Tuesday Requests

Oh that my heart would be ready.  Ready to listen, to learn and to love.
this has got to be one of my top prayer requests

Thank you for reading this, for being involved, for caring about this journey God has me on.  May God bless you.

Here are two prayer requests for today.

My Team
There are nine of us girls on the VisionTeam, hailing from all over the USA.  Although I haven't met them yet, I've been praying for each of them - that God would unify our team even now.  A myriad of personalities, expectations and backgrounds will merge for six weeks.  Pray that we use our differences to encourage each other.

Financial Support
The total of funds needed for the trip itself is $4,200 (almost halfway there, Praise the Lord!).  This includes travel and all trip expenses while I'm in Nepal - it's crazy the cost of airfare these days. :P  My dad has always told me "money is no object with God," so I'm trusting that He will bring in the funds.  It's incredible to me to see the body of Christ come alongside of me in this way. If you would like to be involved in this way, please visit the sidebar for a link to my Campaign Page.

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I'm not sure what to expect exactly, but I want to love like Jesus; listen to His voice speak to my heart.  How does one prepare for a trip overseas?  How have you prepared?  Not just your bags and travel details, but your heart.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

What will I be doing?

Good question.  Let me try and give you a glimpse of what I have yet to experience.

The VisionTeam summer trip is (of sorts) divided into two, three week sections.

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Weeks 1-3 - Immersion and Information
Diving headfirst into the culture and surroundings, my team and I will travel throughout Kathmandu and surrounding cities, learning, observing the culture and problems the people face; namely poverty and human trafficking.  And of course we will be asking oodles of questions to the experts and missionaries currently at work to learn what works and what doesn't work in regard to the above stated issues.

Visits to the slums, street children, and places associated with the sex industry.  Visits to the TinyHands International projects such as Children's Homes, Border Stations, etc.

During out first three weeks time will be spent in prayer as a team and individually, seeking God as to His purpose and plan for the remaining weeks.

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Weeks 4-6 - Intentional Service and Interaction
These last three weeks may look different to each team member.

Following God's direction we will work with a staff member to identify a mission/organization to serve with.  This could be a variety of different ministries currently at work in Nepal (and of course you'll hear more about that as it unfolds).

Ministries could include the following:
Teaching English, games or other subjects to Tiny Hands' children
Developing materials for TH children's homes or anti-trafficking efforts
Working in restoration homes
The list goes on...

A schedule that isn't set in stone thrills my heart!  Leaving room for God to speak challenges my faith and opens doors that might not otherwise be looked at.

I can't wait to find out and experience what God has in store.

The beginning

"It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfills the desires which He creates." - Amy Carmichael 

 Waiting for a basketball game sitting on bleachers, my eyes wandered up to a hanging banner.  A forlorn picture of a little girl stared at me and the banner's message declared a quote I will never forget.

"No Girl Should Be For Sale."

Several months passed before I finally looked up Tiny Hands International to learn just what they were all about.  It only took a few minutes before I clicked the "volunteer" button.

A small dream was born inside my heart.

I wanted to travel to Kathmandu, Nepal.  I wanted to work with the current missionaries to see what overseas work was really like, to be imerssed in a foreign culture and dish out hugs like they were going out of style; to live the love of Jesus in practical ways.

Tiny Hands works in a variety of ways with poverty, street children and human trafficking.  The latter kept coming back over and over again.  I began to research.

My small dream grew.

I learned about a six week missions trip - entitled Tiny Hands VisionTeam - where members of the team jump into Nepali culture head first, work with the ministires of Tiny Hands, spend time with partnering organizations and are immersed in the culture and happenings of Kathmandu.

Could my ever-growing dream become reality?

I prayed, consulted and finally began the application process. After several months {including a lost application, Skype interviews and a move across the country} I received an email of congratulations!  I had been chosen, along with eight other girls, to be a member of the 2015 VisionTeam.

My dream morphs into reality.

{I did upload this exact post on my personal blog this evening... typically this won't happen, but tonight was an exception!}

First Post

"I am blown away that my God, who could do all this by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it." - Katie Davis

I've dreamed about it, prayed about it... now I get to live it!

Tiny Hands International has a six week summer missions VisionTeam trip to Kathmandu, Nepal, and this year I am on that team, along with nine other girls.  I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity God has given me.  Not to mention that I'm pretty stoked to share it all with you via this new little place.

I created this new blog "A Love So Compelling" to keep an online journal of before, during and after my time in Nepal.  Updates, prayer requests, pictures and of course random bits of everything will find their way over to this site.

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