MY DADDY WHO HAS NEVER LEFT OR FORSAKE ME..... MY UNFAILING LOVE... MY ULTIMATE PROVIDER!

Even though I am not at home this summer I still pray for my church, everybody at home, and my own family members who do not have a relation ship with Jesus Christ . I am not really there but I know it is the least I can do for them.

PLEASE, Let me know if you have any prayer request.

bshubert2007@yahoo.com

CAN'T WAIT TO BE IN THE VILLAGES

Well, yesterday two teamamtes were sick. I started feeling sick yesterday, and today Brandon has not been feeling sick. Please pray for us and our health. When you are on the mission field and sick, it is so easy to forget why we are here.

We are still in Lima and will be until Friday. I love Lima but I am so ready to get out. I feel like I have been a tourist long enough. I am so ready to be in the villages and do what God has called me to do in Peru. Once we leave Lima it is a 20 hour bus ride to our first village. So pray for us as we go through along bus ride and altitude changes. Training has been going well, I feel like we actually accomplished alot today.

Please pray for all of us. Pray that we will make our quite time with Jesus a priority and not forget who we belong to. It is so hard to get caught up in the everyday things and concentrate so much on what needs to be done.

Pray for our health. When we get in the villages and fruits and vegtables may not be washed properly or at all, our health will be more at risk. Not to forget the mountains are 15,000+ feet high. So pray we will have some good health and great immune system. No matter how sick we may be, we still have work to do.

Pray for our safety. We will be traveling 20 hours Friday. Pray for safety as we travel. Pray for safety also concerning our luggage and belongings. There are alot of props we are going to have to carry with us so pray that God will have his hands on all of our belongings.

Week 1

Well, we made it to Peru safe and sound. Have went through 4 days of training, had two days off, and now 4 more days of training. We are planning our skits, songs, and puppets for the villages we will be visiting. We are in Lima now and it is amazing,It is like the NYC of Peru. We have got to see alot due to off time and getting lost. I am ready to get to the villages and see more and do the things God has called me to do. We will be going through some major alttitude changes within thwe next week, so please pray about that. Time is flying by, it is so hard to believe we have been here for a week, already. I am only here for 10 weeks, such a short amount of time and I want to make the most out of it. Our missionary supervisors have trained us how to do some stuff that is reproducible. I thank God for that, I was kind of worried about what wuould happen after we left. I wanted them to be discipled and grow in thier faith.

WE MADE IT!!!

We mad it to PERU Tuesda morning at like 2:30. I had traveled 19 hours and went 24 hours without sleep (for the first time ever). We made it here safe and sound. Tomorrow is our last day of training, and then my team will go to Lima for a few days to do some extra training. I love this country. This is absolutely the most beautiful place I have ever been. Please continue to pray for us. We have 13 villages to visit within 9 weeks. Pray that God will have His will with transportation and pray for our safety and health (we are going through alot of alltitude changes). Time is just flying by, but I know how happy that makes all of you at home.

On My Way

I am at the airport in Birmingham, AL. right now. Next I will be in Dallas and I am meeting Hannah there. Security and check-in went really well. Although, we still have alot of security to go through once we get to Miami, so please pray that goes well. It is so hard to believe this day is finally here!

Meet the Team

I am working with the IMB this summer in South Peru and serving on the creative ministry team. We will be traveling to different villages doing evangelism through drama and music. There are 6 college students from the US on this team and here they are.

Ashley Whitaker

Ashley is from Texas and has felt God's calling to missions in Latin America, she went to Ecudor in 2008 and loved it.

Hayes Parnell

Hayes is from Birmingham, AL and a junior at the University of Mobile. He leads worship at a church in Mobile, AL and will have his 21st birthday while we are in Peru.

Jon Kieth

Jon has 3 passion in life, and they are God, sports, and people. This past year he attended college at Auburn University - Montgomery.

Hannah Dreyer

Hannah is 20 years old and from Texas and a woman that loves Jesus. We have been communicating ever since she came on board about a month ago, and I can not wait to meet her. Hannah has not ever been on a plane before and she is kind of nervous, so please pray some special prayers just for her.

Brandon Penton

Brandon is 23 yearsold and from Pearl River, Louisiana. He loves sports and music.

and then there is me.

Britney Shubert

I am 20 years old and just finished my second year of college at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL. I went to Honduras in 2005 and never thought I would ever go to another country. I love to travel and be outdoors.

As you all look at this, and now that you know our names, PLEASE pray us on a daily basis by name. If we have any specific prayer request once we get in Peru I will post them. God has truly blessed me with a great team. I don't see us having any conflict about anything.

