Mhoroi and Mauya!

In addition to this blog, we will be posting team updates on our team blog which you can find at http://www.nmcglobal.com/. Just click on the Zimbabwe tab to follow along! Below is our first team entry. Happy reading!

Hello and Welcome! The North Metro Zimbabwe Team is so grateful to have the support of our family and friends as we travel to Harare, Zimbabwe, April 2-11, 2010. Our team of 15 will work alongside Hands of Hope Africa as we lovingly serve His precious children orphaned by the overwhelming HIV/AIDS epidemic facing their nation. We covet your prayers for our entire team as we prepare our hearts, minds and souls for the work (and lessons!) that God has planned for each of us.

Who exactly are you supporting through your prayers and financial donations?

During our first two team meetings, we learned that we are: moms and dads, wives and husbands, grandparents, and brothers and sisters. We have pet lovers, picky eaters, snorers, weepers, comedians, wanna-be writers and gifted photographers. There are stay at home moms, working parents, teachers, office professionals, church staff members and business owners. One of us was adopted in infancy, one of us adopted a precious baby from Russia two years ago, and one of us is currently in the process of 2 (yes, two!) international adoptions. We have a soccer fan, hockey junkie, motorcycler, bicycler and recycler!

Regardless of the labels and identifiers we place on ourselves, we have this in common: God called out for us to serve, and we listened. He is telling us to trust in His provisions, and we are trying. He asked “Whom shall I send?” and we answered, “Here I am. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

While God has called this team of 15 to travel to Zimbabwe together, He has called you share in this mission as well! You certainly are not reading this blog by accident, contributing your hard earned dollars to our members or lifting up prayers for our team for no reason. Remember that your prayers and support glorify God as much as our travels do!

We invite you to follow along as we update this blog both before and during our trip. So, bookmark this page, grab a cup of Joe and read along as God continues to write this chapter of His novel!

Blessings ~ The Zimbabwe Team

The Dust of Africa

Awhile back, I saw on someone's blog "Once you get the dust of Africa on your feet, it will never leave you." As soon as I read it I thought, that is so me! Problem is, I haven't actually been there.

How is it then, that since childhood I have felt an inexplicable sort of kinship with its people; many of whom face extreme poverty, while I bask in the over abundance that is America? Why am I so drawn to this vast continent, which is as dark and desolate in some corners as it is breathtakingly beautiful in others?

I don't quite understand my need to drench myself in Africa's culture, study the history of its countries, pray for its leaders and citizens, serve its people who, despite their daily adversity, have the ability to exude such joy. Why do I care so deeply for orphaned children I've never met? Why is God calling so loudly to me to come and serve Him, while I serve them. Wouldn't it be easier, cheaper, safer, more comfortable to help locally, here in Atlanta?

If I listen closely enough to God's answers, I learn that for whatever reason, for whatever purpose, He needs me there. So, He is sending me!

This April I, and a team of 14 others, will travel to Zimbabwe to serve precious children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic that has grasped their nation. I am grateful for, and excited about, this opportunity but I have concerns and fears as well.

Will my husband, son and dogs be okay while I am gone? What if something happens to me? What if something happens to them? What kind of food will I eat? Because God, you know that I prefer to eat vegetarian and I am terrified that a meal (or two) could be sacrificed in front of me. Will my laptop work there? How many emails will I come home to? And yikes - can I take my hairdryer? (Shallow I know, but I like to keep my blog (and my life!) real. In keeping with that tradition, my husband will be the first to tell you that in 15 years of marriage, I have gone on no trip without my hairdryer!)

Will I be able to raise the $2600 I need for this trip? Speaking of that $2600, sending letters to my family and friends asking for help was so outside of my comfort zone it’s not even funny! I really didn’t enjoy God’s sense of humor with that one BUT stepping outside of our comfort zones makes us trust that much more in God’s provisions. Does it not?

In 2003 I began praying for God to let me be His hands and feet in Africa. Mission trips have come and gone, and for various reasons I have stayed behind. It has been frustrating at points but what I have realized is that God’s timing is way different than my own. So now, nearly 7 years of waiting later, I am going to serve. I asked God to Send Me, and He is. I am humbled to do this work for Him, and I pray the dust of Africa gets on my feet and never leaves me.

--Karyn

Why go?

Why a mission trip? Why go “From A to Z” (Atlanta to Zimbabwe)?

Atlanta is home. I am happy and safe here. I would be much more comfortable NOT asking friends and family for support money. I have a husband, a two year old, a busy part-time job, obligations, laundry, meals to cook, baths to give and errands to run. My to-do list is perpetually full. I am very comfortable with my family, my friends, my home, my food, and my daily busyness.

Zimbabwe I don’t know the language in Zimbabwe. I don’t know where I’ll sleep. I don’t know any of my teammates. I will have to raise $2,600, and I hate asking for money. The flight will be 20+ hours. The culture will be completely new and different. I am not sure if I’ll like the food. Will I get sick? There is a big list of painful sounding shots I’ll need. Malaria pills? What will I do there? How can I help? I don’t really have any special skill to offer. Who will I talk to? This will be emotional, hard and will likely challenge me to the core.

So, why go?

God’s answer:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

My answer:
Why not? There are orphans who need love, and I have some to give.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

As a family, we feel a burning passion for serving, praying for, loving on, and giving to the orphans and the poor of the world. I can certainly serve from home though. There are people all around us that need love. I can volunteer and send money to local and international organizations. I have a long list of reasons why I should stay in Atlanta, and a longer list of reasons that I should NOT go to Zimbabwe.

The thing is… God is calling me to go. He has given me a burning desire to serve the “least of these”. Serving is in my heart. I long to be the hands of feet of Christ to those in extreme poverty. I long to have to trust God 100%. I need to be changed. I am too comfortable. I need for my heart to be broken by what breaks the heart of God. My faith has grown strong, but I need to take a deeper step into what God is doing.

I have fears and doubts, but I also have faith, trust, excitement and anticipation for what God is going to do in me and through me. So, bring it on, God. I’m in.

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40

~Rebecca