Really Really

I don't really know where to begin right now. It's hard to believe that our time here in Ethiopia is already done, it just doesn't seem possible.
It's 5 am here. I haven't really been able to sleep all night. I think I started laying in bed around 1:30 am and dozed off for a little bit, but I guess my body doesn't really want to rest.
Our week in Nazret at the National Student Movement Leaders Training was incredible. I didn't know what to expect, and through that was kind of negative, but the Lord continued to show to me how He's moving here in Africa and showed us all the hope of Africa that's being carried within the student leaders at the conference. It was like DCC, but way more. The students were the most passionate believers I've ever seen, and getting the chance to worship with people who are 100% in for the Lord all the time and feel the power of the Gospel so deeply was phenomenal. We were also blessed to have staff members translating the sermons for us, so through that I was able to learn a lot and look forward to re-reading my notes and reflecting on all Tariku and Bekele had to say. The translators at the conference were as sweet and loving as the ones in Bahir Dar, and again I made great friends in only a matter of days. We also got to share and serve with the students as we planted thousands of trees one day in Nazret. That afternoon of planting is one of my favorite memories of the conference. We got to perform worship songs, and a dance to a Lecrae song, to share with the students and encourage them in what they're doing. We had the chance to bond together and raise support for one of the students we'd met, enabling him to go to school, and praying over him as he prepares for this next step in his life. We had the incredible opportunity to have dinner with Tariku, Bekele, Sahai, and Mihiret (they are all on staff with CCC/GCM in some capacity), and to hear the mind-blowing testimonies of how they've come to faith and seen God move in their lives and in Africa. Basically, Nazret was every bit as much a blessing and growing experience as the rest of the trip, and I know that I was not expecting that.
Since we've been back in Addis Ababa we've been processing through our time here, both individually and as a team. We've gotten to affirm one another, sharing how each team member has played a vital role in God's work here in Ethiopia and in the ability of our team to function. We've been able to spend time with many of the Ethiopians who mean so much to us--Kassahun, Dires, Desta, Wande, Mike, David, Kaleb, and Kaleb. (Yes! David and Kaleb, Luke & I's partners in ministry). We've spent time preparing our hearts for the transition back. My heart is heavy about going home, but I know that the Lord has planned my time here perfectly, and now it's time to go home.
I can't believe how blessed I've been to be able to come to Ethiopia and see God moving in such an evident way. It has been such a privilege to be able to come and serve the Lord here; the same Lord who is working back home in America.

Psalm 31

Hello from Addis Ababa! This is where we were when we first got to Ethiopia two weeks ago.

The last couple of days have been very emotionally intense for all of us. Well, Wednesday wasn't as much. Wednesday we postponed our visit to the Blue Nile Falls in order to do ministry in the morning. I went with Jessica and Clay and David was our translator (aka Partner). We went to a location that was farther away from most places we'd been. Went to a cafe called Dave's cafe and talked with one guy who was a Bajaj driver. (A Bajaj is the Ethiopian taxi). After talking to him we asked a guy who'd been looking over at us a lot if he wanted to talk, but he just wanted the 4 Spiritual Laws booklet, which we gladly gave him. We talked to two more guys, both Orthodox, and made appointments to meet them on Thursday, before leaving that cafe. We tried to go visit one of the translators at his house but he wasn't home.
After lunch we had downtime to do whatever we wanted. A couple of us were feeling splurge-y so we actually went and got massages at this hotel we'd gotten dinner at the night before. It was incredibly relaxing, and it finished with a hot shower, which we hadn't had the whole time of being in Bahir Dar (let's be honest, we didn't have running water most of the time in Bahir Dar).
In the evening we played a game of soccer against the translators. We went to the local YMCA and it took awhile to get the game going because all the kids wouldn't get off the field because they wanted to play too. It was a tough game, and our team sustained many injuries (one minor concussion, one ball hard to the eye resulting in a minor black eye, and a couple scraped legs), and we lost. But we put up a very valiant effort. Final score was 2-3. After the game we had dinner and then the translators came over to hang out. We played games for awhile and then had a serious talk about what we had all learned from this experience, and then a couple people gave thanks gifts.

