My Assignment...A Gift from God

I leave for Papua New Guinea in just five short days! I must say that I am experiencing a plethora of emotions at this point. As my departure rapidly approaches, God has begun to turn my nerves into excitement. This morning I received an email from my team leaders explaining to me briefly what my assignment will be in PNG. I will fly into the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, then traveling to Madang for ten days for the Pacific Orientation Course. During orientation, I will be learning Tok Pisin, one of the many languages of Papua New Guinea. After orientation, I will travel to Wycliffe's Mission base in Ukarumpa for a few days before heading out to the Wiebe's village and the Bola Bible dedication ceremony. After this dedication, there will be a SALT course. SALT (Scripture Application and Leadership Training) is designed to help the people understand what the Bible says and learn how to use their own scriptures. There will be 19 lessons during this course and I have been asked to teach two lessons covering salvation. I will be a part of a team consisting of about five teachers and I will be teaching the lessons in English with a local translator. After the SALT course, I will travel back to Ukarumpa and will have the opportunity to sit in on a few days of the Trauma Healing workshop. Before heading back home to the States, my team and I will have a few days of debriefing via Cairns, Australia. 

Wow! I am so excited for this amazing opportunity that I can hardly stand it! Although I still have some nerves (and even more new ones regarding my assignment!) I am completely at peace, going forth in confidence as my Lord goes before me. This is His work and I just get to be a part of it! How gracious of Him to use someone so unworthy! 

A few prayer requests I have as I prepare to embark on my journey abroad: please pray for a smooth transition into the countries of New Zealand, Australia, and Papua New Guinea (concerning visas, luggage, making flights on time, etc.). Also please pray for my intense fear of snakes (this sounds ridiculous I know but I just recently had a near panic attack about this last night!). Please pray for my complete trust and dependence on the Lord and His sovereignty knowing that whatever happens, it is for my good and His glory. Please pray for the hearts of the people I will be teaching that God would grant them understanding and give them the gift of faith. Finally please pray that I would have a "Mary heart." By that I mean pray that I would not neglect to seek first to sit at the feet of Jesus and that I would not overwhelm myself with busy tasks. Pray that I choose first that which is most important: time with Jesus. 

I have been informed that there is a good chance I will not have much access to the internet, so with that said, I will try my best to keep everyone as updated as I can! I ask for your many prayers and I thank you so much for being with me on this journey!

Nearly There

I can't believe that three weeks from now I will be boarding a plane for Papua New Guinea! When I started the application process in January, June 5th seemed like forever away. But it's almost here and I can hardly believe it! I have seen God do some pretty amazing things in my life this semester and I have watched Him make this trip a reality through His wondrous provision and sovereignty. I still can't believe I get to have this amazing opportunity!

During these three weeks prior to my departure, I'm frantically running around trying to get everything I need and tying up lose ends before I leave. I still have to get a few immunizations, get my visa's sorted out, figure out everything I need to pack (then actually pack), complete my Missions Workbook, and move out of my apartment among many other things.

I'm getting to the point right now where I am starting to feel nervous and overwhelmed. I seriously can't believe this is really happening! I have no idea of what to expect, no idea what a normal day will look like, and no idea how I plan to communicate with the natives. Although I am nervous about the unknown, I am excited to see how God will use this summer to grow me personally and how He plans to use this summer to further His Kingdom. Even though I have no idea of what I am doing, I know that I am not alone in this. There is no safer place for me to be than in the center of God's will, and I have perfect peace that Papua New Guinea is indeed His will for me this summer.

A few prayer requests I have are: pray that I would be falling in love with Jesus daily and that time with Him would be intimate and refreshing. Pray that God remove my anxieties about the trip and enables me to trust Him with all of the unknown circumstances I am about to encounter. Pray for my family that God removes their anxieties as well and gives them peace in knowing that I am perfectly safe in His hands in spite of what's going on around the world. Please pray that I would not get caught up in mission work this summer or the temptation to busy myself with tasks but that I would continue the disciplines of my walk which enable me to know God. Pray that I seek first to sit at the feet of Jesus. Pray that I listen to and believe only the promises of God and not the lies of the enemy or the promises of the world.