changed my blog over to tumblr. they have more options in terms of layout, etc.

So check my blog out at the new address:

http://thatiamnotmyown.tumblr.com

thanks!

testimonies and malaria.

so today was really cool!
i got to go up during the sermon at chach today and tell everyone how i got to where i am right now. the sermon was on jeremiah 29 so it was quite fitting.
it was fun and i don't think i sounded too nervous, even though my heart was beating so fast. its weird, i would rather sing in front of a group of people than speak. public speaking is not my forte. but it went well and i am glad i could share my experiences.

and i also took my first malaria pill today. and i was kind of nervous because a bunch of people had told me (esp. right before i swallowed it) that they usually feel like crap after taking it. and these are the ones that are harder on your system and sometimes come with hallucinations and vivid dreams. but i feel pretty normal! so another reason why i am glad for my iron clad stomach.

two weeks until the big event! eek!

inclusion.

I don't like being left out. I don't like missing things.

I anticipate this will be one of the hardest things about leaving to go to Africa. I am definitely going to miss things going on back home. Friends are going to hang out, family will celebrate Christmas and New Years, and I will not be there.

I think the aspect that scares me the most though, is that while I am gone, people might move on with their lives (which is completely expected) and when I get back, things will be different. Relationships that I have with people might change or end and new relationships between people might start while I am away, and that could change the relationships that I have. And I don't want things to change. Or really, I should say, I don't want things to change for the worse or that might leave me out of the equation.

I don't really know how to end this thought...because it is a legitimate fear that I have.
Is this another thing I should be trusting God with? The answer is a resounding yes.

But I still don't want things to change.

i have been approved!

i just heard word that i have officially been approved as a Ministry Volunteer for the Christian Reformed World Missions in Nigeria!  so i guess this means that i can go! or something!

i also just heard that donations are coming in - so thank you so much for those! keep 'em coming!

so things seem to be coming together for this trip. the fundraiser is panning out well and people seem excited for it. i think i am excited for it, but it it is soon approaching and there is lots left to do.

and my thesis. well, its there. and i am getting more hopeful, but again, i may not meet my deadline. this appears to be the theme in academic circles, so i suppose i should get used to it. but for those of you that know me well, i hate to be late. so i constantly remind myself of the big picture, and that it will get done. at some point. i hope.

you know what i realized the other day? i am very good at piling things on, and making my life a lot more difficult. like, last september, i not only had to write my MCATs, i also applied for med schools, and proposed my thesis all in a matter of a month. this time around, i am planning a trip to africa, fundraising and finishing my thesis. sometimes i think i thrive on challenges a bit too much. why make life easy eh?

with that said, i should get back to work.

ugh.

this is how i feel right now.

Out of Africa: A fundraiser to send Rachel to Jos, Nigeria!

Please come! It seriously is going to be a great night - check out the band: www.isobellegunn.com OR http://www.myspace.com/isobellegunn to listen to their amazing music! And there will be art from local artists - which make great birthday and Christmas presents!
Hope to see you there!!

my support letter!

hey friends! this is a copy of the letter i sent out to gather support and encouragement for my trip!
if you didn't receive this letter and would like a copy, or a pre-paid envelope (for your generous donation, of course!) then let me know!

Dear Friends,

Hello! I am writing this letter to give you an update on God’s call for the next year of my life and to hopefully find some encouragement and support from you!

As many of you know, I have been off at school in Waterloo (at Wilfrid Laurier University) for the last six years and I am currently finishing up my graduate degree in Kinesiology.  I have been hoping over the last few years to be accepted into medical school, however that has yet to come to fruition. So I have been trying to decide what to do for the upcoming year, and God has placed an idea to give up the year to Him to do ministry. I have always had a place in my heart for the country of Africa, for inexpressible reasons. So I started to search out possible opportunities to volunteer in Africa. However, this turned out to be quite a difficult road as some doors were closed and other, very different doors were opened. I have had to completely give control over to God for this year as I have recognized His will in this. This has been a somewhat trying (yet exhilarating!) task for me as I am someone who has had their life quite planned out up until this year. Eventually, through many applications, waiting and praying, an opportunity became available in Jos, Nigeria through Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM).

