Part-way through college, my church's college ministry had started learning about the modern day slave trade, and decided it was time to get the word out to our fellow students. I got to work with a great team of students to put on a fundraiser/awareness event on campus: Seesaws Against Slavery. We made a 24-hour seesaw marathon, where students raise $ to seesaw for an hour out on the main quad. There were some amazing conversations that happened, with people running around campus wondering why the giant seesaws were there...and wanting to be a part of it! Well, the campus community ended up getting so involved that a few thousand dollars! The funds were donated to help complete new curriculum used in aftercare centers, bringing restoration and healing to young women who had been rescued from human traffickers.
College students have an amazing ability to mobilize & lead their peers, and seemingly endless stores of energy. Or coffee on campus is just stronger. Either way, the people at WHI took note of what our little church group was doing, and asked us to be involved with their projects overseas. After many discussions to figure out the best fit, we all decided that Haiti was it! In spring '08 the first team of students went to see what WHI was doing in-country, and consider how we could be a part of it. Which is another blog post, because now I gotta go camping! Memorial Day weekend! Woo!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Background - Part 1
All this Haiti news is lacking some context. So to get you the full story, I'm putting up a series of posts about how I got to where I'm at now. A shout out to Kirk for pushing me to get him more background info, and thus kick-starting this series. Thanks, Kirk!
Here's Part 1:
It all started back in high school (yeah, I'm taking you that far back) when I started thinking "What do I want to study at college?" Well I was like, "You know what must be a big problem? Cross cultural communications in the global church." Right. I had never ever thought about that before and it just came out of nowhere. But I suddenly found myself with this desire to go spend enough time abroad in another culture to begin to understand it a bit.
Think about it, though...churches, NGOs, missionaries, etc. run into walls over and over again in this area. Culture is a really powerful thing, and miscommunication can occur very easily to slow down or even hurt the efforts in focus in a cross-cultural context. As I spent some time thinking about it, I realized this was an area in which I really wanted to work. So since high school I've always wanted to be a 'cultural liaison' of sorts between two cultures and enable the church in each place to work together more easily. I knew I didn't want to go to a faith-based college, which created some work in figuring out what to study in order to move forward. I knew what I wanted to study, but had no idea what it was called. Until, after hours of searching, I found out that it was called *drumroll...* ANTHROPOLOGY.
Anthro really fits perfectly with the goal that popped into my mind in high school. I looked at urban schools on the East Coast so that I could get some real practice while studying, and wound up at AU (really only because they gave me the best financial aid package). Thanks, AU. Anyway, I ended up going into the Anthro program there and loved it; the topics, the department, and the wonderfully strange student body that I got to join.
And that's really as far back as i can trace it. More to come later in the week!
Here's Part 1:
It all started back in high school (yeah, I'm taking you that far back) when I started thinking "What do I want to study at college?" Well I was like, "You know what must be a big problem? Cross cultural communications in the global church." Right. I had never ever thought about that before and it just came out of nowhere. But I suddenly found myself with this desire to go spend enough time abroad in another culture to begin to understand it a bit.
Think about it, though...churches, NGOs, missionaries, etc. run into walls over and over again in this area. Culture is a really powerful thing, and miscommunication can occur very easily to slow down or even hurt the efforts in focus in a cross-cultural context. As I spent some time thinking about it, I realized this was an area in which I really wanted to work. So since high school I've always wanted to be a 'cultural liaison' of sorts between two cultures and enable the church in each place to work together more easily. I knew I didn't want to go to a faith-based college, which created some work in figuring out what to study in order to move forward. I knew what I wanted to study, but had no idea what it was called. Until, after hours of searching, I found out that it was called *drumroll...* ANTHROPOLOGY.
Anthro really fits perfectly with the goal that popped into my mind in high school. I looked at urban schools on the East Coast so that I could get some real practice while studying, and wound up at AU (really only because they gave me the best financial aid package). Thanks, AU. Anyway, I ended up going into the Anthro program there and loved it; the topics, the department, and the wonderfully strange student body that I got to join.
And that's really as far back as i can trace it. More to come later in the week!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The letter you've all been waiting for:
Dear family & friends,
I can’t believe I’m finally writing this!
I sat down in my room to start writing this and kept thinking, “Yep. Wow…it is finally time to do this!” It seems so unreal to have waited for three years, and now the Lord has allowed the time to come…I’m moving to Haiti!
Some Background: The desire to stay at least a year in Haiti hit my heart in ‘08 when I spent the summer working there with a friend. Though I was more than willing to return immediately, it was clear that the Lord had more work to do in me before going. So I wrestled to obey, stayed in DC, enrolled in a leadership development program at my church, and have been working there the past two years. He has been faithful and I have been made more ready for this task!
