Rachel's Reflections

God has blessed me with many valuable friendships over the years. Some through Child Evangelism Fellowship , others through Word of Life, and of course the usual places like church, neighbors, family friends, etc. Unfortunately I'm not always great at staying in touch with everyone so it's a special treat when I get to spend time with friends I have not seen in years. Last weekend I was able to see a friend I met in January of 2013 through CEF. When I knew her years ago she was single, last weekend I met her husband and two precious kids. Niko (7 months) fell asleep in my arms and Milo (2 years) kept asking me to read books to her. My friend and I were able to spend time together, share life updates, and re-live memories from years ago. We were also able to see two other friends from 2013 and I know we were both encouraged by the little reunion. On Thursday I was able to see another friend from Word of Life who I had not seen in three years. Though our time was short, we ...

There are people searching Who don't know what they're searching for There are people waiting Who don't know what they're  waiting for There are people without hope Who don't know that hope is within reach These are the Mwani people. They think god is distant, disconnected, and indifferent to them. But the One, True God is not distant, disconnected, or indifferent to their needs. He is reaching out to them He offers them hope through Jesus death, burial, and resurrection He promises Eternal Life to each one who will believe in Him "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?... "  (Romans 10:14) Most Mwani people have never heard That they can have a relationship with their Creator My team's vision is to change that Will you join? Pray for the Mwani people

Last week I hit a wall. It hurt, I felt stunned, stopped dead in my tracks. I didn't know how to proceed. The hardest part was the wall was invisible. How do you go around a wall you can't see!?  This wall was in my mind, regarding " partnership development " ( what some call "support raising") . While it's an incredible privilege and form of ministry it's also difficult and challenging; and, as I discovered last week, easy to lose focus. I cried out to God to get me past the wall, to help me see what the problem was, and how to move forward. The answer? My spiritual health and prayer life (or rather lack thereof). My relationship with God had been at bare minimum: not much quality time spent with Him or specific prayer time for what I was doing. I had been striving in my own strength and draining myself dry. The LORD answered my cry this week. He drew me back to Himself, into time with Him and into prayer. On Wednesday, after an unexpected bl...

Three blonde kids sat around me on the floor that evening. They leaned against me as we watched the short video about the people I will be living among in northern Mozambique. Question after question came at me about the people and why I was going and what would I be doing. One still haunts me: " You mean they don't obey Jesus? !" he asked incredulously.  He asked with such innocence and surprise. His tone stated the importance of obeying Jesus, the Son of God. He could not imagine why they would live in disobedience to Jesus.  "No," I replied, "they do not obey Jesus, they do not even know who Jesus really is or what He has done for them. That is why I am going, to tell them about Jesus." He and his sisters were satisfied. They had asked their questions, they understood why I would be moving to Africa. They accepted why they will not see me again for almost five years. They gave me big hugs before they went to go get ready for bed e...

On Monday I had the privilege of participating in a very special occasion called a mentor walk . This particular mentor walk was for Cassandra Brandenburg, a young lady in my church I've disicipled, who recently turned 16.  Month's in advance Cassandra's mother secretly informed eight of us, who had an impact in Cassie's life, of this surprise event. On the long-anticipated day we gathered, a few of us participating in a mentor walk for the first time and others who knew what they were doing. We staked ourselves out along the planned-on boardwalk and sat waiting until Cassandra would arrive.  Each of us had been asked to prepare a piece of wisdom we wanted to pass on to her. To go with that piece of wisdom we each had an image or picture on a charm so Cassie could keep it as a reminder of that special day and the wisdom passed on to her.  I looked up from my position on the boardwalk and spotted Cassie coming towards me. She broke down crying when she saw me and g...

(Following is a story from this time last year during my Cross-Cultural Internship with Word of Life) I sat dumbfounded as I read the email explaining the mystery that had baffled me for more than a week. " This is a donation from the man you sat next to on the plane. That was his description to us !" Three weeks prior to receiving that email I'd had a conversation about lowering my salary because of low funds. Shortly after that conversation a donation appeared in my account from a man I did not know. I asked around trying to figure out who he was so I could thank him. I asked my mom. She has always explained who people are that give to me because they used to support my parents as missionaries in Kenya. She had no idea who this person was. Maybe it was someone from the recent missions trip group that had come to help with a few projects? Nope. Then I received the email: "... the man you sat next to on the plane ..." " The man on the plane ?!?...

Last night concluded almost two weeks of helping at Child Evangelism Fellowship 's  Christian Youth in Action training (CEF's CYIA training) . I used to go all the time but have been out of state/country the last few years. It was a bit strange being back again (in a different/new location for me) and not know very many students, but it was great to see some familiar faces and be able to help out as possible. I only have space to mention a few of the people I interacted with but there are many others I wish I could share about. Aubrey Three years ago (my last time at CYIA) Aubrey was a student in my study group; this year she was student staff and my roommate. It was a privilege to see her again, spend time with her, and notice the change/growth God has done in her life these last three years. Ruth Three years ago I helped coordinate the summer ministry for the Northwest Chapter of CEF of Michigan. That summer Ruth was one of the teen teachers I worked with. She i...