Flashback Friday: reminiscing back to the beginning

Finishing off my previous post with a picture from 2008 caused me to reminisce a little bit this evening. I knew the picture I wanted could be found within my profile pictures on the ever faithful Facebook. I was surprised at how far back it was. That picture was from 2008. However, it was an interesting experience to see the 72 moments that were captured that I deemed worthy of representing myself on social media. It was like going through a time capsule.

Fact: google defines reminisce as the following

"indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events"

As I was reminiscing through the photos, I started to categorize them and this is what I came up with:

Brother photos: following every treasured trip for a too short of a visit, the Facebook world would know that it happened. He spoiled me each time and I love him for that.

Hawaii 2009.
Many flight issues included lost bags. Bought that shirt at wal-mart.
But none of that mattered as long as I had such sweet time with him.

Randomness with friends: I was in the prime of college years when I joined Facebook. There really is no explanation for anything that happens as soon as you walk out of class and sometimes the epic level had to be shared.

I was so innocent and Shani felt otherwise.
APSU Campus, Clarksville, TN
c. August 2008

Obligatory snow pictures: I love, love, love snow! Being in the South, I am mostly alone in this love. Whenever I was blessed with snow, it led to many adventures and countless pictures to freeze this moments forever. (pun intended in regards to "freeze")

Snow tunnel digging became a tradition at my grandparent's house in Eastern Iowa.
They improved in size and complexity each year.
(this was the first one, 2007)

Something I accomplished: Sometimes I do something that seems to fall into the awesome or unusual category and I like to share that also. Below, I am wearing the blue helmet in the front. I am also identified as the one with a wall of water next to my face.

Alaska Nova River Adventure
Six Mile Creek is known for its Class V rapids.
July 2009

 Africa: Looking through my pictures, they seem to be leaning towards one area….Africa. Am I surprised? No, I just never realized what it may look like from the outside. The picture below may not seem Africa focused but it is really where it all started. This picture was taken the day that I knew without a doubt that God was calling me to Africa.

Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Clarksville, TN
Lydia jumps on my back after setting the timer on my camera.
Result: one of the best roommate moments ever is captured on camera.

Fact: There are 41 photos after this picture on Facebook that I have selected for profile pictures. 27 of them are related to Africa.

{thank you for joining me for that reminiscing session!! I'm about to wrap things up}

Many opportunities for me to share about Africa have come and gone during the last month. I have enjoyed each one for they have all differed greatly. I learned that each time I share about why I am doing what I am doing, it reaffirms for me and seems to light my fire all over again. It has been a blessing to get to remind myself that God has called me to do this. I encourage you to read about the day that God confirmed my calling to Africa by visiting my first post HERE!!

It seems to me that the last few years have can be categorized into two roads: my dreams and God's will. At times the roads were going in the same direction. One road was obviously a bit easier of a path. The other may not have lead to the same place but gradually the destination was changed and evolved over time. There were many turns and at some points it crossed with the easier path and I walked that road for a ways. It seemed that the view was clearer and I could see where I was going but then something caused me to turn again. Although, even when I was on the easier path, there was still times that I would be unable to continue on my own and others would come by my side and help me get on my feet. 

Fact: It is getting late! With that said, I hope that last paragraph of metaphorical (is that the correct literally term?) rambling makes sense to you.

{wrapping it up for real this time}

1. Reminiscing is fun.

2. I've been blessed to have opportunities to share about Africa which has allowed me to reminisce and recall when God confirmed His calling to me.

3. You should learn about that day by reading my first blog post.

4. I am extremely blessed to have the road of my dreams merge with the road of God's will into this amazing path that has proven to be better than I expected.

Looking through Lenses

Sunglasses are one of many ways that we express our style. It is also a bonus that they protect our eyes from harmful rays and prevent us from squinting so much.

I don't often keep sunglasses but when I find one that I like I hold on to them for as long as duct tape will allow. Yes, I have kept a pair of sunglasses so long that they were duct taped in two different places and one lens would often pop pout easily.

I have one pair of sunglasses that is more sporty. They are Cardinal red and fit snuggly so that they don't fall off if I'm being a little rambunctious outside. I also love them because they were free. I discovered them while cleaning up after a yard sale. I never found out if they were part of the yard sale or if someone set them down and forgot them. 

Here is the classic beach picture with the waves (and photographer) reflecting in the lens. This was taken in Puerto Rico while we stopped for an almost literally 5 minute break to visit the Caribbean Sea while preparing for a week of Vacation Bible School.

