Africa #1

As the Day Draws Near

So this is the first of hopefully many messages I plan to write for you all in regards to my trip to Africa. It is now beginning to sink in that I am leaving in less than two weeks (July 13). Needless to say, this will be the journey of a lifetime. I am very much excited to go but also on edge with life right now. Therefore, I would like to ask for your prayer in a few areas (and guidance, verses, passages, or advice if you have any).
The first prayer request would be for my nerves. The closer my team and I come to leaving, the more nervous, anxious, and scared I become. I will admit I am scared out of my mind right now. I have never done anything like this before AND I have NEVER been so far out of my comfort zone in my life. I am so anxious to go because I know that God will use this trip as a major part of my journey with Him. At the same time, I am also nervous about how I communicate with others. We know that I love to write (if you don’t know that already, you will find out soon enough). We also know that there are times that my friends can’t get me to shut up. Although this is true, when it comes to “deep” conversations, I sometimes don’t quite know how to express myself, or at least I feel like I don’t (not even through writing). Pray that I find a niche in communication. I am also nervous about the food, not necessarily that it won’t be good, but more of concerns as to what I can and cannot eat (for those of you who don’t know, I am diabetic/hyperglycemic as of New Year’s 09).
The second area is in the team’s preparation. There are many of us who have never met or even talked before. Pray that we mesh well and build our relationship focused on Christ. Many of us have never been on missions trips like this before and this will be a very new (and probably slightly uncomfortable) experience. The thought of not having any idea of what to expect scares me. In a way that is a good thing because it makes it difficult to set expectations which means it would be difficult to be disappointed when an expectation isn’t met because there is no expectation to be met (make sense?). A friend and I sat and talked about this trip the other day and how scared I am to go because I have no idea what to expect. A few points were made and this is now what I think: If we KNOW what will happen, we have control over our life and if we have control there would be no need for God. Makes sense right? If we have an IDEA of what to expect, most (if not all) of us would try to TAKE control of the steering wheel and therefore would push God into the passenger’s seat (this has never ended well for me). If we have no idea what is going on, the only option is to trust God and let Him lead. He has yet to fail us. If I’m going to work for Christ, I can trust that He will continue to care for me the way He has done so many times before.
The third request is my mindset. I do this thing where I get really excited and worried at the same time. Ends up I usually end up putting myself down and psyching myself out. I am extremely excited to go but I am worried because I feel so inadequate and unprepared. I worry about what I will say, how will I say it, will I KNOW what to say and when to say it. This is possibly the area I need to learn to trust the most in. I always think that I should know what to say. I overanalyze EVERYTHING and rethink everything over multiple times. BUT Luke 12:11-12 says “do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Pray that I lean on the truth and trust that God will provide for me even when it seems like it would be impossible. Pray also that I am consistent in God’s Word and in seeking Him in everything and that I cling to Him and His truth.
The final area to pray for (for now anyways) is for our travel. Pray that we are kept safe in our travel and that those of us who have never flown before find it exciting. I’ve never been on an airplane, nor did I ever want to fly (my parents can vouch for that.) I’m pretty much extremely afraid to fly. Pray for safe travel and that God calms my nerves.
I’ve learned a lot about myself just “preparing” to go. I’ve learned more about God and trusting His will for me. The time leading up to this trip has been amazing but also a rough one as many challenges have popped up in regards to financial, health, work, and relational concerns. God has provided for me regardless of the situation. Although I have questioned it many times since deciding to go to Africa, I believe that it is what God wants. He has provided for the trip financially, prayerfully, and in many other ways. I trust that He will continue to provide for me in those areas while there as well as when I return.
Thank you all for all of your prayers and your support as the team and I prepare to embark on this journey. I look forward to sharing all that God will reveal to me while in Ghana. I am unsure of how often I will be able to write but I am hoping at least once every week or so (if not you will be flooded with messages from me when I return). Thank you all again and God Bless!

In Christ,
Sharina Marie Schaller

As the Day Draws Near
By: Sharina Marie Schaller
6/29/2009

As we prepare to go,
God I pray you hear,
The requests for our safety,
Placed in your loving care.
Through all the nerves and worry,
You are always there.
Through seeking you in all,
To us you will draw near.
With you as our provider,
Nothing shall we fear.
Let us follow you,
Guide us as we prepare.
In your name I pray. Amen.