Tuesday, January 7, 2014

It Is Time

Warning: What you are about to read could very well be fraught with an improper use of the caps-lock button, but just imagine me jumping up and down screaming with joy and excitement, and perhaps it'll be a little less obnoxious. :) 

A little over three years ago, after God not-so-subtly slammed a few Latin American doors in my face, I went to Tanzania. This 10-day-turned-into-three-month trip changed my life, and there is a large and very vocal piece of my heart still residing in East Africa; it will not leave me alone. Kyle and I have discussed going back to East Africa numerous times since his return in June of 2011, but each time we began to tentatively plan a trip something came up that pushed it back a little bit later. Well, Little African Piece of My Heart, IT IS TIME!!!

WE ARE GOING TO TANZANIA IN JUST A FEW SHORT WEEKS!!! I cannot believe that we're finally going back, and, at the same time, I cannot believe that IT TOOK US SO LONG TO FINALLY GO BACK!!! But we are buying plane tickets this week and will be leaving the end of January and coming back mid-February. It will just be a short trip this time, but I know that we will make new connections and visit old friends and forge connections that will possibly lead to future (long-term?) trips. I CAN'T WAIT!!



While I don't think we'll make it to the beautiful Lake Victoria pictured above, we have a wonderful trip planned. We are planning to team up with Dove Christian Fellowship in Nairobi, Kenya to work in the slums for a day or two. You can learn more about their church and ministry here: http://www.dcfi.org We are also planning to visit a ministry in Moshi, Tanzania called Ndoto Yetu. Ndoto Yetu works with local children, has a hospital ministry, and works with families in the area. Here is their website: http://www.ndotoyetu.com And, what trip to Tanzania would be complete without visiting the kiddos who first stole our hearts in 2010 at the City of Hope? The hospital there is now up and running; the school is expanding; the orphanage is full, and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEIR BEAUTIFUL FACES AGAIN!!! Live and in person! God is so good! (City of Hope website is here: http://teamworkcityofhope.com) It is time!!!


Each time we go out of the country God reinforces old lessons and teaches us new ones and reminds us that we're supposed to be going in His name to the ends of the earth. Please don't misunderstand, God does this while we're home, too, but it's just...different in an international context, and I'm excited for what God's going to show us this time.

Please, keep us in your prayers. This trip is a long time in the making, and we want to be a blessing to the people we meet. Our prayer is that we'll leave the people and places better off than they were before we visited. Please also pray for health and energy as we'll be quite busy before, during, and after our trip!

 As I mentioned above we will be buying plane tickets this week (week of January 5, 2014). If you would like to support us financially, please feel free to facebook or email Kyle or myself at ledyard.amy@gmail.com or ledyard.k@gmail.com for more information on how to do that.

We will hope to update this at least once or twice while we're gone, so check back later for news. :)

Thank you, Jesus, IT IS TIME!!