            So, I am going to Nigeria! Nigeria is a large nation in western Africa with a troubled past but a promising future that includes a number of challenges, including ethnic and religious conflicts, widespread poverty, and the AIDS epidemic. The CRWM has operated in Nigeria for many decades, and their missionaries have the experience and commitment to serve Nigerians in this important time of transition. I am truly blessed to be able to serve with this group while in Nigeria. CRWM works together with a number of local ministries in the Plateau region where I will be stationed, including the ministries of Evangel Hospital and Open Doors.

I will be working in Evangel Hospital and the Open Doors school in Jos, Nigeria. The hospital was founded by the Sudan Interior Mission and is affiliated with the Evangelical Churches of West Africa. They have 150 beds available and provide medical care in many areas including surgery, obstetrics, opthamology, HIV/AIDS clinic and physiotherapy. I will be volunteering in the physiotherapy department which is quite connected to school called Open Doors. This school provides education for children with special needs, including physical disabilities. The physiotherapist treats a number of the children at the school and I will be working with them to provide this care. I am quite excited for this opportunity as it is a hands-on (literally) way of serving the people of Jos and in a field that I am very passionate about.  I am also excited that the hospital is a Christian hospital at its roots and it is quite commonplace to see doctors and staff praying over their patients. This gives me an opportunity to interact with the people I come in contact with, not only physically but spiritually. In Psalm 140:12, David says “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.”  By serving in Nigeria, I hope to contribute to God’s global efforts to fulfill this promise. 

However, I need your support to make this opportunity possible. Most importantly, I need your prayers of support as I work for God’s kingdom in Nigeria. But in close second, I need your financial support. The estimated cost for travelling to and living in Nigeria (including medical vaccinations, insurance, food, and board) for six months is approximately $8500. I realize this is a large sum of money so I am completely trusting in God’s faithfulness to provide the means, however I still need to do my part to make this happen. This is where you come in as there are a couple ways to help support me financially in this endeavour:

1)      A direct contribution: You can send your tax-deductible gift in the enclosed postage-paid envelope to Christian Reformed World Missions. Gifts can be made payable to “CRWM” with “for the ministry of Rachel van Oostveen” in the memo line.  Any amount of money is welcomed (no amount is too big J or small) and your donations can remain anonymous, but if you are comfortable, please let me know if you have donated. You can also send your donations to me directly, if preferable – include your full name and address so a tax receipt can be issued. If you prefer to make your donation by another method or on a monthly basis, contact Liz at World Missions Canada directly (1-800-730-3490).

2)      Come to my fundraiser: I will be hosting an evening of music and art on October 30^th at Hope Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Oshawa, ON.  The band “Isobelle Gunn” (originally from Hamilton, ON – www.isobellegunn.com) will be providing the entertainment for the evening and there will be art available to purchase from local artists (makes a great Christmas gift!). It will be a wonderful night of music, art, food and friends! You can check out my blog for more information!

I am leaving for Nigeria in November, so efficiency is a necessity! If you are able to donate financially, thank you so much. If you are unable to donate financially, instead, I just ask for your prayers and well wishes in the coming year. I cannot express to you how excited I am to expand my worldview and learn from the people of Nigeria! I wouldn’t be able to do this without your support, so know that I am extremely grateful for your support.

Be Blessed,

Rachel van Oostveen

question marks! or rather, ?

okay. so. here's the earth. oh, that's a nice earth.
it certainly is! but where the heck do i fit in??

this question i am sure, plagues many of us. now that i have (almost) finished my degree, and i am fairly done with schooling at the moment (this may not be by choice but....hey), ive had to battle this question. and my decision? well, i'm going to Nigeria. crazy!!!! i can't tell you how relieved i am to be able to finally say with confidence where i am headed this year as it has been quite the trip to this point. regardless, i am going. at the beginning of november (this hasn't been set in stone but that is the plan in my head - lets see if it happens! bets anyone?).

so here i sit, at the edge of an actual adventure where things are so up in the air, its unnerving. i'm a planner. not necessarily for little things (i enjoy spontaneity) but with big life things - i'm a planner through and through. so here we go, God! its all up to you. i will go where you send me.

so my plan is to document this journey quite well (i kind of stink at writing on a frequent basis) but i can't not document this. so bear (or bare, your choice) with me while i write/picture my way through this experience. i apologize for anything that i say that seems....uh, uncultured or naive. i'm learning at this "expanding my worldview" thing, k?

stay posted for:
 - actual details about what i am doing in Nigeria
 - a hopefully succinct history of the city of Jos and its people
 - ways that you can help me get to Nigeria! (oh, there is def. ways to do this - don't you worry!)

be blessed.

rach