I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!

"He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone,

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me"

Psalms 62:6-7

Hello to all my family and friends,

I have to be honest with y'all...I'm not really sure how to begin this entry except to first share with you how my life has been rocked a little bit with my family over the past few weeks...

As you all know (from my previous entry) my grandfather passed away almost a month ago. With only a little over a week later, on March 24, I was home for spring break and I was woken up on Monday morning by a call from my oldest sister (JJ) with the news that my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. The news started off the week to a very long and emotional one. My Dad had a Pet Scan a few days later to determine if the cancer was anywhere else in the body and by the grace of God it came back clear; which means Dad only has cancer is his Esophagus. And the most recent news this week is that we were given was that he is in Stage 3 (there are only 4 stages with cancer) and it's pretty advanced. The doctors were also concerned about his lymph nodes as well, but the results haven't come back yet. 

 

I wanted to share with all of you the news on my Dad for a few specific reasons... 

1. to know how you can pray for my precious Dad and family

2. to know what's been going on in my life

3. to continue to partner together as the body of Christ!

(this is my Dad and I for those who don't know my Dad)

Now moving on to Africa stuff...

ONLY 92 DAYS...

That's all I have left until I step onto a plane to head to sub-sahara Africa! This journey, as you have all walked with me through, has not all been easy but has been a journey that the Lord truly desired me to go through in order to be prepare for what He has planned. During the midst of difficult situations, it becomes harder each moment to continue to Praise the Lord, but I have found it to mean the world to the Lord. When we can find one ounce of strength to look up and Praise Him and claim that He is still good, we step further into a deeper love and understanding of His ways. 

My excitement for Zambia can't even be described in words!! I am excited about how the Lord is going to use me as a voice for Him. It really humbles me that I am able to be apart of His plan.  I wanted to express how thankful I am for the ways you all have given financially. As of right now, I have $2600 (only $2700 left!). Keep praying fervently that the Lord will open up ways to provide. I know He will!

While I was home for spring break, I was also able to attend the second of three Camp Life meetings. We collected thousands and thousands of shoes for the kids. (This picture to the left is some of boxes we had of shoes!) It was incredible to see everyone give their time and effort for so many kids across the world. One of the main aspects of this second meeting was to truly understand what it means for the Lord to be our Shepherd; the theme for the summer is: "The Lord is My Shepherd". We are studying Psalm 23 and asking the Lord to teach us what it means for Him to be our shepherd. Greer explained the reason behind understanding it for ourselves first is that the only way for the kids to be able to claim it for themselves is if we are a living example of it. Pretty challenging huh?

Prayer Requests:

>All support to be met!

>For safety and protection around the kids right now!

>Hearts to be softened and ready to hear the truth of God's Word!

>Souls to be won for Christ and for lives to be lived differently!

>For my precious Dad as he begins his journey in battling cancer and for the rest of my family.

Thank you all for taking time and reading about my ups and downs as I continue to press on in this journey to go to Africa. I hope you all are doing well!! 

Glory and Praise to Him Alone,

Joy