Book review: "Found in Him" by Elyse Fitzpatrick

Between my Missionary Preparation Program at church, my agency (SIM) requirements, and the online classes I'm taking from Wheaton College and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, I have to read about a million books. (Seriously. Thank God for libraries!) I'm actually excited to read every one, though, and I'm still reading (or listening to audiobooks) for pleasure in my free time, so I just thought that maybe when I come across a particularly excellent volume, I could share my review. Here's a recent favorite:

This book contained excellent apologetics, not just touchy-feely self-help stuff but the real meat and potatoes of the Christian faith, and more specifically what it means to be in intimate relationship with God. It was theologically rich, and yet also emotionally satisfying; something I've rarely found in other authors as they tend to appeal to one or the other, head or heart. It struck deep chords within my woman's soul. Elyse understands what it means to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind" (see Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:36-40), and this book spoke to every part of my being. Highly recommended!
Find it on Amazon.com 

MissionsFest & Prayer Requests

I've had a busy month so far, and it's not letting up! It has been my privilege to be presented before the congregations of Wheaton Bible Church and Tri-Village Church, their sister church in Streamwood, as part of MissionsFest 2017. During this week I also presented my ministry before 4 small groups. This was the theme verse:

We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

--1 Corinthians 3:5b-7

This particularly strikes a chord with me as I am gathering my support team, because I may be going out to work in the field of Niger, planting seeds of God's love as I meet physical needs, but I can't go without being sent--by YOU! So thank you for your encouragement, enthusiasm and support!

Here are some things you can pray about for me and the hospital:

I sent a newsletter out a few days ago, so check your spam boxes if you were expecting to receive it but didn't get it yet...otherwise, click to sign up:

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Finally, if you're near Wheaton, MARK YOUR CALENDARS for October 30th!

From 5-8pm just mention "SIM" at the counter or drive thru and Chick-fil-A will donate back up to 20% to SIM! The address is 301 E. Loop Rd, Wheaton, IL. The COW and I hope to see you there!

Recalculating...

I've completed my week of pre-field training at SIM USA headquarters, and I have to report some recalculations in my plans for ministry at Galmi. All good news, though! I am no longer required to study French before arriving in Niger, since the French-speaking therapy assistant, Barnaba, has been accepted into school for additional training. It is now more important that I complete 6 months of Hausa language study, in Niger, because the remaining apprentice only speaks Hausa.

Oumarou, on left, speaks Hausa and I will participate in his training at Galmi; Barnaba, second from left, is now in school in northern Niger! Please keep him in prayer

I now have the following timeline:
>>Ongoing: theology classes online
>>October-November: language learning class online (Wheaton College)
>>January 14-February 9: Cultural Training Institute in North Carolina
>>March 15-18: CMDA orientation for medical missionaries in Virginia
>>April?: depart for Niger; study Hausa for 6 months in Niamey

I need your support now more than ever, as each of these trainings require registration fees and some require travel. With your help and if it's God's will, I will be on a plane overseas by April!

So here is an update on my support raising:

I have currently received pledges totaling 68% of my monthly budget! THANK YOU to everyone who is giving and who has pledged to give!!! If you are interested in joining my team, you can click here to be taken to my SIM donor page. You may start your giving at any time, but as I mentioned above, it will make a big difference in registering for all of my trainings/ classes if you can start before the end of the year. Please pray about it and let me know if I can pray about something specific for you, too!

The Potter's Workmanship

Beautiful pots formed by hand by skilled artisans in a Nigerien village

While at SIM SendOff (pre-field training) in Charlotte this week, we were asked to consider the following passage of the Old Testament from Jeremiah. I thought I would share some of the wisdom and insights I gained as I reflected on it:

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.”  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there [s]he was, making something on the two stone slabs.  But the vessel that [s]he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so [s]he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel." 

-Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NASB)

I imagined myself in the prophet Jeremiah's place as I meditated on the passage. Every sight, sound, and smell of that Nigerien village, which some of you might remember me visiting in February, came back to me. The dust in the air tickled my nose as I walked through the village. I had to duck to enter the door of the mud-and-straw hut of the potter. It smelled of donkey dung and it was humid and cool inside. Several of us crowded around to watch. I recalled the potter's leathery skin and her pop-bottle eyeglasses as she crouched on the floor and demonstrated her skills for us, and heard the THWACK of her paddle and her occasional shouts at the curious children to clear the doorway so that she could see by the bright light of the desert sun. 

