Manna from heaven

Reflecting back on my summer spent in Namibia I realized one big thing. This summer was manna from heaven for me. Before this I was walking around, hungry, thirsty, and dying for a satisfaction. Then God brought me to Africa showing up in every moment. Giving me a taste of Him, one of wafers and honey. He gave me a willing spirit that now has a new intimacy with Him. One that will only grow throughout the years. I will forever be grateful for that. I've learned a lot this summer but I love knowing that I'm covered. That God provides everything we need. That when life is dry and desolate he miraculously brings us bread from heaven and water from a rock, just the amount we need. That's the God I serve. I mean bread from heaven and water from A ROCK!! He is awesome. Now I get to keep trusting Him with my life and for all my needs. His goodness flows through our hearts. His love covers a multitude of sin. My soul is satisfied, I have peace under my feet, and a better understanding of who my King is. I'm ending this trip with the joy from the Lord all over my heart.

A Story

I step out toward the square glass room. All around and behind me is pitch black. Outside it's very cold so I'm wearing a big jacket with lots of layers. There is a radiating heat coming from the room. I want nothing more than to be inside there and warm up, but I can't find the door. I look behind me, where I am met with a never ending darkness for as far as I can see. I'm scared. My chest starts to get tight and my heart rate spikes. My breath is coming in erratic white clouds from my mouth. My thoughts are flying around my head faster than I can comprehend them. I can't go back though. So I look towards the glass wall searching for a door or a way in. How will I ever get inside? Why can't I reach the warmth? Don't I deserve to get inside? I'm freezing. Then I see it, through the wall in front of me on the left side of the wall is a door. With adrenaline coursing through my veins and cold wind hitting my face I run as fast as I can to the other side. I made it, my suffering will be over very soon. Looking at the door, I realize that my vision has deceived me the door is incredibly small. Who would make a door so thin?? No normal person could fit through there. Hot steamy tears roll down my face. What am I going to do? I can't go back, I'm too close. All of a sudden I hear an exquisite trumpet sound from inside the room, and I realize the door is now open. I have an invitation in. Someone wants me inside as bad as I wish to be in there. My courage builds and I take a deep breath, suck in as much as possible and attempt to squeeze through the door. But I can't fit. I try and try and try again. No luck. Frustration coupled with a great sadness starts to loom over my efforts. Then I hear my fathers voice say to me, "leave it all there". Wait, what. I didn't understand. Did he mean my jacket and clothes? But I would freeze, and still might not make it through the door. Did he mean my bad attitude and frustration? Because I don't see how I can help that. The door should be bigger. I cry out to him in panic asking for clarity. I need to know. He just repeats "leave it all there". So I started to take off my layers, bit by bit I feel the cold air seeping through my skin chilling me to the bone. This hurts. Each layer is like taking off a 50 pound weight. Why would he want me to be in pain? Why can't he just let me in? Why must I suffer just to get inside? Naked and shivering I stand before the door wondering if I will actually fit. I go for it. My hips catch the sides of it every way I try to turn. WHY MUST I BE SO BIG. The voice says again, "You're safe here with me. There's no need to cover what I already see. Leave it here & come to me." At that moment I knew who was inside, I knew what I had to do. With a face full of tears and a heavy heart I hit my knees whispering "I don't understand but Father you are good and I love you." In that second, a hand touched my shoulder guiding me through the door way. I look up and the flood gates of emotions are released. Relief. Light. Warmth. Love. Euphoria. For I had made it out of the cold. Through the door. Into the arms of my Father. My suffering was not in vein. I finally belong. My body image issues, sins, and past mistakes are forgiven. They do not define who I am. I am living in His Kingdom now. I am utterly smitten with my God. He is mine and I am His.

