Africa Bound!

Hello world!

So sorry it’s been so long. But I wanted to get one last blog post in before we fly to Gabon [Africa] in 14 days! So much tell you all…

A few things that have happened since I last updated you: I went to Mexico for a week! I was interviewed on the radio for an hour. I organised 2 successful fundraisers for our missions team. I took a nap. I completed a 30 hour famine in our missions training weekend. I took another nap. I paid my deposit for next semester, and got a roommate selected! I received about 207 different health related bills :(  I accepted the offer to be Ruth’s bridesmaid next Summer, one of my best friends in England. I held a newborn baby. I booked flights to go home to England on July 1st. I attended approximately 403 meetings, and drank chai lattes at probably 328

Bongolo Hospital

of those meetings.

GABON, AFRICA: We leave so soon. Being a team leader is such a joy and excitement; I literally cannot wait to see the potential come out  in each of my team members, to grow in my own leadership and to love on the people of the communities we are going to visit. We are driving down to San Francisco on my 21st birthday, and fly the next day on May 2nd. I’m excited to celebrate it in anticipation of what’s going to be a GREAT 3 weeks! We are going ready to adapt and serve in whatever way they need which right now is mostly unknown. However, one of our scheduled tasks is shown in the photo attached below – this warehouse is based at Bongolo Hospital [a place we'll be spending a week of our time at] and needs a complete revamp. We will be taking out all the meds, throwing out the old, reorganising everything that’s left, sanding down the shelves and painting the room in anticipation of a much needed AC system that will be installed after we leave.

Meds warehouse

[See website for more Hospital info http://www.bongolohospital.org/]

PRAYER NEEDS: I want to be so at peace with my team when the challenges come up. I want to be overflowing with grace and patience when we’re travelling, or when things go wrong or people get sick or there’s conflict. I am aware that full-time ministry and serving/working hard every day in a team of 8 for 3 weeks will mean tempers, emotions and fears. Pray that each of us would have lots of grace and communication with each other to work through whatever is thrown at us. And for safety, of course. It will be extremely humid, and there are health risks, and lots of travelling, so pray that our bodies would be working efficiently and fight off any sickness.

FINANCES: I have pasted thankyous all over my  facebook but I wanted to do it here too. We have worked hard as a team, but I was still a little short for a couple of deadlines; both times someone has anonymously made up the difference with $450 and $500 donations. I could not believe it!!!! I so wish I could hug those people in person and tell them how grateful I am! So currently I’m at $2225, & need another $1375 in the next 14 days. Sounds kind of impossible, but I believe my God will provide because I know he dropped this trip on my lap and has made a way in all of it up to this point. And I’m excited to get to walk through this with my team who have never had to fundraise before; they are witnessing mini and large miracles all the time in this! So, please continue to partner with me in prayer and/or finances as you feel led, as I seek God in this season of relying on his providence. I will be sending update letters to those I know have donated, once I arrive back. THANKYOU SO MUCH!!!
https://sna.etapestry.com/fundraiser/SimpsonU/GAB12/individual.do?participationRef=909.0.594214487

UNITE MINISTRY: I think I talked about this  a couple of posts ago… I am blessed to be the Associate Director amongst an AMAZING leadership team that is pursuing Unity in the city of Redding. We are working hard to seek out as many city officials, school principals, church pastors, non-profits, businesses etc., and encourage them to celebrate the works of others and come alongside of eachother in complete Unity in Christ. We meet and host different leaders each week who share with us their needs and let us know how we can support/pray for them, and we’ve already seen so many great relationships built within the community! This Monday though was our first BIG event that we will repeat 4 times a year, UniteRedding; we had a GREAT turnout and God exceeded our expectations! Watch this space for our next date. See the 1 minute promo video to check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyDIdBqzN0U

The last 2 months have been jam-packed with fun, challenges, fundraising, nerves, joy, Jesus and friends. I am so glad He is Risen! I am so glad that I can share my responsibilities with Him and walk through this crazy busy and blessed life with Him at my side, whispering never-ending promises. I couldn’t do it without Him. I wouldn’t want to.

