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Things I learned in Africa I am a daughter of the King of kings. I am made beautifully, in God's image. Satan has NO bearings in my life. I have authority in Jesus' name. I am bold, and God gives me the words to say. Boldness… That's one thing that has never really crossed my mind before going to Africa. I have always sat back and let other people talk because I never wanted to say anything wrong. Since January I've become a whole different person. I am now someone who knows what words God is giving them to speak and I speak. I no longer want to be someone in the backround, because God gives me divine wisdom on what to say. My life is not just me searching for acceptance, it's me living in the His approval and knowing that I can, and will, chang…

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bush, NO! I'm gonna let it shine. Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. As you may or may not know, I came back to America a few weeks early to take care of some heath issues. It wasn't an easy decison to make, but God was in the center of it. I've spent the past week attempting to readjust to "American Life" and honestly, I'm not a fan. Needless to say I miss Africa. I miss the big smiles all day long. I miss the warmth of the people. I miss getting over a dozen hugs within five minutes by six of the most amazing kids ever. I miss my nine mzungus that I had the honor of doing life with since January.  I miss being surr…

It was a Tuesday.    It had been a long day, and I was tired. Actually, exhausted is more like it. We were finally driving home when our Ugandan Mama turned around and told us we were headed to the hospital to pray over a church member.   …que bad attitude.    I was tired. I was hungry. I was NOT in the mood to pray over someone at the hospital.   Upon arrival I tripped walking up the path. Awesome. By the time we made it inside I was officially in a bad mood. I followed Mama through a door into the baby ward.   The baby ward? I thought we were praying over a church member. I could hear mothers murmering to their newborns as I continued to follow Mama. We entered a tiny room where a woman was lying on a birthi…

       So God has been opening my eyes to so many new things here in Africa. He’s shown me just how beautiful His creation is. I can stand on my front porch, here in Mukono, and look out and see the marvelous things God has blessed us with. From the rolling hills sprinkled with brightly covered homes and villages to the amazing sunset creating a new beautiful picture each evening.       God has blessed us with so much beauty in this world and it’s taken me 21 years to really see ALL of this beauty. This is a gift He’s given us. I’ve found that I’ve never truly appreciated the beauty God has created. This month God has given me a new revelation and it’s something He’s been trying to tell me for quite some time, b…

When I was younger I remember my Mom saying, “Well if all of your friends jumped off a bridge,  would you??” At midpoint debrief I answered that question three  times, “Yes!” We were staying at a hostel in Jinja, Uganda. Hanging out, free wi-fi, tenting, hot showers, rafting the Nile, and bungee jumping; we had a week of so much relaxation, and renewal. So, I bungee jumped once on my own. I loved it. So I went again with Catherine; tandem jump. It was great… Later that afternoon though, I figured out third time is free. Might as well jump again tomorrow, right? However, God told me something before I jumped my third time, and because of what he said, I jumped and became a different person. Journal Entry Nicole! I’ve broken the chains. I…

as most of you know, today is Easter.  a celebration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. friday night we met at the church for a time of worship and listened to a word from our pastor, Joseph. i was able to have time to reflect on Jesus and what his life was/is still. when celebrating Easter in the past, at home,  I kind of thought about what the meaning was; but this time was different. we typically say that Jesus loves us so much that he came and died for us. but it is so much more than that; he died knowing that he would raise back to life. he knew the power that held. another thing I’ve been reminded of is the blood. we learned about the blood a little at training camp & we were offered a new & different perspective. we tend to think that the blood is for us…

There seems to be some problems with the AIM phone system, affecting the Emergency Line, this weekend as the office is closed for the Easter weekend. Please note the following change to how to access the Emergency Line, if you should need it.    Call 770.983.1060. When the recording comes on, dial Extension 393. This will connect you to the Emergency Line.     – Passport Field Support

We arrived at the bus station at 1:30 for our two o'clock deparuture time in Moshi. We were headed to Uganda!! Excitement was high as we waited…and waited……and waited……….and waited……………..and waited. As mzungus (white people) we were a natural target for street vendors, especially while waiting for the bus because we couldn't really go anywhere. The longer we waited the more vendors showed up. As they accumulated I found myself getting frustrated. We were just waiting for the bus. Why couldn't they just leave us alone? My teammates started trading shirts and shoes and wrenches for souvenirs as I warily watched on. From my place on the porch railing I could see everything. I noticed a man down to my left that didn't look all that excited about se…

This month has been an immense blessing to me. It's hard for me to explain how much God has taught me since coming to Tanzania. I left Malawi knowing that Tanzania was going to change my life. When we got to Moshi we learned that a World Race team would be joining us. We prayed for them. While we were praying I could feel God telling me that this month He was going to bless this team through me. I thought that sounded ridiculous… God I'm living out of a backpack that weighs less than 50lbs, and I have nearly no money. What can I bless them with. “It's not how much you give, but how much Love you put into the giving." -Mother Teresa Our first day of ministry with the other team we were walking door to door and I heard Sam talking about after Tanzania they would…

  The trouble with blogs is that anyone can read them. The trouble with blogs is that they tell stories, my stories, my personal life changing stories. The trouble with blogs are they make me an open page. And the trouble with me is that I like to keep everyone and everything at arms length.    I've had the hardest time bringing my self to type a new blog, or to even start thinking of a new blog for those reasons. But as I sit here thinking how to make this as personally impersonal as possible I hear God telling me to do the opposite. Tell a story that moved me that changed me, and who am I to disagree? So here it goes… Lets back up a month to Malawi, our first country my first taste of brokenness, fear, and feeling completely alone. It all started when…