The Beginning of Something Beautiful

Well, we've been here for a few days, but before I blog about what we have currently been doing, I wanted to give a little background about the Convoy of Hope internship itself:

I have been blessed with an incredible opportunity for the fall of 2010 (from September through December) to work as an intern with Convoy of Hope (www.convoyofhope.org). COH is a faith-based organization all about helping people in need, particularly in disaster relief and poverty-stricken areas. Our goal is to share the love of Christ through meeting needs-it's basically missions combined with the Peace Corp! Throughout this term, I, along with the rest of the intern team, will undergo training at the Convoy of Hope HQ here in Springfield, MO and other locations. We will head to Philadelphia, PA to work at a city-wide outreach, and we will also head to Dallas, TX. However, the largest part of our term will be spent in Kenya, AFRICA!! We will work at several group homes (orphanages) throughout the country with the goal of helping these facilities become self-sustainable in food and clean water supply. We will also spend time working with the Masai people, aiding them in a clean water project given in a dream by God to a native pastor. In this dream, the Lord showed this Masai pastor how to gather clean water from the volcanic crater steam vents of Mt. Suswe in the Kenyan Rift Valley. We will aid the Masai in fulfilling this dream and supplying their tribe with clean water to the best of our ability. We will be in Kenya for close to two months. Our goal is to share the love of Christ and spread the Gospel message through meeting incredible needs.I'm overwhelmingly grateful for this opportunity from God-it's truly an amazing blessing.

Throughout this journey, I will document our efforts, sharing insights and personal thoughts as well. Thank you so much for allowing me to share with you!

We began last Thursday (Sep. 8th) and have been in training since that date. I am staying in an intern house with 10 other interns, where we have experienced everything from flooded bathrooms and basements to late-night conversations to laughs and tears. We are truly a unique intern team simply because we are the first all- the- same gender internship team Convoy of Hope has ever had! However, we are confident that God has divinely orchestrated us all to be here for such a time as this, and He will equip us with everything we need to accomplish the task at hand. Everyone is already forming an incredible bond.

We have been training at the Convoy of Hope headquarters, coffee shops, and parks, as well as other locations. Sitting under the leadership of our director, Matt Wilkie, and our other leaders, Shannon and Karen, we have talked about relief & development, Missio Dei, the Indigenous Church, disaster response, sustainability, the 10/40 window, etc. We've participated in many team-building exercises and have bonded over shared testimonies and devotionals. We've also already constructed solar ovens and gleaned from the wisdom of such people and organizations as Sustain Hope, Nate Kaunley (leader of Dusty Feet, an organization to fight human trafficking based out of Kenya), Randy Rich (one of the co-founders of Convoy of Hope), and others. Our team has volunteered at Hands of Hope packing bags to take to the outreach in Philadelphia, and we have even already had the opportunity to minister to a few people in the community.

Last night, we went camping at School for the Nations, an African village set up by missionary Randy Copeland. Even though heavy rains beginning in the middle of the night caused us to have to pack up our tents and sleeping bags early in the morning (and kept us from doing our rope and obstacle courses), we were able to bond over a campfire and watch missions videos over a projector against the beautiful night sky. These movies stirred us to such a degree that just about everyone was in tears. We also were paired up with a prayer and accountability partner, whom we walked with through the woods as we shared each other's heart and reason for being here. What an incredible moment!

Even though everything isn't always perfect, I'm beyond thankful for this opportunity, and I feel incredibly overwhelmed with everything I'm learning and experiencing so far. No matter what sacrifices must be made, God has called us all to reach this lost and dying world. If we are able to make a difference in only one life, it's all worth it. I'm so excited about what God has in store!! I can't wait to get to Africa.....

I will update soon! Thank you so much for joining me in this journey! God bless!! :)