6 MORE DAYS!!!!

It is getting closer by the minute. It's hard to believe that I am just a few days away from being in Peru for the summer! I cann't wait. Please continue to pray for the team. As we are getting closer to leaving and trying to get everything ready, it is so easy to loose our focus and forget what this summer is really about. We have alot to do right now and we will have more to do once we arrive in Peru. Please pray for some safety when it comes to traveling. (We are flying out on Memorial Day, and I have to got through 3 airports in the US before arriving in Peru.) Also pray that we will not get burned out the first few days we are there, and pray that we will make some a quiet/study time one of our top priorities.

If you would like to send any prayer requests, praise reports, or words of encouragement to the team this summer, you can email the to me.

bshubert2007@yahoo.com

10 MORE DAYS!!!

PLANE TICKET: $1086

FIELD COST: $1553

TRAVEL INSURANCE: $146.26

BEING A SUMMER MISSIONARY: PRICELESS

WELL, I have spent the past hour or so packing my back. Man, Can you believe it?! In less than 2 weeks I will be in Peru. FINALLY!!!!!

Tomorrow I am going to pick up a few last minute items. It is hard trying to put everything into one bag, but I know I can do it. I have even taken a few things out (and still need to make out some more) that I know I would not need. I have to get used to the whole no make-up and hair not being fixed thing. I have already gone 2 or 3 days without make-up and didn’t fix my hair today and that is going ok. I am learning if my hair is not fixed and I am not wearing make-up, then it’s not the end of the world. I think I am adapting to that better than I thought I would. It’s not that bad.

I am ready to go and have been ready to go for a while. The fact that I am going to get homesick hit me really hard last week, but now I know that I am going to be ok. I think homesickness will be something Satan will use and I pray that we be alert and know when Satan is attacking. I have met and talked to most of the team I am working with and God has really blessed me with some wonderful teammates. I pray their will be some peace in the team especially when it comes to decision making and working together. Although, I really do not see us having any conflict. I also prey that God will reveal to us any talent or ability that we have and are unaware of that He will use on the mission field and I pray for some creativity when it comes to the ministry He has called us to.

I love seeing how God has worked and is working just in the planning and preparing of this summer. I know giving up this summer, when I could be in the U.S. with all of my technology and friends, but to follow God and do something He has called me to do, is COMPLETELY worth it. I can not wait to experience God like never before and take my relationship with Him to a whole new level.

Support Missionaries?

I cam across this blog by John Piper, and I liked what it said.

Were you unable to send a Christmas present or care package to some missionaries you love this season? It’s okay. You can still bless a missionary this Christmas.

[Update: It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway—even though Christmas is past, these ideas can still encourage our friends overseas. Let's keep serving them all year long!]

Here are 13 post-office-free ideas to get you started, most of which you could do right now from your desk:

Pray specific Scripture for them and their ministry, and then email it to them.

Call or email their parents—Christmas might be just as lonely for the ones at home as the ones away.

Purchase phone minutes for an international calling card through an online service like OneSuite and email them the account number.

Donate frequent flier miles to them.

Purchase an iTunes gift card for them. Have it sent to you and email them the account number.

Commit to pray for them on a specific day of the week for a year.

Write a song or poem or story for them. Email them the text and a recording of you reading or singing it.

Get friends and family together to create a holiday video greeting for them using Google Video or YouTube. Include lots of people you know they miss.

Make a year-end gift through their missions board or agency.

Western Union—the fastest way to send money.

Call their local florist (not everyone is in the jungle these days) and have flowers delivered, or their local Pizza Hut and have pizza delivered—with corn and shrimp as toppings!

Donate to a charity that means a lot to them.

Make a monthly commitment to support them financially.

If you have your own ideas, respond to this post and let us know what they are. Maybe next year we can offer 50 suggestions, or 100.

(Remember to use discernment in written or video communication if your missionaries work in security-sensitive locations.)

And PLEASE hold me accoutable for supporting missionaries. I know how much it touches thier hearts.

PRAYER

IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!!


Like I mentioned in my last blog I am reading a book written for and by student missionaries. The first chapter of this book speaks of prayer. God doesn’t call everyone to a foreign field, but ANYONE AND EVERYONE CAN PRAY. God can and will use you to change the world. You can impact this world on your knees.

Missionaries are people who have said “yes” to God’s calling and obediently follow Him to difficult and sometimes dangerous places. God has really burdened me about praying for missionaries, especially this week. (Just 1 other way God has changed my life.) And please let me encourage you not just let your prayer be “god please be with the missionaries of this world” but pray for some specific things, like the following:

PRAY for missionaries to be to be humble and submissive in the Spirit of the Lord.