I wish I could tell you all about my week in Mexico and lots of other things.. But this is enough for now! Thankyou for your continued love and support. We will be in Gabon from May 2nd-May24th. Please pray for us!!

Love,
Becca

 

Gingerbread men, wheelchairs and blessings.

Hello world! I trust this post finds you all well, refreshed and ready to take on a new year.. I know I am!

Christmas break came and I packed up my trusty stripy suitcase and allowed my itchy feet to do a wee bit of travelling in my 3 and a half weeks. I went to Chico where I stayed with the Fransens, some dear friends and their beautiful new addition, baby Elsa. With a few one night stops along the way, I made it back to Watsonville where I stayed on the Estrada ranch;  there I slept, ate [A LOT], laughed, decorated ginger bread men [see Mike Wazowski creation on the left], ate some more, opened gifts, watched films, ate even more.. Generally I was completely spoiled. Despite the internet not being great, they helped me skype with my family at 5am on Christmas morning where I got to see all my aunties and beautiful cousins/sisters, open my gifts from home and share some love via the airwaves. Thankyou God for technology!

I got back to school, and January brought some time-consuming trials for me… I fell and dislocated my knee! A very painful experience indeed! With the help of trusty friends that carried me out of my building, up the stairs and into the car, then extra help with drugs, coaxing and manipulation, they got it back in place, but MAN did it hurt!! I was sent home in a giant metal-framed brace [couldn't fit anything except man-sized sweat pants over it!], and tons of medication.

I got cabin fever so my friends took me for a wild rainy ride!

The next few days were a blur of nausea, sleeping and bad dreams; my body didn’t react to the medication very well. So I eliminated them from my routine asap! I quickly learned using crutches wasn’t as easy as it looked, I was tired ALL THE TIME! It was also very humbling to be the one holding up 50 people as I climbed the stairs, to need help carrying my bags and plates of food in the cafeteria, to have your room-mates wash your hair in the sink [couldn't take showers  for 8 days with the brace], … It was a very good lesson for me to learn, despite me hating the lack of independence! And I have to say I was SHOWERED with visits, love and affection, especially when I first came back from hospital! Chocolate cake, truffles, home made cards, facebook messages, guitar playing, being read to, even flowers from a floor mate. I was so shocked out how much my Simpson community stepped up to embrace me! Very special..

The conclusion is, 3 weeks down the line and the Lord has blessed me abundantly as I get back in the swing of busy campus life. My finances took quite a hit with the whole thing in the midst of me learning about the very complex US health insurance system! I am still waiting on hospital bills but a friend offered to pay for my $127 mobility knee brace that I need to wear for a few weeks, and another friend helped me get a FREE consultation with a wonderful physical therapist just today – I am now set with a recovery plan. Praise the Lord! So relieved!

Speaking of finances… I have to tell you about my INCREDIBLE missions team!! I am so excited to lead them; they’re really starting to bond and get to know each other and I am THRILLED to watch their giftings blossom. It has been humbling to be vulnerable with them and tell them that despite our 30% [$900] deadline by Feb 13th, I have the least amount of money so far in the team! They were so wonderful in supporting me in prayer, and since then, 2 different $100 donations came in out of the blue. I am now close to 15%. Please consider partnering with me and praying me through this process. I still need around $450 in the next 5 days in order for us to be able to buy tickets. [England friends; you can still donate, just jump onto an online currency convertor and see how much your £ donation will be in $, then type that in and the transaction will be automatic and cost you nothing in the change over.] If any of you did not receive a Missions update letter from me I still have some left! Please message/email me your address and I would love to get one to you, to keep you in the loop. Otherwise, read about how to pray for us and/or donate at the link below!! And thankyou so much to all those that already have!

https://sna.etapestry.com/fundraiser/SimpsonU/GAB12/
INSTRUCTIONS: Click Sponsor a Team Member, then search my name, then select “Sponsor Me” and fill out the info.

Thanks for reading! Having my accident made me kinda miss home a lot more than usual, so please know I have been thinking of all my friends and family in England, Mexico and all over the US West Coast so much recently! Which I could virtually hug you all individually….

