Journeys and learning...

It has been a few very busy weeks for me. I am still learning a lot about what is involved in Homeland Ministry Assignment (HMA) - all the work I do prior to getting to the field, including raising support and champions of the cause, and various trainings that will prove very useful on the field.

I recently had some time with Joy Phillips, who is the director for Mango Ministries. We met up in Birmingham, AL, where we had a great time of fellowship, and I was able to hear more insight into what life is like on the ground in South Sudan. Joy was also a tremendous help in discovering more of the ways to get people stateside involved in the work in Sudan, which was very encouraging to me, since I have still have several months to go in the States. Also, while there I had the chance to visit with Ben and Jenny Roberts, who serve with WGM at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. They were such a blessing!

Joy and I attended a summit there in Birmingham to share ideas and discover possibilities for collaborating efforts and resources with other ministries involved in the region. Given the newness of Mango Ministries, no set plans were made, but it was a good time to connect with other missionaries and churches with a heart for South Sudan.

As for my upcoming plans, I will be sharing at Lexington United Methodist Church in Lexingtong, KY, on 26 September 2010 at the morning service. I am so excited to reconnect with my brothers and sisters there! This is where I was able to help serve the amazing youth of that church for my final semester living in the Wilmore/Lexington area. Everyone is welcome! Also, if any of you in the area would like for me to come and share at an event (small group, school committe event, sunday school, etc) or service around that time, feel free to get in touch. I would love that.

My budget for Sudan, when looked at as a whole can seem a little intimidating, and it most certianly was to me, but I have confidence that God is the one who called me, and he is the one who will work through my efforts to get me there. Praise him for his power and authority. That being said, in addition to many single expenses I will have, it will cost me roughly $3000 a month for the next three years. If there are 150 people out there committed to helping the people of Sudan through the support of $20.00 a month, it seems not really very intimidating at all.

I want to say thank you to all of you who have expressed your support of God's work there. I praise God for your friendship and for your heart, which is a reflection of HIS glory.

Grace and Peace to you,
Whitney

Newness

My name is Whitney, for those of you who don't know me. I am near the beginning of my journey. That is, it hasn't been all that long since I felt a distinct call from God to travel to Sudan, working in the south as part of a holistic community development team. Well, that was over a year ago, but getting there takes some time and preparation. I am working as a part of the World Gospel Mission organization, which is support based. I have been learning a lot over the past year, and not just more about the situation in Sudan, but a lot about myself and about my call. Life there will be very different, very challenging, but also very fertile for growth. I am excited to meet the people who call South Sudan their home.

My hope for this journey is that God will reveal himself in new ways to the people of South Sudan. That in him they will find their source of life in such a difficult place, and that they will come to know the goodness of his grace. My prayer is that the Mango Ministries team will be well equipped to come alongside these communities so that together genuine transformation that will radically change lives may take place. And in all of this, I pray that God will continue to transform my own being into the person he has created me to be.

peace,
Whitney