Thursday was a very emotional day. Went out again with Luke as my sharing partner, and we had Kaleb and David as our partners. Had an appointment at 10 with Adarajo, who Kaleb and I had talked with already twice. It was a hard conversation because we'd already told him really all that we could, and Kaleb and I wanted so much to see him accept, but he said he still needed to think deeper. While we were talking, Luke and David were causing a ruckus--they'd sat down with four guys and were debating something about the legitimacy of the Bible. Luke said, "We didn't even get to share the Gospel. We just argued." So we left quickly after that and went to a juice place. Talked with one guy, who was very Orthodox and couldn't see the difference between what we were telling him and what he already believed. Another conversation where nothing we said was getting through so we had to walk away.
Headed to where we meet up for lunch and kind of had a breakdown. And by kind of I mean I did. I think it was an overflow of a couple different things: frustration at never having anyone accept the whole time (despite telling myself and being told many times that the heart-changing is not ours to do but God's, and that it's nothing we do if they do or do not accept), at seeing so many people so close to accepting but closing their hearts, and realizing how undeserving I am to share this message and how weak my faith was and is. I was broken; that's the short side of it. But while I was crying in a corner, in the arms of a couple friends, I found Psalm 31. I wasn't able to read the whole thing then, but the more I look at it now the more I see how perfectly it fit how I was feeling right then and what happened the rest of the day.
We got lunch and after Luke and I went out with Kaleb and Kassahun (who's on staff here and has been living and working with us the whole time). We had two appointments, none of whom showed up, so we kept cafe hopping. We showed up for our third, and last appointment, who also didn't show up. But in the waiting we talked to one guy, who was like the other conversations we'd had and couldn't see the difference between Orthodox (they believe in Jesus Christ, the saints, and works) and what we believe (just Jesus, that we are saved by FAITH and GRACE, not works). He left, thanking us for the conversation (which was mostly Kassahun), and then Kassahun went around asking everyone in the cafe if they wanted to talk. He found two guys, and so he sat down with them. The three of us were just hanging out waiting for him to finish, and somebody from inside the cafe walked over and asked if we would tell him what we believed. Just like that. Kaleb took over sharing with Getachu, and about four minutes later we saw them praying together. My mind was blown because my first thought when he walked over was that I had no desire to share with anyone I was so tired and frustrated. Then we gave him a Bible, hugs, high fives, and the booklet, which he promptly took back inside and shared with his friends. Then his friend came out and she wanted to go through the booklet with us and then SHE prayed to accept Jesus Christ. Kaleb was so excited because these were the first two people he'd ever seen accept Jesus. What a way to end our time of ministry in Bahir Dar.
I think the Lord was teaching me how weak I am. Even when I'm trying my hardest, if I'm doing it on my own, it's no good. I still have a lot to learn in this area, but there's time.

We said goodbye to our translators at the end of Thursday and we gave our thanks gift. We got Kaleb a basketball, and he was SO excited. I also gave him a KU shirt, so I got a photo of him in the shirt with the basketball. Match made in heaven.

We flew to Addis yesterday and will be leaving in a couple hours to go to Nazret to help with a conference. Hard to believe we only have 10 days left.

There's No Reason Not to Do It Until They Ask You to Stop

Oh goodness, so much has been happening since my last post even though it's only been six days. But six days is a long time here because our days are packed full of good stuff. My memory is scattered so I'm trying to summarize the days as best as I can, but forgive my lack of detail on some things.

Thursday we spent the morning at the guest house doing devotional and worship. Then in the afternoon we went sharing downtown. That's really all I remember.

