There have been crazy amounts of provision in regards to my mission trip this summer.
First, I am in a class here at Samford on Sunday nights called Perspectives on the Global Christian Movement. It is a 15 week class that looks in depth at the biblical, cultural and historical perspective of global missions and you get to hear from a different speaker every week and read from multiple authors during the week so you can start getting in to that mindset of "there is not only ONE way.. My/our way." What I have learned about the whole point of global missions is the fact that God is a missionary God and every people group out int he world has something different to offer in worship and praise to the Lord that may or may not be different from the gifts He has given us here in America or in our hometowns. Missions is NOT about conversion.. it is simply about figuring out how to face each people group toward the Kingdom of God by showing them Christ, and letting God change and move in their hearts. Learning that makes me want to die to self and be humbled os much more because it helps me see how we are all truly created to worship HIM and bring glory to HIS name - including myself. So learning to let the Lord move and create in me the heart of His that He wants me to image forth has been such a great experience. I have never been so excited and felt so blessed by any form of education than this class I am taking at Samford.
Next, as I was working on a paper for English one day, a funny phrase I had heard in Sunday school came to mind. The idea of going out and reaping "Kingdom equity." I decided to google the term to see what people think about that idea and either the top or second link on the page was a page on a Christian conference called the "Kingdom Equity Conference." I was curious and saw that their last conference took place last March and the topics of discussion were all centered on ministry to widows. As I started to look for contact information so that I could possibly get ahlold of some of their products/supplies/etc., I saw a "205" area code... THAT'S HERE IN BIRMINGHAM!! I contacted the conference sponsors immediately and talked with a precious young lady named Melanie. She told me all about their ministry and what they do and why and it resonated so deeply in my heart because of how much I care for the women and widows in Zimbabwe. The more we kept talking, she told me about their main author and speaker who actually travels to Africa 4 times a year to work on widow's ministries and now I am in contact with her! These two ladies are helping to educate and mentor me through this process and planning for Africa this summer. I am so so thankful.
Now along the lines of mentoring - last Perspectives class there was a lady that spoke briefly on her ministry and the organization she works for in Atlanta and I find out that her job is to actually help mobilize college students who feel led to the missions field. I talked to her after class and we swapped information an I met with her and her teammate the next day after class to start our relationships. I told them about my trip this summer and the types of relationships I have with people here at school and at home and what I feel I need more help/guidance/education on, and how I can start planning now. They told me that the biggest thing I can do right now is to work on making disciples here in Birmingham before I even try to take it out into the world around me. To capitalize on the opportunities here and learn how to make disciples so I am not just trying to figure it out all at once when I arrive in Zim. As part of that goal, they encouraged me to start a prayer or Bible study group as a way of support and helping to transform the minds of others to think and pray more globally, too. To sort of combine those two, I will have my first meeting with 2 of my closest girl friends here in Birmingham tomorrow to just sit and pray with and for one another while also going through the Bible Study, "Discipleship Essentials." I am so so excited for the strength and courage and support that will come from meeting and praying with those girls. So now each time that I meet with one or both of my mentors, we pray and they hold me accountable for the goals I set for myself and my heart and faith and walk and preparation. It will be such a blessing.
Also, I recently talked to the lady I will be staying with this summer and she told me about a medical and educational clinic I can volunteer at this summer while in Zim. It is a tiny bit over a 3 mile walk from where I'll be staying, but I will be allowed to assist them in any way they need, even if it just teaching girls or boys basic skills. I can help the missionaries there to teach the Bible, assist medically, love on and invest in whoever comes through, and help tutor or teach or anything they need. I told Norma how badly I wanted exposure to medical missions and and she immediately told me about this clinic. As part of their ministry, they have actually started a boarding house for boys and they educate and train them consistently!
I hope this gave you some insight about the ways the Lord is leading me to prepare my heart and my mind for this trip this summer! So sorry it has been so long since an update. Praise the Lord for provision!!!! He is truly all we need.
