off to sudan!

so, now the holidays are over, it is a new year and new things are happening.

i am so excited about the adventure the Lord has for me at this time. i am leaving in approximately 12 hours on a long journey that will lead me to sudan, more specifically to a town called yei and an area called terekeka.

i am going to work with the ministry that i have worked with in the past on trips, harvesters (hrtn.org). in the past, i have traveled with medical teams and we have run clinics and served however we can, but this time it is just me! i had originally planned to go again with a team, but as things progressed with lance and i, we decided it would be good for me to go and just be there and spend time together. i will be helping with the building projects, doing some health care and basic hygiene teaching in the surrounding village, and building relationship with the local people.

local girls the terekeka village

as i have prepared for this trip, there has been a vast range of emotions. i am thrilled to be going to sudan again. there have been some recent difficulties in my family, though - and that has made it extra sad for me to leave. for those of you who know me, you know i love my family and am always wanting to help when i can. at this time, there is not much i can do but pray and solicit the prayers of my friends:

-please pray for my cousin and their 4 girls who lost her husband, my sister, theresa and her husband as they navigate their way out of the army, my mom as she deals with and makes decisions about back troubles she is having, and my grandmom who is fighting sickness at this time.

while i am putting up prayer requests, let me add a few specifics for my trip:

-pray for safe traveling as it will take 2 days to get to yei, then another 10 hrs drive to terekeka.

-pray for my luggage to make it safely through, because i am taking gifts for others there

-pray for lance and i as we navigate our way through this relationship and see God's best for both of us.

on a side note, God has been teaching me so much about relying on Him through this new relationship. as lance and i attempt to communicate from across the oceans, i have had to look to Jesus to be all that i may look to someone else to be. The bible says that Jesus is THE ONE we can look to for anything we need. i am learning to trust Him more each day as i take steps to open my heart to another....i'll keep you posted.....

i am planning to return on march 12th. i am hoping to be able to update this blog and send emails a few times while i am there. thank you for taking the time to read and pray. please keep me updated on you and your family's life as well as prayer needs.

take care, kim

Christmas and a New year

2008 ended well as i celebrated Christmas with my family. the wii was the hot item and we actually were all sore from playing after a few days. it was good to have most of my family together (theresa, brian, and wyatt were unable to come) to share in the festivities.

this is a chrstmas eve picture of my sisters: jewel, maggie and bethany, and my niece, alexis.

on to new years....i was at the boardwalk, actually on the beach with my sisters and other niece, brianne, watching a fireworks display. we then returned and toasted to the new year with sparkling cider of course. i love the joy in the girls that comes out when we are having an adventure. the only problem is that it never comes out quietly - so they end up in trouble.

i hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday season, filled with peace and the knowledge of God's awesome love for you.

my first post....

hello friends,
this is my feeble attempt to blog or at least an update that people can check whenever they want.

so, where to start? let's review this year, 2008.

it all started in kansas city, where we prepared for my roommate, anna's beautiful wedding in february. like i said it was a gorgeous wedding, and anna and jim lived happily ever after....
i then left for a mission trip to southern sudan with mercy works (mercyworks.org). we worked with harvesters orphanage (hrtn.org) in the province terekeka where they are building their second orphanage/school/clinic at this point. we ran clinics for the village and served however we could.

upon returning, i traveled across the country with my parents, 3 siblings, and niece to kansas city. they were able to meet my friends and see the life i had been living for 3 yrs. we were able to spend time at the international house of prayer there and celebrate easter together. it is always such a joy for me to have my "worlds" meet.
as my family drove off in the van, i began planning my trip out east, and in april i loaded a moving truck and drove back to nj to live. i recruited my sister, amber, to help with the drive, so we were able to spend 3 days together on a road trip. as i returned to nj, i cleaned out a portion of my parents garage to store my stuff until i found a place - where it remains today. i moved into the makeshift playroom/bedroom/former dining room along with my niece alexis. she turned 2 in july and is such a two year old.







in may, my sister, theresa, gave birth to a handsome boy, wyatt. they are in the military in louisianna, and i was able to go down and help out with the transition to home after being in the NICU for a few days. he is so cute, chubby and sweet!
in september i had the opportunity to go to hawaii to visit some dear friends. dorothy and her daughter arden, as well as amy. we swam in the bluest of ocean, climbed the trails to waterfalls, lounged on white, sandy beaches, and just took in all the splendor. it was such an amazing time. dorothy's husband, sam, is in the navy and was out to sea at that time. she was also expecting a baby in october. genavive, who was born without her dad home yet, is beautiful and doing well. on a side note, let me say that there have been 8 beautiful babies born to close friends or family of mine in this year! congratulations to them all...



in november, i was in kansas city for my friend bernie's wedding. she and dennis worked hard to have a beautiful day - it was such a special day, celebrating their union. i was so glad to be part of it all. i also got to meet three of the new babies i talked about on that trip, one in kansas city and one in colorado.
throughout the months i have been home, i have been working at the hospital on the maternity floor, helping my parents care for alexis, volunteering some with my church youth program as well as a discipleship program they are running for college aged adults, and visiting friends. i have also been so excited i recent months to be in a relationship with lance. he and i met in sudan where he is a missionary there. he works for harvesters, doing their building projects. there is lots to tell about that, but that is for another time......