Of course every year has its ups and downs and this year was no exception, but what I do know is God has called me to continue to be a nurse missionary. In the ups and downs of life, I always remember Elijah in 1 Kings 18 calling on God to bring fire upon an impossible situation. He did! Elijah was on that mountaintop, but suddenly brought low and was in fear of his life in 1 Kings 19. He had given up, but the angel of the Lord showed up and told him the journey was too much for him alone. He provided strength to continue on and God met him in the cleft of the mountain.
Mercy Ships, a non-profit organization, who I served with from 2009-2013, sent me an email this summer asking for alumni nurses to return. However, with my new nurse practitioner job and rent contract on a house- I was not going to move anytime soon. I put it in the back of my mind, but it was always on my heart though to return to the ship and to Africa. September I received another email and Thanksgiving another- so I prayed and asked my boss for some time off. She not only gave me two weeks, but the month of January to serve with Mercy Ships! I will be going as an OR nurse to wrap up my OR career doing what I love in a place I love and call my African home. I still need a years of experience and training, before I serve as FNP somewhere on the mission field.
I share my favorite OT passage because I realize my journey ahead is too much for me to do it alone. From past experiences, I have seen that prayer is the most important tool for missions- and for life! I have seen God make me the most flexible, patient, and courageous person while serving Him. Those were the three requests I was told to ask for by my first African friend before leaving for Mercy Ships in 2009. I have seen what praying and fasting can do to change someone's heart for God. My friends and I walked 7 days around the college campus this year and saw God work in students' lives. So all this to say, I am asking you to pray for me, the work done on the Africa Mercy, and our patients from Cameroon for the month of January. I have set up this "doodle": where you can click (vote) a date to sign up or you can email me the day you would like to be yours to pray and/or fast. I will pray for you that day as well since my plan is to put the calendar on my wall- with magnets of course!
Here is the link for the prayer calendar (no need for an account): https://doodle.com/
There is always the request for financial support and the opportunity to give is on the Mercy Ships website here: https://mercyships-us.
I put this second priority for a reason because prayer is what I am in need of more and I am on my way no matter the funds. God has provided my job and supporters who already have given toward the trip. I have to pay crew fees to serve on the ship and cover the cost of travel and insurance. The sacrifice (of paying our own way) outweighs how God works in the people we serve in Cameroon by providing free surgery.
I look forward to seeing how God meets me (like Elijah) and the people of Cameroon- and to share that with you in the coming month.
1 comment:
Hello Allison a Nurse Missionary. I am a Pastor from Mumbai, India. I am glad to stop by your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am also blessed and feel privileged and honored to get connected with you as well as know you and about your interest to be a Nurse Missionary. I am glad to know that you are already in Cameroon on a missions trip. I love getting connected with the people of God around the globe to be encouraged, strengthened and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 38 yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with a great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reach out to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have you come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. My email id is : dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and and my name is Diwakar Wankhede. LOOKING forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you, your family and friends. Wishing you a blessed and a Christ centered New year.
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