Community

I've been in Africa a few weeks now and so far it has been overwhelmingly amazing. There's so many things I want to write about but I'm not sure how to put it all into words, but here goes nothing. One of the things so far that has blown my mind is how close everyone feels here. The community here is unlike anything I've ever experienced. All the neighborhoods are fairly close so that makes a bit of a difference but I think it goes deeper than that. Every time I walk into a room or function I am greeted like an old friend, with loving smiles and hugs that could cure any disease. They don't know me, I'm not even from their country; but they immediately treat me like family. Wow. How powerful is that. Everyone is so present when they are with you. They are engaged and intentional in conversation so they can get to know you better. For the first time I feel like I'm experiencing fellowship as Jesus intended it to be. Just people coming together intentionally loving each other by choosing God for every decision and every word that's said. It's not always people sitting in a circle with bibles & diving into the word (which is great) but it can be casual and without any pressure. I love this, it breaks every churchy concept that I've had in my head. My favorite experience of this was our first night here we had a braai at pastor Patrick's house with a bunch of people from the church. We were welcomed with open arms like we had been there for weeks. The conversation flowed so easily getting to know each other, and I felt like everything I said was listened to and important. I felt loved. Everyone spoke Afrikaans and English so the language barrier wasn't a problem. Still though It was fun to try to speak Afrikaans and fail miserably; but they didn't give up on us or judge they just helped us get it right next time. I left that night with a full stomach and heart; knowing that right here and right now I am exactly where God wants me to be. From this moment on I will consciously chose Jesus, treating others like the people of Walvis Bay community has treated us. There's just something so special about meeting my brothers & sisters from across the world & worshiping Our Father with them, God you are so sweet to me.

3/27/2017

Today I was doing some research on Namibia, Africa which is the area ill be going to on my mission trip this summer and it just made me so excited!! There’s beautiful land and red sand dunes there, it’s going to be amazing to be able to see it all! My trip is coming up so quickly I am of course nervous but mostly excited! I cant wait to get out of my small life bubble i’m in now and experience how Gods people live in another country. I’m most excited to see how the churches over there worship and the music they have, that’s such a huge part of my relationship with the Lord and i cant wait to expand it!  I also get to meet my team soon and that’s very exciting, i just hope i can at least bond with someone. I love always thinking about how i can be better prepared physically, emotionally, and spiritually for this trip; its been pushing me so much! I’ve slacked since spring break on the physical part but I am getting back into it and i so feel like I am right where the Lord wants me to be right now! All i can really say now is i only have $1300 more to raise and I am getting SO EXCITED! May 22nd is quickly approaching!!! I cant wait for a summer of growth and challenge. 

2/22/2017

I leave for my mission trip in exactly 3 months. All my money is due for my trip in 59 days. Woah. Where did the time go?!? These numbers make me very excited and VERY nervous. Now is when my nerves of possibly not making enough money are coming in strong. My trust in the Lord and my abilities to fund raise are definitely being put to the test! I can say today or at least in this moment that I am glad i am nervous because it’s becoming real! I cant wait to experience a whole new culture and people; also since I love food i cant wait to try an all different cuisine. Spiritually i am so ready to grow and share the gospel with others, I’m most excited for the Lord to use me however he sees fit. The one thing i’m most scared of is the bugs or mostly spiders; i keep having this dream where i’m sleeping and a huge spider is crawling all over me and this gives me panic attacks for sure. I’m not even sure if that’s going to be a problem but that is currently what i’m most worried about concerning the trip at least. It’s crazy for me to think that soon (God willing if i raise all the money) Namibia, Africa will be my home for 3 months. Saying that makes my heart inflate with joy, like i get to go somewhere completely new and scary and love on people. I am so lucky. This constant battle between stress, nerves, and joy is one i wouldn’t change for anything. There’s an update on my trip, i will have better ones now that it’s so close so i can share my struggles and preparation stories with you more frequently. Man, I leave in 3 months!!

1/30/2017

Update in the fund raising part of my life, its going really great!! I had a wonderful turn out for my chilis give back event and that only lead to more awareness and donations. I am extremely overwhelmed with the support I’ve been given, it all makes my heart so full! This also makes me just so excited for the trip, each donation just makes it more real! School just started recently so I have been jammed packed with that, taking a semester off really doe’s effect the time it takes you to get back in the swing of things. One thing I love about being in school again is the schedule that comes with it, it can be overwhelming at times but its set for you and you just have to follow it and stay on top of things. Yes I like things to be laid out for me and planned in an easier sense. I was actually excited to have homework and write things in my planner again but for now I am very comfortable just learning and being here again. Being busy presents its own challenges for me like not setting aside time for myself, but thank goodness I have people like my dad in my life who notice when im getting overwhelmed and kindly remind me to take a step back as to not be back in a darker place again. I am so grateful for these reminders. I easily forget how being busy and always on the go stretching yourself thin and make you think you lost yourself a bit, I like the idea that I am more in control of that emotional side of me since I can recognize when I need quiet alone time now. I was not able to do this before, I would just get caught up in everything and go with the flow. Its so easy to get caught up in school, having a significant other, friends, and other expectations and forget that your body and mind IS important! I am important. The way I see myself needs progress and only comes with me putting time into myself. So lately I’ve been reciting the mantra “put good in get good out” in my head as to guide me with decisions throughout the day. I told myself I would put good food in so then I would want to work out more, which always makes me feel better. It all requires me going back to my New Years resolutions, but this week I was reminded how important they are to me and how much I want them to be true all year! So cheers to the long process towards a  healthier body, mind, and spirit in 2017!

