Trust

Two weekends ago I was privileged to attend a women’s conference with several other female missionaries in the area. Most of the women were from town, Livingstone, however, there were two others coming from the same direction as Amber and I. We rented out a very nice lodge called Kubu Cabins outside the city. There were about 24 women present ranging from 25 years of age to 80. It was such a remarkable thing being together with other women who also have a heart for serving God in Africa. The older women had such encouraging testimonies to ways they have experienced God and also the major sacrifices they had to make. With technology now, it is much easier to stay in contact with family overseas, but 40 years ago, it was not so. Can you imagine leaving for Africa not knowing the next time you would even have contact with someone in your family? One lady told me that she didn’t even know either of her parents has passed away but for a few years after their death. When she said good bye to them and got on an airplane (on two different occasions) it was the last time she saw/spoke to them. So, I praise God for the technology we now have to contact our families and friends back in the states. The sacrifices are still great, but nothing compared to what some of these women had to give up serving God in previous generations. What an amazing testimony to the way we are called to live our lives completely devoted to Christ and no one else.

The focus of the retreat was “Come Away with Me”…leaving behind ministry, families, life, responsibilities, friends, and occupations to spend a weekend with Jesus. Our sessions were from Beth Moore’s “Extraordinary Women “conference challenging each of us to draw closer to God through truths that he has laid out in his Word. The speakers addressed many areas of life that women tend to struggle with that keep them preoccupied and focused on tasks rather than a relationship with their Savior. One of the thoughts of focusing your life and drawing closer to God is to pick a word for the year and a verse to go with it. The speaker suggested that the word and verse will help you to stay intentional in your life and ministry, as well as, to focus on what God is teaching you. I thought this was a terrific idea and I went to the Lord in prayer over a word for this year…thinking back to January and onto what will come; I asked God to reveal to me what he has been teaching me and what he wants me to focus on this year. A few minutes later, the Holy Spirit revealed the word “TRUST”. Since the beginning of this year, God has asked me to take several leaps of faith, most of which prepared me to move to Zambia, in order that his plans would be fulfilled in his timing. I praise God that he gave me the strength to take all those steps and I am even more grateful that he is using those moments to teach me to trust him with everything he has given me. I can look back and see divine moments where God has been asking me to trust him more and more and with bigger things…I truly believe that as the year continues, he will keep asking for more until I have completely surrendered it all to him.

So 2011 will be a year of giving up my desires, ambitions, goals, and plans; so that God can fill me up with his desires, ambitions, goals, and plans for my life:

“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20-21

Arrival

 

“Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, I have no good apart from you.”

Psalm 16:1-2

Well it is safe to say that I have made it into Zambia and am looking forward to the work that lies ahead of me. After spending a few days in South Africa, I was ready to head into the bush and see the orphans and house moms again. I had a warm welcoming from everyone I had met last summer on the short trip I took here, as well as, from Amber, Jako, and Jakob. It feels great to be back here in Africa serving in a place that God has given me a great passion for.

In the next week, or so, a builder will start the brick work on my house, located directly across from Amber and Jako’s house. It will have enough space to house other female missionaries that travel through for various periods of time. God willing it will be ready by the time teams start arriving for the winter season.

The second day we were back in the bush, Jako and I met with the builder for the school/education center. We decided that the space would best be used as one large classroom and a small storage room. This will allow us to use the school as an education center where we can offer bible studies, English classes, and after school tutoring. Please be praying for the building of the school and for the programs God wants us to offer to the community to better equip them and strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ. There is a huge need for discipleship and ESL classes for the men and women in the surrounding villages; great opportunities to share the gospel.

In order for me to stay here for two years, I need to obtain a work permit from the government. We went to file the paperwork in Lusaka and they never mentioned that I needed a police clearance report, so I got fingerprinted at the police headquarters and sent everything off to the FBI CJIS. We are praying that I get the results in 4-6 weeks and will be able to go back and file all the necessary paperwork.

Since I have left America, God is showing me that he is in complete control of everything that is happening around me. I have given up any control I thought I had, to him, and I am constantly trusting in his plans and his will for my impact here in Zambia. So far, I am not sure if anything has gone according to my plan other than my departure date! He has been in control of my luggage, my arrival, my lodging, my work permit, my safety, my companionship, and most of all my heart. I fully believe that what he says in his word will come true and right now I am excited to see his plans revealed for me through Mission of Love and working here in the Mpapila Village. I am thankful that God has provided so many people to be a part of what he is doing here. Each of you are in my thoughts and prayers and I am excited to be serving alongside of you in God’s Kingdom.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.””