Love, Becca aka England girl.

 

‘Tis the season to be jolly!

Dear friends,

Christmas is less than a month away and I feel like I’ve barely blinked since I set foot on campus. Where on earth has the time gone?! I’ll attempt to tell you…

I have been truly stretched in my classes. Wonderful passionate Professors have helped me dig deep through a challenging semester of a maximum full load of classes. It’s been fun though; cat/heart/brain dissections, Bible classes and C.S. Lewis lectures… I’ve been stretched by new friendships made with people from all over the world, listening to their glorious journeys getting here.  I’ve been stretched by Bethel Church‘s teaching, and worship, understanding how my relationship with God looks in a very different, busy season to the one I just came from. Exploring my capacity to host the love of God in a different dynamic has been enlightening, and fun.

On first arriving, I felt it was important for me to act wisely upon my time; in the past, especially school related, I have been known to do a bajillion things and burn out in the process.. I was DETERMINED not to go about life and education the same way. So, for the first 4/5 weeks, I watched, and listened. I wanted to get the feel of Simpson’s corporate heart and vision before I decided what one or two things I would commit to.

All that said, I came to my conclusion. The Lord graciously led me to a GREAT opportunity to lead a team to GABON, WEST AFRICA, for 3 weeks in June. My co-leader Brett Amstutz and I have been sharing our heart for the team, looking at how the discipleship program will pan out over the Spring semester, and conducting many interviews for the places on our team. I’m EXTREMELY excited. And peaceful. Please be praying for us both as we desire to act with integrity, wisdom and passion throughout our journey in leadership.

I know that whenever the word “missions” is mentioned, usually “money” is too! It’s going to be a interesting, as I’m already very low on personal funds for daily necessities; the trip will cost $3000, plus I’ll be coaching my team through their personal fundraising.  But I’m up for the challenge and I believe that this position is something God led me to, not something that I sought out. So I trust Him. Again.

Amidst the busy-ness, I’ve had 2 pretty nasty ear infections since getting here, despite having none in my whole life! Kind of frustrating. The Doctor thinks I may be allergic to something in the States that I wasn’t in England, maybe a new bacteria or pollen or mould. Either way, I don’t like anything about them! So, I would appreciate your prayers for my health, too. Having said this, I’ve had so much fun here! The events that have been put on for us have been a BLAST. We recently attended “Exposure”; an annual film festival where gifted students make short films with all their own original footage, and the whole campus, outside friends, faculty and families come out to see the event in their suits and cocktail dresses. Above is a silly picture of my wonderful room-mates and I, and the winning video is attached below!!

Thanksgiving was great fun, and great timing! I really needed a couple of days off school as things had been pretty crazy. I went 7 hours north over the mountains with a couple of friends up to Portland, then stayed with the Vigils and Wilcox’s. It was refreshing to hang out with adults and children [non-20 something year olds...] and eat lots of pie. The icing on the cake though, had to be finding out that my dear Mama is getting married to a wonderful man this Summer. I’m so excited, and will be doing everything I can to get back in time.

Right now, I’m looking at pushing through the last 2 weeks of classes and then a week of finals before a well deserved break for all. I have no plans set in stone, but will probably be spending some of the Christmas holidays with the Estradas in Watsonville once again, and I might travel north to see some other friends part-way through, if my finances allow it. We’ll see. I have been blessed by people willing to take me in for the seasonal holidays; I am truly THANKFUL. One thing that I am craving though, is a family HERE, in Redding. A spiritual mother and father that could take me in when I need a break, that could love me and call me out when I need to reassess or correct something, people that can mentor me through my mentoring and leadership here on campus. I’m desperate for some accountability and wisdom from the generations above me. I know He will provide!

Lastly, a quick update on Marcos Antonio at Door of Faith Orphanage in Mexico.. A hospital in the US took him in and did the risky surgery on his tumour. They got it all and found it to be BENIGN! We are still waiting for his left eyesight to be restored. Thankyou for your prayers!!!