Friday morning was spent sharing downtown. I went with Chase and Caleb, my translator. We spoke with a few different people and it was an interesting day. One person we talked with was a follow-up from a couple days before. Caleb was so thankful to see him because our first conversation hadn't been the most encouraging, and the fact that he showed up just brought him joy. We had a good talk with him and then afterward we had a really interesting chat with a DVD vendor. It was hard because he would not really listen to what he had to say unless the Bible we used stated that Mary was above God, which it obviously doesn't. Caleb and him talked for a long time in Amharic and then we said goodbye, giving him a KGP (Knowing God Personally) booklet to read over. While he smiled at us and ripped it up as he walked down the street, we are not discouraged for we did our part in trying to share the Gospel with him. This is one of the biggest things I've been learning: it is not our responsibility to change their hearts but the share the Gospel with them. They may accept then, or they may accept later, but either way the seed is planted and the Holy Spirit will water and grow it in the Lord's timing, not mine.
In the afternoon we got to go experience the market. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. The colors were fantastic and we met a couple locals who helped us chat with the vendors and also helped us negotiate so we weren't getting (too) swindled. We also had them convince a donkey-cart driver to let us get on to take pictures. We quickly drew a crowd of about 50. Kind of insane. I loved the colors of the market and getting to experience the way the people live and interact. Can't wait to share pictures from this day.

Saturday we planned to go to Gondor but because of sickness we changed plans and went to the Monastaries. We went by boat on Lake Tana and went to two different islands. It was cool to see the history but I've never been big into stuff like that.
The afternoon we spent resting because many of us were sick and/or tired. Chase, Jessica, and I stacked our hammocks on the front porch and read and napped. It was awesome.

Sunday we started the day playing soccer with the locals. Then we had the opportunity to go to the local Protestant church that many of the Great Commission staff attend. Though we couldn't understand what they were saying, it was amazing to see the passion the people had and it was very clear that truth was being spoken. Dires, who's on the national staff, also translated the sermon for us onto notes and we passed them during the sermon.
In the afternoon we went sharing. I was with Luke and we had Caleb and David translating for us. We met with two men we had met in the market on Friday. I had another opportunity to trust in God's greater plan because the guy that Caleb and I talked to told us that we upset him and then promptly ordered a beer. Being with Caleb every day has been such a blessing. He is so compassionate and feels so upset when people don't accept, but it gives me the opportunity to encourage him, which also encourages me. I reminded him that the Gospel is offensive and that we were sharing truth. It is not up to us if he accepts, isn't sure, or gets upset. In the evening we shared what had happened during sharing.

Yesterday we went and saw a town called Gondor, one of the few tourist-y things that we have done. Had the best meal that I've had since we've been here and after lunch we went and saw the castle ruins. The ruins were so much fun-we chose not to have a tour guide so we went around taking goofy pictures and climbing until they told us to stop climbing. But we still had so much fun. In the evening we spent time focusing on Psalm 51 and then singing songs.

Today we spent all day doing ministry and it was a great day. In the morning I was with Luke and Caleb was our translator, then in the afternoon we also had David join us as a second trasnlator. We go to talk to eight or nine people, and were able to share the Gospel with all of them. Of those 8/9 we have 4 follow-ups on Thursday to allow them time to think, pray, and develop questions that, Lord-willing, we will be able to answer on Thursday. But it was a great opportunity, yet again, to continue to grow in my ability to share and to continue to trust in what the Lord is doing and how He's using me.

A few of my favorite things here have been playing soccer with locals Thursday, Sunday, and this morning before breakfast and ministry. They are all so nice and it's fun to be able to get out and run around.
Another favorite thing is the translators. Most of them are 16-18, and it is so incredible to see them share their faith (whether or not we can understand them) and be able to encourage them and develop friendships with them. I have been with Caleb every single day and I absolutely adore the kid. I'll post pictures later.

K, so we have to go. But that's the update. I'll try not to wait so long next time because (1) I forget things and (2) the posts get crazy long.

