Saturday, November 15, 2014

God's Direction & My Obedience


Hello all!  What a wonderful God we serve!!

I wanted to take some time and give some updates on what God has been doing in my life lately!  He has completely wrecked my life and my plans and it has been incredible!

Most of you know that I spent my final clinical rotation of PA School in Zimba, Zambia.  Zambia is a landlocked country along the southern portion of Africa.  Click here to read the awesome story of how God led me over there!  I spent 5 weeks there, 4 of which were spent at Zimba Mission Hospital seeing all kinds of patients and helping out the Missionary Physicians, Drs. Dan & Joan Jones.  My time in Zimba passed WAY too quickly!  I was not even close to being ready to come home- even though when I came home, 5 days later, I graduated PA School. 

So I came home, graduated PA School, took my boards, became a certified PA, obtained my license to practice medicine in Tennessee and eventually found a job.  In the midst of all of this busyness, a void was left in my heart.  That void was Zimba.  I kept waiting for the excitement from being in Africa to fade, but it never left.  It is still there to this day.  I felt like God was calling me back to Zambia.  Not just for short term, however, I believe He wants me there full-time.  In other words, He wants ME to be a Missionary to the people of Zambia, particularly at Zimba Mission Hospital. 

Wait, what??  God wants ME to pack up and move over 8,000 miles away from my family and friends and everything that I have ever known?  I had never even considered being a Missionary.  That was never on my radar- until I came back from Zimba.  I had it in my mind that I would graduate PA school, find a job, and work like crazy to get my mile-high stack of student loans paid off ASAP.  I would have loved to go on short-term mission trips when my schedule allowed, but my main focus was getting my loans paid off as soon as I could. 

So I began the application process with Global Partners to return to Zambia.  This application process was MUCH more in depth than my trip with Global Partners back in 2013 was.  All of the applications and the interviews went as smooth as silk and I was officially appointed as a Global Partners full-time missionary to Zambia at the end of September 2014!  Everything seemed to be falling right into place…

I tell you what… To whom God calls, He also provides!  Remember that huge stack of student loans I was talking about… I knew that there was NO WAY that I would be able to go back to Zambia if I still had to pay my loans.  Enter in MedSend.  MedSend is an organization that raises grant funds to reimburse student loans for medical personnel called by God to pursue long-term missionary service overseas.  I had heard about MedSend and after researching it, I thought it was too good to be true- that’s God Provision right there!! :)  I have finished my applications with MedSend and I am currently waiting on an answer from them.  Huge prayer request right here:  pray that MedSend will accept my loans… there is some concern that they will not be able to accept all of the loans that I am currently paying on.  If that is the case, pray for God’s provision to supernaturally pay those loans off before my anticipated departure date of January 2016!  There is no doubt in my mind that He provides!!  His provision is limitless!!

My life has been wrecked in the most wonderful way possible!  I am incredibly excited to begin this next chapter in my life that God has for me!  I am so anxious to get back and see the wonderful people of Zimba!  God has placed a wonderful vision in my heart for these people and I am excited to see it come to fruition!  I would love to share this vision with each of you and discuss partnership to invest in this great vision that God has given me!  We are all in this together!  Would you commit to pray for me as this season of team building (support raising) begins?  Pray also for me as I commit to grow deeper in my relationship with God and really learn what it means to be a missionary.  Also pray for the wonderful people of Zambia for His great provision each day of their lives!

Thank you all so much for your continued support during this wonderful time!  I look forward to talking to each of you very soon!