My curent favorite pair of sunglasses are my aviators. One amazing feature about them is that they were  also free. The coworker that I carpool with had them for her grandson and I loved them so much that one day she insisted that I just keep them. So, I did.

I wear these basically all the time when I am driving during day time. I LOVE them. It makes me feel like I have style and I know I don't because I am definitely the shorts and t-shirt type of person. I also love the way they fit my face.

This time of year the colors are impeccable in the trees. Every shade of orange and red seems to be on display for everyone to enjoy. I struggle with the seemingly constant desire to use my phone to "snap a quick picture" of the beautiful display of fall at its finest as I travel between middle and west Tennessee.  This past weekend I enjoyed the seasonal beautifulness for over 400 miles will traveling to share about my upcoming Tanzania endeavor. It seemed like it was "that day" that the leaves are perfect and the sun was shinning. It was a tad warmer then expected for this time of year but still felt like fall.

The shading of everything seemed near perfection. When I went to take a picture I realized that part of that perceived perfection was due to the shading of my sunglasses. Note in the picture above how the lens shades the usually silver ear piece a rustic amber color. That shading on top of all the other colors of fall made a wonderful sight!

Then, my mind drifted to life…..

How often do we view life through our individualized lenses that are self prescribed? We see what we want to see and protect ourselves from other parts while nobody knows. All of this is done in such a way that we receive the most benefit.

Seeing what we want:
I love looking at the fall scenery with my aviators because it gives this shading to everything that is absolutely beautiful. It is almost like I am implying that the amazing scene that is presented for me daily is not enough. Have you ever considered what things you are choosing to see and not to see in life? For example, check out this video! People choose to see what they want and that includes not seeing their own family members on the street.

Protect ourselves:
Sunglasses can be great because they help protect us from harmful rays that would damage our eyes. If we have lenses for life, what are we protecting ourselves from? Are we preventing an awkward conversation with the neighbors that are struggling with their marriage? Are we choosing to see the happy front that they present to everyone but ignore the fact that she wears large lenses to cover up her black eye? Do we wear lenses so that we are protected from seeing truth?

Nobody knows:
Sunglasses can be shaded enough that you can not see the eyes of the person wearing the glasses. Although, this often makes for a wonderful photo op with something reflecting in the lens (see end of blog for one of my favs), it also always us to protect our selves from others. With our eyes covered, we are allowed to look wherever we want, see whatever we want, and choose not to look or at least claim we did not look. We can cover the bags under our eyes from hours of tears. We can cover the black eye from the fight the other night. The lenses allow us to hide. What is the reason that we want to hide? Don't we want others to be truthful with us so we can offer the best help to them? And in return shouldn't we remove our lenses so others can better see what we are hiding?

Are you wearing lenses as you look at life?
What are you trying not to see?
What might you be trying to see differently so that you like it better?

Summer visit to Iowa. I love watching the sunsets in my grandparents back yard.

What's on your to-do list?

Lists are one of my favorite things. I will make lists for just about everything.

There is the classic grocery list, two types of course. There is the one that gets made throughout the week as food gets consumed and there is the one that is made up spur of the moment just before going shopping.

There is the list of Christmas gifts. Every year I make lists of people and potential gifts and that eventually turns into a list of what has been purchased for my sweet friends.

There is the address list. Have you ever sent out invitations or announcements? It all starts with the list of people and then the list of addresses.

There is the list of preparation. Are you hosting an event or in charge of one? Need to make the list so no small (or large) detail is missed. Food? check. Decorations? check. Invites? check.

And then there is the to-do list. This is the one that applies to everyone on everyday. Sometimes, I feel like a to-do list could apply to the hour. For the mom's out there, it probably always includes laundry and dishes because those two things are never finished. Then there is always some sort of cleaning to be done. Vacuum the carpet. Wash the windows. Or maybe it is the dreaded, clean the bathroom.

My current to-do list often includes the following: read, work on online classwork, write a newsletter, write thank you's, complete reports, and other preparation tasks for this new endeavor. Sometimes I even put laundry, eat, and shower on there because life just gets that crazy at times. To be honest, I will probably need to start adding sleep to my lists.

One of the ways that Africa Inland mission has new missionaries prepare is working through study of concepts that fall into two categories: spiritual and cross-cultural. I get the privilege of meeting with a lady from my church to help me through this study. It has been such blessing to learn from her and process the information and apply it to what things may be like on the field. We usually take some time to discuss what God is showing us throughout the week. She mentioned to me that she puts what God is telling her on her to-do list. What a concept?!?!? In our busy, rushed, over scheduled lives we have to make a list of when to pick up kids and appointments of all kinds. We make lists of anything and everything to remind ourselves of what we need to do.