Afresh

Whenever you see people doing fund raisers or raising money for school it looks so easy, well let me tell ya it is NOT! I have a new found appreciation for everyone who does that either for work or in their free time, so props to yall. I never thought in a million years it would be this hard, but it is. I can’t wait until the end of this when I can look back and go, yeah God provided and I worked really hard for every cent and it was so worth it. I have a fund raiser at Chili’s this coming Monday and I am SO excited about because they are the very first people to tell me YES! It feels so good to be told yes! So if you’re reading this, head over to the Chili’s off 3009 and 35 on January 16th between 11-11pm with my flyer through Facebook and help me go on this mission trip! (Had to add that little bit of advertising sorry moving on) In other news I had this really cool leadership connection event at my church last night and I absolutely LOVED IT! What happened was all the leaders of the church, the elders, welcome center, and children’s ministry came together to talk about our vision and goals for the next year. Now I haven’t been going to this church for long, and I’ve only volunteered a hand full of times since then but I went anyways because I thought it was important that I knew what we were about and I was on the same page as everyone else, little did I know I was in a leadership role! I never thought of myself in this way, I’m 20 years old and I have the ambition to do this one day I just didn’t think that time was now, I just thought I was someone helping out when needed. So tonight when they called all the new and upcoming leaders on stage to be prayed over, I looked around excitedly awaiting to have the opportunity to pray over someone in this big of a way; that’s when my mentor Leslie pushed me forward toward the stage. I soon came to find myself on stage with about 20 other people getting prayed for and praised for our time devoted to the church, me a leader I couldn’t believe it! I never saw myself in this way, in fact it’s hard to even think about it now; all I know is I go over the curriculum then go into class on Sunday and love on some kids. God has definitely gifted me with this mind set for the season that I’m in, it allows me to give constant praise to God for the little things and not stress out about the pressures of leading people and getting everything perfect. It’s such a relief to know that God has prepared me for every moment even the surprise ones like last night. So very cool and praise God and River City Church for making me feel special! After we were prayed over, we broke up into small groups of 6 and I met the most amazing women! I won’t mention any by name, but the Lords strength was shown to me vividly and differently through each one of them. We each discussed our personal vision for the ministry we were in, how we were going to invest our time this year, and then we prayed over each other. The simple fellowship that was in that small circle was exactly what I needed to refresh my week and take a step back from my life and pray for others. All too often I forget the power of prayer, how it can change lives and drastically change my thought process. I left being just full of the spirit and ready to take on whatever this week can throw at me because I have a GOOD God by my side with me every step of the way. I’m feeling so thankful today for the family and extended family who has been my support system through these rough past couple of months. So praise God for sending me them and giving me just what I need when I need it. My mustard seed of faith was replanted today, can’t wait to see where the growth will take me.

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1 / 4/2017

It’s been while since I’ve blogged so I will catch y’all up on my holiday! For Christmas my dad took our little family here in San Antonio to Florida for 9 days, and it was amazing! The weather there was perfect, sunny and high 70’s for most of the time we were there; I was swimming on Christmas day!! I personally always picture the perfect Christmas being surrounded by piles of snow while sipping hot chocolate, but this sunny holiday couldn’t have gone any lovelier. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday; it means more to me now that I fully understand the reason for the season (Jesus) but there’s always a bit of magic in the air which can never be fully described yet is felt fully by everyone at one point or another. Having my two little niece and nephew around made it all the more fun, we got to write to Santa and watch their faces light up when they opened presents; I can’t remember a time where my heart has felt more full. On Christmas day we had a traditional dinner and quality time, although this isn’t our normal tradition it went so great! While we were there we went on a sunset dolphin boat cruise, we saw so many dolphins; even a baby one!! I was amazed and overwhelmed with how beautiful the ocean really is (even if it terrifies me). I uploaded a picture of it on here to share because it’s something that happens every day and yet I rarely every stop to enjoy it; I should do that more. I loved being reminded of just how small I am in this big world, because I may be small but I have a big purpose that’s bigger than me or anyone else. Such a kind a necessary reminder for me from the Lord. Most of the days were full of just quality time, reading, sunshine, and zero stress. I can’t remember a time where I’ve ever felt more relaxed and loved. Overall my Christmas was great and although I didn’t make it to midnight on New Year’s I enjoyed the sleep I got a lot. Like everyone else I have my New Year’s resolutions which I shall share with you now.

