Summer comes and goes annually with each seasonal change...

I know..."What an original thought"!! But, I thought I'd put some pictures of some summer fun up, before summer escaped!! This is a watermelon eating contest with three of the interns I have been working with this summer at Mission Indy...we challenged each other to half a watermelon (originally we challenged each other to a whole watermelon!)...These are before and after shots...I love these girls!!




So much has happened in such a short amount of time! Graduating in May still seems surreal to me. It's hard to believe that I have a Bachelor’s degree and a certificate to teach English. It hasn’t quite hit me that I won’t be returning to school in the Fall. For the last 17 years, summer is always accompanied by the little voice saying over and over "School is just around the corner!" The absence of the academic setting which demands discipline and commitment, often accompanied by a mind which rebels against the demands of thinking critically…this idea - the absence of school- has not rooted itself as a reality in my life. It's the anticipation inside of me which will be disappointed as the summer comes to an end, with no new school year to jump in to. But this is the part of the journey where I get to actually use what I've studied and learned...I doubt there will be much disapointment...but I do believe the School of Life has a lot to continue teaching me...it seems its curriculum and syllabus continues to expand.

After some reflection and thinking about my time in Indy this summer I have realized this summer wasn’t just the “next step”. No…this summer has been a meaty transition into the next portion of the journey coupled by obedience and surrender. This summer I’ve gotten the chance to have great conversations about life and God and sometimes love – usually around a table with lots of food, sporadically accented with cups of coffee. But this love isn’t idealistic or romantic love…it’s the love that drives me to pursue Jesus…that helps me understand transition…that teaches me about grace and flexibility…for me this summer has been about God teaching love. This summer has been a formidable time, which has helped me see more clearly the ways in which God is ACTIVELY working in the world, restoring all things to himself…and why he’s chosen me to be a part of it, a tiny one at that, escapes my capacity to even imagine. Another summer in the city of Indianapolis, working with Mission Indy, has stimulated my desire to be part of the restoration which is taking place in the world...

Some of the restoration is happening in Africa. I’m amazed at how much is happening in Africa – the wells that are being built, the schools being funded, food being distributed, medical care being given, education becoming priority – all of this is part of the restoration of the continent in Africa…and every small part matters...and Jesus says the small parts matter, even to these little ones!


For those of you who know me know that the small part I am trying to play in the restoration in Africa, is specifically in Niger, West Africa. I wanted to send an update so that you might consider praying for us and with us as we venture on this trip to seek greater insight and understanding of living and working in Niamey, Niger... My teammates (Katie Runner, Jace and Jessie Pavlik) and I will begin our traveling in nearly a week.


For the past two years we have been planning this setup trip and are incredibly excited about the things we will be doing and seeing during our three week stay in Niger. We will be departing the US on July 28th and returning August 17th.

The main intent of this trip is to gain a better understanding of the ways God is working in the capital city of Niamey and also in the northern part of the country as we will be traveling north to Agadez. In preparation for this trip and during our time in country we will be thinking and praying about ways which we can join in the work which we see God accomplishing in Niger.

This will be our final trip before our move to live there long-term in 2008.

Some ways which we hope to learn and grow from this trip to Niger:
- We will gain a better understanding of what type of ministry we want to pursue: experiential discipleship, community development, church planting, business, etc.
- We will be able to seek out, locate, and choose a strategic place in the city to live - according to the ministry we see ourselves committing to.
- We will be able to discuss our partnership with a Ghanaian family and dream about what the partnership of the gospel might look like with their family. We will be able to also learn and grow from their experience of living and working in Niger for the past two and a half years.
- We will be re-infused with our passion of reaching those who have not had an opportunity to hear the name of Jesus and to train and raise disciples to plant churches in Niger and possibly other parts of the world.
- We will have the opportunity to meet up with a group of CIY interns (14 students from Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Christian College) who have committed their summer to surveying Mali and Niger. Our goal will be to challenge them to think about living and working in West Africa and even challenge them to think about joining our team in the future.
- Jessie (Jace’s wife – Jace traveled with my short term survey team in 2005 and has since married Jessie and they have committed to moving in the direction of Niger) will see the country for the first time.
- Katie will be able to see her fiancé who is traveling with the CIY intern team after a two month separation!

Our Itenerary looks like this:

• July 27th: Depart from Indianapolis to New York City (Delta): Stay the night


• July 28th: Spend the day in NYC with Jeannie (a friend of the team)
  Fly from NYC at 8:20 PM and arrive in Casablanca, Morocco at 7:50 AM


• July 29th: Spend the day in Casablanca and fly out in the evening at 10:55 PM and arrive in Niamey, Niger at 3:30 AM.


• July 30-August 3: Spend time traveling to Agadez, a large northern city of Niger with the CIY interns.


• August 4th -16th: Spend time surveying: cost of every day living including housing, furniture, transportation, food, clothing etc. so that we can formulate a budget. Looking for already existing ministries and conversing with them about their ministry and their experience with living in Niger. Meeting with government officials and introducing ourselves in order that we might receive their consent to live and work in Niger. We hope to also make a few connections with some Nigerien Christians with whom we might fellowship and grow with while we are there. We will also take some free time to see the national museum and zoo of Niger.


• August 17th: Depart from Niamey at 4:20 AM and arrive in Casablanca at 7:00 AM. We will spend the day in Casablanca, Morocco and depart in the evening at 10:40 PM. We will arrive in NYC at 2:45 AM and take some time to rest and sleep again at Jeannie’s during the day of the 17th.


• August 18th: We will have this day to spend with Jeannie and rest before Katie and I depart NYC at 6:40 PM and arrive in Indianapolis at 9:30 PM. We will stay the night in Indianapolis.


• August 19th: We will begin our car ride home to Joplin, MO…stopping in Lincoln and Taylorville on our way south. We hope to arrive in Joplin by late evening.

Would you pray alongside us for health and safety as we make our trip? Most importantly, would you pray that we might obediently submit to Christ our goals and dreams for our future work in Niger? Thanks for offering your love, support, and prayers in helping us make our passion of living and serving in Niger possible.