The start of an incredible African Journey...

If someone would've said to me - even 5 years ago - that my life was going to head in this direction, I would've called them crazy. I'm going to be honest and say that I never wanted to do mission work. For some strange reason I didn't understand in what way doing mission work would fulfill such a desire in someone's heart. And don't get me wrong, I used to look at lives like Mother Teresa and Sister Cecile and see such generosity and love but I still couldn't grasp the concept of how giving up their lives would fulfill their hearts so much....so, I asked the Lord to change my heart. And change my heart He did.

About 3 years ago I met up with Sr. Cecile Lanovaz (whom I have known since I was a child) at the St. Laurent Shrine while she was home for a visit and that's when the Lord began to stir in my heart. As we were taking a walk, Sr. linked her arm in mine and we began catching up on the previous years events. She was telling me about what she was doing in the Gambia - how lives were being changed and how she was fulfilling the Lord's call in her life - and my heart was drawn to The Gambia for some strange reason. At the time i didn't know why i wanted to go but I found myself blurting out "I would love to come and help!" I was still finishing my last year of College and Sr. knowing that said to me, "your vocation at the moment is to be a student - finish your last year of school and if you still want to come after you graduate - the Lord will work it all out." So as I left that day, I said to the Lord that if the Gambia was where He was calling me, then He would have to keep that burning desire on my heart until i actually was able to go. So that began a long road of discernment as to IF the Lord was really calling me to the Gambia and if that would fulfill my hearts desire. In some funny way, I can now relate with Mother Teresa and Sister Cecile. I can see how when we give the Lord our lives, when we allow Him to guide us and show us what our own true desires really are - He will not only show us but He will fulfill them too. It's in realizing what THE LORD wants us to do that makes it all worthwhile. We just have to ask.....
We have a loving, bold and generous God at our side - should we not have the courage to ask Him to move mountains?

In two days I will be leaving to volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa for 7 months. I never thought this day would come. But if there is anything I can say to sum up what I'm feeling it's that I'm SO EXCITED to go. I've said this to a few people before, but it's not the fact that I am excited to go on some sort of "trip", the excitement comes from knowing that I'm doing the right thing - the thing that the Lord has intended for me at this particular stage in my life. I don't have one doubt in my mind that this is what I'm supposed to be doing and for me, i know that that peacefulness will carry me through out the tough times I will be away from home.

I'm hoping to keep this blog up while I'm away, mostly for my family and friends who want to keep up with me. So please stay tuned... I'm expecting to see the Lord move Mountains

Please keep me in your prayers....as you all are in mine.

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen