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Welcome! Muli Bwanji!?!?! (Hello and how are you!?!)

Hello everyone! As many of you know, my heart spent some of the most challenging and growing two months in Malawi, Africa this summer. I am now back to my community in San Diego, serving with Flood Church and finishing my senior year at UCSD. I am excited to share with you my experiences, thoughts, and feelings as I continue to process myself what God taught me this summer. I would also love for you to share comments, as well as how I might be praying for you and your family. I will be updating posts and pictures as well as sharing with you ways in which you can continue to support and pray for the children and people that I fell in love with this summer!

Thank you so much for your encouragement, love, support, and most of all, prayers...He is Good!

Love In Him,
Rachel

Encouraging Words of Christ

"I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Ephesians 3:16-20

07 June 2008

Yarn, Cameras, and Faith

2 days, 18 hours and 10 minutes; how long until I complete my junior year here at UCSD! But who’s counting? Amidst the craziness of finals another time, I am realizing once again it is only through God’s strength that I will make it through to next Tuesday!

Sooo…I am taking a study break to share with you some of what my team is trying to gather (supplies) before we leave. : ) There are several teams we are gathering supplies for; the team that I will be spending afternoons with will be serving and growing with the young women in a widow’s home. We will be helping with anything they need; from their production of fabric and craft goods to sell for income, to helping run the process of selling their goods, building relationships with them, and everything in between that only God knows right now! One of my team members, Karin, will also be serving on this team, so between the two of us we have 100 pounds of space available to bring over supplies, and we are hopeful and trusting that God is going to provide more than enough to fill that space! Bringing over supplies for the various teams as well as COTN’s ministry is an amazing opportunity we have since we are traveling there and it will be easier to bring supplies with each team member than it would be to ship things. I am including below the list of supplies that we are hoping to gather before our departure date; we would love and appreciate either new or used items that you feel led to share!

Along with our individual ministry teams that we each are a part of; the four of us girls from Flood Church have felt a tug on our hearts to reach out in love and serve the young teenage girls of Malawi. It is our desire to spend time in weekly bible study and hangout nights with the Malawian teenage girls during the summer, after they are finished with school. We felt God place this passion on our hearts as a team for this age group of girls; an age group that needs love in Malawi just as much as they do here in the states. Unfortunately, many times this age group is looked over due to the fact that younger children and babies receive much more attention from visiting groups and are generally “easier” to connect with. We realize that although these girls may be seemingly closed off, uncomfortable, and shy initially, they still deserve and desire to be loved fully through Christ! Our desire is that they would feel empowered, appreciated, valued, and cherished for the treasures and individuals that they are in Christ! We are planning and creating ideas for these weekly “girl’s nights” and are gathering supplies and materials for these nights as well. I am SO excited to see how God is going to use this time to build relationships over the summer that will change and transform the hearts of these precious teenage girls, as well as our own! I am including a list of supplies for this special project as well below.

Each and every single item we bring over is yet another way that God is going to use us to love on the people of Malawi, and change the future for a country. COTN is very focused on providing supplies and support that do not simply keep Malawians “alive today” but encourage long term benefits of self sufficiency and growth for the country in the future. This vision for Malawi of not just today and tomorrow, but for 10, 20, and 30 years from now is part of what encouraged and inspired me about this summer. I love that COTN is allowing God to use them to not only affect and help Malawi today, but to truly transform a nation and future generations for HIM! Thank you again for joining me on this journey; I pray that today you remember the ways that He has transformed your life and be encouraged in the lives that He is transforming around the world!!!

Supply Lists:

*Widow’s Home:

  • Yarn (in sets of 4 balls of same color, or singles of multicolor)
  • Knitting Needles
  • Crocheting Needles
  • Knitting/Crocheting Pattern Books
  • Sewing Machine Needles and Thread (size details TBA)
  • Stationary/Paper for Making Price Tags
  • Black or Cream Colored Cotton Lining
  • Zippers (small and medium sizes)
  • Elastic Materials for Skirts
  • Patterns (easy to follow)
  • Anything else you feel led to share with these women! : )
  • More TBA…

*Girl’s Nights:

  • Polaroid Cameras and Film
  • Frames (simple craft frames that can be decorated)
  • Manicure and Pedicure Sets: nail polish, remover, files, stickers, decorations, lotions, etc.
  • Snack Items: any simple (add water) type desserts and snacks to make
  • Blank Journals (to decorate, colorful patterns, etc.)
  • Scrapbooking/Stamping Materials (anything colorful to decorate frames, journals, make collages, stickers, ribbons, stamps and stamp pads, scissors, glue, paper, markers, pencils, pens, etc.)
  • Anything else you feel led to share with these young girls! : )
  • More TBA…