My boyfriend Austin has had a great impact on challenging my missions heart. We share an equal passion for Africa and he has been a huge help in encouraging me to act on what I know I am called to do. Let me tell you, having a boyfriend that has a missions heart like he does can be quite a good challenge. :) But he wrote something when we first met that I know God was trying to tell me at that time. Let this sink in...
Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the Lord asking, 'Whom shall I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?' I said, 'Here I am, send me." Where is it that you need to be sent? It could be Uganda or it could be your neighbors house. It could be China or it could be to a hurting friend's side. If we have open and willing hearts, God will always direct us where we need to go. Tonights' CFT (Challenge for Today): Ask God to reveal to you where you target mission field should be, then radiate the light of Christ through your life. Lord send us!" So good.
So after all God taught me through a season of building my burden and giving me great people to let it grow with, He called me to do something bigger. He called me to their soil. He called me to go...and so I am. :)
That's right!! On December 27th, 2010 I will leave for my very first missions trip to Africa!! Want to know what's even better? My sister, boyfriend, and my sister's boyfriend are all coming along too! Party of four to Africa? Yes please! :) Austin (who is my boyfriend lol.) made that awesome map above for me to show you guys where we'll be headed! We will be going to Rwanda and Ethiopia with an organization called Visting Orphans. This organization does several missions to Uganda, China, Honduras...etc. What's so cool about it is that main focus is obviously the orphaned children in these countries. People go on these trips to just love on some kiddo's and maybe even come back having adopted some. It's truly amazing. =]
For those of you who don't know much about Ethiopia and Rwanda, here are some facts from World Vision:
Rwanda
The Republic of Rwanda is located just south of the equator on the African plateau. This landlocked country shares a border with Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The official languages are Kinyarwanda—a universal Bantu vernacular, French, and English; Swahili is used mainly in the commerce sector. Eighty-four percent of Rwandans identify themselves as Hutu, 15 percent as Tutsi, and one percent as Batwa.
The Rwandan Patriotic Front, a group of Tutsi exiles, launched a civil war in 1990. This resulted in one of the worst genocides in history. In 100 days, between April and July 1994, the Hutu-led military and a militia group, the Interahamwe, slaughtered 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Following a Tutsi victory, more than 2 million Hutu refugees fled to neighboring countries (mainly Tanzania and the DRC) in fear of retaliation. Nearly all public systems and health services in the country collapsed.
Fallout from the genocide along with chronic food insecurity, frequent droughts, and poverty have prevented many children, especially girls, from enrolling in public school. In response to this, the government recently instituted a plan to eliminate primary school fees. Catch-up programs have been introduced to help children who had previously been excluded, and as a result, primary school attendance has risen to 85 percent. Secondary school attendance, however, remains one of the lowest in the world at five percent.
The 1994 genocide increased the number of broken families and orphans in the country, and decreased the labor force. Today, 60 percent of Rwandans live on less than a dollar a day. The country is ranked 161st out of 177 on the UN’s Human Development Index. The current government is focusing on re-establishing the civil administration, reconstructing the social and economic infrastructure, and assuring public safety. Electric and water systems are being restored and health centers are being refurbished.
The HIV and AIDS epidemic is undermining progress in Rwanda. An estimated 210,000 children have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. There are 100,000 children living in child-headed households, due in part to the genocide and in part to AIDS. Malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory infections are the other primary causes of death in Rwanda. The infant mortality rate is among the highest in the world at 98 deaths per 1,000 live births. The government is working to improve health services.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is home to a remarkable mosaic of peoples, languages, and cultures punctuated by varied landscapes. The population is overwhelmingly rural, with the highest densities in a region called the central highlands. The slow drying of Africa’s Sahel region affects eastern and northeastern Ethiopia, where the frequency of droughts has increased in the past two decades. Ethiopia is bordered by Somalia and Djibouti to the east, Kenya to the south, and Sudan to the west. The capital city of Addis Ababa (the name means “new flower”) is located in the center of the country and is home to the headquarters of the African Union.
The second most populous country in Africa, Ethiopia has 70 different people groups, with more than 80 different languages spoken. Amharic had been the language of primary school instruction, but it has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromifa and Tigrinya. Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, and English also are spoken. Poverty is paramount and widespread and often is linked to the degradation of the environment and natural resources. More than 38 percent of Ethiopians live below the poverty line, and 23 percent live on less than a dollar a day. The country ranks in the bottom seven percent globally in annual per capita income.
Ethiopia also has the sixth largest number of people (approximately 1 million) living with HIV and AIDS of any country in the world. There are 575,000 children who have been orphaned due to AIDS-related deaths of parents. As a result, more children need to stay home to take care of their fragmented families. Only 26 percent of Ethiopia’s children attend secondary school.
The effects of a severe macroeconomic imbalance, civil war, a social crisis involving millions of displaced persons, and a succession of devastating famines began to manifest themselves in the early 1980s. Four major famines occurred in that decade, killing approximately 2 million people. In each case, international donors provided millions of tons of food aid. Today, a high level of food insecurity still exists due to drought, environmental degradation, and ongoing flooding.
Pretty interesting and heartbreaking stuff. But when we are called to do something we are called to do it fully, without fear as we further the Kingdom for Jesus. You know if there is a burning passion inside of you for something. If you feel it, do something about it! It's time we start moving to action instead of sitting on the sidelines and watching the lives of God's beloved children be ruined and wrecked by injustice and poverty. Do something. Be the change. Compassion is love in action. :)
I'll be writing tons more about the trip as we get everything into place! I'm sure I'll have a great post over shots ;)haha. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this:
"Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't." Richard Bach
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