Yes, I feel like this is the post that I have been waiting to post for the last 7 years! Some of you may not realize this, but Aaron and I both felt called to overseas missions even before we got married. So the last 7 years of our marriage has been preparing for and leading up to this next step. And we thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. The Lord has given us clear direction and guidance as to which agency we should go with and as to where we should go. We are excited to announce that we are going to........
Kapsowar, Kenya !!
You would think after 6 years of blogging, I would know how to navigate this better, but obviously I don't. If anyone would like to give me a crash course on how to do all the cool stuff you can do on blogs, please come find me :).
So we have committed to serve with World Medical Mission which is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. They have a two year Post-residency program for people who are pursuing full-time medical missions to help put them in a position to be mentored and trained in overseas medicine after they finish residency. Here is a link to their website if you would like to check it out in more detail.
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/WMM/index/
We will be serving in Kapsowar, Kenya which is a beautiful area, from what I have seen from pictures :). At this point , it would be neat if I knew how to import a map of Africa or Kenya and show you exactly where Kapsowar is located, but since I don't I will just put the link to the hospital itself which gives you a little more info.
http://www.kapsowar.com
Also, Aaron and I found this video, which was made last year by Sam Purse at the hospital there in Kapsowar. The surgeon that is speaking in the video is there long-term and we will be serving with him and his wife also. The surgery unit they are talking about in the video is now completed, Praise the Lord. There is also another family that has been there for almost two years now, who have 4 small children. He is a Family Practice doctor also and they are planning on returning to Kapsowar next summer. We are excited to meet them and look forward to serving alongside them soon.
http://youtu.be/7jCJrZ4vhv0
Hope that works! I put a link to it too, in case the video doesn't work.
We are really excited about this next step God has planned for us and are trying now to get the word out to all our friends and family so we can build a team of people who will be willing to keep up with us, pray for us, encourage us, and share with us in the work that God is doing there.
I am hoping to compile a list of emails that we could send regular updates to, so if you are interested in getting those just give me your email address some time. Aaron finishes up with residency at the end of June. We haven't decided for sure when we are leaving, but probably August or September. There will be many more blog updates to come in the next few months with a lot more information and prayer requests!
We are praising God for the direction and guidance He has given us. Please pray that God would give us wisdom in all the decisions and planning that lays ahead.
"Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised" Psalm 962-4
