If you weren't able to receive my email update, here is some insight into what I was doing in South America and exactly what I will be doing in Africa!

During my time in South America I grew so immensely in the reality of my relationship with God - learning to embrace my complete necessity for vulnerability and allowing the Lord to renew and revamp every broken part of me. And for the last 2 months of the school, we traveled around Argentina and then a month in Peru, serving in existing churches - building them up and equipping/encouraging them to begin to infiltrate their own societies with the message of hope we have in Jesus! We also spent a lot of time in the area of Arts and Choreography, performing dances and dramas in the streets and plazas and sharing the gospel through that medium - as well as doing a lot of practical service (cleaning streets, visiting hospitals, etc.) It was phenomenal, and truly prepared me to continue serving.

Over the past couple of years, God has laid a huge burden on my heart for the victims of HIV/AIDS, and throughout my 6 months in Argentina, He continued to confirm and speak to my heart about His call on my life to reach that group of His children. I have such an incredible desire to literally "touch the untouchables" - tangibly bringing the unconditional love of Christ to people who have, in many cases, never experienced love in their lives! So, as my Discipleship Training School came to an end in Buenos Aires, God opened an amazing door to begin my ministry with this group of people in the most AIDS-saturated continent in the world – Africa. I am going to Worcester, South Africa to study in a Primary Health Care School, that will equip and train me in the areas of health care needed to care for patients in the most remote areas of Africa. Following 3 months of intense training, I will be traveling to another country in southern Africa, working alongside medical institutes and clinics in the areas of dehydration, malnutrition, Mother and child care, community development, water and sanitation, wound care, counseling, and most importantly, working with terminally ill patients with HIV/AIDS. I will even be trained to emergency-deliver babies! It is absolutely exactly in-line with what God has called me to do, and I cannot be more thrilled with how He has laid everything out so beautifully!

As this training is only offered once every year, beginning in July, I am having to really work quickly in preparing everything – most of all, the finances. The total cost is around $8,000 – which, by human means is simply an unreachable amount in this short time. However, I am working full-time until the day I leave, and have complete trust that God will absolutely provide the rest! As always, your prayers are the greatest gift you can give! Please pray specifically for my financial situation in these next weeks, as well as that God would continue to prepare my heart to love these men, women, and children, amidst the immense despair of this destructive disease.
I am also very much in need of financial support, so I would ask you to simply pray about it. If you feel led to give (however is most convenient for you - whether one time, or monthly) I would be so, so very blessed. To be honest, I find it SO special to be able to stop and look around in the midst of serving in these nations, and think that a huge part of the reason I am in these places is because of my amazingly faithful friends and family, and their desire to tangibly participate in building the kingdom of God worldwide!


It is such a blessing to have you walking with me, as the Lord uses a mere servant of His to bring His hope to the lost. I could not be more thankful to have been called to this life of missions, and to be so faithfully supported by you. Thank you SO much and please pray for South Africa!

Walking By Faith,
Katie


“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!’" ~Isaiah 6:8