1 month 19 days 3 hours and 23 minuets!!!!

In 1 month 19 days and 3 hours and 23 minuets it will be June 10. The day I leave from St.Louis Mo and end up in Monrovia, Liberia. Things are quickly wrapping up. This past weekend I went to Marion, IL to hang out with my good buddy Kacy for the last time. Our schedules are soooo busy next month that Saturday and Sunday was our last “hang out” days. We will however get to do dinner one more time in May but it’s just not the same. Over the past year she and I have developed a very close relationship. We are able to talk and talk for hours about life’s important and not so important issues.

Although I will in the next month and a half have to say good bye to many important, special, and loved people in my life… saying good bye to Kacy is different. In August Kacy is leaving for a little journey of her own, only her commitment is for 2 years. So I was rather sad Sunday when I left her house because I knew I would not be back there for 2 ½ years. As I pulled out her drive way my sad feelings quickly turned to happy feeling, because it dawned on me that God has such amazing plans and adventures planned for our lives over the next 2 ½ years and I can’t wait to watch and live as His plans continue to be revealed. Oh and also because I plan to go visit her in the Middle East sometime within those 2 years. I thank God for providing me with such GREAT friends and Family who care so much for me.

I truly am blessed!!!!

My Soon to be New Home...The Africa Mercy!

The 499-foot 16, 572 GRT Africa Mercy is the world's largest charity hospital ship. The purpose-built hospital includes six state of the art operating rooms, intensive care and ward bed space for up to 78 patients. Originally built in Denmark in 1980, the newest Mercy Ship has a berth capacity for 484. Volunteer crew from more than 40 nations serve onboard.

PS: Friday I received 4 shots and one oral vaccine…. I was sick Saturday night only and had a medium sized red and swollen area where I was injected with the Yellow Fever vaccine. Over all things went GREAT and I am now all vaccinated…and ready to GO! :)

What a WEEKEND!

So at this point in the game of preparation, I am finding that the littlest things are reassuring me that this is where God wants me in the coming months. I wanted to share a few of the little blessing that the Lord game me last week and this weekend.

#1 I came across this blogspot Thursday night. http://specialneedsbaby.blogspot.com/

I was reading this lady’s blog (her name is Jen) what I found made me so HONORED to be able to say I am going to be working with Mercy Ships in AFRICA in 2 months and 8 days!!!!

So from what I can gather here is the story. Jen and her husband (they live in the US) adopted a girl from Liberia about a year ago, they had plans to adopt again but wanted to wait. Early this year Jen and her husband received a phone call from the adoption agency, Acres of Hope, Liberia asking if they would be interested in taking in another baby. They said YES! William is considered an emergency case. He has a severe tessier 4 cleft lip and palate, and eye condition(clouding of the eye), a missing leg, and webbed fingers and toes. Because of the great risk for such a child in Africa, William's adoption is being expedited. Jen had been praying that William will not need medical treatment until he gets home due to the conditions and sanitation in the hospitals in Liberia. Come to find out William was accepted for and scheduled for treatment on the MERCY SHIP! On March 5, William received facial surgery correcting his cleft lips and palate. Jen had never heard of Mercy Ships but was sooo thankful that God provided a safe place for her new son to receive care. Check out their blog it really is an AMAZING STORY!!!!! And thank God for providing such a caring family for this baby!

This is what Jen said about Mercy Ships “This is a huge blessing. The Mercy ship is a top notch hospital on a ship. It is safe and sterile, unlike the Liberian hospitals.”

William Before his Surgery on Mercy Ships

William after his surgery on Mercy Ships

Isn't he CUTE!

#2 Friday morning I received a really random facebook message from a soon to be co-worker. The message simple said this: I might be working with you on the African mercy. I will be doing sterilization there. Sabrina from Russia will be working as the dental sterilizer. She leaves in April. How cool is it that I am already talking to my coworker who lives in Russia and when we meet we will be in Liberia. We have been able to chat about what to bring on our ADVENTURE. Very thankful for this, once I get there I will at least have one friend…and I will not feel like I am the new kid at a new school!

