11/24/12 UPDATE: Final pre-outreach update

Hi there!

I've been notified that my last update (November 9) may have gone to spam folders for many of you (too much bolding, McKinney). For your reading convenience, I've posted it at my blog (find it here), and I will henceforth refrain from bolding every other sentence.

I recommend reading that one first, but if you're crunched for time, here's the reader's digest version: I'm heading to Arusha, Tanzania this Thursday with a team of 25 students and 3 leaders! We'll be there for a little over 5 weeks (our start date has been delayed due to passport issues) doing evangelism, mercy ministry, church ministry, and anything else God puts in our path... we don't really know specifics as of yet. We have a place to stay for the first two weeks, and from there we'll just pray and stay open to possibilities that we come across. So stay tuned for the post-outreach update, which will have much more information!

For now, some praise and prayer points:
-Praise: We successfully completed the 3-month lecture phase with every student that began the course. There were some sickness and visa issues that threatened this, but we've all come back together in time for the outreach, and we're so thankful! We feel like a family, and it's hard when any one person is missing.
-Praise: The Americans on base were able to get together (with the help and company of our British base leaders and a handful of friends from other nations) and celebrate Thanksgiving with a real Thanksgiving dinner, turkey and all! It meant so much to all of us to be able to celebrate in a way that felt like home.
-Pray: For our outreach team. For unity, safety, love for each other and those we're serving, energy and health on a busy schedule, and for God's guidance in every day of our ministry. And for me-- I'm one of two student leaders for the team, so pray for God to work through me and use me in this role.
-Pray: For my heart during this holiday season. I love it here and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is where I'm meant to be, but the holidays are a hard time to be away from loved ones any way you slice it. Pray that my joy, home, and family with be in Jesus.
-Pray: That I will see a giraffe. I'd really like to see a giraffe. And a zebra. And I'd especially like to see a lion, though they tell me that's doubtful.
-Pray: For God's guidance for my post-DTS plans. I've had some really exciting opportunities come up for the next two years, and I'm in the process of praying and sifting through them.

I'll be quite limited in my use of the internet for the five weeks following Thursday, but I always love reading your emails whenever I get them, so keep me posted! And, as I know you do, keep me in your prayers... I'm so grateful for all of your prayers, love, and support. And, in case I don't get a chance to say it, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Molly

11/9/12 UPDATE: Repentance & reconciliation, outreach plans, malaria, electrocution, and a wedding!

How's that for a title? Yes, it's been a crazy month.

Reconciliation

In my last email, I asked for prayer for unity in our DTS, and especially in our room. God has answered your prayers swiftly, powerfully, and thoroughly. A few days after the email, our room had a meeting and talked through the things that we were struggling with, and the culture of our room changed that day. Most of the hurts had been unintentional, through miscommunications and assumptions, mixed with a little selfishness on all of our parts, but we have seen such a shift towards love, humility, and service. Praise the LORD!

And this morning... I don't really even know how to describe this morning. I had read about times like this, but I had never experienced it for myself on such a large scale before. We, as a whole DTS, were having a time of prayer for our upcoming outreach, and the Holy Spirit came with such a flood of repentance over the whole group... for hours, we were weeping and confessing our selfishness and weakness and sin to God and to each other, humbling ourselves and acknowledging our need for Him. By the end of the time, all bitterness and discouragement had melted away, the feeling of disunity was gone, and we as a DTS had come to a new level of love for each other, commitment, awe, and submission to God, and excitement about what He's going to do in our remaining two months. One girl had even changed her plane ticket a month ago to go home next week, and by the end of this morning she had changed her mind and is so excited to join us for the outreach and finish the DTS. No one could put a finger on what we needed as a group, but God knew and brought it to pass, because He is faithful and powerful and loving. We are walking in our forgiveness and redemption, and we are excited to go forth in love and unity and share the good news!

Outreach Plans

Speaking of sharing the good news, the outreach plans/teams have been announced! I'll be going with a team of about 30 people to Arusha, Tanzania for six weeks starting November 24. We'll stay there in Arusha, partnering with local churches to share the gospel and minister to the hurting and needy in any way we can, whether in hospitals or ministries for street children or anything else that comes up. It's a bittersweet time, as I'll be separated from many of the people I've become closest to, but I know God has a perfect plan, and I cannot wait to see what He'll do during this next season!

Malaria/Health Needs

As many of you know through Facebook, I had my first run-in with malaria about two weeks ago. I'm doing much better now, thanks to God and your prayers and the doctor we have here on base, but I certainly don't recommend malaria! Days of high fevers (staying between 103-104, around 40 Celsius, for about 3 days), uncontrollable shivering, aching head and body, and no sleeping or eating, accompanied by a medication that makes you even sicker, weaker, and wildly emotional... but the students and staff around me took care of me and celebrated with me when I was finally able to get up out of bed. Thanks so much for your prayers and all your notes of encouragement-- I can't express how much that meant to me while going through such a rough time.

One of my best friends here, Humphreys, a Ugandan staff member, was also hospitalized this week with malaria, typhoid, and stomach ulcers. We almost lost him, and it got a little scary for a few days, but he's home on the base as of last night and has the life back in his eyes. Thanks for your prayers for him as well-- he says without them, he knows he would have died. There have been several major health needs among the students and staff in the last few weeks, leading to large hospital bills for several of my close friends. Healthcare is inexpensive here, by Western standards, but a hospital bill of $200 can be crippling for an African YWAMer living by faith... Please pray for provision, and if God puts it on your heart to give anything towards the hospital bills for Humphreys, Arafat, Florence, or Steven, please send it to Journey Church/1491 W Rose St./Walla Walla, WA 99362 with a note that it is for me, and also send me an email letting me know the amount you are sending-- sometimes it takes a little while for the money to make it through the mail and into my account and to my attention (I do live in Africa).

I also got electrocuted! No lasting damage except for a small scar on my foot, but apparently sometimes live wires are just lying on the ground, and when you take your high heels off after a long day of being a bridesmaid, you can step on them and burn the tissues inside your foot and also feel the electricity all the way into your shoulders. So that was a new experience.

Wedding

Speaking of the wedding, I got to be a bridesmaid in my Canadian friend Chasity and my Ugandan friend Nixon's wedding this last weekend. It was a long day, especially after having malaria all week, but it was an honor and a joy to get to stand with Chasity on her special day, as so many of her friends are so far across the world.

Closing Remarks/Prayer Points

I'll send at least one more update before leaving for outreach, and I hope to write a few blog updates (on repentance, being wealthy and living among the poor, and maybe waiting on the Lord) this weekend, but for now, here's how you can pray:

-Outreach preparation. Unity for the teams, wisdom for the leaders as they plan, and provision, protection, and fruitfulness as we go.

-Health and hospital bills. Pray for health for our DTS-- the last few weeks we've seen more sickness than we ever want to again-- and for provision for the hospital bills that have come up, especially for students and staff who don't have the resources to pay for them.

-Continued outpouring. Pray that God will continue what He started this morning, in each of our hearts and in us as a team. It's so good!

Thanks so much, and all my love to each of you!