These next couple of weeks are about to fly by and then before I know it I will be on a plane on my way to Niger. I'm not quite sure it's actually set in with me yet that I am leaving this American home of mine in just 2 short weeks. But I am more than excited for this journey God has in store! Finals are about to take off starting this week and then I will have 4 the following week! Busy little life of mine...

This past week has been a bit interesting, to say the least. Conviction and trials have been everwhere... As I sit here on my computer in my comfty little bed with my iphone next to me and a kitchen full of food just a few steps away I begin to think about the place God is sending me to very soon. And it hits me, as it always does, that this "normal" life of mine is constantly taken for granted. I find myself feeling guilty for having so much and never having to know what being hungry is like or what it's like living without clean clothes or shoes on my feet, because I have all of that... and more... and living this life brings conviction. And when this conviction and burdening of my heart overwhelms me I want to just drop it all. Sell everything I have and give it away... then pack up my bags and go to a place that has nothing. I love the idea of leaving my American home permanantly for a much different life. But as much as I love that idea, I have to come back to the fact that it's not God's plan right now. I honestly wish it was because, to me, it is so much easier to live a necessity based life being in a place that ultimately has nothing than living here where everything is at my fingertips. But of course, God reminds me that living life for Him, no matter where in the world, is not going to be easy. Let's just say that I am ready to be in Niger where I get to live a much simpler life for a couple of months. I'm so ready to love on sweet babies who really do have nothing... and not just physical needs but nothing in regards to Christ. These sweet children, women, and men who are lost and believing in something that will never save them are in serious need of a Savior! God is so just so good and I cannot wait to see all that He is doing in Niger. :)

27 days.

Okay everyone, time is going by way to fast for me. Feels like just yesterday I was emailing Kris (my dad in Africa) about feeling God was calling me back to Niger to serve Him there again... that was actually over 3 months ago!!! ha! Things are going well and I'm just preparing all the minor details before I go and preparing my heart especially.
I have gotten my visa sent off and it has been approved, thanks Jesus :) And I got my malaria medicine... in hopes that I stay malaria free this time around! I'm so excited and ready to go, yet so nervous and not prepared to go. I still have a lot of work to do before I leave! God has been teaching me time-management through this...it would be so overwhelming if I tried to do it all at once, but i'll eventually get it all finished within the next few weeks :) I don't really have much more of an update to share today...

Check out my other blog about the skirt ministry if you'd like to be a part of that though! :) oneskirtonelife.blogspot.com

Update! :)

OI! Sorry I haven't posted anything lately... life has been non-stop! Anywho, things are coming together for Africa.. I just cannot wait! God is SO good! I have raised about half of my intended goal, so we're getting there! :) I could not do it without all the love, support and prayers from everyone!

Lets see... I'm mailing out my stuff for my visa tomorrow! I have gotten an international driving permit. I have been studying French as much as I can! :) (I really love it and would like to actually take a French class in the future.) My tickets and insurance are all purchased and ready to go... basically I'm ready to go! May 17th could not get here any sooner. I have never missed a place or the people in that place more than I miss Niger. It is just '"home" to me and not being there to see such sweet, sweet Nigerian (sp?) faces is such a bummer!

Okay, okay... there is something I just HAVE to share. About a month or so ago I was brainstorming on ideas for younger (like pre-teens and teens.. plus whoever else) people to help with. I know being young, seeing as I am young, is hard to really understand what to do and how to help out in places of such poverty... other than just jumping on a plane and taking off, since not everyone can or is called to do such a thing. SO, I came up with an Idea... and am just now, as I'm typing this, coming up with a name for this "project". We shall call it the... "One skirt, one life" project. Seriously an impromptu name just came about since I didn't think of one before... haha! So here's the deal...
I wanted a way for people to be able to be involved in my ministry in Niger this summer. And seeing as I have been there once, I wanted a very practical, but impacting way to do this. I also wanted people to see their donation at work and who it is impacting. My practical ideal was.. skirts. Here's how it works...
For $20 a person can "purchase" a skirt for a young girl in Niger. A portion of this donation goes to help get me to Niger while the main purpose of this donation is to clothe a child. Basically what happens is I collect every $20 dollars donated and take it over with me. Then, in Niger, I will have the skirts made for young girls. I have already had about 10 orders! Thanks Jesus :)
I have to be honest... this idea has taken off! I don't have a picture to put on here, but I have made postcards which explain the purpose of this "one skirt, one life" project and I encourage anyone who donates to write a note to a young girl because they will LOVE it! They love knowing they are loved and I will love reading the sweet, sweet notes to them :) It will be a huge ministry opportunity for me! I cannot wait! Also, I will be taking pictures of each girl that recieves these gifts and posting them on here... or possibly a future blog for this particular project :) But, i'll letcha know.

