Jewels

It doesn’t seem possible, but in just 20 short days TJ and I will be departing for Africa! I feel like I’ve done a lot to prepare, but at the same time I don’t feel ready at all! When I was first preparing and deciding whether this was God’s calling for me to go to Africa I was in the Christian bookstore just looking for a new Bible I saw this book called, Go Girl: Finding adventure wherever your travels lead by Marlee LeDai. The book is about women who traveled in biblical times and how as Christian women we can travel and find inspiration wherever mission God has lead us. So to make a long story short I was reading a chapter when the author went to South Africa on a mission trip. Being in a third world country she wasn’t sure how to show back her gratitude and to express God’s love to some of the African people. She had taken over a lot of cheap jewelry so when she was visiting with the African people she would take off a piece of jewelry and give to them as a gift. It was a way to express her thankfulness.

I got to really thinking about her simple act and thought “I can do that!” While in Kenya I know I’ll be around a lot of girls; whether it’s at a school, in town, or at the orphanages. I would like to take jewelry over, and be able to give them a necklace, bracelet or whatever and show them that I am making a sacrifice just as Jesus has done for us. So if you have any old jewelry that you don’t wear anymore I’d be more than happy to pick it up from you so I can take it over to Kenya! Also, if you have a skirt that you don’t wear anymore and could live w/o it for a month, I’d love to take it with me! Thanks so much!