Fundraising Begins

If you are interested in helping financially with this adventure you can send funding to:

Living Hope Church
PO Box 1726
Westport, WA 98595

check memo line: Rachel in Burundi

The goal is $20,000.
This is $5,000 less than last year. Now I know some tricks to saving money while living in East Africa.
Funding will help pay for: $90/month visa fee, travel expenses, ministry expenses, living expenses.

Strike While the Iron's Hot

Things are moving so fast over here!
So I got an email yesterday from the travel agent saying that she wasn't able to purchase the ticket on Friday because of the holiday. She looked at the price on Monday and the tickets had jumped $500!!! She asked if we could hold off in hopes that the price would go down. I agreed.
Today she emailed me with good new! Not only did she get the ticket but the price went down and it was back to the original price!!!
Then as I was preparing other things for this trip I called the Burundi Embassy in Washington DC to find out if they got my paperwork for a visa and see about any problems that there might be. The woman informed me that she was currently putting my passport, complete with visa to Burundi in the mail!
How does this happen?

In the process of the weekend I also was able to get a church who could manage my account while I am in Burundi!

I guess the phrase, "strike while the iron's hot" applies here :)

God is good!!!

The Ball is Rolling!!!

I JUST BOUGHT A PLANE TICKET TO BURUNDI!!!!

That's right. Things have been moving so fast the last two days I haven't had time to update you on things. sorry

Here are the highlights:

Dad gave the ok to start fundraising

Received an invitation letter for a trip to Burundi in December from the president of HAU to go for graduation (Dec 16 is graduation of the students I taught)

Received positive conversation about a new church who is willing to manage my finances and take care of sponsors while I'm gone

Purchased a plane ticket for Dec 2-Dec 19 (return date pending on circumstances)

Plan to sure up plans for a Jan return to Burundi

Timing

I told you I would inform you either way. Well this last opportunity has closed. The explanation for the denial was timing.
Through the tears I choose to say that God is great and worthy of following. So I choose, even though it is hard to continue after so many closed door, I choose to praise him for his perfect timing.
To God be the glory!

The Wind is Blowing

When the wind begins to blow you can see the leaves in the trees and tall grass start to sway.
I am starting to see the effects of the wind blowing in my life.
Nothing is official yet, but things are starting to move.
Please pray for the doors that seem cracked open to swing wide!
Possibilities are presenting themselves and things are moving quickly. Yet I am moving forward with caution since the last 8 months have been filled with possibilities that have been dashed to the rocks and I was left in a state of sorrow. Caution is how I am proceeding towards this opportunity.
I'm not content with a good opportunity, I want the Lord's will! I want to be sure he is orchestrating all of this.
For now please keep plan me and making in your prayers.

I will give more details when things seem more official in the positive or negative (I'll let you know either way)

Friends Far Away

A friend from Burundi wrote me an email today.

"what is keeping you from coming? We will invade your country and pick you! Ha..ha!"

My response to him. "Oh Herve, If I saw you running at me looking as if you were going to kidnap me I would be so happy!!!"

Peace

It's amazing how someone can speak into another person's life only sharing their own experiences. I was given a DVD of a talk Phil Vischer did back in 2007. He spoke of how God gave him this dream of Veggie Tales and then ripped it from him. I find myself in a similar situation. I had all this time and effort put into starting something with special education in Burundi and then wham I'm not allowed to return.In talking with my dad I realized that I needed to allow myself to be content with the work I had done. I thought that all my time and efforts were wasted. My dad quickly pointed out that the ten students I taught for a year would strongly disagree and he would too. Perhaps teaching at Hope was only intended for a season that has now closed. The proposal I wrote for an education facility for those with disabilities still sits in the office of president of the university, my students did learn something (I tested them to make sure) and those around me while living there made a difference on me. My time was not wasted. I committed to serve a year and I did just that.
With this new vantage point my heart is at peace and I can move on. On to what, I don't know. I'm convinced that God is more concerned in who I am then what I do. So I am taking time to focus on just that, being who he created me to be. The bible says that God created good works for me to do before I was even born. So instead of searching for something to now I am now going to wait for those good works to come up and step into them with joy.

This doesn't take away from the ache in my heart when I receive an email from students and friends at Hope Africa University. Jean Pierre writes, "Think you my professor, I am at the end to finish my study, who are you now we wait you" Translation: Thank you my professor, I am about to finish my studies. Where are you now? We are waiting for you."

Excuses

Why is it that everyone I talk to seems to have an excuse of why I can't serve?

You don't have your master's degree.
You're single.
You're young.
You don't have enough experience.
You're a girl.

and my least favorite
This is what happened to me when I was your age, you'll make it through.

When did this become about me and my abilities? I thought that serving the Lord was about Him.

And to address the last excuse just because people treated you badly and you happened to learn and grow in spite of it doesn't mean that people should treat other people the same way. What happened to learning from history and not making the same mistakes?

I don't want excuses. If you don't want me to serve just tell me no and take responsibility for your denial of me. Don't just make excuses.

What's going on?

