Lizzie and I at B*ntu camp two years ago.

Sooo, I had good intentions of writing this post last week. Obviously, that didn't happen. :)

My dear friend Lizzie is about to head home from a mission trip to Iraq. Iraq.

Does that boggle any one else's mind? She has been in the heart of this Islamic country ministering to the Muslim community with an organization called Servant Group International at a classical Christian School there. I am amazed at her courage and compassion, this can't be an easy place to minister. She is such an inspiration and encouragment to me, as well as being that girl who gets your serious moods and your crazy moods. Good to have around.

Lizzie with some of the girls at B*ntu camp last summer. She is so good with them and I'm sure working with them helped prepare her for this trip.

So, if you think of it, please pray for Lizzie and the team as they fly home and that their work would forever change them and the people they met. Thanks! Have a blessed week!

???

Sooo, what were we doing?

Several months ago God gave me this idea to have a adoption/orphan care meeting back in November for my church to encourage our body to grow more in the way that we care for orphans.

Of course, my little fundraising, trip planning, vision voicing, high expectations brain immediately said: "Oh, and we'll sell T-shirts! And we'll have it at the church and it will be totally filled up! Maybe it could be a 2-day conference! And we'll have videos! And worship! And it will be the best thing ever!"

"Uh, Audrey? Hello? Aren't you going to listen to what I think you should do? Come down off of your high horse and sit and watch Me work."

Riiiiiiiight.

The Lord used the advice, talents and input of other people in my lovely covenant community to make this event exactly what God wanted for it to be. Small. Organic. Intentional. Relational. Foundational. Simple.

Thank you Lord for not letting me have my way. Thank you Lord for doing this work apart from me and for letting me be just one little tool. Thank you for Tori and her family for their encouragement and willingness to help with food. Thank you Mom for literally forcing me to do parts of this that I was afraid of and for spending hours cleaning the house and cooking delicious Ethiopian food. Thank you Lizzie for being a rock and a comfort. Thank you Mrs. Dokkestul for being the most encouraging, helpful, passionate about ministry person on the planet. Thank you Mr. Nelson for being willing to speak about our church's adoption fund which you helped create and for writing about it. Thank you Pauli for making delicious baklava, for being so fun, and for being willing to write the section on child sponsorship in the pamphlet so last minute. Thank you Mrs. Hensley for being willing and open to share your adoption story and your precious family with us. Thank you Tammy Bass for coming out of your way to people that you don't know to share about your passion and your work with Bethany Christian Services. Thank you Mrs. Smith for being so sweet and willing to help. Thank you Kathryn for bringing your whole family and being ready to speak LAST MINUTE about pro-life advocacy. Thank you thank you everybody.

It was a blast.

And totally do-able. I Am One folks and Next Generation folks-- you guys could start something like this for your church. Its beautiful. And its totally the Lord's work.

Mission Photo Monday: Ecaudor

In 2005, my dad went on a mission trip to Ecuador.

It was one of the trips that God used to prompt our family to adopt as Dad witnessed poverty at the 3rd world level.

All of the pictures from his trip make me amazingly happy, because my dad has the biggest heart of service of anyone that I've ever met. He would (and has) happily give the shirt off of his back to anyone in need and best of all, he would do it in secret. The biggest lesson that my dad has taught me about service is that true love and true servant hood is humble.

Sillyness

Around the corner,

Or down the street



You'll find with all the kids you meet,

Though maybe living far or near,

One attribute is very clear:

KIDS. ARE. SILLY!!!

Mission photo Monday

This Mission Photo was taken only about 30 minutes away from my house, but I think it was probably the most fulfilling mission experience that I've ever been a part of. A team of youth and a adults from my church and school spent a week at "camp" this summer with a group of Muslim refugees from Africa whose people group and name I can't share. :( We spent 5 days just hanging out with them and with each other and I witnessed my dear friends sharing the Gospel to the kids and to each other with out EVER using words to express God's love. The camp and the people were RADIANT with the Gospel, so much more, even, than if we had been able to use our tongues. The purpose of this adventure was to build relationship with these people so that eventually we will be able to tell them about Christ and that truth will fall on ears that are open and prepared to accept because they already trust us. We have followed through twice so far since last June and spent a day with them on two different occasions. We are working on maybe taking a tip to the zoo in March and then planning another week long camp for July.