Apologies for such a late post. I will try to do better next time! Please email me if you want to ask anything or just say hello or need my address if you’re passing through Redding. I want to hear from YOU!
Also, enjoy the video below; all original footage, and narrated in Hebrew by one of our Professors and friends.
Otherwise, God bless.

 

And so it begins…

Hey y’all!!

… Just kidding. I’m not American yet, people!!
So I’ve been in the States for 4 weeks [email me for my new address!] and I’d just like to announce that despite the 43 deg C heat, I’M STILL ALIVE! I have not melted  I’ve barely had time to catch my breath, but it’s high time I wrote to you all though, and let you know what’s been going on.

My journey was unaffected by the Hurricane, immigration was smooth and mostly easy going, except almost missing my connecting flight in Atlanta, Georgia! I survived the emotional goodbye with my family, and actually managed to contain a lot more of my *potential* emotion than I anticipated. Although, I definitely shed a few extra tears [of laughter?] as I was ascending the escalator, composing myself. My sister’s voice, leading the rest of my family in a chorus of ” FOOOOOOOR SHE’S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW, FOR SHE’S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW….”, found it’s way through the airwaves, loud and clear for the whole airport to appreciate. My final memory I have to treasure.

A very tired and smelly Becca was greeted at San Francisco airport by the famous Estrada family. What followed were 5 days of beautiful scenery, people, sushi, sunshine, laughter, SLEEP and blessings. So thankful for this time to recover from travelling and jet-lag. I’m also WAY thankful for their generosity and grace in treating me like one of their own; they even drove me all the way up to Redding for my first day! I didn’t realise how much I would need a set of “parents” to settle me in and see me off. They really were, are, a God-send.

I got to Simpson on Friday Sept 2nd. Next followed a whirl of  Greek Toga parties, Water Day [involving my first experience of Wake-boarding - obviously I looked exactly like this guy on the right.. *ahem*], intense treasure hunts and the like, then classes started on the first Tuesday, and we jumped straight in. I quickly learned that my Nursing training is going to be CRAMMED. But I LOVE it and I’m glad to be quenching my thirst for learning once again. It’s certainly a culture shock though; compared to the life of missions/travelling/working that I’ve lived in the past 2 years, I almost forgot what education looks like!… I am ready to embrace the challenge though, praying for God’s grace and stewardship of my time and walking through my days with joy.

My ROOMMATES are truly amazing. I certainly got what I prayed for; an international room! Sarah has lived in Mexico, Morocco, England; Rachel was raised in Africa and France; and Lydia is from Taiwan. I am very blessed, and we laugh EVERY, DAY.

I have been connecting with lots of other different people on campus from all over the world, both students and faculty. There’s a great woman who’s heading up the missions department who I’ve been spending time discussing the heart behind missions trips. She’s invited me to be a TEAM LEADER this Summer! There are lots of other things I’m thinking about need a little more time to test the waters before I commit to something and attempt to do it with some excellence. I am excited..

Speaking of Missionary stuff, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you about a wonderful young man who’s been raised in the orphanage in Mexico that I used to live and serve at. In the last 10 days there have been some problems with his eyesight which have quickly led to the diagnosis of a tumour lying behind his left eye – he can no longer see out of it. Please join me in praying for his safety, peace and healing, and also for the provision to cover his expensive medical costs. Marco Antonio is only 17,
and I know he would appreciate your support if he knew of it.

I think that’s all for now. I know it’s been a long one. I will be in touch again, with more developments once I’m more settled.

Much love.

PS. Please be in prayer about my finances too. It’s taking longer than anticipated to set up a bank account as an international without a social security number, and I can’t access the small pot of extra cash I paid Simpson for “miscellaneous stuff” e.g textbooks, until this account is up and running. Annnnd I’m kind of running out of cash for every day stuff! I’m being diligent, though, and I’m sure God will stretch it. As usual.
Thankyou!!!

 

Leaving on a jet plane..