How often does our list include the things we truly need to be doing? The things that God wants us to do? If we are obeying Him, won't everything else fall into place?

If God wants you to work on patience, then put patience on your to-do list.
If God wants you to have more grace with your kids, then put grace on your to-do list.
If God wants you to be more grateful, then put gratefulness on your to-do list.
If God wants you to practice self-control then put self-control on your to-do list.

God may reveal areas in our lives that need growth or change. The growing and changing can't happen in a 20 minute Bible study and it won't happen in an hour on Sunday morning. These things need to be practiced daily until God shows us that our focus needs to move somewhere else.

I don't know about you but this concept has revolutionized my list making habits.
1. It forces me to take time to identify what God wants me to be doing.
2. It will regularly remind me of #1 so that I can keep it in the forefront of my mind.

I challenge you to reconsider what goes on your to-do list. Is there something that God wants you to be doing that you need to add? If you are not the list making type, then I encourage you to write down what God wants you to do and put it in common places like a mirror, where you keep your keys, the fridge, or the coffee area.

What's on your to-do list?

Tanzania Financial Update

God has blessed me so much!!! No, really! I feel so blessed that I can start each financial update with trying to convey how much provision through all of you God has provided. Even better I get blessed twice each time one of you decides to support me financially. I know that God has called me to Africa and He has opened the door for me in Tanzania. However, when other people can "see" that same calling and feel as strongly about it as I do to the point that they support it, I get encouraged and excited about this new endeavor all over again.

I can remember in recent years reading blogs about fundraisers for adoptions, trips, medical bills, and maybe new businesses. It was practically unbelievable how much those fundraisers would raise in a few short weeks and goals would be met. They may or may not have been Christian but either way it was mind blowing. I can confidently say that I feel like I fall into that category now.

Enough rambling, here are two crazy numbers.

My outgoing support:
September 26: 5,239
October 13: 15,100

Yes! My financial support for outgoing has almost tripled in just over two weeks. I have no doubt that God will continue to provide the rest through people like you. I need to have 16,107 by November 13th and a total of 18,949.

I also now have 1,000 committed for monthly support. I need a 2,139 by November 13th and a total of 2,516. The good news is that there really is not much left when it is broken down. Let's round it to 1,500 that is still needed. That comes to:
30 donnors @ $50/month
60 donnors @ $25/month

I do want to ask you to prayerfully consider supporting my ministry on a monthly basis. If you feel that God is calling you to do this, I pray you are willing to obey and you trust Him to continue to provide for you as He adds another line to your budget. Please visit THIS LINK to make a donation and/or commit to supporting me monthly. That will direct you to a secured website that will prompt you to provide the needed information.

Again, thank you for all you have done to support me new endeavor. I appreciate not only your financial blessing but also your encouragement as you provide the necessary means for me to serve where God has called me.

Pick a Number

Simple is usually a good thing. This is about as simple as it gets for raising support.

I started with 100 envelopes, numbered accordingly. If you want to donate towards my outgoing funds for my move to Tanzania with Africa Inland Mission, you pick a number. Donate that amount (in dollars) and you might find a prize inside your envelope. You can pick as few or as many envelopes as you desire. Some of the prizes include vouchers for baked goods, gift cards, handmade items from Africa, and facts about Tanzania. But be careful, because some envelopes are empty.

After all the numbers have been picked and donations made, I will be a a total of $5,050 closer to my total needed for this journey.

The following numbers have already been called for: 1, 20, 23, 25, 77, 50, 99, 100

[picture does not accurately reflect what has been chosen thus far]

If you would like to "Pick a Number", please comment below or contact me through email or text message.

Donations can be made by check or online.

Check: make payable to "Africa Inland Mission"
            please do not put my name on the check
            please give directly to me (important for paperwork reasons)
            let me know if you need my address so you can mail it

Online: you can also donate online directly to Africa Inland Mission
            click HERE and follow the prompts

           verify that you see "Rowe, Katherine - Outgoing/Monthly Support" next to the amount box

Black and White Finances

Many numbers have been updated in the last few days and I want to share them with you so you know where I stand with everything.

