I am amazed by the number of "little" things to be done in the last 10 days before my departure: buy bug spray, get a haircut, finish up my shot boosters, buy some Christian children's books, pack as lightly but as efficiently as possible, etc. etc.
I am feeling very calm and ready for the journey. I am really looking forward to seeing my niece, Jessica, who has already been working in Zambia since mid-May. As usual, the summer is flying by. I thank God for working through us to change the lives of needy youngsters this summer. As I leave, I am leaving my Cambridge ministry too. I asked one of my families who has been receiving free bread to pick up bread on Saturdays in my absence and see that it gets delivered to those who need it. The RPM ministry group really has a wonderful outreach in Cambridge, and that area really needs a vibrant ministry to help lift up the poor and show them the light of Christ.
My cousin Shari's husband, Chris, made a comment at our family reunion this past weekend that I want to share. He said while our country does have poor people, we need to remember that our U.S.A. poverty line is not poverty when compared with the third world nations. God does call us to reach out to those who experience hard times financially, helping them with food and bills, but we dare not forget that God is also sending us to "the ends of the earth" -- to children who sleep outside under a piece of cardboard, or families who eat just one nutritionally deficient meal per day, or whole communities who have been displaced to refugee tents because of war. I think of a lady near here who called me several months ago, in tears, because she could pay all her bills except her trash pickup bill, and was afraid they would cut her off. I had to tell her that we don't consider trash pickup an emergency. What I didn't tell her was how wonderful I thought it was that she could pay all her other bills; that she has food on the table and a roof over her head; that she has more than one change of clothes and even a car to drive. We need to be more aware of our blessings. We really have much more than we think we do.
Our last team conference call from Every Orphan's Hope is Thursday night. Then one week later on July 9 I will be driving to my sister's house in Ashburn, VA, and flying out of Dulles on July 10. The trip will take about 24 hours total: a stop in Dakar, Senegal; a stop in Johannesburg, South Africa; and then the final leg from Johannesurg north to Lusaka, Zambia, arriving late on the 11th of July. We will have the weekend to get our bearings and get recovered from jet lag, then Monday - Thursday (July 13-16) is our first Camp Hope in the village of Chongwe, Zambia. Then we will repeat that the following week with another Monday-Thursday camp. On Sundays we are worshipping in a local church in Lusaka, if I have understood correctly. I don't know if I will be able to connect with Zambian Presbyterians or not, but I sure hope so!
I will make another entry at the end of this week to report on our conference call. I should have all the final details of our trip then. God bless you all!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Today Laura and I walked 2.5 miles with Sandy McWilliams, a 53-year-old Presbyterian from KY who is walking from Louisville KY to Pennsville NJ this summer to raise awareness about the disease her mom has, psp or progressive supranuclear palsy. It was great to walk with a gentle soul on a mission. God works with each one of us in different ways.
Someone remarked to me today that "Mission begins at home. We have plenty of needy people right here in this country." The implication was that my trip to Zambia is somehow a waste of time, money and resources that could be spent here at home. I am sure I will run headlong into this viewpoint again, so I thought I should address it on my blog.
Mission does indeed begin at home, but if you read the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19f.) Jesus is very clear that we are to go out to all peoples everywhere, all over the world. The book of Acts quotes Jesus in Acts 1:7,with details on the Great Commission: first Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then to the ends of the earth.
Beginning our witness and giving in our own neighborhoods is biblical: limiting it to our local area is not. Everyone who is in need, all over the world, is our neighbor.
These are some of the thoughts I have on mission as I prepare to journey to Zambia.
Someone remarked to me today that "Mission begins at home. We have plenty of needy people right here in this country." The implication was that my trip to Zambia is somehow a waste of time, money and resources that could be spent here at home. I am sure I will run headlong into this viewpoint again, so I thought I should address it on my blog.
Mission does indeed begin at home, but if you read the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19f.) Jesus is very clear that we are to go out to all peoples everywhere, all over the world. The book of Acts quotes Jesus in Acts 1:7,with details on the Great Commission: first Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then to the ends of the earth.
Beginning our witness and giving in our own neighborhoods is biblical: limiting it to our local area is not. Everyone who is in need, all over the world, is our neighbor.