That's all the news for now I suppose! :) oop... OI... I almost forgot.. I got to see my mom 1.5 this week (aka. Shelley.. or my mom in Africa. Whichever she is referred to as) It was a sweet visit! :) So excited to see all the family in less than 2 months! God is so, so awesome! :)

11 weeks. 2 days.

Yesterday I was driving home from work, and like most days I see planes fly over towards the airport, so it's not usually a big deal. But this time I was driving without the radio on, just kinda reflecting on my day and enjoying the silence. Then I looked up to see a plane fly over, not something out of the ordinary like I mentioned, but this time it caught my attention a little more than usual. I kinda got emotional as I saw it pass by because I started to think that almost a year ago I boarded a plane at an airport and left a very comfortable place, home, to be in a very uncomfortable place... poverty. I was sad because I miss it more than anything. I miss it more than I missed 'home' when I was there. I don't go a day without thinking about my sweet babies that I don't get to see every week anymore and wondering how they are, and thinking about how big and grown up they must be now. I miss them and I love them. There's alot that I miss about Africa... I miss being clueless about the languages, and trying to understand what anyone is saying. I miss being sandy all the time and having a horrible flip-flop tan. I miss not having the luxury's of America. I miss sweating in Church on Sunday mornings. I miss having my insides bounced around from the non-paved roads. And I miss spending time with my second family. But I think most of all I miss the friendships I made and the people I met.

I'm leaving for Africa in 11 weeks and 2 days... not that I'm counting or anything. :) But It couldn't get here any faster. I have been just so overwhelmed at how perfect God's plan is. As I see all the details coming together, I can't help but be excited because God has chose me to go, and He is sending me back 'home'.

I have SO much to do in these next couple of months!! Quite frankly it overwhelms me when I sit and think about it, but I'm taking it one step at a time. I have been praying about studying the Qur'an since I'm going back into a muslim country. I know the basics of Islam, but I want to better understand what their beliefs are. I told my roomate about it and a couple days later she happened to get an email from someone at her church about a 6 week bible study over understanding the Islamic faith. How convenient, right!?! So, we will actually be doing the study together, starting tomorrow! :)

To the ends of the earth... but why Africa?

About a week ago someone asked me "Why Africa? Why can't you serve here, where you live?" That wasn't the first time I've been asked that question, and I highly doubt it will be the last. I got that question alot last year during my preparation for going to Niger. And honestly, I didn't really have an answer for it. All I knew is that it's where God wanted me to go... but that answer never seemed sufficient enough for anyone who asked, though it never really phased me that it wasn't because I was going for HIM and not for men.

Well, the other day I was listening to a song on my way to work and it suddenly dawned on me why I have served in Niger and why I am returning to serve in Niger yet again. So, for anyone wondering "Why Africa?".... this is why:

Months before Africa ever became an opportunity I found myself praying for those in need, all over the world and that God would stir peoples hearts to go and give. That He would send His children to take His word to the ends of the earth. And I realized after awhile that I was using my own prayers as a defense against having to do anything myself. I guess I had forgotten that as a follower of Christ I'm called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And had forgotten that God might want to use my hands, and my feet, and my own resources to help those in need and to show God's glory and His love.

After a bit of a change of heart through that, I began to pray that God would use me however He saw fit for bringing glory to the Kingdom. I knew I couldn't do everything, but I refused to do nothing. I refused to continue to sit around and wait for someone else to do the things and go to the places God was calling me to go myself. And then... Africa. I still can't answer why exactly God has sent me to and is sending me back to Niger, and I don't know why He has given me a passion and desire to be there serving Him... but I do know that I will go because I am called to go. So, while I'm in America I will continue to serve Him here, because America is a HUGE mission field, no doubt. But while I'm in Africa, where my heart longs to be, I will serve Him there. And when or if ever He calls me to serve Him there permanently... I will go, immediately.

.... that is "Why Africa?" :)

3 Days.

Try to imagine what life would be like living in a chair. How would it feel never being able to walk, or run, or play tag when you were a kid? Or how would it feel having to rely on someone else to do everything for you? Needing someone else for your every day activities like brushing your teeth or combing your hair.... At least we're just imagining this, right? Well, for one girl inparticular she doesn't have to imagine it. Because for her, it's a reality.

This past Tuesday I started my new job as a caretaker for a young woman, Alyssa. What I mentioned above was just a speck of how she lives her life. You see, she has cerebral palsy... which ultimately means that her brain does not allow her body to function like ours generally would.

When I first applied for this job I was beyond nervous. I had no idea what I was getting myself into... basically had no idea what God was signing me up for. It was a huge God-ordained thing where I couldn't even begin to deny that it was something He had in plan for me to do. And I knew it wasn't gonna be easy, but I tried my best to go at it whole-heartedly.

