Dear Friends and Family,
This is my account of my time with YWAM. I cannot even begin to describe how much Jesus did in my life over these 4 1/2 months. I am not who I was when I left. I struggled, thrived, rejoiced, learned, led, followed, grew, loved, met, left, and arrived at new freedom.
I cannot begin to thank those of you who supported me in both financial support and in prayer. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. You forever have my gratitude.
I have a selection of photos of the highlights of my trip in an album here –
http://s750.photobucket.com/albums/xx147/aejefferis/Highlights%20April-August%202009/
It has taken me much longer than I expected to get all of this on paper. My first attempt was in much greater detail - as I would like to tell it. Maybe one day I will recount my journey in greater detail (maybe even in book form?), but for now, I hope you enjoy this outline of my time overseas. J
Before I begin with my time away, let me share with you this journal entry that I wrote right before I left –
A bigger love than me
April 16, 2009
I need to preface what I am about to say with this-
Tuesday I took an 11pm bus to Chicago. I got there at 6am, got fingerprinted (again) and applied for my visa, was told it would take a while, made friends with a cab driver and was on another bus back to Columbus by 11am. That whole day was ridiculously amazing and one miracle after another.
Today at about 5 or 6 pm (everything's kinda a blur right now...) I got a call from the visa agency. My visa went though and is done! They are overnighting it and I will have it by tomorrow!
Can you believe it?!? I'm not sure I can. Ha! Wow.
Ok so, let me just recap.
About a month ago the most exciting thing in my life was that I taught in my women's group for the first time. I taught on John chapter 20 and it was sweet. That week I signed up for leadership training and was pumped to be more of a leader in the group. That rocked my world and God got so much bigger. His plan for me started to unfold and I felt a peace I never had. I also got a sense that the future was going to be big and I might have to make some sacrifices to do what God had for me.
A week later I found out Tracy wanted to start another women's group. The Lord spoke to both of us and we decided to lead the group together. You have no idea how much this blew my mind. I was so totally excited and honored and thrilled. God became bold to me. He was teaching me to be bold, but he was doing it by example. I began to realize that this was so much bigger than I imagined. This was not something I was going to do, this was something I was going to have to run to stay in step with. I was terrified and I loved it.
One week after that (about 2 1/2 weeks ago) I got a message from Rachel asking me if I could go in her place to England to nanny for a Dutch family she knew. My initial reaction (as was my reaction to every event leading up to this) was, "oh no way. That is WAY too awesome. There is no way God wants that for ME." That same day (or was it the next) I had talked to Edward and Jet via international phone and had made plans for me to come to England to nanny! That week things fell into place so fast it was surreal.
Ok, come back to the now.
Let me see if I can verbalize this... God's love is so much bigger than just me. And I mean that in every sense. God loves more that I ever could. God loves me more that I understand. And most of all, God's love SURPASSES me in a majestic way.
God has been planning all this for literally ever. Every bit of my life has been preparation for this moment, for the now. And he loves me so much. So much.
I was just told by a friend that I do not have to worry about my family or myself because "you are in the palm of God's hand, and that is the safest place you can be". Let that sink in for a moment. How big is God? How wide is his love? How deep? What are his limits? Can he sleep? Does he have to wait? Does he obey bureaucracy?
And see, this is where it sinks in even deeper. God's love is so much bigger than me. God's love is overflowing for Edward and Jet and baby Daan. This little glimpse of eternity, this moment in time, God cares enough to move mountains to get me to England. Why? I don't know completely yet, but I do know that God cares so much about Daan that He wants me to help take care of him. God cares so much for Edward and Jet that he wants them to be able to focus these next three months and soak up knowledge of Himself. God cares so much for my sister that he has been preparing and growing her in these past few months to really thrive and express herself. God cares so much for my Mom that he is providing for her daughters and bestowing a new peace.
God's love is so much bigger.
I found this Psalm last week and it felt like a personal blessing.
Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
***
I arrived in England on April 21, midday, after 2 ½ weeks of preparation. I managed to get my Visa in 48 hours, which was nothing less than a miracle. Edward and Jet, the Dutch couple who’s son, Daan, I watched, met me at the bus station. Everyone at The Kings Lodge, the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base, had been praying for me that I would make it over safe and in good time.
Many, many people from many nations greeted me at the base. While Edward and Jet gave me a tour of the base we ran into Maggie, a Welsh woman, who took me by the shoulders and said, “Wow! Let me look at you! You are an answer to prayer! I am looking at a miracle!” What a way to begin a journey. I was truly humbled and amazed.