Around 36 hours till flight time, and here I am, blogging. I haven’t packed a single thing. Not even a sock. That’s right folks, after the roller-coaster ride in leading up to this pivotal moment, turns out I’m in complete denial and I don’t really know what to do about it! Even in saying my goodbyes, my mind is just not processing that the hug I’m having at that moment is supposed to last something like 4 years! Very surreal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so ridiculously excited, blessed and still gobsmacked this is all really happening; that my visa has been approved for 5 years, that God has provided every last penny of my $32,000 per year training, that He has been so gracious in coaxing me along in the right direction and blessed me with favour and friends the whole way, but right now, in THIS moment, it’s just a little too big to fit in my little too small, mind.

Unfortunately, this acute level of denial has spilled over into the practicalities of my preparations… Seriously, my suitcases are lay on the floor, ready for whatever is to be thrown at them and all my 20 years worth of stuff is scattered about in piles just staring out my cases as if to say “No way are we being selected out for squishing in there my friend.” And I’m not really forcing them to.

In other preparations news, some of you may have heard about Hurricane Irene. Irene is scheduled to hit the East Coast in the next 72 hours; I need to transit on the South East parts in Atlanta, Georgia. I’d really appreciate it if Irene could just go ahead and shrink a little, budge over into the ocean, stay out of civilisation’s way so as not to cause them any damage and allow me to fly with no delays or cancellations. That’s fair, right?! Please pray for my journey!..

SUNDAY 28th AUGUST:
Manchester – Atlanta Hartfield Intl
Departure 10:20  ~  Arrival 14:30 local time
Atlanta Hartfield Intl – San Francisco
Departure 16:35  ~  Arrival 18:45 local time.   [2:45am Monday morning UK time.]

On arrival I’m being picked up by some dear friends I met on my West Coast travelling journey last year, the Estrada family, and heading back to their beautiful home in Watsonville. I’m looking forward to a few days of fun and recovery, getting over jet-lag. I’m excited to see them, and to spend time on their breathtakingly beautiful Redwood ranch!

From here, I will be travelling to Redding around 5 hours north probably around Thursday the 1st of Sept in time for Orientation on Friday the 2nd. Here’s the catch, I have no idea how I’m getting up there yet! Does anybody know of anyone travelling up or part of the way between the 30th and the 2nd? I would prefer not to use public transport as I will have 2 backpacks and 2 ginormous suitcases, but mostly because I’m still so low on funds. I have around $200 to last me till the end of September. So if anyone knows of a driver passing by or going from halfway or anything, please let me know! I would be more than happy to contribute with petrol costs.

But for now my friends, this is it. I’m quite glad you are one of the few groups I do not have to say an official goodbye to, thanks to the means of technology.  To you, it’s more a catch ya later, sort of thing. In the meantime, please pray for my safe travels on my long journey, that I get to bless someone on my plane ride, that going through customs/immigration is a breeze.. and all other things transition related. But mostly, please think of me as I say goodbye to my family. I know, I brought this upon myself, and I am in no way complaining. But I am genuinely afraid of what might come out of me when I unlock the land of emotion as it comes to my big farewells. 4 years is a long time. Not living with my best friends for that duration,
so far away, daunts me beyond comprehension.
Luckily though, not beyond God’s.

See you on the other side.

 

Visa, check! Flights, check!

“I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” ~ Hudson Taylor

Dear friends,

I’m shocked to see it’s the 10th of August already. Life has been one big whirlpool of events in the past 4-5 weeks, so sorry to have not written before now, but I will do my best to update you. Had some MASSIVE, breakthroughs.

IMMIGRATION: So despite a few delays and diversions, finally had my interview on Weds Aug 3rd. Here’s what happened with that…

1.   I realised there had been a misunderstanding with a payment I was still due to make. This was a teeny issue at the time because a) I didn’t have enough money to make an extra $235 payment and b) I did not have the 3 business days required to complete the process before my appointment. But thank you Jesus, a friend with a Credit card allowed me to make the payment from her account to speed things up, and I managed to get all the forms done in time. Somehow, the Department of Homeland Security had a record of my payment the day I arrived, even though they technically shouldn’t have done.