I never once thought I would have to be a "mom" or a "wife" at my age. But, my job requires it. And, not just being a mom to a toddler or teen, but more like to a new born. The only difference really is that Alyssa can talk to me. But unlike a baby that will grow up to walk and do things on their own, Alyssa won't. I have to care for another human being the way that I would care for myself. I didn't think I would be prepared for that, but I guess God did.

Every morning when I walk into work Alyssa greets me with a big "Hello!". :) That's just the start to a great day! She has the biggest heart you could ever imagine and I love being around her bubbly spirit. She is just like us in every way! She eats Icecream every morning for breakfast, loves getting the mail, and watches ELLEN every afternoon after taking a nap. Her favorite color is blue, she loves to go shopping, and loves to email her friends and family. Above all of this, she loves the Lord. She never complains about her "situation", she just loves life. Though she's 26 and weighs about 70 pounds, she's a really strong girl, both inside and out.
My job is to care for her. Everything that I would generally do for myself on a daily basis, I have do it for her as well. I find myself always checking on her to see if she's okay, or asking if she needs anything.  I always tuck her in when I lay her down for a nap and tend to check on her every 15 minutes.  I guess that's just the "mom" instinct.

This job is one of the biggest blessings I have ever gotten! Alyssa has taught me so much already and I've only been there 3 days. Thursday I was sitting on the couch watching ELLEN with Lyss and God showed Himself in a big way. I realized that I needed to be as dependent on Him like how Lyss is dependent on me, and not only do I need to depend on Him like that, but I need to trust Him. Alyssa trusts me to care for her, trusts me to do everything for her and has no doubt or worry that I won't. She knows that I know what she needs. And I need, we all need, to have that kind of trust in the Lord. A trust to where we can say, "God, I know you know what I need, and I trust you to lead me wherever you may take me." Imagine how amazing our relationship with the Lord would be if we depended on Him like that all the time?! I'm don't always trust in Him like that, sometimes I doubt that things are gonna be okay because I don't depend on God like I should. But when I do, man, God does BIG things.

God chose... me?

"Dear God, I don't know where you're going to lead me today, but if it's where your going, it's where I'm going."

I find myself praying this prayer quite often. I really do want to go wherever God leads me, but, today, He led me somewhere to do something I didn't think I was quite ready to try and do. And, honestly, I became hesitant in His leading and almost flaked out.

Here's the deal. I have been job hunting since arrival in Denton (well, kinda... I've kinda been a slacker too). Anyways, I searched and searched for a nanny job on this CARE website for nannys and houskeepers and such. One of the very first I saw (about a month ago) was an attendant position for a 26 year old lady with cerebral palsy. Well, I just kinda skipped over it and proceeded to look at other things because, honestly, I didn't think I could do it. Not because I wasn't capable of it, but because I am too much of a softy for people who have to live a not so ordinary life. I feel so helpless, like I can't do a thing for them, and it breaks me. Long story short, I applied for about 35 other nanny positions and... got nothing.  Well, on Tuesday I was skimming though some more jobs and the same attendant position for the 26 yr old (Alyssa) popped up. This time, I looked at it, and hesitantly applied. I prayed that if this was something God would want me to do, that He would make it happen. I was leaving it all to Him.

Not an hour later I got a reply from the father saying that they'd like to meet me and talk about the position. So, I scheduled an interview for Thursday. (yesterday) Last night I got in my car and headed to my interview... scared crapless. I had a fight with God the whole way... "I can't do this! God, what if it's hard? What if I were to mess up? What if it's too much? What if...?" And God says "What if you'd just trust me?" Oh, well HELLO! So, I tried.

I walked up to the door and was welcomed by the lovely aroma of dinner, just a cookin. And their cat, Hamlet. :) I strolled into the kitchen and sat down...across the table from me sat a sweet, sweet young woman with a beautiful spirit and lovely smile. Though Alyssa didn't say anything, my heart just melted. Her parents began explaining... ALOT. I took all I could in... basically just inhaled it. One concern I had was the schedule, since I am in school. Alyssa has another attendant, Shelley, who is in school as well. They weren't sure of the days she would have classes, so that was something I was worried wouldn't work.

And then... God.

My classes are on Mondays and Wednesday... and well, they found out that day that Shelley will have her classes on Tuesday and Thursday. HELLO?! Could that be anymore of a God thing? I think not!
Oh, I can't forget to mention... This family has an undeniable passion for the Lord. :) I even got to share a little about my journey to Africa with them. I seem to share it alot. Heck, probably because I love and miss it so much!! Anyways, I cannot wait to work for them. Ya, that's correct... I got the job. :) This is going to be a hard journey, but God is leading it, so I am at ease. I think Alyssa is going to be more of a blessing to me than I will be to her.

I hope you'd join me in prayer as I prepare my heart for this. :)

Love in HIM!
Kayla