It's Alot of Fun

-

 




I'm having alot of fun! I'm over half way through my "Home Assignment". It's so great to meet with churches and individuals and talk about the great things God is doing through the work of VOH Africa, my mission work in Tanzania and in my life.

It's alot of work too!!! I've been speaking in churches every Sunday since I've been home. 

On my first Sunday back, I joined New Creation church at their "Worship Camp." We had a great time in worship together! They are a dynamic, growing Filipino church and were my first church partner when I joined missions 3 years ago. It's been a real joy being able to thank them and other church partners in person for their faithful giving and for uplifting me in prayer on a regular basis.

I've also met with dozens of individuals - to thank monthly donors and encourage others to join the ministry with me, I think I've had far more than my share of Starbucks in the last few weeks  .. and a bit of cheesecake along the way too! (suffering for Jesus, you know! 😊)



The fundraising is going well. I have a new church partner and a few others prayerfully considering their part. Some monthly donors have increased their support, a few individuals have signed up as new monthly donors and others have given generous special gifts And He is surprising me in many ways! 

In sum, I'm just over 60% of the goal! I'm excited, grateful and know He's not done yet!

Please pray with me that God will continue to open doors and surprise me with increased support and new individuals and churches who will join me in this Kingdom work by becoming monthly donors, making an annual commitment or giving a special gift.

It's not too late - if you feel that's you, please click here or the donate button below today. Thanks!

Before I end this short update, may I encourage you - count on God to surprise you!! 

When I try to do things on my way, it's easy to get discouraged, or for the task ahead to seem impossible. But I'm learning to wait expectedly, knowing He will show up for us in unexpected ways. God loves to surprise us - it helps us experience who He is and reminds us of His deep love and care for us. So, expect Him to surprise you! And when He does, and blows you away, go ahead and get excited about it!  I am!

Blessings!
Jeanette

ps. I'm heading back to Tanzania in a couple of short weeks If we haven't yet had the chance to connect, and you'd like to get together or have a call, let me know and we will figure something out.  

And, don't forget, if you feel God wants to use you to surprise me, don't hesitate ... I love surprises! 😊





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jambo (Hello) from Africa!

-
Image
My first week in Africa has been crazy! A rollercoaster of the finest kind. Power outages, water shortages, thunderstorms, isolation, questioning … making new friends, excitement, learning, laughing … and more. All packed into 7 days! It’s been an adjustment that's for sure. I’ve been to Africa many times but never stayed in a place for $15/night, waking up most mornings with no water for a shower , and sitting most evenings in the pitch dark except for the small flame of a candlelight so I can reach out to family and friends on data (at least I got that figured out)! But it’s also been amazing. I’ve met new friends at Villages of Hope Kitwe. I’m humbled by their passion, competency and laser focus on putting the children first. I've seen the joy in the children's faces and heard it in their robust singing. And I’m learning much - not just about the programs (which have consistently impressed me) but about the motivations...
Read more

No more waiting!

-
Image
Have you ever had to wait for over 50 years for something? I have. As a young girl, I wanted be a missionary when I grow up … I wanted to help people less fortunate than me have a chance in life, grow up and know about God. I even knew I didn't want it to be Africa, because it seemed there were already enough missionaries there so I'd go somewhere else, maybe India. They had lots of people. Or maybe even Kuwait. Not sure of the location, but was confident of the calling. In my teens, I have a couple of great short-term mission experiences. I went to Bible college, and seminary, all to get ready. But, God had different plans for me. Doors to go to missions closed. Doors with not-for-profit organizations opened. So, I went in a new direction. I've been working in NFP and NGO marketing for the last 35 years. It's been great. And much of this was related to helping the poor overseas. But it's not the same as being on the ground, working directly wit...
Read more

My Tanzania work permit was rejected. What do I do now?

-
Image
New Years Eve  morning... instead of getting ready for a hot New Years Eve date (ok, stop laughing), I got an email from the person in Tanzania who has been working on my work permit that read: "I really wish I had better news to report, but I did want to keep my promise to let you know as soon as we heard anything. You will see the attached document from the Labour website - rejected permits. This came out yesterday.  Unfortunately your name appears on page two. It seems our trying to follow up and write to the commissioner didn't make a difference. I'm so sorry, what a journey this has been - and one which we didn't expect.  Things are changing quickly in Tanzania these days when it comes to anything with the government, but especially anything to do with foreigners in the country. They are becoming increasingly strict and rules seem to be changing every week. We did our best to keep up and submit everything they asked for, but apparently they do ...
Read more