"Last Minute" God

I leave for Africa in two days. I never thought I would get to this point; even this weekend, I was still battling with fear and doubt about this whole summer project. It has been a hard journey, much of which was recorded in my journal and might be added on here. For now, I am rejoicing in the ways that God has provided, protected, and gracefully kept me in His hands.
Today, the day before I leave for Florida, I finally got my Yellow Fever shot which is mandatory before entering Africa. I tried getting it yesterday, but for lack of funds, had to reschedule. I woke up today praying, "God, I have no idea what you have in store for me today. I have just enough for the shot. I still need other meds, mosquito repellent, gifts for my host family, and extra money for emergencies or other expenses. I have nothing to offer. I cannot provide for myself. But here I am, fully devoted to this mission, fully devoted to you. I know you can provide and I know that you are able." It wasn't an easy prayer, but I prayed earnestly. I have been thinking that if I don't get to go to Africa, if I don't raise enough money, God is still God. He is worthy to be praised here in the US and in Africa. However, something always brought me back to this project. Even through doubt and fear, God has worked in me and He will continue that work in Ghana and until the day of Christ Jesus!
Anyway, today I was blessed with a free yellow fever shot! I was surprised and almost cried because now I have extra money and am expecting a couple of other donations before I leave. God is a God of provision. His mercy and grace is beyond my understanding and all I can do is rejoice at how I am loved by my Father! This week has been full of blessings so far and God is really showing me that He is indeed with me and will never leave me. He is truly amazing!!
So, Ghana it is. In about 2 days I will meet Africa and it'll be life changing.
Most importantly, I will walk with Jesus for 8 weeks, closer than I have ever before. My heart yearns for this journey.

Hope I can keep you all updated! Prayers for the team are definitely appreciated!

Nancy S.

"Dream Big"

One summer in Mexico, I shared with a staff worker about my dreams of traveling and sharing the love of Jesus to the nations. It was scary and pretty big. I was only about 13 or 14 years old.
Anne kept saying, over and over, "Dream big. God is big, so you're allowed to have big dreams." I've held on to her words all these years an am beginning to see more and more just how real that is.
This semester, after much prayer and many sleepless nights, I applied for STiM with Intervarsity. It's Students Training in Missions and it's one of the best trainings IV has to offer. An IV volunteer at my school, Jeremy, has been talking about his experience in Africa all semester and I wanted so badly to have such a life changing experience like him, so I applied.
After a long two months, I finally heard back. On my application, I left placement options open, even though I was beyond tempted to put in Mexico or somewhere in Latin America. I wanted God to be in total control and tried to stay open about the possibilities of going somewhere totally out of my comfort zone, like Africa or India.
Needless to say, today I was informed that I was accepted to STiM and going to Africa in June. Go figure. I have been praising God all day for this awesome news and amazing opportunity, but in my heart, I don't know what to expect and that kind of bothers me. It's not the best attitude to have, but as the news sinks in, I'm hoping I'll begin to see God's hand at work in my heart and mind.
All semester I've felt like God has been preparing me for something big, and here it is! I'm expecting trials and spiritual attacks, but I will press on towards the goal, which is Jesus Christ.

To anyone reading out there, be in prayer for the rest of the UTPA team:
Karla Garcia- Mexico City
Israel Nogueira- Manila, Philippines
Adri Garcia- New York City
Ruby Rodriguez- Ghana, Africa