First Day of Ministry

After getting dinner in town last night we all went back to the guest house and shared stories from the prayer walk. It was cool to hear the stories of the other group and hear how quickly some prayers are answered. One cool story is that Audra, Chase, Jessica, and Keith were trying to find Taylor and Amanda, who had wandered off. Audra and Chase went one way and Jessica and Keith another. While split, Audra and Chase were praying that people would approach and ask spiritual questions. Audra, our leader who was on this trip last year, said that happened often because the Ethiopians tend to assume that white people here are missionaries. While Audra and Chase were praying, Jessica and Keith were approached by a man who asked them if they read the Bible and if they could read it with him. They were able to get his contact info and hopefully will get the chance to meet with him soon. And that's just one story. Though our intention yesterday afternoon wasn't explicitly sharing, it still happened. It's hard to have "off time" because being white is so weird and draws so much attention.
One other cool story is that at dinner last night, the electricity went out at the restaurant (it's rainy season, and it's also been stormy rain which I love). Some of our guys had pocket flashlights so we put those on our table and then were putting soda bottles on top to make the lights fun colors. A man at another table gave one of our guys a note that said that our creativity and joy brought light to the place, along with his name and phone number. The Lord is already at work here, doing more than we could ever hope to do on our own.

Today was our first time going out with our translators and getting to talk to people. I was paired with two others from our team, Dustyn and Breana, and our translator was a 16-year old boy, Caleb. It is so incredible to get to share with the translators because, even though many of them are young, they are so passionate and sometimes will just run with talking to the person. It truly illustrates how when people are being saved it is not by our own doing.

Acts 17:22-31

7/11/2011

We made it to Bahar Dar last night. Our flight was delayed about two hours, but everyone keeps joking about "Ethiopian time" which basically means it's unreliable and prone to being late. But we were able to play cards and just hang out at the airport while we waited so it was perfectly fine. The 45 minute flight from Addis Ababa to Bahar Dar was nothing compared to our previous two flights.

The guest house we're staying in is surprisingly nice. Really, the only thing that's missing is heated water for showers. But we have a toilet and electricity so we can charge things. One interesting thing is that you don't flush toilet paper here, but throw it in the trash can kept by the toilet. And there's not always TP. But that's why we're thankful for pocket packs of tissue.

We'll be here until the 22 and then we fly back to Addis, I believe, to help with a conference or something. But while we're here our days will consist of quiet time, breakfast, worship, group Bible study, lunch, and then going out in the city to meet with and share with people. We did a prayer walk today around the city and it's nuts how people will come up and start talking or walking with us. We had three cute little boys walk with us the whole hour we were walking. Then we'll usually go out for dinner and then back to our guest house to hang out until the next morning.

Seems like meeting people should be easy. I guess we spend the first couple days meeting people and then start making appointments to sit and talk with them because talking on the street attracts a crowd.

In Ethiopia

I am writing this from our hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Thankfully this hotel has wi-fi so I'm writing this on my phone in my room. How cool!
Currently we are in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. We had an evening and a mornin of training with Crusade staff in Dallas before heading to the airport, heading for Frankfurt. The time was well spent in preparing our hearts for the trips and getting to share how the Lord had called us and shown us His call to be on this team.
The flight to Frankfurt was just over nine hours and I barely slept (as in less than thirty minutes). But I did get to see a beautiful sunrise over the ocean and snap a few photos from my window seat. Had a bit of a layover in Frankfurt, spent playing cards and practicing German. Then we flew a bit over six hours to where we are now.
We'll be here through Sunday at latest before heading to our final, and main, destination.
We got in fairly late tonight si the city was pretty dark and we couldn't scope that much out. But one of the first things I noticed in stepping off the plain is the distinct smell the air has here. It's partially of burning but is mixed with other things depending on what you're passing, but most often it's some good-smelling food. Just had a late dinner in the hotel and are about to hit the hay for some much-needed rest.

Please pray for my team and I, that we would be growing together and deepening our relationships with one another and the Lord. Pray for servant hearts; that we would joyfully do that which the national staff that works here full-time asks us to do to enhance and bolster their mission and ministry instead of having our own agendas. and finally please pray for boldness and wisdom, that we would be bold with our words but use them in an encouraging and loving way, instead of attacking and accusing those with different beliefs and each other if something goes wrong.
I'll update as I can but won't guarantee the frequency. I'm so thankful to be here and looking forward to being here setting in. Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us and the people we get the blessing of meeting.

