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.

Missionary 101

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has been committing to be a part of God's work in Zambia.  I am greatly encouraged by receiving the slips of paper back with varied levels of involvement from friends and family.  It is neat to see part of God's plan revealed for the people he has chosen to partner with me in this ministry, He never ceases to amaze me.  

I am learning a lot about what it takes to be a missionary and how God will equip me to be a woman chasing after his heart above all else.  As I pursue this future of foreign missions, I thought it would be a good idea to begin focusing on Paul and learning from his experience in foreign missions.  Most of Paul's letters talk about immediate obedience and stepping out in faith.  Often through Paul's mission trips, he had no means of shelter, finances, support, etc. prepared ahead of time, but when God told him to go, he went regardless, trusting that God would provide along the way.  The further I read in Paul's letters, the more it became clear how physically God provided for Paul's needs.  He often used the body of believers to give Paul what he needed, whenever he needed it; a divine partnership.  Paul, in turn, rejoiced unto the Lord knowing that God was his ultimate provision and life sustainer.  

I am leaving for my mission trip on April 18th regardless of what I have ahead of time...I know God has called me to be a teacher in Zambia and I know that He has provided a divine partnership for me through His body.  God will use the people He has placed in my life to begin equipping me for the trip and then sustaining me in the field.  This step of faith will be a wonderful testimony to the power and sovereignty of the one and only living God...are you a part of it?

In Philippians, Paul address the church of Philippi praising them for their partnership and faithfulness to God's ministry through him.  He encourages them saying, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit." (4:17)  See, Paul knows that by giving him food, money, shelter, prayer, encouragement,  clothes, wisdom, etc. the members of the church of Philippi are indeed storing up treasures in heaven.  Their credit increases with every act of selflessness they perform for the sake of the gospel; God has already recorded it.   

I want to encourage those who have already gave, and those who will be giving, of their time, talents, and treasures for this mission.  We know that what we give here on earth is transfered into treasures in heaven, noted by God himself.  All we have been blessed with belongs to God and how greatly He adores us when we use what He has given us to advance His kingdom here on earth, preparing for the return of our Savior.  

I praise God for your faithfulness and willingness to get your hands dirty for His sake and and to be obedient to His calling on your life!!

The Journey Begins

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I hope that you have enjoyed the holidays and are having a great start to the New Year.  I am excited about what God will do in 2011 and how I can be a part of His countless plans.  Over the past couple years, the Lord has put Africa on my heart and has allowed me to serve Him in many different countries and within various ministries.  I went to Zambia this past summer, and it was there that God called me to Africa full time.  Since that moment, I have been pursuing His will for my life in missions.  I have received confirmation that I am called back to Zambia to live and work full-time with missionaries Amber and Jako Joubert in their organization, Mission of Love Community Orphanage.  They live in a village called Mpapila where God has allowed them to build an orphanage for the children in the community providing for their basic physical needs, as well as their spiritual needs.  The orphanage is growing, creating a desperate need for a school teacher to tutor the children and begin building a preschool and community school.  I have committed to work alongside Amber and Jako, as their school teacher, for two years; heading over April 18, 2011.  During that time, I will be building schools, tutoring/assessing children, teaching English, leading bible studies, discipling women, leading children’s ministry, and whatever else God allows me to be a part of while serving in Mpapila. 

God has laid this calling at my feet, but I know that He does not desire for me to accomplish it alone.  One thing I have learned about missionaries is that God always provides a strong support system for them through prayer, finances, encouragement, and the bearing of burdens.  The most important thing I need, apart from Christ, is people faithfully praying for me and for God’s work to be accomplished through me.  His scripture says, “Pray for one another…the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” ( James 5:16) God chooses to use the prayers of people to accomplish His work, revealing Him and the fruit of His ministry through them.  I would love to have 12 people committing to pray daily for me while I am on the field, and additional people committed to praying weekly and monthly.  I am embarking on this journey, fully trusting God to provide financially for my basic needs and ministry necessities through those he has chosen to participate in this mission by giving.  I am not receiving any type of salary from Mission of Love; rather I will need to raise funds to cover living expenses and ministry needs for each month.  Upfront I will need about $2,300 to cover my plane ticket, emergency health insurance, work permit, passport, and visas.  From there I have to raise $1,000 each month to cover living expenses (i.e. food, housing, petrol, transportation, hygiene products, clothes, etc.), as well as, supplies for ministry.  I am confident that God has already worked out all these details, appointing certain individuals to serve alongside me, by financially supporting the mission God has called me into.  Additionally, I would love to be encouraged by you throughout the next couple years I will be serving in Zambia.  There will be many opportunities to contact me while I am living in Mpapila, most easily through email or my blog.  Please feel free to write me, send advice or words of encouragement, and/or inquire about ministry or life.  Finally, I would love for there to be people to share in my burdens I encounter on this journey.  Christ calls us to “bear one another’s burden, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) knowing the importance of community building each other up as the body of Jesus Christ. 

God is already moving in Mpapila and working out His plan for the Tongan people living there.  I am humbled by the opportunity to get to be a tiny part of what He will be doing with this community, and thrilled that you might be a part of it too.  If you feel God calling you to be a part of this mission, please pray about the following and email and let me know:

 

‹        Praying (daily/weekly/monthly) for Alyssa and the work of the Holy Spirit in Mpapila. (please circle one)

‹        Giving $______________ monthly to Alyssa through Mission of Love.