Usually Africa Inland Mission will have financial clearance one month before departure. This is when a missionary is expected to have 100% of his or her funds, both outgoing and monthly pledges. However, governments in Africa tend to slow down in December which makes it difficult to finalize travel documents and other logistical aspects. Anyone with a January departure will now have financial clearance two months out. Although, only 85% of funds will be required and we will trust that God will provide the remaining finances in the weeks to follow.

With that said, here are my numbers:

GOD HAS PROVIDED:
Outgoing: 5,239
Monthly committed: 536

REQUIRED BY NOV. 13:
Outgoing: 16,107
Monthly committed: 2,139

TOTAL NEEDED:
Outgoing: 18,949
Monthly committed: 2,516

Now you may be thinking one of two things.
1. How can I help?
2. What is all that money for?

My response:
1. You can donate your prayers and whatever God calls you to donate financially.
2. I would love to meet with you and anyone you know that might be interested and talk about everything. Just let me know when and where!

Well, there it is. Black and white and hopefully a little clearer than mud.

Please don't hesitate to ask your questions whether they be about the finances or about another aspect about this new endeavor. It is my passion and where my heart is and I love to talk about Africa anytime.

When you least expect it

Society and our nature has taught us to constantly want. From the time we are born we want.

We want food.
We want a clean diaper.

Soon, we grow into some toddler and preschool independence.

We want to pick our own clothes.
We want to stay up past bedtime.

Then we get into our school years.

We want to play instead of homework.
We want to go on trips and have the must up to date stuff.

Even in young adulthood we want.

We want the "easy" professor at college.
We want our significant others to listen ad do what we want.

All of these wants have one thing in common. Do you know what it is? On second thought, there are two things in common with everything we want. The first is a bit obvious. All of the wants start with "we"; which is really an "I" for each of us. The second commonality is implied. All of our wants from birth to present day fall into a timely matter. That time frame is NOW. Everything we want, we want now. We didn't want to wait 30 minutes for mom to finish dinner for the rest of the family before she fed us when we were infants. We didn't want to pick out our clothes next week; we wanted to pick them out today. We wanted to play today after school, not tomorrow. We wanted the easy professor in every semester not just the one two years away. Both of these commonalities are significant problems.

The "we" or "I" should be God.
The "now" should be His timing.

Right NOW I'm in the midst of raising support of all kinds. Prayerful, financial, logistical, and everything in between. Currently, the financial aspect seems to be the most pressing because there are deadlines that need to be met. One of the most crucial aspects to full time missions is the monthly financial support that people commit. I feel like I am struggling in this area because I can see the current numbers and I know the deadlines.

I want people to commit NOW.

Wait, there it is again. "I" and "NOW"….those little things that are big problems when it comes to wants.

Instead it should go more like: I trust that God will provide the support I need in His timing.
Logically, I know that. But some things are easier said than done.

In a book I was reading earlier today, the author went on a small rabbit trail about knowledge. He mentioned the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom indicates the capacity to not only understand something but also act accordingly. Knowledge is having that understanding but lacking the ability to act suitably. So, I know that statement above is true but do I have wisdom regarding that to act accordingly? To be honest, based on some text messages and conversations, a few friends would say I have not had that wisdom the last week or so.

I've had to slowly let go of my wants and the time frame that I wanted those to occur.
Two examples:

1. I did not get appointed to full time ministry when I WANTED. I thought it would happen in February, then May, then June, and then found out that a decision had not even been made. Then, just as the work day was coming to a close on July 3rd, I received a life changing phone call and here I am preparing to move to Africa. The phone call came when I least expected it. But in between all of that, someone gave me some advice that I have not yet forgotten.

"I know it's tough and I can completely empathize with you! At the same time, I'm excited that God has you waiting - that will only make the resolution of your situation that much sweeter!"

2. I have not received monthly support when I WANTED. I expected some people to respond immediately. I also wanted them too. I thought people would leap out of the gate knowing that I've been working toward this for a while and that I am so confident that this is God's calling for me. Two months after this assignment became official, I only had one monthly supporter. Within a few minutes of sharing this concern with a group of people I respect greatly, someone else informs me of a monthly pledge. This post was initiated by a little happening this afternoon when I was doing a regular everyday task. I went to check the mail and when I least expected it, God provided another monthly supporter.

In the first world, things often need to happen by a deadline. However, what we fail to realize is that God's timing also takes into account those deadlines. It doesn't feel like it. We don't realize it. But He knows what we need and He has it all under control. His timing is often equivalent to when we least expect it. I know most of you know that.

Here comes the challenge: This concept needs to go from knowledge to wisdom.