Seasons of Change/Farewell

 

Much has happened since my last post. In a few short months, I have been around the world a few times, what was once a dream for people in Haiti bas become reality in the form of A Place of Hope, and I am no longer on staff with AIM. This is an interesting thought for me. The last few years with AIM has taught me a lot about the Lord, missions, and myself. I will miss my friends at AIM and the community that I was a part of there.

This morning I sit with a million thoughts going through my head and an ever growing to do list. In a moment, I will go through it and decide what the necessities are and what can be taken off. Knowing that I am moving forward with what the Lord has for me keeps me going. Several times, the thought has crossed my mind that perhaps I should delay the trip. Reality then sets in. It doesn’t matter how much I delay it won’t get any easier. There will always be one more thing to pick up or one more person to see etc. my prayer is that the Lord helps me to decide what needs to be done and what needs to go and what needs to stay.

In a very little while, I will be on a plane headed for a new life. Many of you have asked me what I will be doing for the next year. Here is a brief overview of what I know will be happening.

1.        Ministry School – I will attend school a few nights a week and Intercessory Prayer once a week. Since the Lord clearly spoke to me to become a student of His word, this will be my primary focus. There will be some ministry associated with school but I am unsure what it is.

2.       Teaching Bible Study and life skills at a local orphanage.

3.       Teaching Abstinence and Pro-Life at local schools.

4.       Ministry at a juvenile detention center once a month.

5.       Preparation for Medical Mission Trips.

In addition to these things, AIM has a few teams scheduled to come over. The first one is scheduled in November! A team of young adults from my church will also be coming next summer and we will facilitate a week long Youth Camp for kids 12-18. I will be working with some local people to get all of the logistical work for this done.

At some point when I am not working on all of this, I plan to have a nice sized garden and raise chickens and goats. The goats will not be for eating, but I want to make cheese, butter and soap from the milk. In the future, I will teach various kids at the orphanage some of these skills. My goal is to live a sustainable life style and hopefully create an entire sustainable community in the future.

While all of this is going on in Cameroon, ministry will also be happening in Haiti. A Place of Hope will be opening in a few weeks. We were fortunate to get a lot of the work done to prepare the building. James will be returning to deliver computers and get all of the final details set up. He will travel to Haiti every few months to continue training staff and make sure that things are working smoothly. It’s exciting to see what the Lord is doing through His people all over the world. It’s such a blessing to be a small part of it.

Thank you immensely for all of your support the last few years. Your prayers, hosting me in your homes, driving me anywhere and everywhere, financial contributions, donations of supplies, help for orphans around the world and a million other things that I can’t name here have meant the world to me. This missionary journey has been a huge walk of faith for me and your partnership has made all the difference.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. The next year is going to be another leap of faith and I can’t do it alone. I still need you. This journey is going to be different. I am not sure of all that the next year holds but I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store. It’s sure to be exciting, and painful. One thing I am certain is that the Lord wants to do more work in me. I’m committed to letting Him create the Toya He wants me to be.

Several people have asked for a mailing address. This will come in a month or so. Mail is not delivered to your home in Africa. Shortly after my arrival, I will apply for a Post Office Box. When I have the address, I will be sure to post it. In the meantime, please make sure that I have your email address. My next newsletter will come in a few days and they will only be electronic from now on. My email is the same and you can talk to me on skype (peacefulbutterfly99)

Please email and skype with me frequently! I need/want to know what’s going on in your life too!

The new blog for ministry stuff is hisbodymininstries.blogspot.com. The website, behisbody.org is in the works!

Thank you for loving me and pouring into me. I love you! I look forward to sharing this next season of my life with you!