Livin' on a Prayer

So it turns out, in order to become a missionary, even a short-term one, there's a lot of preparation that needs to be done first. :) Since graduating over a month ago, here are a few of the things I have been working on to get ready:

LANGUAGE
The main language spoken in Ivory Coast is French. The nice thing is that French is such a common language that there are quite a few resources available for free. I am trying to learn as much as I can before I go, mainly by using the app Duolingo. Once I arrive, I will have a language tutor to help me.

SPIRITUAL/CULTURAL PREP
CMF has assigned me three books to read during this time of preparation. I recently finished the first one, Overrated by Eugene Cho. The tagline/subheading of the book is, "Are we more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually changing the world?" This was definitely a challenging book, but an important one as I thought about why justice is important, and how to do it well. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing biblical justice.

I just started the second book, called African Friends and Money Matters. This one is much more practical and focuses on African culture, especially compared with Western culture. I think this is so important, because I know that when I am traveling, I can tend to think that my culture does everything right and the "other" culture could stand to learn a lot from me. This book is helping me to understand a bit about why African cultures often function the way they do, and see what they are accomplishing.

The third book I will read is When Helping Hurts. I have read bits and pieces of this book before, and always been very impressed with the authors' deep knowledge of true poverty and true justice that makes a positive, long term impact on people.

SUPPORT RAISING
Over the past few months, I have been very blessed to have the support of so many friends, family members, and churches. Countless people have told me they are praying for me, which is the greatest encouragement I could receive during this time. Another aspect of support raising is fundraising, which is in general going well, but has slowed down a bit over the past few weeks, which has honestly been kind of discouraging. In total, I need to raise about $10,700, and I am currently at $5,300. That means I am essentially halfway! Thank you if you have supported me in any way, whether through encouragement, prayer, and/or financial gift--it means more to me than you may realize. Please keep the prayers coming! :)

If you would like to get involved financially, please click here to learn more. And if you know anyone else who might be interested in supporting, I would be honored if you chose to pass this along.

THANK YOU for joining me in this journey!

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27