PRAISE REPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M FINISHED FUNDRAISING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unofficially finished....I know that once I send in the last few checks and donations I'll be done with the $4200. I just have to raise $650 if I want to go to re-entry next year....I'm not worried about that. So PRAISE GOD!!!!! I'm so happy and thankful for everyone's prayers and support. God is amazing and my church has been such a help! They've helped me raise over $1000 through bake sales the last month or so! Its amazing because so many people are dealing with cutbacks or they're unemployed but they still give....I'm so overwhelmed and feel so unworthy but I know that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He surely has provided for me!!!! Everyone has their financial struggles but God has worked this out!! So now I'm just praying that He'll soften the hearts of the loan companies :-/ so that they won't be the obstacle between me and Guinea! God is so good guys! Thanks for all of your support and encouragement and prayers and EVERYTHING!!! I just wanna encourage you to keep trusting God....He can and will work out everything for HIS good...He works on HIS time and not ours. Don't be discouraged!!

Jeremiah 29: 11-12 says "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you."

So now I wait to leave in the next few weeks....guess I should start packing and make sure I have all that I need. And please keep praying for the loan situation.....I don't believe God has brought me this far just to leave me.....but if He has its for a purpose. His will and not mine! ~Alex

Here I come Guinea!

Now I wait...

Training is over. It was a great 4 weeks, what a blessing and spiritually and mentally. I feel so energized and on fire, I'm so anxious to get to Guinea....but I have a whole month before I leave. So now I wait.....blah. I've still got a little bit of fundraising to do so I guess that's a good thing and I've gotta get my loans deferred....much prayer for that please. Anyway at training I learned so much about myself and about how to reach out to the unreached or any people for that matter. We talked about discipleship, worldview, spiritual matters, culture shock...everything. I think the biggest eye-opener for me was the days we talked about worldview and culture. Being a westerner living in the USA we forget that everyone doesn't see the world and life the same way we do...and a lot of times we fail to reach others and forge relationships because we fail to see things from their worldview. I think it hit home and everything made sense when we talked about how important it is to learn the culture and language and become part of the people and see things from their eyes......because only then can I really start to reach them based on their needs and show them the love of God in a way that they'll understand. I just hope that while I wait I won't forget all I learned over the last 4 weeks. I'm excited and can't wait to be among the Coleman family and the Susu people. Here's a picture of us 20 missionaries going out to all parts of the world: Waiting...kinda impatiently lol :) ~Alex

The beginning....

I'm at training in Michigan, I've been here 2.5 weeks and have another week and a half before I go home. I'll be home for about a month before I leave to go to Guinea for 9 months. I'm so exicted, I finally got this blog started. I plan to update as often as possible so that all you lovely readers and keep in touch and learn about what I'm doing in Guinea. I'm going through an organization that's based here in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM) is an organization that sends missionaries out to people groups who have never heard of Christianity or Jesus, let along Seventh-day Adventists. They send out two types of missionaries: career missionaries and student/short term missionaries. Career missionaries are usually older adults with families who dedicate multiple years to a project. I'll be working with the Coleman family over in Guinea, they've been there since 2000. They've been there learning about the culture, the language, making friends, and sharing the love of Jesus. Once they learn the culture and become part of it, then they can more effectively share the gospel and lead people to Christ. I'm considered a student missionary because I'll only be in Guinea for about 9 months. My job is to help the career missionary family. My official title/job will be lifestyle educator but I'll be ready and willing to do whatever they need me to do. Like the Coleman family I'm required to learn the language and culture while I'm there, because that is the most effective way to witness. To show people that you are truly interested in them and their culture and way of life, and that you're not there to beat them over the head with the bible and throw them into the baptismal water. Its about conversion of the heart, and only the Holy Spirit can do that....we're just the vessels for Him to use.

That's just a little introduction for this blog, I hope you will enjoy reading over the months to come. I'm looking forward to sharing my stories, struggles, and experiences with you! Thank you for all your support and prayers!!!

~Alexandria