These are some of the thoughts I have on mission as I prepare to journey to Zambia.
Friday, June 12, 2009
It is less than a month now before our team's departure to Zambia. I will be part of a large group traveling together from Washington DC, through a stop in Dakar, Senegal, then a stop in Johannesburg, South Africa and finally arriving in Lusaka, Zambia on July 11.
I have been walking 2 miles a day, three or four days a week, trying to get in better shape for the trip. I am really feeling my age! But I know that God uses us at every age, so I am ready for what lies ahead on the journey.
The Presbyterian churches in Malta and McConnellsville may be giving me a gift certificate to a Christian bookstore in Zanesville. If so, I plan to buy children's Bible story books and take them with me to the EOH office in Zambia, who will distribute them to children according to need. I also want to take some small gift items with me, but I haven't yet decided what. Above all I want to be a blessing to the children I am sent to meet, teach and serve!
On the conference call last night, we discussed what to pack for the trip. It was helpful to learn that the climate will be dusty, and Camp Hope attire needs to be comfortable and fairly rugged. While Gary advised bringing a couple of pairs of jeans and t-shirts to be "shaken out at night and put on again the next day", Tiffany advised bringing a fresh outfit for every day. Being used to frugal packing and living, I think my packing choices will put me somewhere in the middle, choosing two or three pairs of comfortable pants, maybe 8-10 tee shirts and my Land's End trekker shoes. I want my wardrobe to be simple, comfortable and easy to care for.
It's hard to believe that I am done with everything except the packing part. Praise God! Time to get packed and get ready to go! Just a few more weeks!
I have been walking 2 miles a day, three or four days a week, trying to get in better shape for the trip. I am really feeling my age! But I know that God uses us at every age, so I am ready for what lies ahead on the journey.
The Presbyterian churches in Malta and McConnellsville may be giving me a gift certificate to a Christian bookstore in Zanesville. If so, I plan to buy children's Bible story books and take them with me to the EOH office in Zambia, who will distribute them to children according to need. I also want to take some small gift items with me, but I haven't yet decided what. Above all I want to be a blessing to the children I am sent to meet, teach and serve!
On the conference call last night, we discussed what to pack for the trip. It was helpful to learn that the climate will be dusty, and Camp Hope attire needs to be comfortable and fairly rugged. While Gary advised bringing a couple of pairs of jeans and t-shirts to be "shaken out at night and put on again the next day", Tiffany advised bringing a fresh outfit for every day. Being used to frugal packing and living, I think my packing choices will put me somewhere in the middle, choosing two or three pairs of comfortable pants, maybe 8-10 tee shirts and my Land's End trekker shoes. I want my wardrobe to be simple, comfortable and easy to care for.
It's hard to believe that I am done with everything except the packing part. Praise God! Time to get packed and get ready to go! Just a few more weeks!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
more shots
I got most of the rest of my shots today: three in one arm, one in the other. I have to go back the day before I leave, for a hep A booster, and then start taking doxycycline to prevent malaria two days before I go to Zambia, the whole time I am there, and then four weeks afterwards. The travel clinic nurse is a sweet lady from Warsaw who belongs to the Church of God up there. She took her time and explained each shot and told me to take a look online at the CDC website to see what kind of precautions I need to take while traveling. She was very helpful. The shots cost me $205 so far, and there will be an additional fee when I pick up my prescription for the anti-malarial meds at the pharmacy.
Thanks again to everyone who has donated towards my journey. It is expensive, but God has provided the means to go and I am excited to be sent to Zambia this summer.
Thanks again to everyone who has donated towards my journey. It is expensive, but God has provided the means to go and I am excited to be sent to Zambia this summer.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
shots!
Today I got my tetanus shot for the journey, and tomorrow I have an appointment to get my hep A-B shots, yellow fever, typhoid fever, and anti-malarial meds (probably doxycycline). I think this is the last item on my to-do list before I leave in a mont (besides packing!).
I am trying to walk more every day. Yesterday I walked 2 miles and today about 1 mile and a quarter. I am really tired but trying to ignore it. I want to be in shape and be at my best for the trip!