18

18 days. That is how long I have until we leave. This fact is surprising (how did summer get here so quickly and where is it going?) and exciting. I haven't spent too much time getting excited because I've been so busy with other things. I left school the week before finals to go raft the Grand Canyon for 16 days with my sister and some of her friends

and currently I'm doing my two weeks of active training with my Army National Guard unit. We haven't been doing anything too intense, typically we play concerts in small Kansas towns. We played in Auguast, KS the other night which was fun because we lived in Augusta when I was 3-7. My parents came down and brought many of their old friends to the concert and I got to chat with them after the concert. I remembered about half of them, but it was still fun to get to reconnect. I love small towns and hope that I might get to live in a small southern town when I finally grow up (which, let's be real, may never actually happen).

I'm still a few hundred dollars behind my final support goal, but I'm not worried because I've already seen the Lord do some AMAZING things in regard to support. First and foremost getting support from friends and family of my friends, aka strangers. These sweet people have provided around $500 of my support, as well as sent back sweet notes of encouragement and prayer.

Well, that's all for my brief update. We head to Dallas July 6 for a quick briefing and then fly out July 7!

Humbly, Lovingly, Willingly, Knowingly

I mean, as of today I need $975. The Lord has just been so faithful and I can't even begin the comprehend how much He's blessed me. Yet His blessing covers more this oh-so tangible way.

At church on Maundy Thursday, our pastor talked about some of the different ways Jesus loves us: knowingly, willingly, humbly, lovingly. I wish I had saved the bulletin from this service so I could pair the scripture with the different adjective for his love. The one that stuck the most, however, was the willingly.

Mark 14: 41-43

And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and scribes and the elders.

While I'm fairly certain this isn't the same passage Bill read, it illustrates well to me the willingness of Jesus to offer himself up. He knew that his pursuers were approaching in the garden; yet instead of fleeing he offered himself up willingly. Even one of his disciples, Simon Peter, lops off the ear of one of those arresting Jesus. Jesus, however, heals the ear and goes willingly with his captors, saying, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (John 18: 11)

Acts 20:34-35

About three weeks ago I had sent out my 100th support letter. It's been amazing to see the way God has been providing. I wrote the first thank-you letters today since probably two weeks ago. I haven't really been making time for it SLASH I only had one thank you card left and needed to get more. Amazing that the Lord had already blessed me with getting to write 23 thank-yous. Today I reached 30; the best part is seeing the people that God uses to provide. I've gotten support from complete strangers, people I'd met only once, new friends, people I had the pleasure of going on project with last summer, those I worked with last summer, my friends' parents, family friends, family, and on and on. I just love that He's pulling all sorts of strings to provide for this trip.

I was looking on the project website today, and realized that I'm currently a month ahead of support goals! What a big relief and a blessing; just wanted to share that quick update.

Currently there are six states I have yet to send a letter to:

• Delaware
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Nevada
• South Carolina

I'm thinking if by the time I get back from the Grand Canyon I haven't gotten addresses I'm going to send random people letters.

Acts 20: 34-35 has been my sign-off verse for thank yous, especially for those who have partnered with me in the past; just a reminder of faithfulness and providence.

You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

100

I just wrote, addressed, and sealed my 100th support letter.

PTL. Pray that I do not grow weary of addressing these, and, more importantly, that I remain thankful for the opportunity to send letters and to write thank you's as support comes in.

"Raising support is such a privileged place to be."

--Rebecca Burgess

Around the World

Well, I'm currently preparing to go on another summer project. I'm super excited about it, and I thought to make my life easier, I'd copy and past my support letter to kind of explain the whole shindig:

Hope you're doing well; let me give you a quick update on my life: I'm in my fourth year here at KU, studying social welfare and getting a minor in sociology. Next year I'll be doing a practicum doing school social work, which I am excited for as it is my number-one interest in the field of social work. This year I also saw the end of my time as a Marching Jayhawk-at the end of January the torch was past on to next year's drum majors and now I am an alumna. I also have joined KU's club ultimate team-the Betty's-which is challenging, but I love getting to play a competitive sport again. Beyond school, band, and the Betty's, I've also had the wonderful opportunity of being involved in Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru).