My days at the YWAM base in England looked like this –
- 6am – Wake up
- 7am – Breakfast in the dining hall
- 8am – Depending on the day I would either start my day with Daan or participate in the class devotional/worship time and then watch the baby
- 9am – Mondays and Tuesdays were Base Worship and Base Intercession, respectively. This was the time when the whole YWAM base (about 150 people) gathered to worship and pray. I lead worship for the base three times. It was a great experience.
- 11am – Base coffee/tea break. Everyday there was a midday break for coffee, tea and on Thursdays they celebrated the birthdays that happened that week with homemade cake. J
- 1pm – Lunch in the dining hall. Typically I would be done watching Daan after Lunch.
- 2pm – A few days a week I watched Daan from 2-3
- 4pm – Almost every day I took a walk to town. My favorite place was the post office, a 20-minute walk from the base.
- 6pm – Dinner in the dining hall. A great opportunity for fellowship.
- 7:30 - Some days there were evening lectures. Since Daan was asleep at this time, I was able to join in on the lectures. Other nights there were movies or games in the evenings. (Rob from the DTS showed the movie “Walking Across Egypt” which was filmed at his church. He is in the choir next to actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas. J )
- 11pm – With the 5 hour time difference between The Kings Lodge and home, this was the best time to Skype with friends and family back home.
My 10 weeks at the Kings Lodge were incredible. Daan was the most wonderful baby to watch. We played hide and seek, took walks, played in the toy room, had snacks, read stories, played with blocks and toy cars, looked out the windows, took pictures and danced to music. For the 4 ½ months that I knew baby Daan, he got over 6 teeth, learned to walk and learned a few new words. What a joy to experience. J
When I wasn’t watching Daan, I was exploring the town, making international friends, writing letters, or playing guitar. Daan’s parents, Edward and Jet, were students at the YWAM base in the DTS class – Discipleship Training School. There were many others in the class. Rob from Kentucky, USA, John from South Korea, Britta from Germany, Cindy from Belgium, Ligia from Brazil, Jennifer from the USA, Suzanne from the South of England and Joanna from Sherwood Forest in England. The leaders of the class were Justin from England, Siew Yuen from Malaysia, Okja from South Korea and Anna from Washington State in the USA. I so enjoyed being part of this group.
Most of the students in the DTS were in their thirties, except for Joanna. Joanna is a bubbly 20 year old. We spent many evenings taking moonlight walks through the field whilst giggling and drinking tea. Joanna was also with me when I got my nose pierced. It was such a blessing to have a friend my age to talk with during this time. J
There were a few other schools going on at the base as well. The School of Biblical Studies (SBS) had about 20 students who read through the entire bible inductively 3 times in 9 months. The students were mostly in their early 20s so I found great fellowship with this group. The other school, the Bible Core Course (BCC) had about 10 students. They studied only the major books of the bible in the same way that the SBS studied the whole bible.
One of the things that I was able to do on the weekends was dance. I started a swing dance club at the Kings Lodge with some of the students and staff. We had up to 15 people dance with us for a few weeks. J
I had the opportunity to travel to London with the DTS on one of their long weekends. We stayed at a Korean Hostel in the city and explored the entire city in 3 days. We walked all over for over 10 hours a day and visited such sites as London Tower, the Eye, Tate Modern, the Tube, Buckingham Palace, among other places. We visited Hillsong Church London on Sunday and had an authentic Korean meal prepared for us by our hosts.
On the other long weekend, Ligia and I took a train to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We spent the day there and had a grand time touring Shakespeare’s town. One day I would like to go back to London and see a play at the Globe. J
Spiritually, I grew tremendously in England. Here is a journal entry from when I arrived.
One Month
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
On April 20 I got on a plane headed for the UK. One month later I am amazed at what God has done. One month later, this is home.
When I came here my world was turned upside down. I realized that I did not know who I was or what I existed for. I questioned everything. I questioned who God was and even if this was all a big joke. After many weeks of struggling, I am new.
Change. Desperation. Struggle. Loss. Fear. Honesty. These things are the foundations of growth. I truly believe that you cannot experience change worth keeping if you do not experience these things. They are necessary to invoke the questions that form us.
The moment I admit my weakness, the instant that I am honest about my fears is exactly when maturity comes. I don't know exactly when it happened, but I have found my place of weakness. A place where I can come before God and say "I can't do this on my own! I am afraid, I know I will fail. Help me."
