October

As many of you know, the first two months here in Cote d’Ivoire are dedicated to preparation for the full time ministry I will be doing later.

I’ve been studying French, and it’s been encouraging to see my French improve from classroom theories to practical phrases and heartfelt conversations. I really treasure one conversation I had with a Cameroonian girl here, about how we saw a lot of growth in our walk with God when we left our childhood homes. She said that in Cameroon she liked Jesus but she didn’t ‘know’ Jesus until she was here in Cote d’Ivoire. The conversation didn’t happen quickly, or particularly elegantly, but we were able to express ourselves and share something special.

I’ve also dedicated myself in my free time to studying Djoula, Senoufo, and German. And although my capacity in those languages doesn’t cover much more than greetings, numbers, and random objects, it’s been a joy to see how irreplaceable it is to learn other’s heart languages.

Besides language study, we’ve had seminars on culture shock, emotional baggage, health, daily hygiene, history and geography of Cote d’Ivoire, Islam, evangelism and missions, and most recently history of the church. For language and cultural practice I have visited a pottery village, the pagne (fabric) market, the sheep market, a university, and a mosque. And then most recently I have been regularly visiting a catholic orphanage to help care for the babies there.

I’ve learned so much, but the more I understand, it seems like the more questions I begin to have. I understood that my Cameroonian friend liked Jesus but didn’t know him, but I want to know why in French, connaître (to know) Jesus is, for lack of a better word, better than liking or loving him?

And it seems like now that my mind has started questioning things, it’s questioning everything. Why did God want me here? What will I do here? What can I do here? What should I do here?

Here’s some things God has revealed to me:

• “Without faith it is impossible to please God” - Hebrews 11:6. So I have been praying a lot for faith.

• 1 Peter 2:19 says “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” Also later in verse 23, there is the example of Jesus “when they hurled insults at him he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” This verse I found really beautiful because I understood that peace in trouble comes from knowing God. So I have also been praying that God would help me become conscious of Him.

I don’t know the answer to my questions but I think that part of faith is just not knowing and seeking God for today and for right now.

September

Hello everybody! I love it here! We spent the first night in Abidjan, then drove to our home base in Bouake, then spent the next week in Korhogo at the Mission Dispensary and now I’m back at the center in Bouake : ) Here’s some things I thought I’d share with you!

Example Daily Schedule

7:30 - Bible Study

9:00 - Seminar (So far we have had seminars on Journey Corps Policies, Culture Shock, Keeping Good Health in Cote d’Ivoire, and Emotional Baggage)

11:00 - French Class

12:30 - Lunch

1:00 -  One hour rest (Usually I need a nap)

2:00 - French practice or another seminar

4:00 - Free time (Usually I do my french hw then try and play a sport and sometimes I have to do some laundry)

7:00 - Dinner (Dinners often take place at other people’s homes it’s a visiting time that usually lasts until late at night)

10:00 - Hopefully Bedtime (Usually after another shower and some time in the Bible)

Some things that I’m getting used too

-          Waking up early to a cold shower

-          Eating bread almost every breakfast

-          Being polite by greeting EVERYBODY with “Bonjour! Comment tu vas?” before lunch and “Bonsoir. Comment tu vas?” after lunch.

-          Remembering that whenever I need to know something the conversation should go as follows

Me: “Hello”

Person: “Hello”

Me: “How are you”

Person: “Good, and you?”

Me: “Good, and your house?”

Person: “Good, and yours?”

Me: “Good”

Pause

Me: “So I was wondering if you knew where I could find some scissors?”

(and of course all of the above happens in french)

-          Men holding hands as an expression of friendship

-          Choosing between 5 shirts day after day

-          Never using my left hand since it’s traditionally used for personal hygiene (a.k.a it’s your poop hand)

-          Wearing a pagne as a skirt (A pagne is basically a multipurpose rectangular sheet of fabric. So far mine has served as a skirt, sheet, jacket, and towel)

-          Living with 7 other Americans (Surprisingly this is more of a transition for me than living with 4 germans)

Things I am praising God for:

-          Rain, rain, rain!

-          Getting to climb 2 mountains

-          Rooming with an awesome German named Nathalie Josephine (Najo for short literally pronounced like Nacho)

-          Getting to learn 4 languages (French, Senoufo, Djoula, and German)

-          Learning to dance in church

-          Bike rides under the beautiful Ivorian sky

-          Taking motorcycle taxis

And if that isn’t already too much info for you, we’re going through the book of Daniel in bible study on Wednesday Nights in case anyone wanted to go through it too! Some people have been asking about prayer requests, and besides simply asking God how to be praying for me, I would appreciate if you'd be praying for my team. Some of them are having a difficult time transitioning, and since were all living together we all live with each others problems. 

Love Katie 

August

This is the second stanza of a poem by Sir Francis Drake:

"Disturb us, Lord, when

With the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst

For the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,

We have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision

Of the new Heaven to dim."

This past month has been very scattered. Which is why I am currently writing this 'August' update on the 2nd of September in an airport in Denver (Sorry about that for any avid blog readers). All of my belongings have been packed and many sad goodbyes have been said. And it's been difficult. And its been scary. 

