Here is a shortened version on how I have been presented the opportunity to go on a Medical Mission Trip to the Ivory Coast this summer...
It started back in August of 2006 when I got back from my first mission trip to Guyana, well actually you could say it started before, but for a while I have had this desire and I feel calling to go into missions. God placed me into nursing (which is a whole other story in itself), I believe to use it as a way of ministry not on in the US, but also in countries that don't have the medical technology that we do. It's amazing how God brought me to Liberty because in our classes they emphasize and teach just this, they will make side notes and teach us how to use things, like a glass thermometer, because they don't have electronic ones in the missions field. It's actually quite cool. Anyways, in hindsight God has been preparing me for this for awhile. During my Sophmore year, after a whole year and a half of ignoring the voice that told me to go talk to someone associated with missions, and after getting sick of myself being jelous of all my friends who were going overseas, I decided to go see if I could go on a summer missions after my Junior year with the school and do some studying overseas. Well because our Nursing program is so intense, this isn't possible, but I was handed a list of organizations that I could contact. So I contacted them, and a year in advance was too soon to start planning specifically where to go, so I laid off it for a while, but I still had in my mind that I was going somewhere the summer after my Junior year.
I wanted to explore missions more and see how get into it and how I know it's what God wants me to do, so I was pointed in the direction of Phil Wilson and Craig Sheilds at church. I contacted them and began the process which I am going through now. I knew that I wanted to go on a trip that was medically based and was about 1 month long, I didn't have a specific place to go.
As for trips, how do you decide and know what one is right for you? Well the answer is God will definitly make it clear. I originially wanted to go to Guatamala on a trip with an Anatomy professor at school but because of some events, he decided not to go. Then there is a fellow nursing major of mine mine who is leading a trip to Thailand this summer, although this trip is going to be great, I didn't feel it was right for me for various reasons. I toyed with the thought of going down to Guatamala by myself to help a missionary there that my church supports, but that didn't seem to be working out. It was then suggested to me to check out World Venture and Pioneers. Both are great organizations with summer missions trips. So as I looked I found a trip to the Ivory Coast with World Venture that was 1 month long and strictly medical...PERFECT! But God quickly closed the door on this. Because I began the application process late, the trip became filled up. So I focused on Pioneers. They had some great trips to Africa as well, but they were less medical. I ended up being accepted to go on their trip to Togo, but I was not at peace about it. After much prayer and talking with some great people, I realized that God was telling me to wait. So I came to accept the fact that it was not in God's plan for me to go on a mission trip, it was only my plan.
A few days after I decided not to go, I got a call from Jim Copeland the head of World Venture, saying that if I wanted to go on the medical trip to the Ivory coast, they could make it work for me...WOW...I got chills and goose bumps, literally. I was so suprised, he gave me the weekend to think about it. I didn't need to though...after all the events that had occured, I felt that if I turned this down, then I'd be stupid and turing God down. So after all that..I'm going to Africa!
This scares me, but I know it will all work out. Right now I'm at the point where the trip is a little over a month away, and I have not been able to begin any fund raising or prayer support or anything. I am finishing up the application process and then hopefully soon I'll be able to start raising support. Everything is going to go so fast and I'm trusting that if God really wants me to go He will provide the funds that I need!
Please pray as I begin this process!
No comments:
Post a Comment