So often we push our fears away. We think that if we keep them an arms length away we will spare ourselves the pain. But, in truth, the closer our fears are, the more we admit we have them, the faster they dissolve. Now that doesn't mean my fears will disappear - on the contrary, I may experience them more now that I am aware - but it does mean that I have found the resource to extinguish them.
I give you peace; the kind of peace that I can only give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid. Jesus in John 14:27
The other day in Base worship (everyone at The Kings Lodge) the leader had everyone write a psalm.
A Psalm
of Anna
May 18, 2009
I have not love, I have not peace
God IS love, God is peace
Fear surrounds me, accusations on all sides
My heart is eaten away by the enemy of my soul
Temptation comes and I am devoured
But the Lord comes to my rescue
Like a mighty warrior He shuts the mouths of my attackers
I have not the power, nor righteousness, nor the strength of will
But my God reigns!
The Lord God Almighty has rescued and redeemed!
I am covered by His right arm. He is my shield
Where I end, He begins
I have nothing but my God
Praise the Lord!
He has forgiven, the Lord has redeemed
Sing a new song to the Mighty Savior
His love endures forever
Amen
God did much in my heart that month and I found new freedom from my fears. Now I was functioning with all that I was. I was walking in my gifting in a greater way and was thriving.
***
On June 24th, after 10 weeks in England, the team and I left for South Africa. The second part of my journey began.
The flight was amazing. I have never flown on a bigger, more beautiful plane. There were little lights on the ceiling that made it look like night. J
We arrived in South Africa at about 7pm at night on a Thursday after over 20 hours of travel. It was already dark and felt like midnight. We had been told that it would be winter in South Africa but that it wouldn’t be too cold. What we weren’t told was that after the sun went down it was freezing.
The van pulled into the YWAM base and over many potholes and our luggage was dropped off at the base of a very steep staircase. We were told our rooms were at the top of the steps and that we would have the use of a little meeting room in another building.
That first night was hard and very desolate. Cold, dark, tired, sore, alone. That is how we entered South Africa. After dumping our stuff in our rooms we were ushered into that small meeting room in the other building for some pizza and to meet two of our Afrikaans partners.
The room was only slightly warmer that the outdoors, but it was light in there and there was warm food and tea. We gathered, prayed, and met Redgy and Gerard, the first of the African volunteers we would work with for our time here. We were invited to watch the Football game that was on tv in the other room but most of us just went to bed. That was the first day.
The next day was much brighter and full of promise. We awoke for breakfast at 7 in out meeting room, had the morning to unpack and explore the base, and after lunch we met the rest of our African counterparts. What a joy to meet these friends! I had been so worried about how it would go to work with these Africans, but we all just clicked right away! I spent the rest of the afternoon, that day, talking with Rachel. Rachel completed the worship team that included Britta from Germany and myself.
The first week we stayed at the YWAM base. All the girls were in one room and all the boys were in another. We had much fun in the girl’s rooms and only had one of the bunk beds collapse. Thank goodness no one was under it at the time of the collapse. J
Our team included all of the DTS students plus the “Mega Outreach” volunteers, which included myself, Rhian, Jem, Chris and Beki, all from the UK. Then there was the African team. They were – Erena, Redgy, Gerard, Michelle, Charlie, Vivian, William, Geraldo, Atlan, Clinton and Pastor Success. We also teamed with another local DTS who focused on the performing arts. They were – Felix, Fenny, Lieze, and Yolanda. Rhian, Jem, Chris, Beki, William, Geraldo, Atlan, Clinton and Fenny were all around the age of 20 and we had many fun times together. One of our favorite pastimes, when we had any free time, was to read the Bible out loud and walk to the mall.
We spent 7 weeks in South Africa. Our time looked like this –
Week One – Stayed at YWAM base in Worcester. Helped with the local Methodist Church Holiday Club (the equivalent of a Vacation Bible School for kids ages 5-14). The church originally expected 150 kids. They had about 10 volunteers and we were about 30 ourselves. 260 kids turned up and our team ended up all but running the event. We had one of our English volunteers and one of our Afrikaans volunteers in each group with about 20 kids. It was an amazing time to learn, be challenged and grow. The kids understood English but only a few of them spoke it. I felt helpless the first day. The Holiday club ended up being one of the best experiences ever.