The Details: This summer I’ll be moving to Haiti for 12-15 months to volunteer with a Christian relief and development NGO called World Hope International. I’ll be working alongside a ministry partner, Kerry, who is going with me to build relationships with the local Haitian church community. We’ll be facilitating teams of doctors from the U.S. in WHI’s mobile medical clinics and growing their child sponsorship program. In addition, we’ll be helping the Haitian church and WHI pilot new development programs. We’re excited to see the church grow in their ability to meet the physical needs of their community and share Christ’s love in some really practical ways.
Your Prayers: What I most greatly desire are your prayers. I can’t imagine going forward in this without them, and I’ve never been more aware of this need. I won’t be walking into a very healthy church upon arrival – the church where we will be is tired right now. So I ask for your continued prayers while I’m away. I need His grace to cover me and fill the gaps in my shortcomings. And in times when we’re leaping forward in Christ’s strength and provision, I’d love for you to be able to rejoice with me!
The Finances: I’m confident that God will bring in the funds needed in order to go serve Him in this way, and I think He has chosen to do that through His church. There is about $20K to raise, but we serve a mighty God, and it is the Lord who provides! I'll soon post about how to donate. Please prayerfully consider whether making a donation is one way that He would have you be a part of what is happening in Haiti.
The goal is not to ‘fix’ Haiti. The goal is to build strong friendships, share the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed, and be a light in the darkness! The goal is to see more brothers & sisters whose hope lies in Christ, our light & our salvation, knowing that they are loved by the King of kings and created for His glory.
I’ve never been more excited to watch the Lord work!
With love and a great hope,
-Rachael
“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” – 1 Timothy 4:10
I can’t believe I’m finally writing this!
I sat down in my room to start writing this and kept thinking, “Yep. Wow…it is finally time to do this!” It seems so unreal to have waited for three years, and now the Lord has allowed the time to come…I’m moving to Haiti!
Some Background: The desire to stay at least a year in Haiti hit my heart in ‘08 when I spent the summer working there with a friend. Though I was more than willing to return immediately, it was clear that the Lord had more work to do in me before going. So I wrestled to obey, stayed in DC, enrolled in a leadership development program at my church, and have been working there the past two years. He has been faithful and I have been made more ready for this task!
The Details: This summer I’ll be moving to Haiti for 12-15 months to volunteer with a Christian relief and development NGO called World Hope International. I’ll be working alongside a ministry partner, Kerry, who is going with me to build relationships with the local Haitian church community. We’ll be facilitating teams of doctors from the U.S. in WHI’s mobile medical clinics and growing their child sponsorship program. In addition, we’ll be helping the Haitian church and WHI pilot new development programs. We’re excited to see the church grow in their ability to meet the physical needs of their community and share Christ’s love in some really practical ways.
Your Prayers: What I most greatly desire are your prayers. I can’t imagine going forward in this without them, and I’ve never been more aware of this need. I won’t be walking into a very healthy church upon arrival – the church where we will be is tired right now. So I ask for your continued prayers while I’m away. I need His grace to cover me and fill the gaps in my shortcomings. And in times when we’re leaping forward in Christ’s strength and provision, I’d love for you to be able to rejoice with me!
The Finances: I’m confident that God will bring in the funds needed in order to go serve Him in this way, and I think He has chosen to do that through His church. There is about $20K to raise, but we serve a mighty God, and it is the Lord who provides! I'll soon post about how to donate. Please prayerfully consider whether making a donation is one way that He would have you be a part of what is happening in Haiti.
The goal is not to ‘fix’ Haiti. The goal is to build strong friendships, share the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed, and be a light in the darkness! The goal is to see more brothers & sisters whose hope lies in Christ, our light & our salvation, knowing that they are loved by the King of kings and created for His glory.
I’ve never been more excited to watch the Lord work!
With love and a great hope,
-Rachael
“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” – 1 Timothy 4:10
Monday, May 2, 2011
Asking for: Prayer
How to pray with & for me:
Consistently:
Whenever you think of it, please take a moment right then & there to pray for me! Even just 2 sentences. Or maybe choose a certain day of the week to spend time praying for God to be glorified through His people in Haiti.
Specifically:
As the year progresses, I’ll be posting regularly here on the blog. Sometimes it will be about prayer requests, and other times a story or thought. I won’t be able to share some things that happen for various reasons. However, this blog will be the best tool to use in order to pray as specifically as possible.
Together:
As most of you are all in the States here together, I want to encourage and ask you to make time to pray for me when you are with each other. Since I can’t be with you in person, when you are together in a group and notice/remember that I am not there, please remember to pray!
Consistently:
Whenever you think of it, please take a moment right then & there to pray for me! Even just 2 sentences. Or maybe choose a certain day of the week to spend time praying for God to be glorified through His people in Haiti.
Specifically:
As the year progresses, I’ll be posting regularly here on the blog. Sometimes it will be about prayer requests, and other times a story or thought. I won’t be able to share some things that happen for various reasons. However, this blog will be the best tool to use in order to pray as specifically as possible.
Together:
As most of you are all in the States here together, I want to encourage and ask you to make time to pray for me when you are with each other. Since I can’t be with you in person, when you are together in a group and notice/remember that I am not there, please remember to pray!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)