Be Still.

One week from today I will be breathing in the air of Kenya, feeling the warmth of the sun on my cheeks and expecting to serve in whatever ways God allows.  I CAN’T believe it. 

The past few days have been filled with learning more about the culture of Kenya, the organizations that we will be serving and what it means to go on a mission trip. My heart has really been tugged at for this trip. It is the first time that I am a leader instead of just a participant and God is using this experience already to shape and form my thoughts more and more on what His heart is for serving others. What a blessing it has been to have 3 and ½ days off of school for Korean Lunar New Year to set apart time to pray, think and work through more of the details of this trip.  My heart and soul are full tonight after I having spent the afternoon watching videos of awesome organizations doing awesome things in Kibera, putting together material for our team to work through this week to be better prepared as we go to serve and nailing out all the details. Through it all I am learning what it means to trust God deeper, to rely on Him for strength and wisdom. To experience grace and learn more what it means to have grace.

And I have to be honest it has also been a hard 3 and ½ days off of school feeling extremely tired, about to throw-up any minute and overwhelmed by all that I have to do (putting together the trip, training on making eye glasses, having to teach this week, coaching soccer, first soccer game this Friday, taking care of members in my community, saying good-byes ect). I don’t know how I am going to make it through this week, but I do know that my problems, my to-do list is so small compare to what God can do and nothing can compare to the strength, the wisdom and the amazing way He (my Savior) helps you get through all things that are pointed towards bringing GLORY to His NAME. I just have to rest at His feet. Sit still and listen to His voice. Act when He says act. Love when He says love. Serve when He says Serve. Be still. Be still and TRUST.

This trip has already been a huge step of faith for me as I have had to believe for all the funds to come and trust for the right team to come together. My heart is filled with joy as the day gets closer, but I also know that my joy is replaced with sadness as one member of our team is not able to go on the trip. When I first posted about this trip I talked about how excited I was that God was allowing me to go on this trip in faith with a student. We both believed in faith for finances to come and THANK YOU SO MUCH to those of you who have so generously given. It is so appreciated!!! But I have sad news to tell you, this student will not be able to go on the trip because of complications of her being from another African country. She is very disappointed. She is now trusting and seeking God for what He has for her this week without walls. She has many other local options to choose from and I know she will be a blessing to whomever and wherever she serves.  I would ask that you would please pray that she has amazing week experiencing God in a whole new way.

Tomorrow my team will be talking about expectations that we have for the trip so I have been thinking and praying through the expectations I believe that God has for me on this trip:

-          First to grow in my leadership skills (Lead with grace, love, support and confidence)

-          Second to have a heart that is ready to serve whenever and however

-          Third to give up my “to-do lists” and be willing to be flexible not worried about time

-          Fourth to prepare my soul to love every person I encounter deeply and encourage them with God’s love.

-          -Fifth to learn. Have a posture of learning, listening and humbling myself. I want to go on this trip with ears and eyes first. J

Thank you so much for your support. Your prayers are/will be much appreciated through this week, next week and the months to come as we all (my team) process everything that we learn. I promise there will be many more post about this trip to come! J   

Love, Daniella



P.S. If you would like prayer points for each day while we are gone click here.

 

Something that I have to constantly remind myself these days

 

Prayer for Kenya

Two little weeks from today I will be flying with six high schoolers and three adults to serve in Nairobi, Kenya! My heart can hardly take it- I just want to be there now. I can’t wait to see all that God is going to do in and through the lives of everyone involved. We have definitely have had some struggles getting everything figured between visas, buying tickets, fund raising, yellow fever shots and remember to show up at our lunch meetings, but God who is always faithful has provided so many open doors. I am continuing to be in awe of His amazing faithfulness! I believe with all my heart that somehow all the funds will come in. I am daily surrendering the anxiety that it causing me and refocusing my mind on Jesus who knows exactly what our needs are. If you feel led to give please click here; this link will take you to another blog which has the many different options to choose from for how you would like to give.

Prayer. I am asking if you would please partner with my team in prayer. We have two students going on the trip who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior, but are seeking to figure out more about what it means to be a follower of Christ. I am praying with excitement that God will minister so deeply to their hearts on this trip. Would you pray with me that their lives would be transformed to follow Jesus?

We have also came up with prayer points for each day we are gone if you would love to join and cover our trip with prayer. It is much appreciated. The power of prayer is amazing and it is something that God is showing more and more about these days.

28 Feb – Pray for safe travel for us from Korea to Nairobi, Kenya.  Pray all of our bags arrive safely and undamaged.

1 Mar – Pray for us to get prepared and rested so we can begin strong on Monday morning.  Pray for our health that no one gets ill or sick during the week.

2 Mar- Pray for us that we would wake up ready to serve with our whole hearts however the Lord leads.

3 Mar- Pray for the missionaries in Kenya who helped organize our trip and for their ministries to continue to grow in Christ.

4 Mar- Pray for the people of Kenya that they would experience the deep love of Christ and experience how faithful He is.

5 Mar- Pray for the students who do not know Christ that He would relieve Himself to them and their lives would be transformed

6 Mar – Pray as we leave Nairobi, Kenya that our hearts would be changed for the better and that we would leave knowing that everything we did was for Christ and not for man.

2 – 6 March – Pray for us as we make and distribute reading glasses; as we work in the Elementary and Middle School to share the love of Christ for each of these children.

7 Mar – Pray for us as we spend one day in Dubai as we see and experience some of the Middle Eastern culture that we would be a light for Christ throughout the day.

8 Mar – Pray for travelling mercies as we complete our trip back to Korea and prepare to go back to school the next day

8 Mar- Pray for us as we start to share our stories and what God did in our lives with those who did not get to go on the trip. Pray that it would be encouraging and bring glory to God!

Overall, pray for our students to see how they can be the hands of feet of Christ; how he can work on their hearts too so that they too can come to know the Lord. 

“It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself.”— John Piper

Thank you so much for partnering with us in prayer! We are so thankful and it is much appreciated!

 Love, Daniella