PRAY for missionaries to be consistent in spiritual disciplines, such as prayer and Bible Study. On the mission field it is so hard sometimes to make the time to sit down and have a personal Bible study.

PRAY for missionaries to live pure and holy lives in thought, action, and words.

PRAY for all of the missionaries who, for security reasons, can not tell anybody what country they are sharing the gospel with. Persecution is strong and not every country can shout the name of JESUS as freely as we can. They go through so much and know why, yet never give up. (it is some of these particular missionaries and situations who bring tears to my eyes.)

PRAY and thank Jesus for all of the missionaries who have said “yes” to God gave up everything and move their children to another country, just to share the Gospel of Christ Jesus. (Think about that for a few moments. That is a big thing! I can not find the words to say how much that means to me.)

PRAY for the people groups who have never known a missionary and pray that God will burden a missionary with that particular people group. (41% of this world is unreached and I pray this summer I get to see an unreached people group.)

PRAY for missionaries to be able to find all of the unreached people groups of this world. There are missionaries assigned just to specifically find the people groups that nobody knows exist. Most of these people groups (I know in South America) can not be reached by a vehicle; someone has to hike a trails and/or mountains for hours at a time so that they may hear the gospel.

As a missionary, we really and truly depend on God’s people to pray for us as we share some wonderful news with a lost and dying world. My absolute biggest fear concerning this trip is people not praying for me. We are so blessed to have a God who listens to our every word and we have a God we can go to anytime and anyplace. It is such a privilege for us to enter the throne room by praying for those specials servants of the Lord!

21 days to go !!!

And it can NEVER be here soon enough!!!

Well, here I am. I have my plane ticket is booked and have all I need. I am so ready to go. God is always preparing me and doing wonderful things and I know the best is yet to come. This summer I long to be somewhere my cell phone does not work, my computer and I pod will be at home, and no TV, and Jesus is the only thing I am holding on to.

Last week I had a summer missionary commissioning service and I received a book all about student missions. I think it so amazing to be able to read this book and say I know what they are talking about, the very same things have happened in my life. My favorite line, in the book so far, a student missionary in South Africa said, “You know when you are in the will of God, when a place on the map becomes a place in your heart.” That is exactly what Peru is to me, I have never been there, but I feel like I have.

I have been more emotional concerning this mission trip, than any other missions I have done, just thinking about the country and hearing stories of missionaries in other countries just brings tears to my eyes, but I will be ok. I have to do a little bit of debriefing now. I am learning I don’t need to hold anything in concerning this trip. I need to talk about it if I have to and cry if I feel like crying.

I have said before, when being called and stepping onto the mission field it literally changes the way you see everything. I can never, ever get over how blessed I really am. I feel guilty for taking a shower using hot water. It breaks my heart to see and know there are some missionaries and people in this world who don’t have hot water. I feel like I should not be drinking bottled water, when really there is nothing wrong with tap water. Some people in this world do not even have access to running water, and even then sometimes that water one can not drink. I CAN NOT STAND hearing people complain. If we are in pain we go to doctor and get medicine, and who knows we may not go to work for a day or so. We need to thank God we have quick access to a doctor and the finances to be able to see a doctor. If we were in another country we probably wouldn’t have that and 9 times out of 10 if the doctor would be there the medicine would not. And work to us is just a dreaded ole’ chore, but to another country it is a blessing and only way to live. I just want to be content with what I have. If you have Jesus and only Jesus, you will have all you can ever need and want.

Deleitate asimismo en Jehova, Y el te concedera las peticiones de tu corazon. – Salmos 37:4

OH I AM SO READY TO GO!!!

MAY 25 CAN NEVER BE HERE SOON ENOUGH!!


Well, I have got my plane ticket booked. I thougth that would be really stressful, but it really wasn't near as stressful as I thought. I have just about everything I need for my trip. And to say the least GOD IS BEYOND AMAZING!!!

It is so hard waiting right now. When you absolutely know God has called you somewhere. I believe is where you're heart is 100%. And this week I have had to stop and ask God several times to reveal my purpose to me while I am here. My life right now is not easy, with finals, school, and then getting ready to go to Peru. When you are called to something and your heart is in another place, you just get careless. I just want to be where my heart is. I am so ready to go to Peru that it is unreal. I long for the day that I will be somewhere my phone does not work, there is no t.v., and my computer and ipod will be at home.

Please continue to pray for me. Pray for school, but pray also that I will not forget my purpose here in the US. Pray for safety and also pray for the other 100 students who have committed to missions in Peru for the summer of 2009.

"BE the church!"