I am trying to walk more every day. Yesterday I walked 2 miles and today about 1 mile and a quarter. I am really tired but trying to ignore it. I want to be in shape and be at my best for the trip!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I received my visa by fed ex this weekend. A visa to travel to Zambia is a bit more involved than other visas I have received. I had to mail my passport to the Zambian embassy in Washington, DC together with two more passport-size photos of myself, an application and a $50 passport fee. The first time I mailed it all in, I forgot to sign the back of the two photos (!!) so they mailed it right back to me post haste! This time I got it all correct and now I am all set, visa-wise, for my upcoming trip.
I am really enjoying my niece's blog. I love the photo of all the girls modeling their new Zambian clothes. The fabric colors and patterns are so beautiful! The team that is already there is visiting homes, meeting children, and finding out first-hand how children are matched up with needed services like sponsors, schooling, food, clothing and shelter. I am looking forward to joining the ministry in July to see the Lord at work among the people of Zambia.
I am really enjoying my niece's blog. I love the photo of all the girls modeling their new Zambian clothes. The fabric colors and patterns are so beautiful! The team that is already there is visiting homes, meeting children, and finding out first-hand how children are matched up with needed services like sponsors, schooling, food, clothing and shelter. I am looking forward to joining the ministry in July to see the Lord at work among the people of Zambia.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Friday, June 5
Welcome to my Zambia Journey blog! I am heading to Lusaka, Zambia on July 10, 2009 to work for two weeks as a Camp Hope bible school teacher with orphans in the village of Chongwe, Zambia, near the city of Lusaka.
As I prepare for my short-term mission trip, I have been busy raising $4200 to fund the trip, most of that cost being airfare, and the rest going to room and board, supplies and the needs of the mission itself. Every Orphan's Hope www.everyorphan.org is the organization I am going with. My sister and niece have both been working with EOH for several years now, and my niece Jessica is currently on her second mission trip in Zambia. She is there for two months this summer and her comments may be read on her blog at www.showerstravels.blogspot.com
I welcome you prayers, and many of you reading this have already supported me financially. Thank you so much for participating with me in mission this summer. It's still five weeks until I fly to Africa, and this spring has held some huge personal challenges for me, as my dad recovers from open heart surgery (he lives two doors down from my family). We are glad to see him recovering and pray for his full recovery. In the meantime, I am sticking close to home and planning carefully for his meals and transportation needs while I am gone in July.
There is a great deal of planning that goes into a trip of this magnitude. I have been busy for months raising money to fund the trip. I had to apply for a visa to Zambia, which I now have; and I have yet to get my immunizations and malaria meds for the journey. My sister, Evelyn Showers, designed and sent all the crafts for our camps in Zambia last month. My niece Jessica is busy as a mission intern meeting children and making home visits in Zambia, trying to make connections with children in need and help them find sponsors, churches, help and hope.
Thank you for being a part of this important mission.
Ellen.
As I prepare for my short-term mission trip, I have been busy raising $4200 to fund the trip, most of that cost being airfare, and the rest going to room and board, supplies and the needs of the mission itself. Every Orphan's Hope www.everyorphan.org is the organization I am going with. My sister and niece have both been working with EOH for several years now, and my niece Jessica is currently on her second mission trip in Zambia. She is there for two months this summer and her comments may be read on her blog at www.showerstravels.blogspot.com
I welcome you prayers, and many of you reading this have already supported me financially. Thank you so much for participating with me in mission this summer. It's still five weeks until I fly to Africa, and this spring has held some huge personal challenges for me, as my dad recovers from open heart surgery (he lives two doors down from my family). We are glad to see him recovering and pray for his full recovery. In the meantime, I am sticking close to home and planning carefully for his meals and transportation needs while I am gone in July.
There is a great deal of planning that goes into a trip of this magnitude. I have been busy for months raising money to fund the trip. I had to apply for a visa to Zambia, which I now have; and I have yet to get my immunizations and malaria meds for the journey. My sister, Evelyn Showers, designed and sent all the crafts for our camps in Zambia last month. My niece Jessica is busy as a mission intern meeting children and making home visits in Zambia, trying to make connections with children in need and help them find sponsors, churches, help and hope.
Thank you for being a part of this important mission.
Ellen.
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