1.      Read the bible more, with the intentions to allow the Holy Spirit to guide every decision I make this year.

2.      Eat healthier/exercise more. Lose 15 pounds.

3.      Use social media less, especially when I’m with people so I am more intentional with my conversations.

These are things that I desperately need but finally feel equipped to follow through on. I am so excited for what 2017 has in store for me! 2016 was overall a rough year of mostly downs and LOTS of growth; but now I am a little wiser, definitely stronger, and a lot more prepared for the never ending change this world throws at me. The life styling changing starts now, I can’t wait to share my journey of fundraising and growth with anyone who reads this. I hope yalls holiday was great!

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Lord you are so beautiful

12/7/2016

Today I am just going to talk about just a few random stuff because honestly I’ve written like three posts out and none of them were great so I’ll stick with just an update for this fine Wednesday. This week I went to a lot of restaurants trying to commit to a sponsor night, so we can eat some good food and raise some money. No luck so far but I’m eliminating places which is good. This whole fund raising this is SO much harder than I thought it would be!! I find myself being embarrassed or timid in asking people for money, which is understandable so I constantly have to remind myself (or have my dad remind me) that this is for a good cause, that I’m fulfilling Gods purpose for me and helping others so it’s worth the struggle and rejection. What is making it all worthwhile though is definitely the fact that it is CHRISTMAS TIME! This means joy, kindness, cookies, lights, cold weather, hot cocoa, and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! It’s all so exciting!!  Oh, and the Christmas sweater parties!! I’m very excited about this season, I feel so lucky to be surrounded by loved ones this year. Time seems precious to me this year, more precious than gifts; that feelings pretty cool because I’ve never said I don’t want anything and really meant it. This year all I want is to make enough money to go on this mission trip and spend it with family. Other than the fund raising and holiday craziness my life is fairly mellow right now which is actually nice. All I do in my free time is nap, workout, hang out with my boyfriend, and force my dogs into cuddles. Overall life is calm right now, I’m really hoping it stays that way for a while. Calm does not mean easy I think it means more manageable I think, just wanted to clarify that. Well that’s a wrap on this week’s events for me, this post was a struggle to write, but next weeks will be better. For now I’m off to indulge in Christmas thingsJ  

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Home. 11/30/2016

Today I want to talk about home. This word stirs emotions in us all, good or bad. For me this brings up joy, comfort, happiness, and most of all love. Love for people. Growing up military I was taught that home truly was where your heart was not necessarily the earthly concept of a childhood home you’ve lived in forever or a hometown. I feel at home when I am with my dad who is in San Antonio, when I’m with my brother in Arlington, my mom in Florida, and I felt it today when I went back to Tyler. For those who don’t know I went to school here for two years, a lot of bad things happened here but a lot of great things happened too, it was the first place that was mine, and where I found God. I’m spending time with my best friend Sydnie, although I feel like that word just doesn’t do our relationship justice, she’s my soul mate; God made us to be sisters. During a season where I feel just lost and I have no idea what I am going to do with my life I get these moments of belonging, of being home. I praise the Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful family and friends, that He brings me this joy just when I need it. Even though I know we were all just thankful at thanksgiving, I really needed to be reminded just how much I have to be thankful for, every day. Some blessings aren’t always in your line of sight all the time, I think this is what makes home so special. Home is constant, never changing. Home is love. Home is Jesus. Home is a tangible thing, person, or place that God gives us that kindly reminds us how good God is to us. This is an earthly reminder of Gods love, to me at least. Now I get to rest in Gods peace through His people and the places he’s given me that have molded me into the person I am today. I come before Him and You with a thankful heart. I hope you find your home today or soon. I hope you rest in the presence of the Lord for He is good.