One of the potters at work; she uses donkey dung to make the clay and water to mold it, beating the shape into being with a flat wooden paddle. She works by daylight since she has no electricity

Asking God what lessons He wanted me to take away from this object lesson, I reflected on the following:

• the potter/God makes beautiful vessels for her/His use out of the available materials; dirty things (like donkey dung!) have a purpose (see Isaiah 1:16 & Romans 6:13)
• when the vessel comes out imperfect or lumpy, the potter/God doesn't throw it away; she/He reshapes it into something beautiful again (see Colossians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
• the way to reshape it is by adding more water; in the Bible, water is the wellspring of life, or a symbol of the Holy Spirit (see John 4:10-14, Revelation 22:1-6)
• as the potter shapes the pot, she/He molds it firmly with her/His hands, and sometimes a good THWACK! (see Deuteronomy 8:5, Proverbs 3:11-12)
• the potter pulls off any unnecessary bits and tosses them away, until the pot is perfect (see John 15:1-3 for a similar analogy)

Pretty cool, right? Feel free to comment with your own insights!

One who is "cent"

Someone shared this with me recently and I thought it was great:
Every time you reach for a penny in loose change or find a stray one on the ground, I want you to look at One Cent and stop to say a prayer for me...One who is "Cent" across the world as a missionary! (And for any other missionaries you know, too!)
😆😆😆
Here are some of my current prayer requests:
*Praise God that my boss let me take off for the SIM training in Charlotte, October 1-7; please pray for my focus and clarity during this time
*Pray for my application to Medsend, a student loan repayment program for medical missionaries, to be approved
*Pray for my time management as I work part time, meet with potential partners and take online classes in theology and second-language-learning skills

Thank you for your support! 

Awesome Party & A Lot of Packing & Answered Prayers, OH MY!

First, a HUGE THANK YOU to my friend Dazzlin' Dawn who hosted my line dancing party/fundraiser last weekend! It was so much fun and I loved cheering for everyone who walked away with a raffle prize, especially my Aunt Mary who won the grand prize getaway to Nashville!!! 

Big thanks to all who donated goods/services for the prizes, including Megan and Sherri at Heidi's Salon and Spa in Warrenville, and to those who helped set-up, clean up, take charge of the money, and mostly everyone who came out to support me and my ministry in Niger!!!

 

If you missed the party but would still like to donate to my launch fund, please use this link. 

ANSWERS TO PRAYER:

Thanks for everyone who has been faithfully remembering me in prayer, as September has been a whirlwind (is it over yet??). In addition to the success of the party, I'm grateful for many friends who have pledged additional support toward my monthly goal of $3,248. I'm also excited to announce that I've been approved by the Board of Elders at Wheaton Bible Church as their newest supported missionary! Altogether, this means that I'm now 51% supported!

Grateful for the blessing of my condo for the past 6 years!!

I closed on my condo on Friday, so thanks for praying for that, too. It's been a stressful time of packing, selling furniture, donating thousands of things and storing some important stuff that I couldn't part with. Stormy and I now live with my parents (still in Warrenville). If you need our address, please email me! 

PRAYER REQUESTS: 

*For grace and patience during the transition to living with my parents once again 

*Energy to sort through the rest of my belongings

*Wisdom about when to leave my part-time job (started July) without burning bridges
*And for an affirmative response on my MedSend application, a student loan repayment program for medical missionaries

Fundraising Update

I'm thankful for all of your support thus far! I've met with many of you to share my vision for Niger & Ethiopia, and the response is awesome!

Mom, me, Tyler (surprise!) and Dawn at a last-minute planning session

My parents have helped me stage the condo and sell it, my friend Dawn is throwing a big fundraiser for me this weekend, my brother flew in from Philly just to be here for it, friends are taking some of my stuff to store it for free, and every Sunday more people at church ask how the preparations are coming. I can't do it without all of you!

Did you know that the motto of SIM, my sending agency, is "By Prayer"? I value your prayers for me above all! Sometimes I can get bogged down in packing up the house, planning the fundraiser, and juggling jobs with 4 companies, and I'm in danger of losing my JOY. But your prayers and encouragement keep me lifted up.

Here's the fundraising update: I still need $2,682 in monthly pledges in order to be fully funded. Once I'm at 80% funded, I can purchase airline tickets and be ready to launch in January!

Prayer Requests:
-for my fundraising party on Sunday, for good turnout, for opportunities to share my ministry with new people, and for everyone to have fun!
-for the church Elders' meeting on 9/12, where they will vote on supporting me financially
-for the condo closing on 9/15 to go smoothly
-for the next step in my ministry training, called SIM SendOff, which is a week-long training in Charlotte, NC from Oct 1-Oct 7

I hope to see many of you at the fundraiser on Sunday from 2-5pm at the Emerald Green Clubhouse, 29w370 John Bardeen Dr in Warrenville! We'll have line dancing, 30 raffle prizes and crafts for sale. If you can't make it but are still interested in supporting me financially, you can use this link. I'm blessed to be your bridge to serving and raising up Christ's disciples in Africa!