My plane leaves in 5 hours!!

I've been counting down for two months for this day when I will leave to South Africa, but now I can't believe I'm going; I probably won't until I touch that African soil. I don't    know what kind of ministry I will be involved in or how rural or urban the place I'll be in will be. While family and friends have been asking for details, I've been enjoying the mystery of not knowing. I'm so excited! I have ran into many people who have been there and told me how much they love it, the beauty, the people, the culture. I also ran into people who have never been and they give me weary eyes and express how crazy I am to go, how dangerous it will be, and how I should be VERY careful. I understand, I really do understand their concern. I'm just so ready to experience what God has planned for me! And as one wise mother said, 

"I have come to see that we Christians are not called 

to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when 

we are in danger, and there is no better place to be than in 

the hands of God."

Here are some images that I'm sure many people think of when they hear South Africa:

Basically, the Lion King

                        Giraffes!!

     Militia carrying around ga-HUGE guns!

And if you're really good...Nelson Mandela!!
     

            

Send me!

Isaiah 6:8

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

I have almost always known I was going to live a simple life, it was just ingrained in me since I was a kid. My mom will tell you that I used to say to her, "I want to live on an island and live off the land." Later that turned into, "I want to live in a van and just travel." Now it's, I want to be a missionary overseas ministering to those in poverty. It's my dream! This is the person that God had made me and I love it! I kind of grew up in Guam, spent a little over two months working with the homeless in Waco, Texas, and I spent a semester of college in Mexico learning Spanish. I'm going to South Africa for a month in 4 days! This will be my first "real" overseas mission.


I don't know what I'll be doing there, but it really doesn't matter as long as God is getting the glory. It's a exposure trip to the World Race. The World Race* is a 11 month trip and the missionaries go to 11 different countries. So while, the World Race team (Genuine) will be in South Africa for the month I'm joining them! And yes, I want to do the World Race after I graduate college Spring 2013.


So I'm wait, wait, waiting to leave to South Africa. I'm ready to pounce on this opportunity that God has given me! It's so hard to wait it out a month while a lot of my friends have left to their fields. I keep reading these blogs and ask, why am I not out there yet? How come I couldn't have gone for the WHOLE summer?


But, how could I ask such a question to THE ALL KNOWING GOD?! I had to do so much paperwork and other random things to get done to go on this month trip, I couldn't have got it all done without this month to wait. I've had time to read about where I am going, the history, documentaries, prayer and just so many other things! Duh, Tonisha! You weren't just waiting, God was preparing! 


Now, here I am 4 days before I leave, to start this journey...but there I go again! God started me on this journey when He knitted me in my mother's womb! I can't wait to see what God is going to show me in South Africa! 


I'm excited!!!


Prayer is appreciated! :)




*Here is the World Race website: 
http://www.theworldrace.org/


And my team's blog, Genuine is:
http://www.theworldrace.org/?tab=blogs&pteamname=genuine

I'm not anyone's lover nor mother!

I copied and pasted/edited this blog from my Mission Team's blog when I was telling them about myself, so here it is...a blog from a blog:


Well, this photo pretty much explains me. I love to have fun, sometimes too much, and I'm a very silly person which usually ends in me being clumsy? I love to hum and sing at random times what I'm thinking. As you can tell by my war face, I can be a little competitive- mostly to up the fun of the game ;P.



I love going on jaunty saunters and bicycling!


  


You can find me at drum circles and playing ukulele.


 


Photo bombing is my thing, so watch out...


  


I'm a huge hugger! I like to Hug it out...





If the locals promise it's good, I'll try it (those are fried grasshoppers). I love street tacos!! That's a taco stand below. I almost always eat for taste over nutrition lol.





I'm very involved in my college campus ministry, BCM, at school. I've been going since my freshman year, I'm now a rising senior, and our campus minister and members have always challenged me to share Christ boldly.





I have a very supportive family and great friends who are behind me all the way...





Even when I do things like this...


 


I believe there is nothing too radical or crazy to show Christ's love to the world- if that means living in a van to give your rent money to the poor, donating a kidney to a stranger, or simply shaving your head to raise money for some beautiful kids. I am passionate about God's calling on my life and treat His death and resurrection as the utmost vitalness of life that it is. I'm ecstatic to go on this journey that God is taking me on! 

Here I am!

Two years ago in summer 2010, I was an intern at Mission Waco* in Waco, Texas. I was listening to Executive Directer/Founder, Jimmy Dorrell, tell a story and I say something and he says to me, "You know some people are a 'I'm here' person, you are more of a 'Here I am!' person." Initially, I didn't know if that was a compliment or what. So my automatic response was to smile and nod. You know, kinda like when you say "that's crazy" when someone has been talking to you and you haven't been paying attention. 

Well ever since I've been owning up to being that "Here I am!" girl. I love being that girl and people love that about me. What I love most is how "Here I am!" is such a motif in the Bible. I mostly associate it with is 1Samuel chapter 3. God calls to Samuel and Samuel responds with "Here I am!" It first appears when God calls out to Moses in Exodus 3:4 to Jesus saying it in Revelation 3. It sounds like a response of readiness. That's exactly me. I'm always ready, but mostly to move on, to do the next step, but not always ready to stick around.

I wait sometimes forever for that call wanting to burst out "Here I am!" Change is my thing and even though it hurts sometimes, I'm ready. But, God calls for me to wait for now. So here I am, waiting, waiting, and waiting to know what the next big move is going to be. 

* Mission Waco is a Non-Profit ministry that works with kids, those in homelessness, addicts, and anyone else who needs love. I often describe my summer there as the summer where God turned my life right-side up. 

Here is their Mission Statement and website 

1) Provide Christian-based holistic, relationship-based programs that empower the poor and marginalized 

2) Mobilize middle-class Americans to become more compassionately involved among the poor 

3) Seek ways to overcome the systemic issues of social injustice which oppress the poor and marginalized

http://www.missionwaco.org/indexmain.html