I have no idea!
I'm currently learning to wait and chase down rabbit holes to come up empty handed.
For the last 6 months I have applied to countless schools and organizations internationally desiring to get back to East Africa. All with no return. I have attempted to apply for graduate school at various locations all with dead ends. My job at the aquarium is coming to a close with the summer season ending and I'm looking for an open door or even an open window to climb through.
Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me as God takes me through a process of waiting. I've been telling people that going back to Africa is the goal but there aren't currently any plans. Just waiting.
Thank you for caring about me and continuing to support me through this transition and waiting time.

No Master's Degree for Now

So I received an email from the university I applied for and they said that they will no longer be accepting applications. And my application is not complete yet.
The test (GRE, like the SAT but for grad school) I took, was scored and results were sent to the university a month ago. Then I waited for the school to tell me that they had received the scores. I contacted them this Monday and they informed me that the scores did not arrive. The testing company was very kind and resent the scores to the university for no charge. They said that they should arrive by Friday. I received the denial email on Wednesday.
All this to say I tried to apply for a master's degree program and I didn't get it.
Now I'm continuing to apply for jobs and other positions in and around East Africa.
I continue to strive towards this because I, along with my parents and others in my life, believe that that is where I belong.
My heart still aches for those who have been put off by their families because of their disability, the little boy who was beat with a rope in the public market by his caregiver, and the countless others who are capable to attend school but need better trained teachers to help them learn.
I will not give up this easily. I will continue to fight to support those with disabilities in East Africa.

Want to Hear in Person?

You're Invited!!!

2 opportunities:

Sunday, July 31, 2011 At 2pm
Faith Church
25636 140th St SE
Kent, WA 98042

&

Thursday August 11, 2011 At 5pm
In Lacey, WA
call me or comment for directions

Your invited to come and hear stories and ask questions about my time in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, DRC (Congo) and about getting kicked out of Egypt.

GRE Complete

I've done my part, now it's up to the university to decide.
My scores aren't as high as the school's average but I'm a whole person not just a number from a score.
Please pray that God would direct the university administration to the right decision for my life, whether that is attending there or finding something else.
God is good and there is no denying that :)

Dreams, Grad School?

So this story has changed so many times and I'm convinced will continue to change. It all started back when I was 6 years old. I wanted to be a ballet teacher. So mom signed me up for dance. I took ballet for 30min and tap for 30min. After four years I had to pick. Was it to be tap or ballet for a whole hour? With ballet my arms got tired of being held up in funny shapes, and my toes were tired of pointing. The choice was clear; tap it was. I said goodbye to a very real dream of being a ballet teacher.
When I was 15 years old I decided I wanted to be a special education teacher. (are we sensing a theme here, teaching) I spent all Jr High and High School deciding which grade level I would teach. I worked in all the age groups. High school was my favorite without a doubt. There is so much to learn about life as a high school-er. I had a vision of starting a general ed leadership through service class. The students from general ed would learn about what it is to be a leader and then practically use their knowledge by serving their peers in the special education department. That all changed when I was given yet another choice. This one had a greater effect on my life then ballet vs tap. Would I be willing to move for a year to Burundi, Africa.
After a month of living in Burundi I realized that my heart was there. I wanted to see life for those who had no voice, were forced to beg on the streets, hid in their homes, and who society did not have resources or knowledge to deal with. I wanted to see nationals empowered to make a difference in their own country. I wanted to be the catalyst that pushed them on to great things; knowing that I, as an outsider, could never make an impact that was culturally relevant as well as they could for their neighbors.
But just like before my dreams were halted and options were presented. Now I'm faced with a choice. Do I write off my dream or do I allow it to be changed to something greater?
Currently I'm faced with the fact that the main platform to share concepts of special education in East Africa is in a university setting. This would require a master's level degree. I could work for another special education organization, which there are very few world wide. But I've contacted lots of them and they currently are not in need of me.
The other option I have is to give up on Africa and focus again on the dream I had 3 short years ago, but I don't think that's a wise choice. Every time in my life I'm faced with a choice and I take an opportunity I learn more about who I am and what I do best; what I was made for. I get closer and closer to a dream that I didn't know I could dream about.
So I'm going to chase this one. I've applied to the Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania. They have a program that looks tailor made for my dream. It's called the International Educational Development Program. It takes only a year if I go full time. And bonus, summer semester is spent abroad. Which means I could be back in Africa (no guarantee on location) as soon as next June.
The next step is Tuesday 6/21/11 taking the GRE (it's like the SAT test for Master's programs). Please pray for me as I'm starting it at 3pm and it goes until 9:30pm. I'm not a night person but that was the only time available.
Once the school knows my scores they will let me know if I'm invited to attend there.
I believe this is a step in the right direction towards my dream.

Heart Change

It's amazing how different things look when you look at them from a different angle. Perhaps the extra time I'm here is just more time to prepare for my return. Hmmm
I'm starting a to do list and beginning to use my time more wisely.

Anyone know where I can learn the basics on blind education or physical therapy? I also want to learn how to ride a motorcycle.

Just some things that could come in handy in the future :)