Rose with a Mission

  While I was in Tanzania, God was doing a lot of work in my heart.  As I have been debriefing, I came up with a lot of sentences to summarize what God did. God loves me for who I am, not what I do. I'm valued more than I dared hope or imagine by God and my team. When a little girl was content to sit by me for over an hour, God whispered to my heart that He wants me to be as content with Him as that little girl is with me. When we were with the Dhaiso I became friends with a girl named Fazla. Even though we didn't speak the same language, her supporting me on uneven ground and working alongside me spoke more than words. I went to Tanzania to share God's love with people. Little did I realize they would share God's love and joy with me.  When I struggled with feeling left out, God used it as an opportunity to have intimacy with me.  The slower pace helped me learn to be more than do.  I also fell in love with Tanzania. I pray that one day I will get to return in ...

  After leaving the Dhaiso, we headed out for a much needed rest day.  I can't thank my team enough for how they helped me after I sprained my ankle. They pushed me around in a wheelchair, included me in games, put a compression sock on my ankle, encouraged me to walk on it some, and encouraged me to lift my eyes to the one who was above it all. They are the best team a girl could ask for. From Tanga we took a bus to YWAM Arusha.  Here we rested and prepared for the last week of ministry.  On Sunday our team had the privilege of speaking/leading worship at a small church in Arusha. I'm so thankful that whether in a mega church with bright lights or a tiny church with a dirt floor, the same God fills them both. The next day we headed to a YWAM base called Enkicaret. It's within sight of Kilamongaro and the mountain views were spectacular. Ministry here consisted of sharing some stories and songs with the kids in school, visting/encouraging wido...

  I'm back and so excited to share my Tanzania adventures with you. Thank he first place we went was a town called Boyamoyo. Pastor Alfred (our main contact for this trip) and his wife Anna made us feel so welcome to the Amazing Grace Church and preschool. A few years ago he had a vision to build a church and preschool. With prayer, vision, and help from some American donors the church and preschool are thriving. The first day we were there, I got to experience my first African church service. I didn't understand what was being said most of the time, but I loved the worship music and dances. I enjoyed joining in and dancing to Jesus. The next day we jumped right into ministry. Half the team was working on helping Pastor Alfred clear land and put up a fence around the church and preschool. The other half of the team (myself included) spent Monday through Friday in the mornings teaching at the preschool. Whether we were playing games with the kids,...

  As you read this, I am somewhere between Texas and Tanzania! After 12 weeks of classes, preparation, and growth, we are heading to Tanzania to share His love! I'm so pumped.  Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my YWAM tour. That night I went home and applied for DTS and started packing. How much has changed. Now one year later I'm flying to Tanzania! Only God could have orchestrated such an amazing adventure.  On Sunday I was able to walk normally without pain for the first time in almost a month. New skin is forming and the wound has closed up. This is a huge praise Jesus! While I'm going to continue to monitor it while I'm in Africa, I'm so grateful to be this far in the healing process.  This week has been very busy with packing, prayers, team building, preparation for Tanzania, and preparing our hearts for the trip.  I'm so excited! This is going to be an amazing adventure and God and I get to go on it together! Since I'm not going to be updatin...

  It's hard and amazing to believe that I leave for Tanzania in 6 days! The closer we get to leaving though the more excited I get. God has been doing so much work in my heart to prepare me for going and living out His love to those we meet. We have audio Bibles and crafts and messages prepared, but the most important thing that God has been reminding me to take is a willingness to do whatever He says. Whatever that looks like, wherever we go, whatever we end up doing, I want to be open to what Holy Spirit is asking and follow His voice. Let the adventure continue! This week our leaders decided to have us spend the first three days remembering back over the last 10 weeks. What lessons did God teach us? What has been hard? What has been really good? What are you grateful for? I was so good to think about these questions and hear from classmates about what God has been doing in them. So many of our struggles were the same. So many of us were able to share what God is working on in ou...

  God did it! He provided for not only my Tanzania missions trip, but for all of of my teammates expenses as well! Yahoo! We serve a great and awesome God! We are going to Tanzania and I'm super excited!  We still need some money got the greenhouse and the church, but I know that God will provide.  Thank you for your prayers for my foot. It's still healing, but we are making progress.  This weeks topic has been Ministering in the Spirit. I love how rooted this week has been in the Bible anf how our teachers have cried when sharing stories about how Holy Spirit has moved in their lives. I've been encouraged this week to pursue God more and let Holy move in me more.  As we get closer to time to leave, we have been working hard on stories, skits, and songs for kids ministry. Whether I've been working on a parable, learning a new song, or playing a part in a skit I've so enjoyed working as a team. I'm so looking forward to doing kids ministry.  We fly out in 13...

  Hey friends, it has been quite the week for me. Yesterday was the three week mark until I leave for Tanzania and the one week mark that all of our funding is due. Where I am I at? I still need $1,628 to be able to go.  God is really growing my faith with this one. I'm having to pray and trust Him as never before. I don't know how that last part will come in, but I am looking to the One who owns it all and has promised me that I'm going to Africa.  Please pray about partnering with me in prayer and with finances.  Below is a video I created yesterday explaining the heart behind why we are going to Tanzania. This weeks topic in class has been Apologetic Worldview. Our teacher was one that we had had in DTS and so I was so excited to have him be teaching in my SOE. His teaching style is very interactive and he asks a lot of questions. I loved how he framed apologetics so differently from the way I've been used to thinking about it before. Apologetics is all about givi...

  From crying in the classroom, to hearing stories over lunch, to encountering spiritual warfare, to deep conversations with friends, to a visit from my family this pasty week has been packed.  It was so fun to have my family come visit. It felt so good to share meals with fun conversations, play spoons and keep track of points with Hersey kisses, stay up late talking about friendships, share chocolate covered strawberries, get a ton of hugs, and laugh at inside jokes. It was the best.  As they rolled out of the parking lot, I cried. I won't see most of them until graduation and I was already missing them. Even though I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be, there are moments that I have to pay the cost of the path God has called me on. And still God calls me on. They joy in Him is worth anything I have to give up.  Class this week was focused on fulfilling the great commission, practical steps for being a good missionary, and the history of missions. Our spe...