Timeline

I’ve wanted to go to Africa since 1986 and I went to college to “become a missionary”.  But in 1988 I met the “Christian boyfriend” who convinced me that being a missionary was not my calling because my heart was too soft and I could not help people. So I quit college, convinced I just needed to get married and I decided to pray for a husband, I also decided college boy was not the one, it was the 2nd marriage proposal I had turned down by the age of 22.  In 1989 I married the man who divorced his wife and conviced me it was his destiny to become the husband I was praying for.  We fought from day 1, had 2 beautiful children together and continued to fight.  In 1999 I convinced him we needed a divorce and started dating my next door neighbor, my husband went back to his first wife and I married the neighbor.  It’s now 2012, they are happily married and I am separated from the neighbor, a single man who really always wanted to be single but our mother’s and I convinced him to be a Christian and marry a Christian.

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Websters Dictionary says the definition of CONVINCE is

overcome by argument,  overpower , demonstrate or  prove

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Long Pause goes here….reflect, relax,……and now we move on….

It’s been a long 26 years, but I am going to Africa.

“There I will give her back her vineyards,  and will make the Valley of Achor  a door of hope. There she will respond  as in the days of her youth,  as in the day she came up out of Egypt.” Hosea 2:15

Right about now my father is probably feeling alot of emotion – he remembers driving me to the college tour in the pouring rain knowing we did not have the money to send me there and I spent the  2 hour drive convincing him that God had called me and God would make a way, it was my destiny to serve as a missionary and God couldn’t wait for me to accept His calling.  But I came home defeated after 1 year and married the “married preacher” (ouch). I love you dad, it’s been a long 26 years for you too.

Some members of my family keep saying they are afraid I will not come back. By that they mean that I will return at Christmas, sell everything, quit my job and then ….. go….. I seriously doubt this will happen because

I won’t change Africa, Africa will change me

How, I do not know but I don’t think it will be the fairytale where all of my dreams come true and I finally fullfill the destiny I missed in 1986.  That is a little too much like a romance novel.  Besides, I’ve worked hard to help the team raise money to go.  It has been approximately $3000. each for just the  ticket, visas and vaccines – so far. Working fundraisers is hard work and this doesn’t even begin to be as hard as the work set before us.  I’ve worked so hard to get ready.  I did pray for the Lord to help me lose weight for the trip, I gave up soft drinks and gained 13 pounds.

It’s so funny, what we focus on as the important thing is never the important thing. 

The more I focus on me getting ready the more I realize I will never be ready.

So, I’m just going for it. Packing the suitcase and taking off.  I will blog when or if I can and we’ll talk about it when I get back.

PS – For those of you who are sending me money – everytime I receive another gift it increases my faith. Especially since I must fly back without my team.  I have blogged about how this is a big test of faith for me, knowing you believe in me helps me believe in myself that I can do it and faith to believe that I will not be alone but that God, Jesus and Holy Spirit will be with me. They will be my team.

Thank you, I love you.