Again, it is amazing to see how God has been preparing me for the past year, even when I didn't see or know it. I was blessed with the privilage to be a youth director of a small church for seven months and this is something I got to share with the church a year ago.

Not long ago, I came across this quote "Don't go to church, BE the church." I think we have gotten so caught up in our ways, that we do not even realize what and who the church is supposed to be. The church is not just a building with stained glass windows. I got curious and looked the word church in Webster's Dictionary and one of its definitions is "a body of believers." I like that,another way I like to refer to the church is God's greenhouse. It nourishes us and helps prepare us for who we need to be. Rirst things first, Jesus didn't die for a building Jesus died for me and you. But after I read this quote, I could not help but think "How am I supposed to be the church?"

First, it has to start with prayer. Praying for fire. The fire that John Wesley talks about people coming for miles to watch burn. And praying for passion. Passion to see my colleges classmates turn to God, and passion to see my church thrive for you.

Second, being the church starts with me being a missionary to the mission field. And that mission field starts at my school and continues with the homeless people I see on the street. And I pray that I can really be a missionary to the mission field by loving the unlovable. This world will know we are Christians by our love.

Third is realizing I have a ministry. My ministry is not just at church, but at my school. Where I don't want to be another face in the sea of faces. I want to be somebody, somebody for God. I really believe He has put me there for a reason, and I want to make sure I follow His command. I want people to be able to look at me and say "Hey I want what she has." And I realize if they don't then I'm in trouble because I am lacking something. God has been SO great to me. He has set my feet to dancing; he has set my heart on fire. He has given me a wonderful church family that I adore. And I wanted a job as a part-time youth director and he has given me that job. And I want all of the people in my mission field to know that God can do the same thing for them. He is so much bigger than any pain or addiction they will ever have. He is so much bigger than their parents' marriage or anything another guy or girl could ever offer.

One another thing I pray for is that I will live my faith unashamed. That I will speak and stand up when I need to. And I pray that when God puts divine appointments in my way, I will see them and not pass them by. Our greatest purpose in this world is to know God and make God known. The least I could ever do is say "Hey, do you know of a man named Jesus? Let me tell you what he has done for me. Better yet, Let me tell you what he did for you?" and being the church while we're in the world.

MY Calcutta

Here is a blog I wrote last July. It is so amazing to see where God is calling me now, but this still applies to me here in the US, and the mission field. I love to read this today, it constantly reminds me who I supposed to be and why I am here. I God speaks to you through this.

Mother Theresa urged her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to find their own Calcutta. And recently God has telling me to do the same thing. And I have realized God has blessed me with a place to claim as my own Calcutta, Wallace State Community College. God has placed me at a school full of non-Christians for a reason and a place of service. Everyday I see many people who have not accepted Christ, and they don’t even have a relationship with him. I want to make a difference, and be who God has called me to be. I want to let people know about Christ by me being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I want them to see Jesus in me. I want them to have a relationship with mine and their Heavenly Father. I want to be continuously growing in Jesus Christ; because I want to see the people around me grow. Grow in their faith and children of God. I want to be a light in a dark world. I want to speak to the people that nobody ever talks to. And live each day like it was my last. I know it will not be easy, but Jesus is always by my side. I thank God for an opportunity to serve, love, and make a difference. I am ready to go any distance I have to go, and do anything I have to do. And I pray I will not forget my purpose and calling.

“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

~Where is YOUR Calcutta?

Where is your place of service?

Are you willing to serve regardless of what others will say?

Are you willing to serve regardless of inconvenience to you?

UPDATE!

Well, this week has been crazy, but amazing.

I have started communicating with the missionaries I will be working with this summer. And it has been hard. The only way we really have to communicate is through e-mail and they have been so considerate and so nice. They have answered every question and made me and my fellow missionaries know they are praying for us daily. And that is a major blessing, they even asked if there was anything they could specifically pray for.

And then there is the travel arrangements. I have talked to the travel agent as well. This has been so stressful. I was worried about my plane ticket getting booked but I felt better after talking with some of my teammates about this. My plane ticket will be booked this upcoming week, hopefully. I have been worried about flying into and out of the country by myself but I guess if that is the only worry I will ever have concerning this trip, then I would forget about Jesus. Unfortunately, I will have other worries I feel, but Jesus holds my world in His hands. I will be OK.

I ask that you please continue to pray for me. Pray for the wonderful missionaries, who give up their entire life and go somewhere completely out of their comfort zone, but pray that God will help and lead them as they lead us college students this summer. Pray for the travel arrangements, that God will have His complete will when it comes to which flight to take and when to arrive and return.

My Testimony.

I just realized I have not put my testimony on here and I am sure most people just know of me and don't really know me. So, here it goes...