The point?

I've always heard "you can be a missionary wherever you live, you don't have to travel far away to share the Gospel".... and that always kind of got to me, because I was actually burdened to travel far away. However, not to belittle 3rd world mission trips, sometimes the most amazing things really do happen right in our own towns. I think its harder for us to accept that because we aren't always looking to see and be the hands of Christ while we're still in our comfort zones. At least it is for me.

.....Tuesday???

So, I wanted to start doing Mission Photo Monday from
http://iamone143million.blogspot.com/, but its already Tuesday. I missed it. Darn.



Can I get away with doing Mission Photo Tuesday this week , and try for next Monday???

I realized that I haven't really posted much at all about my first mission trip to Africa. When I was 11 years old my mom and I travelled with some people from my church to South Africa and Kenya for two weeks on a mission trip with African Leadership: http://www.africanleadership.org/.

That trip totally changed my world and God used it to inspire my love for orphans as well as the African people.

This is me and my friend Patience who lives in South Africa. She is the same age as me. She is the exact same height as me. She has a family. She is a fabulous artist. She is a Christian. I love her very much. And I have never seen or heard from her again since we spent a few hours together that day.

Patience is the very first person ever who taught me the difference between a project and a relationship. Between a statistic and a person. Between thinking that mission trips are all about me coming in to save the day and me knowing that mission trips often involve me being blessed by the Lord and His people far more than I could ever bless them.

Patience was the first person to teach me that.

I can't wait to see her in heaven.

Welcome

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much for visiting. I don't have a super clear vision of what this blog is going to look like so far, but I am excited to have a place to record this time in my life.

A little bit about me:

More than anything, I am loved by my Savior, who I seek to glorify with all of my life. His faithfulness is unfailing and His mercies are new every morning. I am very blessed with a amazing family who loves me and accepts me. I am the oldest of five children with two younger brothers and two younger sisters (Joseph 13; Lela Grace 10; Michael 3; Julia 3). Michael and Julia are twins and they came home to our family from Ethiopia when they were 6 months old. I have attended the most amazing classical Chrstian school in the world since my sixth grade year and am blessed by the my teachers, friends, and education there every single day. My family and I are renewed every Sunday at a beautiful little church in my town that is associated with my school, so we get to fellowship with many of the same families in both places. Finally, and the biggest reason for me starting this blog to begin with: When I was 11 years old, my mom and I traveled to South Africa and Kenya on a mission trip. Since then, the Lord has slowly but surely called me to serve His children in Eastern Africa. When I was almost 13 Michael and Julia came home and since then I have had a tried to use every oppurtunity to spread African Adoption/Orphan awarness in my community.
My desire for almost 5 years was to return to Africa, and this past summer God fufilled that dream as I spent a week in Ethiopia and a week in Uganda on a mission trip visiting orphans. It was definetly a learning trip for me, and I know I'll be going back one day. I hope to live there either full time or at least for a while whenever God directs.

"To whom much is Given, much is expected."

The Lord has definetly blessed me immeasurably, even though many things aren't perfect and evey day there is something new to wrestle with and to learn from. But more than what God has given me, I am blessed by who He is. Lord help me to keep that in front of me at all times, and to not get caught up in what is going on around me and loose sight of who You are.

ps. I am somewhat modeling this blog after another girl's who I met in the blog world who also has a heart for orphans. Reading her blog (http://guatemolly1.blogspot.com/) encourages me all the time. It is also somewhat modeled after the first blog I ever followed, a friend of mine's from church (http://raechelmyers.blogspot.com/).