I’m going to Africa!

Hey friends,

I have some exciting news to share! In just five weeks, I’m heading off with a team to Ghana, West Africa! As I have been preparing for this trip, I’m filled with a mix of joy and anticipation, as well as anxiety and questions.

I wanted to share with you details about the trip and also ask if you might consider praying for some specific requests.

First, the fun stuff! I’m going to Africa with a team of seven people from the ministry where I work, OneWay.

My specific objectives for the trip are to:

TRAIN AND TEACH

Our largest international base is in Ghana where our team is doing outreach in rural villages and urban areas, sharing the good news of Jesus! We do this by showing The Jesus Film in remote areas to unreached people groups, training young Africans who want to serve as missionaries in their countries, providing health care to women who have migrated from rural areas to find work in the capital city and providing audio Bibles to villagers in their heart language.

Just like in our U.S. office, we have a team of people doing support work in areas like communication, development and advancement.

I will be training them in some of my favorite topics like:

• creating a communication strategy
• developing a branding guide
• building a donor appreciation plan
• fundraising practices
• and hopefully, even some team building!

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PHOTOS AND STORIES

I’m equally excited about the opportunity to take photos of our ministry in Africa and everyday life. I’m traveling with two writers from my U.S. team, Katie and Kate, and we’ll be working together to gather stories and interview people.

We will get the opportunity to travel to a remote area in the north of Ghana where we will see first-hand the work of our Jesus Film riders. This brave group of six young men ride motorbikes to visit unreached people groups in remote areas. They build a relationship with a “man of peace” and get permission to show The Jesus Film. Since OneWay began this program in 2016, they’ve shown the film to more than 350,000 people and about 35,000 of them have accepted Christ as savior! Praise God!

 

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RECORDING STUDIO

While I’m traveling around the country with my communications team, the other half of our group will be working to set up a recording studio. OneWay records original music and creates videos to rally people to pray for the nations. We also record worship songs and content for our BiblePlus audio players that we distribute to people who might not have access to the Bible in their heart language. Setting up a local studio where our Africa team can record will allow us to increase our work in a powerful way!

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A SUPER FUN BONUS!

One of the highlights of this trip for me is that my son, Andrew, also will be going! Andrew joined the OneWay team full-time after graduating from Taylor University in May. He will be using his expertise in audio production to help set up the studio. He also will help me and my team capture video footage of our experience.

A fun fact is that I went to Africa the first time when I was Andrew’s age! I spent three months in Zambia right after graduating from grad school. I’ve always dreamed of traveling to Africa with my kids, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me that we get to do this together!

 

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With all of that said, I want to humbly ask if you might consider praying for me when you think of it during the next five weeks. 

Here are my specific requests:

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

Because I have Celiac Disease, travel can be difficult for me even in the United States. I have to be extremely careful not to eat food that might have come in contact with gluten. If I do inadvertently eat gluten, I will get extremely ill and probably wouldn’t be able to function for the entire trip.

I’ve discussed this with our OneWay Africa Director, Ray, (pictured next to me in the top photo) who just happened to be in town the past few weeks. After explaining the severity of my dietary restrictions, we all agreed it might be best for me to bring along some dehydrated meals, nutrition bars and other food to ensure my safety. I learned all about MREs from Matt when he was in boot camp, so now I get to try some myself!

Please pray that I will have access to hot water to heat up my meals and that I don’t get sick as I also want to honor our hosts and try some of the food they prepare for us.

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ENERGY AND SLEEP

Could you also pray that God would give me extra energy and the ability to sleep well in a different environment? We will be traveling to a remote area in hot African weather. The travel on bumpy roads and small airplanes is a bit outside my comfort zone at this stage in life, but I’m praying God will give me the strength I need to feel great!

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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

I am super excited about the opportunity to build relationships with our team in Africa! We see each other on Zoom calls or talk on the phone, but it is going to be such a treat to interact in real life! Please also pray for our U.S. team that we will have an amazing, life-changing experience together!

Would you like to receive other updates about my trip OR would you consider praying for me? Please let me know by sending me a quick email or leaving a comment below.

I can’t thank you enough for reading and taking an interest in my life.

xo

Emily