Going to Africa

Guess what? I'm going to Africa!
But before you hear more about that, I want to fill you in on what I do for a job....
because not everyone knows/understands what it is that I do!

 I work for JESUS Film Harvest Partners (JFHP),
a ministry devoted to world evangelism using the JESUS film
and other tools (Evangecubes, evangelism soccer balls, Bible Story Cloths, audio Bibles...etc).

 "Harvest Partners" are individuals who invest in the ministry
(through their time, influence, money and expertise).

My colleagues and I connect our "Harvest Partners" to teams of local people around the world who
evangelize (tell others about God),
disciple (teach and help people to grow in their relationship with God) and plant churches.

These local teams are selected and trained by missionaries and church leaders
to show the JESUS film, tell their community about God and help them grow in faith. 



JFHP is made up of 4 departments: Administration, Fundraising, Communications and Field.
Through our fundraising we are able to equip and provide support to the
773 teams working in 54 countries this year.
Communications provides stories and reports to our donors (Harvest Partners).
The field trains teams, gives equipment, collects reports, and plans for new areas to share the JESUS film.
Administration keeps things running through IT, Accounting, Office/Staff Management...etc.


I work in Administration as an Executive Assistant at JFHP.
I assist our Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer however I can.
I work with our Board of Directors.
Plus, I organize and plan a bunch of things - ha!
I also answer phone calls from our donors, am a backup for our accountant and
am a Human Resources liaison.

I hope my summary helped you understand more about JFHP.
You can also find out more about the ministry at www.jfhp.org.

Now...

I'm going to Africa!

A few months ago, it was brought to our Board of Directors attention
that we had a lot of equipment in the US that we needed to get to our teams in different countries,
so they could continue sharing Jesus with others.

Equipment is normally taken to the our teams through a church's mission trip
or an individual gives their time and money to take it.

However, the Board of Directors decided this would be a wonderful experience for our staff
to help deliver some of this equipment.
It would give them a look at the ministry - like most have never had.

So they asked if I would like to go!
I talked it over with Nik and gave them a YES.

I will be traveling (with 4 other individuals -
2 staff, 1 board member, 1 family member of a board member) to Benin, Africa.

Benin is highlighted in yellow, below....

Once I said yes, it was a flurry of activity for a few weeks -
getting my passport, my immunizations and my visa.
I have never traveled internationally before.

Now I have all the documentation I need...I'm starting to pack
and I'm getting really excited about my trip!

I am still waiting on our itinerary, but I will be gone for 7 days.

We will be in the air 18 hours each way.
I will fly from Kansas City to Atlanta GA to Paris and then to Benin.

I am excited for the opportunity professionally to see this ministry in action,
and personally for the experiences I will have.
I am really excited to learn more about the ministry from local people who
pour themselves into sharing Jesus with others.

I am excited to learn about the culture in Benin.

I am excited to attend a church in another country and language.

I am excited to experience people across the world worship and share the same God as I do.

My world will be rocked. For sure. In numerous ways.

I am praying for safety in traveling, for good health, for our equipment to
go through customs with no problems, for us to be an encouragement to the teams,
and to be open to what God wants to show and teach me through this experience.