2.   Due to the insane HEAT, people were fainting on the Underground on my way there, and it was a long sticky almost-3-hour wait till I was seen. Just as my nerves were surfacing from the previous few days, I met a fantastic family from the UK renewing their visas. They weren’t just living in the same state as me, not even the same city, but they were going to Bethel School of Ministry at the same church I’m going to attend!! We swapped details and before I knew it, I had my first official invite to a British family’s place round the corner from my new home. Small world eh? God’s world.

3.   The interview itself took 4 minutes concluding with “Your visa has been approved you can go now”. I was told to expect a wait of 5-60 business days to process and send my passport back to me; it arrived in 3. Not only that but I have been issued a Student Visa for 5 YEARS!!!! Very unusual.. What’s meant to happen is I’m issued access for 2 years, then mid-degree I have to reapply for another 2 year visa. I do not know how it happened, but there’ll be none of that extra interviewing or fees to do it all again! PRAISE THE LORD! 5 years, can’t believe it. So thankful.

FINANCESSSS: Plenty of mini-miracles. Couple more hurdles to get over before I’m all set to go, but here’s where I’m up to:

~  As I mentioned, a dear friend of mine bailed me out and let me borrow enough to pay the secret admin payment pre-interview. Thankyou Jesus! I was so desperate and she really helped me out. I now owe her $235, around £150 and want to honour this re-payment asap!

~ I’ve booked! I’m flying to San Francisco on Sunday August 28th [couldn't afford all the way to Redding!] and staying with a family in Watsonville for a couple of days before I head 5 hours north to Redding. This cost me £609, £300 of which I had to borrow off my Mum. Honestly, this was a tough lesson; it made me aware of some pride inside of me.. Having been so financially independent growing up and planning missions, I found it hard to borrow so much. I am so thankful she was able to lend it to me as I almost missed out on the cheapest flight option, and I know she would let me keep this if she could afford to, but that’s not currently the case.  Time to honour that re-payment, too.

~ All my British friends will know about the madness that’s been happening in our country the last few days with the rioting and looting, which has now spread out of London to northern areas where we are living. This has affected the stock market and as a result the exchange rate has changed significantly enough for me to be unable to make my final £11,000 [$18,000] payment! I now owe an extra £360.
… Now for the funny bit. My Grandpa dropped by this morning, turns out he has been made aware of his long deceased great-uncle Fred. Fred had a very small inheritance and wanted it to go to my Grandpa. It’s around £350. As soon as my Grandpa new about my problem, he told us about this and has offered to pay the extra. So, God has used my great great great uncle Fred to provide for today’s need of £350 approx. HAHA!! I wonder what He’ll use next time.

PRAYER: 

• For our Nation! The behaviour has been almost biblical, in terms of how it looks in comparison to the descriptions of lawlessness in Timothy and other areas of scripture. To those that are following my journey in the USA, please join us in prayer. I am heartbroken to see the mess caused but filled with Hope when I see the church all over England stepping up to clean the streets and go comfort the affected.
• I still need to pay out almost £500 to those who’ve lent money to me, of which I have none!
• Hoping God will provide me with some money to travel with and keep me covered for the first 3/4 weeks before my first lot of cash comes from Simpson. I’ll need this to buy everything I can’t take with me in suitcases eg. stationary and study material, bedding, shower curtains, bins etc for my room.

That’s all for now folks, so sorry for the length. A lot’s happened… And I’m sure a lot more will in the 18 days I have left at home! Stay tuned!

 

London-bound.. I hope!

Hello friends

So guess what… only 58 days until I start my classes and new life in Redding, California! Can’t believe how quickly it’s coming around. It’s all getting very real. And I still feel like I have a mountain of stuff to do, people to see and goodbyes to say before that point.. But it will all come together. God’s good like that. As we’ve already seen.

Here a few things happening [or that need to happen] that I would love your prayers for as I lead up to leaving:

• My immigration interview still cannot be booked! Quite frustrating, as I’m told there’s a 10-14 day wait for an appointment, then a further 5-60 days for my visa to be processed. And I’m looking at adding another 14-21 days onto that in waiting for papers to arrive from Simpson University before I can even book the appointment! Which at  maximum = 95 days, and I have around 54 till I fly!
  [I'm actually making the trip to London tomorrow as originally planned before I was informed of the delay on papers, to stay in Luton, Hatfield, Slough and Central London to visit some dear friends. I can't be there forever though! I need this paperwork from across the world, in my hands. I need to be in this building above before Friday 22nd of July!!]