#3 Saturday I was informed that an anonymous donor donated $1,000. I have no idea who this person is but I want them to know that this very generous gift will be used to further His Kingdom in Africa. I THANK YOU and the people in West Africa thank you!

Speaking of funding………. The Lord Called and He Provided….. AMAZING at how fast my funding came in. THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#4 Thanks to Mr. Glenn Verheyen who helped steer me in the right direction on investing this weekend….. I needed to move some of my money in my saving account over into some sort of rothira… I was clueless and getting stressed about getting this done before I leave and he so graciously provided me with guidance. I now have a retirement fund going…HOW many more years until I get to break into it!!!! Well I have to be 59 ½ and I am 24 now. So I guess I have a while.

#5 Presented to my hometown church FCC this weekend. And it went GREAT! The congregation is so encouraging, I don’t know if I could be doing it without them!

AS you can read I had a BIG weekend…lots of things came into order. Oh ya and my good friend Kim Hageman was home from Taiwan this weekend planning her wedding that I am going to miss :( and I was able to visit with her…….. I loved it. I missed her. Now she is back in Taiwan serving the Lord there, while she was home she found out she had an infected tooth and needed a root canal…poor thing. Her apt is tomorrow , it will be her first experience at an dentist office in Taiwan. :)

Time for bed…Later Friends

The Secret is Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was “the day” I told my work that my last day will be May 22. They took it well, and now I can go to work guilt free. WOO HOO!!!! I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about telling them. I am not going to lie…this entire adventure still seems like a make believe dream that I am hoping becomes reality. It is still hard to believe that in less than 2 months I will not have a paying job and in a little over 2 months I will be LEAVING the country.

From left to right Cindy my assistant, Stacey the other hygienist, Me, Cheka my other assistant

I will greatly Miss my girls (Cindy, Stacy, and Cheka) at work, we have grown close over the past year……. but I know they are supporting me and that helps out TONS!

Today I am getting my first round of shots! Hepatitis A, Tetanus Booster, and Polio. Next Friday I get Yellow Fever, Typhoid, and my Malaria RX. Pray that my side effects are minimal.

Updated Prayer List:

Minimal side effects from the shots
Malaria Pills are CHEAP and not 10$ a day…. I need 210 days worth…
Continued Funding Flow Thanks!
Time with Family and Friends over the next 2 months…… my weekends are getting booked and my free time left with them is getting limited.
My spirits….. as the littlest things seems to get me sad these days

World Water Day!

TODAY IS WORLD WATER DAY!!!

Right now, 1.1 Billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation causes 80% of all sickness and disease, and kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick. Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school. Additionally, collecting water puts them at greater risk of sexual harassment and assault. Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water. Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

An average american uses 150 gallons of water each day to cook, clean and drink. a person in the developing world struggles to find 5.

4,500 Chlidren will die today from water borne diseases....

charity: water is a non-profit organization thatis bringing clean water and basic sanitation into impoverished communities. Since charity: was founded and began activity in August 2006, they have funded the construction of more 474 water projects in 10 nations. More than 200,000 people will drink clean and safe water. It's a long way to 1.1 billion goal Charity:water has, but it's a great start.

You can help.a $2o bottle of charity: water can give a person in Africa clean, safe drinking water for 20 years. 100% goes to direct project costs.

Check out the Charity: Water website......

http://charityis.org/buywater.htm

Clean water is deep deep depp you can HELP Charity:water drill down to find it.

REAL Africa Pics

Here are some pictures my friend Kacy sent me. She took them last year while she was in Africa on a missions trip. I tried to make a slide show of them...... but I am having a little trouble getting it to work. So this will have to work for now. Enjoy!

Passport Update

UPDATE:
My new passport came today!!!!!!!!!! YAY! I am now free to wonder the world until 2018. My appointment to start getting my shots in for April 4th. I love having Fridays off I get so much work done.

and for your reading pleasure: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/10393

an article I found on Mercy Ships on the the Mission Network News



HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND EVERYONE!