i put on my packin' pants

Before packing

Finished product. By the way, we shoved 200 toothbrushes, 200 pairs of shoes, 200 tshirts, 200 pairs of flipflops, and 200 cliff bars into these suitcases.

uganda details

So, quick details of the trip and what we'll be doing. We leave from DC tomorrow afternoon and will be returning Jan 12th. We are working with an organization called ABAANA (abaana.org) to work with orphanages and street kids. For two weeks we get to be the hand and feet of Jesus :) We are so so so excited! There will be updates on the facebook event if you're on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=482355726580&set=a.431129371580.206989.514991580#!/event.php?eid=184591258234063&index=1

Also, here is our prayer sheet:

The team is great and our God is even greater :) I might post some pics of our packing experience, but we'll see if that actually happens. Thank you for your prayers and for your support and love. God is going to do amazing things :)

Habakuk 1:6

soccer balls for uganda

A couple pictures of some AWESOME soccer balls we'll be taking over there :)

 

More updates for prayer and stuff will come later.

faithful

Today and yesterday have been good days of reflection of the semester and of the year. I was able to catch up with a lot of friends that I haven't seen in months and it was so exciting telling them all about what God's been doing not only in my life, but also at VT and in others' hearts around me. There have been COUNTLESS lessons, a lot of healing, a lot of stretching and growth, and many discoveries about God’s character. As I get ready to go to Uganda, there is one aspect of His character that has blown me away in the preparation process: His FAITHFULNESS. Oh boy, I could write a novel about how God has been so faithful and abundant in His provision of financial and prayer support. One story (one that I will probably tell my kids one day) I will leave you with: Sometime in September/October I reached a brick wall in financial support. I had received a steady flow over the summer, but then it came to a sudden halt.  A deadline was approaching, so I started to doubt.  One morning during my quiet time I gave it all over to God and told Him that I trusted Him for His provision.  I also prayed for Him to knock my socks off that day.  I come back to my apartment after classes to find a package from a friend back home.  It had some books that she had told me she was going to send me, but it also had an envelope.  I open it…a check for Uganda for $1675, $200 of which was from friends of this friend. I screamed, I cried, I skipped, I cried some more; God knocked my socks off for sure and He showed me His faithfulness in His promised provision.  Goodness, I had never felt tinier compared to this huge and awesome God. 

He has been faithful in bringing the team together for the trip, a team that barely knows one another.  He has been faithful in showering us with His abundant provision of support from family and friends and our brothers and sisters at VT.  He has been faithful in helping us sell tshirts. He has been faithful in helping us to collect Bibles, toothbrushes, and other things we will be taking to the street kids over there. He has been faithful in planning the logistics of the trip. The list goes on. Point is, He is so good and His faithfulness never fails :) His provision has been so magnificent that we can’t help but anticipate HUGE things happening in Uganda.

I’ve been researching the places we could be potentially be working at and I’m warning you now, don’t be surprised if I don’t want to come back. And if I’m forced to come back (which is likely since I’m registered for classes in the spring haha), don’t be surprised if I bring like 15 Ugandan children back with me. I can’t wait to hug these kids. I can’t wait to love on them. I can’t wait to tell them how much the God of the universe delights in them and how valuable they are to Him. 

5 days.

Make me Your hands and feet God!

intro

I've been going back and forth on creating a blog for quite some time now and as you can see, I have finally caved. I was persuaded by the blogs of others and the realization that, oh yeah, I leave for Uganda in a week and a half, and people back in the States would like updates. And a blog would be a neat place to put God anecdotes and to give Him praise for who He is and what He's doing. Only made sense to create one. Hopefully you'll have more uses than one for this blog.

The title of this blog, as I'm sure you've noticed, is "Chasing." This comes from the song "Chasing" by Charlie Hall.  Some lyrics:

Sweet forgiveness, my redemption,

You're a Savior once for all and today.

Oh the mercy, it comes to flood me,

Jesus on the cross, You took my place.

And I'm chasing after You

'Cause You first chased after me.

And You purchased me with blood,

I am free I am complete.

Now a child of my King,

Leaving old I am made new.

'Cause You first chased after me,

I am chasing after You.

And I found my love, I found my love,

And my heart is dancing

Jesus, Jesus, I am chasing after You,

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I am chasing after You.

These lyrics are the best way to describe how I see my day-to-day walk with God, it's a chase, it's a pursuit. What once was solely God chasing after me has now turned into a two-way pursuit, but God still and always will do a better job at that. He has saved me, set me free, and made me new, why should I not spend my life chasing after Him?

A word of caution, you will see LOTS of song lyrics throughout my entries. God has made me very music-oriented and it's through music that I often feel very close to Him.

As for Uganda, 9 DAYS until everyone on the team (Andrew, Amanda, Katie, Melanie, Michelle, and Mallory) comes together at my place and 10 DAYS until we embark on this awesome adventure God has planned for us. I can't believe the trip is finally here. I've been dying to go to Africa for nearly 2 years and have been waiting to go to Uganda essentially this entire year. Just by seeing God's faithfulness in support raising, in bringing the team together, and in laying out the details of the trip, I know God has HUGE plans in store. More will come on that later. But for now, I gotta peace. Please be praying for the team and I, for the precious kids and whoever else we'll be loving on, and for preparations to set out on what I anticipate will be a life-changing, eye-opening, heart-stealing mission trip.