• Having some teeeny problemos with my finances. As you all know, God has provided miraculously, above and beyond all that I could have imagined, already; every morning I wake up, still gob-smacked, flabbergasted, bewildered… blessed. Here’s the thing though, that money made up the difference of what I’d already paid in small donations and life-savings I’d been working on since age 13! So although I’m all square with Simpson payments, [praise the LORD!], I’m practically cleaned out. I have around £200 [$300] to cover my interview/visa fees, travel to and from London, living costs for the following 8 weeks and finally my FLIGHTS! All of which I’m anticipating needing around £1000 at the very least.

So, in conclusion.. I’m nearly there! I just have one final push with the law and my bank account to be on the brink of take-off. As I mentioned, I’m kind of taking a step of faith in going to London. I’m trusting that a) I will get an interview in my short window and b) God will continue to provide for me whilst there, and that my small funds will stretch to cover the whole trip and/or more come in.Sorry for the slightly rushed post; I wanted to keep you lovely people in the loop before I leave in the morrow. As always, I so appreciate your prayers, support, donations and emails. You are amazing people and I’m so glad to have you in my life! I’ll be sure to let you know how things go in a couple of weeks.

Laters!

PS. Besides all this crazy preparation mumbo jumbo, the prospect of leaving this wonderful country for a very long time is well and truly setting in. Found this via a friend;  trying to glean all the advice I can get for

my little heart and my big goodbyes.

http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/5-golden-rules-for-saying-goodbye-on-the-road/

 

That’s a lot of blessing right there…

Hello friends.

Most of you have heard the great news but I’m aware some of you haven’t so I wanna make it official; a couple I know have decided to sponsor ALL of my remaining funds for year 1 and potentially all of year 2 as well! I found out on June 4th, just 4 days after my last post letting all you folks know about my finances, and months of
praying and working hard towards this dream!

I am still absolutely reeling from the whole thing. You must understand, this came from completely out of the blue, from people I never imagined would be able to or decide to do this for me; we’re talking thousands. Seriously people, this is nothing short of a miracle.

My sponsors have informed me they’re quite relaxed about whether I do or do not disclose their names. Knowing that, I feel I would like to share with you who they are, because they really, really deserve a whole load of prayer and blessing,and who better to ask than YOU! So here’s the story in brief:

Their names are Neil and Faith Stewart; they are amazing. Faith is so loving and serving, and Neil is one of the wisest yet humble of men I have ever met. They’re prayerful and have great integrity. The Stewarts are due to come into some money because of Faith’s retirement and discussed some options of what they were going to do with it, but felt that the Lord was encouraging them to just give it all away. Next thing they knew, they were talking about me, getting excited about the prospect of supporting my mission. After more discussions, prayer and peace about the prospect, they came to me with their proposition.

Now hear me out, I am ridiculously blessed to have them want to give me this money, but something that I find equally honouring if not more, is their excitement and willingness, their heart standing behind mine, cheering me on! It’s quite overwhelming to hear people say they believe in you and what you’re doing. Which leads me to YOU…

….Many of you have sent texts, e-mails, Facebook messages and
even a couple of comments on my recent blog posts. Some of you have gone one step further and made donations. A miracle has happened for me this week, but this does not diminish your gift in any way; it is so appreciated! And don’t worry, it will be put to good use. I still have flights, expensive visa and immigration interview fees to cover, a dorm room to furnish and the third-fourth year to finish paying for as I go along. I think I’ve thanked those of you that have encouraged and donated individually, but I wanted to honour you here as well. Know that I truly hope and believe God will bless you for blessing me.

So that’s it people. You’ve heard it from me, He has provided.
I am overwhelmed, overjoyed, and thrilled to be bouncing onto the next steps
of more paperwork and preparations for my Immigration Interview
in London coming up next month with the hopes of getting my visa in time to fly out September 1st. Prayers for “cool runnings” would be great, and I’ll be
sure to keep you posted on all the fun.