11/23/2016

This past weekend my family and I went with my church to downtown San Antonio to a little church called feed my sheep to clean up the lots, build a shed, and serve over 300 lunches to the homeless. I am not sure the exact number of volunteers but there was quite a few, we got it all done fairly quickly, in that I got to meet some lovely people; even better is we all knew we were there to help others. At first it felt great being there, I think that may have been a self-inflation kind of great, like “wow look what I’m doing God must be pleased”, now he was pleased but that’s not the point. Then he whispered to me, “live to serve not to be served and do this with joy for ME”. After that I took a breath and realized that I needed to fix my eyes on Jesus and the tasks at hand today more than ever, because He gave us all an opportunity to shine a light on His kingdom not how “good of a person Kayla Nagle was”.  I am so thankful for this kind reminder from my father, it lead to a scripture being put on my heart that I’d like to share. Galatians 5:13 “You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love.” I indulged in my pride and selfishness of my flesh to try and take the glory from God, but he is Lord of All, I cannot do that, I am his daughter and servant.

So after this enlightenment my day just couldn’t have gone any better honestly. I made a friend who showed me that the love of the Lord is endless and no matter the difficulties this life promises you the Lord will always bring you through. I watched as Gods children came and sat for lunch, they had the courage to come to a church, most of them talking about God or praying with the pastor. These people who have nothing came because they know that our God is GOOD, loving, and giving. My heart broke for every single person that I saw that day. I couldn’t imagine a life like they are living, and to realize all of this was happening not even 30 minutes from my home and I had done nothing before. I am not better than any of them, I hope that I make that very clear. I’m not sure why but the Lord made my circumstances different, he blessed me and for that I sing praises to My King forever. I realized I didn’t need money to serve the poor, I needed to devote my time, effort, and love to them. I need to pray for them, to show them that they are LOVED by a father who will take care of them in all circumstances. I am here to show His children that we have an eternal life in Him, the things of this world are fleeting but He is forever. Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you and me. Your sins are wiped clean. You are pure, righteous, and redeemed no matter your past in Gods eyes. So I pray that today you forgive yourself and Persevere through the promised struggles of this world for there is better tomorrow. I pray that if you’re reading this God puts a calling on your heart to serve Him, whatever that looks like in your life.

Go and Feed His Sheep.

11/16/2016

Since last Wednesday a lot has happened! I was presented with a heart tearing decision and some hard ships, I feel as if this is fairly common thing for basically everybody. So my choice was to either live at home with my dad and family for the next few months until my mission trip or go back to Dallas and live there with my brother. I was torn up about this, because I hate disappointing people and this is just a temporary move, but the decision was mine and for me not anyone else. I decided after almost feeling sick from having to decide that I needed to fast in order to counsel with God more intensely to receive more intense results. I fasted for two days, no food. Fasting might be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because I LOVE food and I LOVE to eat it with friends and family, it made me realize how much of my socialization revolves around eating though. I felt like some people didn’t get why I was doing it, overall it was for clarity in my decision and closeness to my Lord. What I did was when I got hungry I got a glass of water and would read or listen to worship music, honestly I had HARD moments but overall He took my hunger away and allowed His presence to be felt by me as much as possible. God revealed to me that He was in each decision and I needed to decide and then fix my eyes on Him in order to stay on the right path. I just felt it in my gut in order to get the support I felt I needed and for many other reasons that I needed to stay home with my dad. Now I haven’t told my brother yet so I hope he’s not reading this… but I dread that day. I dread thinking that he might think I didn’t like living with him because it was awesome and he’s awesome and on some level I felt like he needed me there to help him, but I just have to hope that we try to stay as close as we’ve always been. Regardless I have a divine peace about this decision and I finally feel ready to work and do whatever it takes to make my divine purpose come true, to grow in closeness with God. Guys, the Holy Spirit is pressing against my heart right now just with joy that I get the opportunity to share the fact that JESUS SAVED ME. JESUS LOVES ME. HE DESIRES FOR MY CLOSENESS TOO. I am wanted, and fasting wasn’t out of obligation to things that happened in the bible but an effort to show God how much I truly desire him and to show myself how much I need God more than anything, even food. I hope that if you’re reading this you make yourself uncomfortable today, because that’s where you grow. If you’re reading this I pray that you realize how much you were made for more.

Weekly Wednesday Writing

Since i have been slacking on my blogging, my dad encouraged me to start a weekly Wednesday Writing! Naturally my first post will go to my super talented best friend Chris Sullivan who had his first real gig with his band the Moon Runners last night! They were amazing!! I remember watching him win first place in every high school talent show so watching his start just warmed my heart so much! I know he will make it big and his sound his different and new if you guys want to check him out! Might give you something to look forward to since they agreed to do a fund raising show for me, and that’ll happen in the near future- God willing! So stay on the look out for that and my blog next Wednesday where i talk about how Gods been striping my heart and moving in my life to prepare me for this trip! Remember Chris Sullivan and the Moon Runners are the next big thing! See yall next week! 