Jeremiah 29:11

Contact Information

E-Mail:  a.lynne317@gmail.com

Postal Address:

P.O. Box 620170

Kalomo

Zambia

Home Number:  (0026) 021 322 5377  (country code: 0026)

Skype:   alyssa.lynne10

 I hope we keep in touch!!!

Not Looking Back

As most of you can imagine, I have been spending a lot of time with friends and family over these past four and a half weeks preparing myself to be able to say good bye for a long period of time.  God’s timing never ceases to amaze me and this past year He has blessed me with everything I could ever want: a goal/purpose in ministry locally, a God-fearing community of friends, a family that has always loved and supported me, and many new people I can testify/bear witness to.  It seemed like for the first time I felt like I might belong here in America serving God in a way I never imagined I could.  Just as everything gets established, God calls me to Africa…seems contradictory huh?  Well for the past few months I have had a lot of time to spend with God trying to wrap my head around the reason He chose to do this in my life.  I have read through scripture after scripture and it is very clear why God does the things He does.  Before time, God laid out the foundations of the world and orchestrated all that would happen to bring glory to His name and build His kingdom.  As much as our culture tells us it is “all about me”, it has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with God: He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Savior, our Master, our Father; He does everything for His namesake.  He created each person unique to fulfill a purpose that only he/she could accomplish, “for we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10).  And praise God that He had a plan for us before anyone of us was born, “for I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jer. 29:11-13).  God makes the boldest statements and always makes true on them.  In the moments when we have forgotten about God, He has never forgotten about us…when we cry out to Him, He is there with open arms, welcoming us home.  For these reasons alone, I fully trust in the sovereignty of God and His timing and His plans for my life.  Living in the world and being influenced by my culture, it is so easy to get wrapped up in the “why” questions...why did this happen, why didn’t God do it this way, why are bad things happening, why are good things happening, etc.  Who am I to question God or why He does the things He does?  Jeremiah says that God has plans for a good future, filled with hope, for each and every one of us; if we truly believed those words (that came from God Himself) than there should be no reason to ask why.  This is the lesson God has been trying to teach me this entire time…my life is obviously controlled by things other than Christ at times (culture, sin, influences, friends, family, etc.) and when I give into these things, it’s when Satan can sneak in a fill my heart and mind with questions towards God, despite the fact that God is the one thing I never have had to question.  He is my rock, my fortress, the one thing in my life I can always count on, so if He tells me to move to Zambia, I am going to move to Zambia.  Not because I can see the good that will come from it or because I want to give up every comfort I have here, I am moving to Zambia because God’s plans are far better than my own and I want to reap the benefits of being in God’s perfect will, living a life that is completely devoted to Him and not the world. 

So, that being said, this past weekend was one of the hardest weekends I have had in a long time.  I was privileged to go camping with my group of friends at Pohick State Park.  We didn’t really have any plans for the weekend, other than to enjoy each other’s company.  We played a couple games of ultimate Frisbee, went on a couple hikes, sat around the fire, cooked meals, and had devotionals together.  It was an amazing weekend of rest and strengthening of our community.  Saturday night, my friends graciously decided to pray for me and the journey I have laid at my feet moving to Zambia for the next two years.  The Holy Spirit was moving everyone’s heart because every prayer that was said addressed a matter that had been on my heart in the past few weeks.  While everyone was praying for me, I started praying to God thanking Him for all these amazing friends and not wanting to let go of them…the Holy Spirit (always on the ball) responded with reminding me to “focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [to] press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Phil 3:13-14).  I know that whatever God has in store for me will be worth the sacrifice of “letting go” of the things He has blessed me with right now.  I pray that He will bring us back together again, but ultimately for His will to be done in my life and all the lives of the people around me. 

So this is me not looking back anymore, but striving ahead into the unknown with my Savior…

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

 ⁹ What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹² So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³ And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

 ¹⁴ And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. ¹⁵ What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

Moving Forward

“Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; 
   make known among the nations what he has done.”

