Here We Go!

Very, very early on Friday morning, I leave with ten other women from my church for Rwanda!  We will be ministering and teaching to empower middle and high school girls at the Institute of Women's Excellence (IWE) school in Rwamagana.  I don't think I could be more excited!

This week, this month, has been amazing, crazy, emotional, and beautiful.  I see God bringing so much together, preparing me and this amazing group of women to work in and through us in powerful ways.

Friends, thank you already for your friendship, support, prayers, and helping with random requests and favors to make this adventure a reality.  But there's more - we covet your prayers as we begin the next phase of this adventure.

Here's a very rough itinerary of our trip and suggested prayer needs associated with each day.  If you like, set your phone for 5pm to pray for our team - that is the time I've been praying daily for Rwanda for the past six months. 

Friday
Fly from Charlotte, NC to Washington/Dulles airport.  Flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia leaves at 11:15 am.
Pray for: Safe travels, team bonding, ongoing preparation of our materials for our conference, and for guardian angels for our supplies and luggage.

Saturday
Fly from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.  We'll be spending the night at the ALARM compound in the diplomatic district of Kigali.
Pray for: ongoing safety, for God to work powerfully on us as many of us experience Africa for the first time, to open our hearts to the Rwandan people and their hearts and their needs.

Sunday
Church in Kigali, then a 2-ish hour ride by bus to Rwamagana. This will be the first opportunity for most of the team to see IWE and meet the girls and teachers we've been praying for over the past six months.
Pray for: the members of my team meeting their sponsored students at IWE for the first time, to begin to build new relationships between our team, the students, and the teachers, for no language barriers to exist that would impede our message of the Gospel.

Monday - Thursday
Our team will divide into groups to teach and minister to the oldest students and teachers.  I'm part of the team working with the students, with topics including health/wellness, women's health, conflict management, interviewing skills, and understanding your God-given personality.
Pray for: clarity of communication, open hearts and minds on both sides to hear and understand the message, for girls to have changed hearts.  I personally am teaching on health, wellness, and how that helps girls live a Romans 12 kind of life (one of my favorite passages in the Bible).  Pray for our team, as we may get tired, emotional, or homesick midweek, and that we avoid any physical illnesses or stomach bugs.

Friday
Second graduation day for the girls at IWE!  After graduation, we'll return to Kigali.
Pray for: opportunities for the graduates to continue their education and become the Godly women they were designed and created to be, for opportunities for us to continue the relationships with the students, teachers, and our team after we return home, for changed hearts and lives on all sides.

Saturday and Sunday
Return home: Kigali to Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa to Dulles with a stop to refuel in Rome, Dulles to Charlotte.
Pray for: safe travels, that God would speak clearly to our hearts as we process the week, for us to remain changed women when we return to Charlotte, for a smooth cultural re-entry process for all of us.

Not sure what else to pray for?  My personal prayer for myself, in my daily life and during this trip, is Philippians 1:6:

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you [me] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

God has started so much in my heart, in the hearts of my team, with this trip.  I pray, and I KNOW, He will bring all things to completion and fullness in Christ.  He is so amazing, good, and loving!

See you when I return!  Love to you all!