I come from a single parent home. My mom pretty much raised me all by herself and never gave up. I never went to really went to church consistently nor did my parents ever care if I went to church. When I was twelve years old my grandmother started going to church and shortly after I started going to church with her. One day during Sunday School, my teacher asked if I was a Christian. I said no and he asked if I wanted to be a christian and I said yes. Later on after the a.m. service I talked to my youth pastor, at the time, and he sat down and lead me to Christ and through the sinners prayer. Before that I saw no purpose for living and was living how ever I wanted to. I decided to get serious with God and lay myself aside.

Little did I know that day would be the beginning of a wonderful, blessed, and life with Jesus Christ.

Me & my earthly dad talked 15 minutes within 5 years and, today we do not have the best relationship. Oh, but I have an amazing Heavenly Father who has never left or forsaken me. What more could I want?

My parents divorced when I was about 4 years old, but I have seen and know God used it for His glory.

Never have I had a boyfriend, kissed a boy, or held a boys hand, and I don't say that to be a goody two shoes. I want young girls to know, the only man that can give genuine and consistent fulfillment is Jesus Christ.

I have got to be a part time youth director for 7 months and a camp counselor for 2 summers, and I think God I got to do something I have always wanted to do.

I go to school at Wallace State and majoring in Elementary Education. Many people complain about it, but I know it's what God wants me to do.

I went to Honduras when I was 16, and never really thought I would ever be going to another country. This summer I am going to Peru for 10 weeks and can absolutely not wait. I know God is going to do some amazing things.

Today, my mom faithfully goes to church and my dad does not, nor does anyone else in my family, really. God has given me hope that one day they will. They don't quite understand why I would go to Peru, especially for 10 weeks. I remember the joy I had that one day 8 years ago, and I thank God I do , because that is the same joy that I long for this very day. I have to stop and realize just how am I living around my unsaved family and my unsaved classmates? I hope in a way that would represent Jesus and make them want to be saved and know Jesus. God has done some amazing things in my life and I know only he could do it. I thank God for the people who cared enough about me to make sure I know Jesus, because without them I have no idea where I would be.

OH, SO BLESSED AM I!

I have truly been blessed my entire life and it has been here recently that I have realized just how blessed I really am.

I have wanted to go to Peru for 5 years; God blessed me with the opportunity.

I have the opportunity to go to Peru, God opening the door to go to Peru was a real blessing.

God opened the door to Peru and I was blessed with a loving and so very supportive church family and never-ending support.

My church and family supported me having a yard sale to raise money, and what do you know, I was blessed with all the funding I have needed so far.

I know when we often think of blessings we think financially, but stop and think. The absolute GREATEST blessings of all are those that are not so money like. I mean we all are so very blessed to have the gift of life and not a one of us deserve it. And the love of God, our parents, or a spouse is a gift from God. It is a blessing to live in such a country to where we can carry a Bible and even own a Bible. I mean we can go to a local bookstore and buy a Bible and we have the availability to many resources. We can worship Jesus freely and in some countries it is illegal to use any Christian terminology.

I have also been so blessed recently by God providing the funding for this trip to Peru. Several people have given me some money, and I know they do not want any glory for it. With the economy like it is today, and people to just help me like they have, that goes to prove that this economy is so unstable but my God is always so stable. I have never really had to worry about how I was going to pay for this trip, because my God provided and that was a blessing to see God provide like He has. When you take a leap of faith onto the mission field, it literally changes your whole life. You see things with a new set of eyes. I wish you could see some things the way that I have.

I have been blessed way beyond measure and I am sure in more ways than I even begin to realize but God is not finished with me, yet.

He Called Me.

For a while now, I have felt God calling me into missions, with the opportunities through NAMB and IMB, I decide to go with that calling. Since day 1 I have said two things, (1) I thought I would be in a place I never thought I would be and (2) and if my parents would go for it, I would be going international. I had the opportunity to talk with several former summer missionaries and while talking to one of them I told her several times “if my parents would go for it I would be going international.” And she told me if God is calling me to do something I needed to it. Right then I felt God calling like never before. That night I prayed and woke up the next day and felt God calling even more. The first thing I done was called my mom and talked to her, and she was at peace and ok with me going on international missions for the summer. That day I received confirmation from God like I never had before.

Ever since I have felt God calling me into international missions, Peru is the only country God placed on my heart. And I found out March 10, 2009 that I am going to Peru. I leave May 25 and will be returning August 2. I am so excited. I have already seen God do some amazing things but the best is yet to come. I feel like I am going to learn to trust God in a new way this summer, but that’s ok. I am ready for it.