Story Time

So the other day I was leaving on break from work, as im walking out to my car two young woman approach me. They were in their 20’s, they looked just like normal girls dressed fairly well and seemed nice. She comes up to me asking for money or help in anyway because something happened and they lost their wallet and didn’t have a car. One of the girls was pregnant. At this point im realizing that this might be a scam, but all I could think about was they needed help. I didn’t have any cash on me so I told her I would go get some cash and come back; but I could see that she didn’t trust me, because other people probably said the same thing and never came back.  So we talked a little more, I got to the bottom of what they wanted which was a room at a motel down the street, only $80 a night. So I thought, they don’t have a car and they need a place to stay ill just give them a ride and pay for a night and be back for work. They get in the car and we go to the motel right down the street. On the way were talking about music, hobbies, and God; the conversation flowed so well and it seemed so normal. As we get to the hotel, they already called and asked for a two night stay. When I walked in with them, the lady who was working was very brisk with us (or mostly them) so I felt a lot of pressure to make it quick. The total was $175, I had exactly $180 in my bank account, I looked at them and decided that a place to stay was worth it. So I gave all I had. I made sure they couldn’t charge anything else on my card and walked out to say good bye to them. As im leaving the pregnant woman is smoking and the other one starts her spiel all over again as if we hadn’t just talked a whole car ride, asking for food and more money. I apologized and said I had nothing more to give, gave her my phone number prayed for them and left. I left feeling so stupid, crying the whole way back to work. Then I called my best friend because I felt stupid but I know that it was the right thing to do, its what Jesus would do. My best friend reassured and reminded me that money is an earthly thing, GOD CONTROLS IT. So to worry about it or feel stupid about giving all I had was the devil trying to push me away from the fact that God was happy with me today. I went back to work and made a late sale, which never happens and I hadn’t made a sale in week which was bad. It was God kindly reminding me that he is in control and he loves to take care of His children.

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I never thought raising money would be so hard but planning & ideas are so difficult! But Tshirts are in progress & fun things are on the way!!

sponsor letter

Hello from Dallas, Texas!

As some of you may know, I just finished my second year at the University of Texas at Tyler, and will hopefully be attending Christ of the Nations Institute in the spring. I am nervously excited to see what God has in store for me. Since I was saved a few years ago, I’ve been trying desperately to find my purpose and unique plan God has for my life. While playing soccer at UT Tyler and being surrounded by coaches and teammates that find balance between school, sports and religion, I found that even when I was pushed to my limits, I could do anything through God.

Then during a family vacation, I met someone who went on a mission trip through Experience Mission, and I knew instantly that is what I needed to do too.  God put a conviction and love for missions in my heart I can’t control. I looked over the various missions and this trip to Africa was perfect - to work in schools, travel and spread God’s love.  I applied, interviewed, and to my amazement, I was accepted!  I have total faith that God is in every detail pushing me into the future He wants for me.

So, I’m leaving in May 2017, joining a team going to Namibia, Africa for three months! I will be living with a host family in a small coastal town on the Kuiseb River, experiencing both modern life and a rugged lifestyle. During my time in these diverse communities, I will volunteer in underprivileged schools and partner with the local church. The part I’m most excited about is being able to serve people in a natural every day way, by spreading the Word, assisting in the classroom, through sports, and helping out with homework. I know I will learn a lot and in turn hope to bless the people I meet and create lifelong bonds.

Now, here’s where you come in. It’s my great desire to have a big network of people supporting me through prayer and donations.  Knowing that people are on my side, cheering me on, will encourage me so much while I’m serving the Lord in Africa. I would love it if you would be a part of that network.

The best way to contribute financially is through either one-time or monthly donations.  You can give through the Experience Mission website, (which I recommend), or mail in with the pre-addressed envelope and giving card included with this letter. If you mail in donations, be sure to make the checks out to “Experience Mission” (with my EM User ID “KNAG1000” on the bottom line) in order to keep donations tax-deductible.  Donations made through my personal sponsorship profile on the EM website -  Experiencemission.org/sponsor/Kayla2Africa - are automatically tax-deductible. 

Thank you in advance for partnering with me in this big adventure. While your monetary support is very much appreciated, I want to be clear that your emotional and prayerful support mean much more.  I invite you to follow my blog (listed below) for my pre-trip thoughts and updates while I’m in Africa.  I can’t wait to see what God continues to teach me through this opportunity. Thanks for being a part of it!