Hello from Husker Country!!

Hello All,

  I'm writing to you again for now the second time. I have exciting news to start off with! Our volleyball season at Grace has gone exceedingly well this fall; this past weekend we went to Springfield, MO for our Regional Tournament determining if we will get to go to Nationals in Florida. Well, I am here to proudly announce that we came out of that tournament as champions and are on our way to Kissemmee, Florida for Nationals!!! Go GU!!! God has blessed our team this year in wonderful ways!

 

  
  After such a wonderful weekend how can I think of school? However, tonight while I was reading a book for my Wisdom Literature class, the whole chapter I was reading about was on friendships. Friendships in life that last and ones that don't. I was examining my life and looking at all of the people in my life. I have been so blessed by all of my wonderful friends and family, supporting me through the good times and the bad. I just wanted to take some time and thank each one of you for being such a big part of my life. I am who I am today because each one of you. I wanted to tell you that I am going to miss each one of you when I am in Africa but I know that you are back home supporting me and praying for me. God has used each one of you to encourage me to pursue me dreams and trust that God has bigger plans for my life then I do.

  Now for an update about Mali, we leave in 63 days and I'm getting super excited about it!! We have had some good heart to heart team talks and have learned a lot. I sent out my second letter this week so if you have not received one yet please let me know and I will send you one. God has been working in such amazing ways through this whole experience. Again the other day, my parents told me that someone supported me financially and I have never even met these people. God has been touching people's lives and has given them willing hearts; for that I am extremely thankful! Support is still needed for the team but I believe that God will continue to bless our team and provide for the rest of what we need.

  Please continue to pray for our team in preparation for this trip. It is hard to think of leaving our close friends and family for six months. While thinking about leaving, I am also very encouraged by thinking about all of the people we will meet while in Mali and all of the relationships we will build while there. I am excited to see how God will use each one of us and also what he will teach us while in Mali. A big goal we have going into this trip is community development. We strive to continue to build community with the Malian people and also encourage the Christians that are already there.

  The Lord is good and all I can think of is how much he has blessed my life. I pray that I can be that blessing in other people's lives as well.Thank you for supporting me and reading my thoughts.

I love you all, have a wonderful week! ~Rachel

Starting this Journey!

Hello all!

I have officially started a blog and am super excited! I wanted to let everyone know updates on my life and what's going on! My first exciting news if you didn't know already is that I'm going to Mali, West Africa. I'm leaving January 2 so that means I leave in 96 days if I counted correctly. Wow, so much to do but this is such an exciting time! 

Right now I am at Grace University, this is my second year and I am loving it. I am on the volleyball team which is always super exciting and fun. I love road trips with the girls and I have enjoyed building close friendships with so many of them. My coach is such an encouragement and such a Godly woman, I hope that God can use my life to impact people the way that she does.

For those of you that don't know I am a Nursing/ Intercultural Studies Major and am excited to see how God is going to use that in my life. This summer I took classes and became a certified nurse aide (CNA). Which in my opinion has helped me tons by just making sure that nursing is what I really want to do, and I love it! The impact that nurses have on people's lives is incredible! I can't wait to see how God uses my passion for people and helping them for his glory!  

So for now that is a summary of everything that has gone on in my life as of lately. I will be updating hopefully on a consistent basis but with school who knows how often I will get to post. My main reason for creating a blog is because many people have asked me how I will communicate while in Mali and I told them I thought email would be good but then someone suggested a blog and I thought it was a great idea so here we are.

Ok, so as far as updates for my trip: I have gotten all my shots which consisted of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Polio Booster, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, and Influenza (which I actually haven't gotten because it hasn't been available but will be getting soon). If any of you know me very well you know that I hate shots but through this experience I have grown up some and taken it like a woman! Shots aren't that bad, someday I might be giving them to someone :( . Another thing that I have gotten done is my passport! I have never had one until now because I have never left the country, but I was ecstatic when I got it in the mail. However, I look bad in my picture because I couldn't smile. I told the guy it was bad and he told me that he has never had anyone like the picture except this one girl who made him take 16 pictures before she found one she liked. I'm not that high maintenance so I didn't complain. Our passports are being sent out soon to get our visas which is super exciting!

As far as my team, there are 6 of us total and we all are Grace students. We have had a few team building retreats and they have been really good. I feel as though we will bond really well. People keep telling me that we will become like family because after spending 6 months half way around the world together with people who don't know you or English, there will be some great bonding and hopefully no fights. God has really put a passion on each one of our hearts and I believe he has huge plans for each one of us while going into this trip. We have another team training experience the end of October which I think is more field training and intense then just bonding as a team.

One thing that God keeps reminding me of through this time of preparation and prayer for my trip is that he is still God and he has all of this under control. Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." After reading that verse (which keeps coming up in my life) it is encouraging to remember that I don't have to have it all together. I don't have to know the outcome because God has it all under control and ultimately his plans will succeed.

In closing of my first blog ever, I would just ask for prayer. I ask that you would pray for my trip. With trips like this there are many things to worry about. Some of the things that I'm worried about right now are money, health, and relationships. I pray that money will come in. We have to have another payment of $5,600 by December 1. People have been so generous so far and I pray that that will continue so that funds aren't preventing us from going. I also have been praying about health, many people get sick when they go to Mali and I have been just praying that God will keep us well as a team and if we do get sick that is will be a mild case, nothing serious. Lastly, I have been praying about relationships, I pray that we will build solid relationships as a team so that we can come to each other with problems, joys, concerns, doubts, anything and know that they care. I also have been praying for the relationships we will make with the people while over there. I pray that God will use us in a mighty way for encouragement and support for the Malian people. If you could join me in praying for those requests it would be amazing and I know that God works in numbers. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am in their midst." 

I pray that each one of you will be encouraged this week and remember that God is not against us but for us! Be encouraged and know you are loved, Peace out :)
 ~Rachel