Time Flies

4 Weeks and Counting!

It is crazy to know that a month from yesterday I will be sitting in Burkina Faso for the next 6 months of my life! Lately I have been so overwhelmed and yet filled with unexplainable anticipation for what this time holds. Overwhelmed by the amount I still have yet to raise to make this a reality; it's about $1,300 a month and I haven't been able to raise that because I have been trying to raise the money for the 2 week trip. Filled with unexplainable anticipation over how greatly my life is about to change, from ordinary things such as how often I will take showers and what I will be eating, to things of greater depth such as dreams and passions the Lord has yet for me to discover. This time leading up to my departure has been both tragic; with the loss of a very dear and close friend; and thrilling, it has been a time of growth and everyday seems to hold a new lesson in which the Lord molds me more and more into His beautiful image. Everyday has presented a challenge all it's own in becoming that woman who is passionately in love with Jesus Christ, someone who has been made new (Ezekiel 16:3-14 paints a beautiful picture of this) in the transforming grace of our great God, and becoming someone who's only sights are on God's dreams but every second has been an indescribable adventure.

Though time is running out quickly for finances I am clinging to God's promises of provision. In Mark 11:22-24 Jesus tells us to trust in asking big things of God;
"Then Jesus said to the disciples, 'Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, may you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours."

A God sized Surprise

A couple of years ago I heard of a disease called Noma.

Noma is an infection that is caused by ulcers in the mouth. If the condition is detected in the early stage, progression can be prevented with the use of mild antibiotics, proper hygiene, and immediate nutritional rehabilitation. If left untreated, as happens in most cases, the ulcers progress to Noma at an alarming pace. The next stage is extremely painful when the cheeks or lips begin to swell and the victim's general condition deteriorates. Within a few days, the swelling increases and a blackish furrow appears and the gangrenous process sets in and, after the scab falls away and a gaping hole is left in the face. It is estimated that the mortality rate reaches up to an alarming 90%. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 140,000 new cases of Noma occur each year and of these, a mere 10% survive. That means that 126,000 die each year, mainly in sub-Saharan countries such as Burkina Faso.

After learning about this and what it takes to prevent this disease in children I decided that I wanted to make one of my primary projects for Burkina, toothbrushes. I started out on my hall asking for toothbrush donations and throughout the semester my hall probably gave about 50. Randomly I heard that my brother dorm wanted to be invovled with this toothbrush drive also and so I made powerpoints, announcments, flyers, anything to get our 2 halls motivated. As the end of the year was creeping in (and when I say end I mean 2 days until it was all over) I was settling with the idea that we would be lucky to take over a couple hundrded toothbrushes. Well that night as I was coming back to the dorm after one last dinner I walked in my room and was shocked to see 5 huge boxes piled in the middle. As I walked closer I noticed that they said toothbrushes, my brother dorm had collected enough money to buy 5,000 toothbrushes! In that moment I was humbled and amazed. I was so quick to settle with a minimal amount only for God to do something beyond my greatest dreams. There are a couple of different venues to go with all of these brushes, one could be to the local dentist who helps out inthe needy sections of town and the other is to Compassion, which these toothbrushes would provide for every single child in the program plus more. So obviously I am thoroughly excited to see where these will be distributed and trust that God has a magnificant plan for His glory to be made known through this collection. Now all we have to figure out is how to get them all to Africa :) (that should be an adventure).