Cru is an international, non-denominational organization that meets every week here on campus. In addition to our weekly meeting there are Bible studies and opportunities to learn and grow in a relationship with Jesus as part of a community that is seeking Christ here on campus. One other way that Cru helps foster growth is through Summer Projects.

As you may know, I spent last summer in Juneau, AK on project with Cru. The summer taught me so many things-more than I could put in a letter. I have loved keeping in touch with people I met while there and seeing how things from the summer are so relevant in my ministry here on campus. One of the best fruits of last summer has been getting to apply the things that I learned here at KU. One example has been trusting God and leading in faith: I have had the blessed opportunity to start and lead a Bible study for women in the marching band. I’ll confess I was nervous, but God truly blessed it—we started out as six girls and have since doubled to twelve and are still meeting this semester. It has been so fun getting to know each of these girls and see God work in their lives and use them to work in my life.

After seeing how spending time focused solely on serving others and loving God, without the distraction of school, I am excited to have the opportunity again this summer. This summer I’ll be spending the month of July serving on a mission’s team in Ethiopia! Why Ethiopia? As one of the oldest Christian nations in the world, it is in a prime location to reach its neighboring countries with the good news of Jesus Christ. And being located in Bahir Dar, a university town, we’ll be rubbing shoulders and sharing the Gospel with the future leaders of Ethiopia. The structure of our time spent there will consist of days volunteering and serving in the community and evenings engaging in spiritual conversations.

I’m so excited and thankful for this opportunity; God will truly use us to reach his people in Africa. In order to make this happen, I need a group of ministry partners willing to support me, both prayerfully and financially. While being in Ethiopia will provide opportunities for a lot of growth, another big area of growth is trusting God to provide for me before I even get there. I need to raise $4,550 to cover travel expenses and housing once I get there. To meet this need, I am looking for people to invest $50, $100, or whatever you feel led to give to help impact the lives of people in Ethiopia. It seems overwhelming, but I’m trusting the Lord to provide.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read, think, and pray through this with me. I cannot say thank you enough for being a part of my life and supporting me so much already. I am excited for the opportunity this summer will provide to stretch and grow me, as well as reach God’s people with his good news.

----

Through sending my support letters, however, I have been further realizing God's faithfulness so I wanted to take a moment and praise that in way that I can look back when I'm struggling and all that jazz. Somehow I've come up with the goal of sending a letter to every state in the US. The crazy thing is I definitely don't know someone in every state, so I've asked friends to volunteer people they know in the states I don't have. Basically, I've been sending letters to strangers. But I love getting to do it. I put a hand-written note in each letter to explain why I'm sending them a letter and who I got their information from.

(this was enclosed in the envelope-it's a postcard with the "claim to fame" of the town they live in) Today I got my first "stranger" letter back! It was from the parents of a girl in my Bible study, and it is just so cool. I'm so amazed at the fact that people would take the time to read a letter from a crazy girl in Kansas, let alone respond to it with a sweet note and even some support! I guess it's not as far-fetched because her parents kind of know who I am, but it's still amazing and exciting!

Other than that first letter, it's been amazing to see the people God has used to provide states and even what states have and haven't been provided. I just got some addresses in Hawaii! I just think that's really exciting. Funny thing is that for another obscure state-Alaska-I have many addresses from spending last summer there. It's been so fun to send letters to people from Project I care about and to see the way they respond. I just love it.

A couple girls and I were talking to one of our staff women about a month ago about support raising, and I think I agree with her perspective on it: raising support is a privileged place to be. Why? Because none of this money is coming from anything that we are doing. Especially sending letters to strangers. Plus I love getting to be thankful and write letters. Pretty much a combo of everything I love doing.

States left:

Alabama

Delaware

Iowa

Indiana

Kentucky

Massachusetts

Maine

Mississippi

Nevada

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Utah

West Virginia