Over and out.

 

Where am I going, again?

So I guess some of you do and some of you don’t know the details of my next steps, and I figure it’s not fair to put a “Donate here” link up if you’re don’t know what you’re donating towards! Here’s a little info for your amusement

I love missions. I love people. And I love the practice of medicine.  Add all these together and waddaya get? Medical missionary. As you’ll see in my “About me” page, one of my ambitions would be to eventually have some sort Healthcare scheme/clinic/training in the more rural parts of the third world. Or at least be a part of someone else’s. I’m also very interested in immediate emergency care in global crises, like assisting the Red Cross after Haiti’s earthquake for example, showing the love of Jesus as best I can whilst administering healthcare. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve longed to be out in the less developed parts of our world, and I actually moved out to one of these places as soon as I had the opportunity for a taste of the missionary lifestyle. After living in Mexico for almost a year, I’m convinced this line of work is where I am called to and I hope to be, long-term.

Africa Mercy Ship

Here’s an example of something I’d LOVE to be a part of; Mercy Ships. A giant Cruz Ship turned into a fully functioning mobile hospital, operating globally. http://www.mercyships.org.uk/

So, I gotta get qualified! I believe that attending Simpson University in Redding, California would best equip me; I get to learn the practice of Nursing, and equally as importantly, take Bible and Missions classes, plus gain more hands on experience on trips to various mission fields that I’ll take throughout my course. This my friends, from all the locations across the States that offer this type of training, is where God has led me. And I’m gona follow it through until the door is firmly shut. See more about Simpson at http://www.simpsonu.edu/

Some of Simpson from da heights!

The Challenge: I’ve worked hard at applying as a UK International, and with only about 800 students in total, not including post-grad, I got accepted! My deposit is down, my classes are registered, even my room/room-mates are almost done. I’m still not done getting finances together though. I’ve written to over 50 organisations, e-mailed over 130 contacts and applied for every scholarship available to me. I’ve been richly blessed, but I definitely have a way to go. Would you consider offering a small donation to this vital training?
See below for some more details of my current funding situation. If you could help in any way, whether that’s just a few pounds or a contact to a foundation offering funding that I have not yet heard of, I need to hear from
you.

• TOTAL COST [tuition, living costs, flights, books etc.]: $31,811 or £19,233 per year
• RAISED [scholarships, savings, donations]: $15,000 or £9,000 approx
• STILL TO RAISE: $16,811 or £10,000 approx
  

Over there on the top right of my blog, you’ll see a “Donate” button. I understand this is a big ask for so many of you, and I don’t intend to come across pressuring to anyone. But if you feel you could spare a couple of pounds, [it's really quick and easy], I would be so grateful. If not, your prayers and support are as important, and I appreciate these just as much!

[PS. If I do not reach my target by July 1st in time for Immigration interviews and visa applications, I will not be attending Simpson this year and will need to reassess my plans. If this is the case and you have donated, don't worry, a record will be made of your donation and will be returned to you as soon as possible!]

QUESTIONS? ADVICE? HELLO’S? E-mail me at bexm_6@hotmail.co.uk, find me on facebook or leave a comment on this post – you only need a name and e-mail for the blog site to allow you to comment. Gracias!

 

Here we go, I guess!

Hey! Congrats, you’ve found your way to my first ever blog post! This is only really a quick hello to explain what the deal is…

As most of you know I’ve been working for a few months now towards moving from Manchester UK, to Redding, California, to attend Simpson University for my Nursing/Theology/Missions training. I decided I’ll be out there for such a long time, and I love all my friends and family at home SO MUCH, that I wanted to have a place where all could be updated, free for the individual to come and go as little or often as they please.

I must confess, this will be a hub for some of my fundraising also, so look out for opportunities to help me raise the fees I need for my training before I head out into full time Missions post-education. I would love it if you’d join with me in seeing this dream come true!

So, stay tuned for the stuff I’ll be learning, the scenes I’ll be seeing, the people I’ll be meeting and many more glorious things, not to mention my 3 month count down with the highs and lows of preparations and goodbyes!