But the line in the poem above that says 'when we have ceased to dream of eternity' has been a constant reminder to me of the beauty of God's plans. On a big scale there is God's amazing plan to redeem us so that we can spend eternity with him in heaven. But on a personal scale, all the difficulties I am facing now are broadening and brightening my vision of an eternity with Christ. I have been challenged to have more hope and joy in my Savior, and the house that he prepares for me. So if any of you are feeling loss right now be it of a person, place, or thing I pray that you too may begin to dream more often, and more elaborately, of what is awaiting for us. One of my leaders here reminded me of this passage in Mathew 19:

"Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life."

Next time I write I'll be in Africa!!

July

The end of July is when I need to have 70% of my monthly support committed and 100% of my sending expenses in. That deadline and raising support didn't worry me, though. I was trying to schedule meetings with friends and family, and I knew that as for timing – “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” Proverbs 16:9

One friend shared with me that God leads us step by step, and all we can do is take the next step. I found that very encouraging, because the whole process of Journey Corps has been a completely new and unfamiliar experience, and I never would have expected to be doing all of this right now. 

However, when the last week of July finally came, and I was 13% supported, I began to wonder what God’s plans were. I strive to not worry because of Matthew 6:25-34, but I think it is accurate to say I was quite a bit outside my comfort zone. There was one day, when I was feeling particularly helpless and then suddenly remembered a bible story that I had learned through my parent’s bible storying training. It was the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000…

Now I know many of you have already heard this story (Mathew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, & John 6), but let me tell it to you again. There were definitely small details that changed the way I understood the story.

Jesus had a very close cousin named John, whom He had had a very close connection with from even before birth. One day he received news that the king had had John beheaded and then his head served on a platter. After hearing the distressing news Jesus retreated to a solitary place by boat. However, due to Jesus’ popularity crowds followed him running by foot. When Jesus saw the crowds He had great compassion for them and healed the sick. When it began to get late Jesus’ disciples advised that Jesus send the people away since the nearby towns were far away. Jesus however responded that they did not need to be sent away and that the disciples should, in fact feed them.

“We only have here ONLY five loaves and two fish” (emphasis mine) was their response. But Jesus’ response was to take the loaves and fish, thank God, break them and then provide them to the people.

That day 5,000 men plus their wives and children were fed, and twelve basketfuls of extra food were collected.

So what was the difference between Jesus and his disciples?

Jesus said in John “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” so it’s not that the disciples couldn't do it. It’s that the disciples were not aware of who God was. They were not thinking of how God is an all providing God or truths like this “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,” Ephesians 1:18.

I instantly felt the peace that passes all understanding as I reminded myself that I am in no way poor or lacking because I have a God who provides immensely.

As I thank God for his reminders, and his grace, I’ll be praying for you. I'll be asking that you, also, remember who you are, and who God is, and what he has called us all to.

Love Katie

P.S. For those of you who have been praying for my financial support, I am currently at 60% and asking God to provide 10% in the next 4 days. Praise God for his provision and thank you for all of your prayers. If you would like to give you can do so by clicking here.

June

June has been a time of refocusing and renewing.

I've officially graduated from high school. And I am officially pursuing God's call to serve in missions this next year. Can you believe it?!

This August I plan to head to Cote d'Ivoire with World Venture in order to grow more in my understanding of God and what he wants to do in the world by living alongside West Africans and learning how to serve them.

But why do I go? 

I go because God is who he says He is. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, and He rearranged my college plans to lead me into cross cultural missions. And that is exactly what I want to talk about in this blog update: who God is. 

Some of you might know that God has many names, in particular God is called many different things in Hebrew and Greek throughout the Bible. Some of the more common names are:

ELOHIM: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33)

ADONAI: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15)

EL ELYON: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19)

YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14)

YAHWEH-RAPHA: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26)

YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16)

All of God's names are beautiful, but most recently He has been YAHWEH-JIREH to me. Yahweh-Jireh or more commonly heard Jehovah-Jireh means "The LORD will provide". The name was given to God by Abraham when the LORD provided a sacrificial ram to replace Abraham's son Isaac (Genesis 22:14). 

God has been doing amazing things here as well. One day I read on Facebook that one of my teammates for next year Hannah (read her blog here) was feeling discouraged in her process of building a partnership team. I had other things but Hannah stayed on my mind all day. That night I had to prepare a lesson for a Sunday School class I teach, and, ironically, the curriculum had me teaching the story of Hannah. As I read through the passages in Samuel, I began to see the beauty of the parallel. Hannah in the bible became so upset that she could not eat. So she went and prayed fervently to the LORD for a son. And she promised that her son's life would be dedicated to the LORD's service. My friend Hannah has dedicated next year to learning God's heart for missions and service, and she is feeling discouraged. Upon realizing that this was too much coincidence to not be the Holy Spirit, I went ahead and emailed Hannah. But I think God intended for me also to understand more how he works. The words that are used in the passage say, "The LORD remembered Hannah" and I know that He will remember me.

I'm praying for a lot this month, but one of my prayers is for all my partners and everyone reading this, as well as myself that we will become more aware of the all-providing God. 

After I re-listened to this song it helped me realize 

the theme of God's provision over this past month.

If you're interested in more of my story, becoming a partner, or making a donation you'll find all of that here.