Psalm 105:1

For months, we have been praying about the finances for the preschool.  We need $4,000 to build the building and furnish the classrooms.  We know that God always provides when he is ready for his work to be executed and completed.  Well this past week we found out that FBCW is donating the $4,000 to Mission of Love for the preschool building.  Praise God that His Spirit is alive and ever present in our village in Zambia.  He is moving his kingdom vision forward one step at a time and allowing us to be a part of it all.  Please continue to pray for the development of the school and the hands that will be building it.  Jako and Amber have returned to Zambia and after they get settled in, there will be a lot of work for them to catch up on, in addition, to building the preschool.  Pray that God will rise up men in the villages to volunteer in making a difference in their children’s lives, as well as, the others that live in the surrounding communities.  Pray that God will continually prepare me for what lies ahead in building the school, preparing it for children, figuring out all the logistics that go with it, and learning their culture and language to be most effective in their lives.

El HaNe'eman

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 

Genesis 28:15

I have been studying Genesis with my small group over these past few months.  It seems that in every story we read the same underlying theme is present: God is faithful (El HaNe’eman) in fulfilling His promises.  He made several promises to Abraham and Sarah and regardless of their faithfulness or trust in Him; He always fulfilled the promises in their lives.  God opened Sarah’s barren womb, he made Abraham the father of a great nation, he rescued Lot, he made Abraham very wealthy, and so much more.  It is great to sit around a living room and praise God for his faithfulness in someone else’s life, but how much better is it to experience it first hand? 

Back in Zambia, God made me several promises when I agreed to step out in faith and say “yes” to serve Him as a missionary in Africa.  One of my biggest fears in pursuing full time missions was the idea of support raising and speaking in front of groups of people.  God assured me that He would be next to me the whole way; that I had nothing to fear, He was in control.  From a human perspective of course I had doubts how an invisible being would be able to be “by my side” when speaking to large groups of people, comforting me in my fears.  I took His promise not actually expecting Him to fulfill it in ways I would physically see.  Well, months later the journey of support raising and preparations to enter the field had begun.  I was speaking with many friends, family members, and strangers about the adventure I am embarking on to Zambia.  I received varied reactions to the testimonies I gave, most being encouraging and supportive.  So already God was working through me and I didn’t even realize it. 

It wasn’t until a couple weekends ago when I was visiting Blue Creek Baptist Church, in Jacksonville, NC, that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to how powerful and present God is currently on my journey.  I have never had the responsibility of filling a whole service testifying to God’s grace and work through me for His kingdom, so I was a little bit nervous and unsure of how the evening would turn out.  To my surprise, it was the most amazing evening I have ever had, and because of it, I wish I could do that at every church in the surrounding area.  It was so amazing to look back and feel the presence of God next to me and the Holy Spirit speaking directly from my heart into the hearts of those people in the audience.  On that day, God reassured me of the promise He had made several months before…He is erasing every doubt that could ever enter into my heart about moving to Zambia.  When I witnessed a promise from God fulfilled, it completely confirms the calling I received from Him, affirming that I have nothing to worry about because He is in complete control of how everything turns out. 

Support Update

Hello All…I am sorry it has been so long since my last post, I have just been extremely busy finishing up at work and working on support raising, that time has just flown by.  First of all, I want to thank everyone who has been graciously supporting me in prayer, encouragement, and financially.  God has been using each of you in more powerful ways than you could ever imagine.  He has magnificent plans for the education and well-being of the orphans living in our orphanage, as well as, in the surrounding communities.  I am so excited that He has ordained so many of you to be a part of His work in Africa.  With the amount of people that He is getting involved, I know that we are going to see amazing miracles and a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit in the bush of Zambia in the coming years.  Thank you again for all that are daily praying for me and this mission.

A lot of you received letters that did not have the information for a tax deduction donation and have been asking about that information…I have been trying to personally email people who have asked for it, but some of you I don’t have email addresses for yet, so if you are still encouraged to make a one-time donation or monthly donations, please follow the instructions below.


Please send all checks made out to MISSION OF LOVE (with ALYSSA in the memo line) to
Mission of Love
21457 Lake Sharon Dr.
Land O Lakes, FL 34638

As of this moment, God has already provided half of my monthly support!  I have just over $500 pledged monthly and I know He is not done yet.  He is a mighty, powerful, and sovereign God that has complete control over my physical needs and the needs of the school yet to come.  He will provide the funds in his timing alone.  I am confident that the funds will increase in this last month before I leave for the field and Mission of Love will have all the necessary resources to begin building the preschool and filling it with furniture, teaching supplies, materials, color, and much more.  Next to salvation, education is extremely crucial for these orphans and God is in great control in making it happen through each and every one of your prayers, financial sacrifice, and encouraging words and efforts of support.