We are here!

Hi everyone! We are finally in Kokstad, South Africa! The flights were very long, but good overall. In Jo'berg we made our flight with only 6 minutes to spare! Thank you for all of your prayers :) Last night we stayed in a B &B next to the airport. Both Bri and I crashed right away and slept through the night no problem. We had an amazing breakfast this morning and then headed off to a church in Durban. The accents here are very fun - they are like a mix of Australian and Brittish. It is funny because everything over here is opposite of the US - literally everything :) (from driving on the left side of the road to the toilet flusher...) Well, we have a lot to unpack, but here are a few pictures so far.

On our first flight of the 36 hours of traveling

The 16 1/2 hour flight... Bri was sleeping and the guy sitting in front of us asked if he could take a picture ;)

I guess there is a story behind this guy in our rooom, but we haven't heard it yet... All we know is that he stays in our room and we can't pronounce his name. We call him Xander because that's as close as we can get ;)

These dogs like to stick their heads through our window (literally, through it) and say hi :)


This is a quick picture of our room

Going Away Party

I can't believe that Bri and I leave for South Africa in 3 days! Our Monday night prayer group gave us girls (Bri, Moriah and myself) a going away party. It is such a blessing knowing that so many people have been, and will continue to pray for all of us. I am so thankful for such a supportive church family.

The girls leaving... plus Shannon ;)

We are going to miss our Mo

Prayer Group

We would love your prayers for safe travel, especially for Bri's migraines and my back! We will be traveling for 32 hours going and 36 hours coming home, with our longest flight being 19 hours!

18 Days Until We Leave!

I cannot believe that I leave for South Africa in 18 days! It is coming up so fast. I have raised almost all of the money needed to cover expenses in Africa. However, I still need another $125 to meet my goal of $500. I have been working all the hours that I can for On Call Nanny so I have enough money to cover all of my bills here at home for the month and a half that I will be gone. I would appreciate prayer for finances in both these areas.

Bri and I looked through a bible study to use for the girls we are going to disciple in Africa. This past weekend Bri and I went shopping and purchased everything that we need for our trip. It took all day, but we have the clothing and supplies that we need. The church had a list in the bulletin for the items that we will be bringing our friends in South Africa. It has been such a blessing to have such a supportive church family helping me prepare for this trip! I have been meeting with my mentor for the trip, and she has been a ton of help and very encouraging.
This past week we learned that my sister, Moriah, has the opportunity to go to St. Lucia for 10 days this August. Our church voted to fully support her financially for this trip, and purchased her plane tickets this past week. It has been great to see my little sister following my footsteps and serving around the world ;) I am very proud of her!

Thank you all for praying for me and this trip!

Update :)

I talked with Allen and Gloria last week to see if they have any news for us. Allen let Bri know that the original lady who she was going to work with is switching jobs, but he found someone else for Bri to work with. Allen said it will be a little while before I find out more on what I'm going to be doing because the South Africans don't think that far ahead ;) We did find out that the first night we fly in Allen, Gloria, Bri and I will be staying in a bed and breakfast. This will work great because Bri and I don't fly in until 8PM. Allen said that the road from the airport doesn't have any lights so it is very dangerous to drive on because you can't see if any animals like a black cow is in the road. It will also be nice because it is going to be 36 hours of traveling for Bri and I, and being able to go to bed instead of being in the car for another 3 hours will be very nice! Allen and Gloria also want us to be able to see the scenery during the drive, which we wouldn't be able to see at night. Allen also let us know that we will be staying in the apartment next to theirs while we are in South Africa.

Today after work Bri and I are going to meet with Becky and Joan for dinner. It will be great to run some ideas by them. They are also going to look over the Bible study material that Bri and I are looking at doing while we are in South Africa.

It is a lot of fun to see how God is putting all of the details for this trip together! Thank you for all of your prayers.

Tickets, Money and Plans for Africa

Hello everyone!

So many things are starting to come together for Africa. It is very neat to see God's hand in this trip! This past Sunday Bethany (my church) voted to support me and Bri for Africa both financially and in prayer. I am so blessed to have such an amazing church family behind me. Unfortunatly, when we took a look at the tickets that afternoon, we saw that the ticket prices had gone up about $900. We immediatley began praying and asked others to do the same. Yesterday, we felt God telling us to play around with the dates of our trip. We realized that if we go August through September the trip is $1000 cheaper! This morning I was able to speak with Allen and Gloria to confirm that these new dates would work. It was great to be able to get some questions answered and hear their shared excitement to have us come! God is so amazing in how He is working this out!

We were able to buy our plane tickets to Africa this afternoon for $1566.41 each! Such an answer to prayer. The official dates of our trip are 8/13 - 9/19. This is a week shorter than we were origianally planning, but we both felt that for $1000, it was worth it.

Please keep praying for both Bri and myself as we prepare for this trip. It was neat to be able to talk with Allen and Gloria about some ideas that they have for Bri and my time in Africa. Allen said the trouble is going to be figuring out what, out of the list of things they have for us to do, to cut out because of time ;) They will definitely keep us busy (which is exactly what we want)!

Financial Support

I realized last night after hearing back from a couple of people who would like to help financially support my trip to Africa that I forgot to say where people can send the money. People are welcome to give me the money in person, or send it to my P.O. Box. The address is P.O. Box 15903 Seattle, WA 98115.

Thank you!

Africa Summer 2010!

Hello everyone,

I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything on this blog. I have decided that I will use this blog to keep people updated with my missions adventures and facebook to keep up with people on a weekly basis :) If you are not already friends with me on facebook, and would like to be, feel free to look me up. I do not get on facebook everyday, but I do get on at least once a week to see how everyone is doing.

Anyways, I am planning a trip to Africa this summer and wanted to let everyone know about it! I am going July 16th and coming home August 28th. My church has a missionary couple, Allen and Gloria Brittingham, who live in Kokstad South Africa. I am not sure yet if Bri (my friend who is also going) and I will be staying with the Brittingham's or an African family from their church. There are many needs in Kokstad right now, and we are working with the Brittingham's and their pastor in Africa to figure out where we could best be used to serve the people in their city. I am just excited to be going, and I am open to letting God use me however He wants during this trip.

As the planning for my trip becomes more real, I am so excited to be preparing to go to Africa! Because the planning is in the beginning stages, I would appreciate all of your prayers for God's guidance and wisdom. The plane tickets from Seattle to South Africa are around $1900 at the moment. This week my goal is to get a support letter out to all of my family and friends. The total that I need to raise for the 44 days in Africa will be around $2500 depending on the final price of the tickets when we purchase them sometime in the next month or so. Any financial support is greatly appreciated! I would also love your prayers throughout this whole process that God would prepare my heart for what He has planned for me in Africa, and for the people that I will be serving.

Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers! I will keep this blog up-to-date as I find out more details.