The first...of many firsts...

As I mentioned in my first blog post, I will be encountering a lot of “firsts” related to this mission trip...so here is my re-cap of the first…of my firsts…

1.  Going on this mission trip will be my first time out of the United States…and out of North America, if we’re being really honest. You might be thinking, “Wow! She doesn’t get out much!” I would argue that I do…just here in the United States. I have definitely wanted to leave the country – you should see my vacation “wish list” (Australia, England, Germany, Italy, Greece, and the Caribbean…just to name a few!) I just haven’t had an opportunity to leave the country. Either time or money or some combination of the two has prevented me from doing so – that and a lack of having friends who also have the right combination of time and money at the same time that I do!

2.  I applied for a passport for the first time! This might be implied from the previous “first,” but I always thought I would have my passport long before now. Even if I wasn’t able to use it, I assumed I would have it…just in case… So, over Spring Break, I got my passport photos taken at Walgreens – it’s much cheaper to have them do it than having it done at an application accepting location (if you’re in the market to apply for one). Luckily, my friend Carrie had also been planning on turning in her passport application as well, so she and I went out for our application turn-in adventure on Friday afternoon. Come to find out, the passport office in the Post Office in Bryan closes at 1:30pm, and they are extremely strict on their time. Not to mention, they must have been having a rough/long day because they weren’t overly friendly to me and Carrie. Nonetheless, we were on a “ability to travel internationally” high and headed out to the City of Bryan Courthouse to turn our application in there. The ladies who helped us were nice, and although not NEAR as talkative as me and Carrie, they served us in a very welcoming manner. Overall, I’d suggest going to the Courthouse to turn in your application – quick and efficient service, and there are multiple desks (vs. only one at the Post Office).

3.  I mailed support letters for the first time. Again, this may be a no-brainer, since I’ve never gone on a mission trip before. However, I’ve never even been part of a domestic cause/project/activity that required outside support. It was fun and challenging to try to fit into one page what the trip would entail, my excitement for being given the opportunity to go, and all the many ways our team needs support while we prepare and while we’re gone. Overall, it was a great experience to pour my heart out, and I am happy to report that words of encouragement, prayers, and donations have already started coming in! I am unbelievably blessed, and I know that God has his hand on our team and this trip. If you are interested in learning more about supporting our team through prayer or various types of donations, feel free to message, email, or call me!

Get excited for more posts and more “firsts” to come – including shopping for mission trip appropriate attire, getting shots, getting meds, flying internationally, and so much more!

I jumped on the blog train...

And "why?" you might ask? Well, I will tell you... Opportunity knocked, and I felt compelled and led to say "yes". It all started at the end of last fall when my church Brazos Fellowship announced that one of our own BF families would be leaving in just over month to become full-timen missionaries in Uganda. That night, at our monthly First Wednesday service, they showed a slideshow explaining what the Segners (Kari and Jason and their four beautiful children) would be doing with their ministry Healing Faith Uganda in Africa. The Segners were at the service to talk to us so that we could support them and pray for their journey ahead. Instantly, I felt a tug in my heart and was reminded of a time between undergrad and grad school when I heard about Invisible Children and the work going on to combat the many social injustices in Africa. Since then, I have had a heart for those injustices, and as I watched the Segners' slideshow, a thought filled my head and heart, "our church should plan a mission trip, and if they do, I need to go".

Soon after that evening, and as the Segners' date of departure approached at the beginning of January, our church made a BIG announcement that a local non-profit -- Imani Tumaini Upendo, which was co-founded by some of the members of Brazos Fellowship -- would be putting together a mission trip to assist the Segners in their work. I was thrilled and a little surprised, and found myself asking God, "is this what you have planned for me?" As I prayed and thought about this wonderful opportunity to determine if it was, indeed, the direction God intended for me to go, all the spots for the trip filled. Even though I still had several questions and wasn't sure if this was where God wanted me, I was a bit disheartened that the door had been closed.

Over the next month or so, I began praying for God to help me to be sensitive to His leading. I prayed specifically that if He wanted me on this trip, I knew that He would open up spots that would allow me to serve Him and the people in Uganda by joining the team. As the weeks passed, it appeared to me that this was not where God wanted me. However, while I was in Colorado in mid-February for a work conference (I know...tough life, right?), I received an email from Rachel, the trip leader, letting me know that 2 spots had opened up. I told her I would continue praying about the opportunity and let her know if I would be joining as soon as I could.

When I returned from the work conference, I headed straight home to Nacogdoches to visit my family, as my step-dad had had a stroke the night before I left for Colorado. While working through the family situation at home, I spent quite a bit of time in prayer, asking God to make it clear to me if He wanted me to say "yes" to one of the spots that had opened on the trip. One of the things I was most worried about and had been praying about was my mom's reaction; I assumed she would be terrified of the thought of her daughter heading half-way around the world to a country she nor I had ever visited, to work with and for people we had never met. To my surprise, my mom was not only supportive but excited about the prospect of me serving in this way. To add even more certainty to my questioning head and heart, God provided a couple of other confirmations that joining the mission team was exactly where He wanted me. When I got back to College Station, I texted Rachel and told her that pending approval from work, I was "in". I knew that work was the last step in figuring out if this possibility could be a reality so I continued praying that, again, if I supposed to join the team, then work would approve my 2 weeks off in July -- one of the BUSIEST times of year for a Fish Camp advisor!! To my surprise and delight, my boss and his boss approved my request in just a couple of days...and just in time for our first mission team meeting!

I was and am still nervous, but more than anything, I am so excited for this amazing opportunity -- to help the Segners, to serve the people and children in Uganda, and to follow through on a new and unexpected direction in my life for 2012. Since this trip and working with the mission team will be a compilation of many "firsts" for me, I decided a blg would be great way to document my journey and personal growth (can you tell I'm a student affairs professional??).

Thanks for reading...and stay tuned for more, coming soon!! God bless!!