‹        Giving a one-time donation of $__________________ to Alyssa.

‹        Receiving updates via email at this address

‹        Receiving updates via mail to my home address

*You may send checks directly to me (Alyssa Bolles) if you do not need a tax write off; however, if you wish to receive a tax deduction with your donation, please contact me and I will give you the necessary information.

                                                                                                                    

 email: a.lynne317@gmail.com

                     

Mission of Love Community Orphanage

Mission of Love Community Orphanage is an organization ordained by Christ and established by Amber and Jako Joubert.  Amber is a missionary from the United States and Jako is her husband, a missionary from South Africa.  Jako has been going into Zambia to witness to and serve the Tongan people since 2001 and Amber joined him in 2003.  In the past 5 years, they have worked very hard to establish a place in the Mpapila village to reside.  Now that they live in the village full time, they are able to build deeper relationships with the Tongan people and have a great impact for God's kingdom in that community.  In addition, First Baptist Church of Woodbridge has been sending teams out every year, since 2005, working alongside Amber and Jako helping them build shelter, houses, and an orphanage.  Thanks to God and the hard work of His faithful servants, the orphanage was completed last year and now has orphans in it.  They currently have 9 orphans (ages 6mo.-16 years) who live with 2 full-time house mothers and 2 part-time mothers.  The mothers take care of the children's meals, wash, and other daily routines with the help of the children.  All but two of the children attend a community school about 4 kilometers away from the orphanage.  This school has 300 students and three school teachers.  The headmaster has his grade 12 education with a teaching certificate and the other two teachers have their grade 7 education.  The children consistently show up at school and are not given adequate attention or teaching.  As a result, half of the children in the orphanage did not pass their grades this past year and are having to repeat the grade this coming school year.  The children are in desperate need of someone to pour time into their education by tutoring them in their studies and investing into their future.  As I noted in earlier blogs, I feel God has enabled me to be that person and is calling me to serve in the Mpapila village as soon as possible.  The vision Christ has laid at my feet is to tutor the orphans, while building a preschool for the younger children.  As the preschool becomes established, I will be teaching there, in addition to tutoring the older children.  While working at the preschool, I will also be training the house mothers to run the preschool and teach the younger children the things they need to learn before entering a community school.  A large part of teaching will focus on English and helping them be more confident in their speaking abilities and expanding their vocabulary. 

I am heading over to Zambia in the spring and will be sending out support/update letters this week to seek partnership, with those around me, for the mission God is sending me on...



The Children and House Mother's at the Church




The Children and Mothers Outside of Amber and Jako's Home




Receiving New Dresses for the Summer!



The Orphanage 2010

The Kitchen in the Orphanage

*If you would like to check out Amber and Jako's blog: http://www.missionoflovezambia.blogspot.com/

 

"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

Location Revealed

Since I have arrived back from Zambia this summer, I have been praying and seeking where God wants me to go in pursuit of full time missions in Africa.  There are several places that I love and would be thrilled to move to; places I have lived in, South Africa or Swaziland, or places I have visited, in Kenya, Mozambique, or Zambia.  In addition, there are several other countries that need missionaries to bring the "good news" to the inhabitants of the land.  I have taken these past couple months to earnestly seek the will of God in these matters to ensure that my spiritual gifts and talents will best be used for the glory of our Father in heaven.  Through a couple months of prayers, meditation, and guidance; God has finally revealed to me the place that He desires me to go and serve Him.  I will be moving to Zambia in the coming months to serve alongside two missionaries in a village called Mukumba.  There I will be doing a variety of things, but my main ministry will be building and opening a community school in the village.  This school will be opened up for the children in the orphanage, as well as, other children in the near by communities.  Apart from salvation, education is one of the most valuable things an African child could obtain.  A lot of the schools these children are currently attending are run by teachers who barely have a high school diploma, who usually don't care about the education of the children, who some times don't show up to teach, who don't shine the light of Christ in the children's lives.  There is a great need for a school that is built on the foundation of Christ and will be run according to His plans and with His love and hope for the children who will attend it.  I am completely humbled by the opportunity to be used by God in this way...I have seen the vision of what this school will become, and knowing I will be a tiny part of that plan, is more than reason enough to move to Zambia.  


I desperately need your prayers and encouragement as this journey quickly picks up speed.  In the coming weeks I will be sending out support letters and prayer cards seeking the other people God has called to this ministry.  There is no way I could so this alone, without the support and help of others God has already ordained to walk beside me in His plans for Mukumba.  Also, I have already felt the spiritual battle beginning, so I am asking that you pray protection over my thoughts, my heart, and my time.  Please pray that I seek only the voice of God when implementing plans for the progression of this trip, and that I cling so close to His word, that Satan doesn't stand a chance in seeping through the cracks.  Thank you to the many of you who are already praying, I can feel them every single day!  


I will be blogging more frequently with details of the mission and the upcoming departure!


"Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest?'  Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.  Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.  For hear the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor.  Others have labored, and you are entered into their labor.""   - John 4:34-38