Week Two – We moved to a place called Esslen Park. Esslen Park is a neighborhood and we stayed in the Hostel that some of the students of the high school stayed in. We had our own block, but all of the furnishings had been stolen so we had no beds, no shelves and not much else. There was one sink for kitchen use that never drained and one large bathroom. We made a schedule for the bathroom. The upstairs had no plumbing as that had been stolen as well so we had to squeeze all 30-some of us into the downstairs section. It was quite a challenge but God was gracious and we made it work. We had about 6 bedrooms, a ‘dinning’ room and a ‘kitchen’ room.
For the first two weeks, however, we did have use of the school kitchen/dinning room and another dorm. After cleaning the ENTIRE place, the students arrived for our first week of high school youth camp.
Week Two and Three – We had two consecutive weeks of high school youth camps. These were kids from the community and from various backgrounds. The first week was so much fun. I jumped right in as a counselor, grateful for multiple years of experience from church youth camps. The theme of the days went something like this:
Sunday – Arrival and introduction.
Monday – The Father Heart of God.
Tuesday - Outreach. We took the kids into the poor shanty towns across the street from where we stayed and prayed with people and played with the children.
Wednesday – Holy Spirit. We ended the day with an amazing time of practical prayer. Many kids were set free from past hurts and evils.
Thursday – Prayer/Intercession.
Friday – Closing and Praise Party.
It was amazing to see the transformation in the lives of the kids from the beginning of the week to the end.
At the end of the week we took a day trip to the town of Hermanus. Hermanus is one of the whale watching capitals of the world. Even though it was off-season, we saw a whale in the harbor. I have never seen a more beautiful place.
The second week of camp was much like the first, except in that most of our team got very sick. I was in bed for 3 days and missed connecting with the kids in my group. But God did just as much in those kids, if not more.
Week Four – This week Rhian and Jem left for England. They only had come for 3 weeks of outreach. It was hard to see them go as I had grown very close to them. We were done with the core of our youth ministry and now focused on the area known as Avian Park. This was where the outcasts of Worcester lived. The spirit in that area was one of hopelessness and despair.
We worked on a house belonging to a couple named Emily and Meshek. Emily started a day care for the children of Avian park when she found out that many of the parents would lock their children in the houses while they went to work or to drink. So she took the children into her home from 8am to 5pm. She taught them, bathed them, clothed them, fed them, played with them and loved them.
The guys on our team built a roof to cover the play area between the house and the out building. I led a painting project. It was so much fun to be in charge of something like that! I got to pick out the paint and work with Emily on picking out a design for each side of the house. It took us about 2 weeks to paint the whole thing.
We also did a lot of prayer ministry in Avian Park. We walked around the area with the locals on our team and talked to lots of people, made friends with many, visited many homes and had a hand in reviving the community there.
While part of our team worked on the roof and the painting, the other part of our team helped a family who’s house had burnt down. A few of our team cleaned the whole house (that was completely covered in soot) and really ministered to that family who had lost everything.
The other thing that happened this week was that Mr. Mouser, the man in charge of the Hostel we were staying in and a Muslim, asked us if his family could cook our team an authentic curry meal. It was an amazing 5-course meal. Around that time, Mr. Mouser asked us if we would put on a program for the kids who live in the Hostel. He knew we were a Christian group and even agreed to let us talk to the kids about the teachings of Jesus. J
Week Five – We hosted a church service for the children in the hostels. It was incredible. We had a room full of kids from the schools and kids from the camps who had brought their siblings. It went so well that some of the kids decided to take it over and continue to hold a church service there every week!
Chris left for England, as he also had only committed to 3 weeks of outreach with us. Beki joined our team at the same time that Chris left along with Myra, a leader from the Kings Lodge. We continued with the projects in Avian Park along with visiting some of the local schools. We had so much fun doing the school visits. We would put together a program with a drama, some testimonies and a short teaching about God. The best part about the school visits was seeing kids from the first weeks of camp and meeting their friends.
Week Six – Avian Park was still a thriving ministry area and the relationships we built there were growing. It was so much fun to see the positive transformation in the people’s lives. We continued to hand out food to those who needed it most. We visited more schools and had the opportunity to visit two special needs schools.
Rob, one of the DTS students and a pastor (who had been a pastor for 30 years) had done some years of work on the radio. Rob and some of the other DTS students had the opportunity to be on the local radio for about 4 weeks in a row! They were on the radio with some of the kids from the youth camps (who gave testimonies from the camps). It was so much fun to turn on the radio and hear our friends. J
Week Seven – This week we had the opportunity to interact with the King’s Kids (the youth from The King’s Lodge) who were in South Africa for 3 weeks. We attended an open-air service that the King’s Kids hosted in the Riverview Flats area. After the open-air, our team had the chance to walk around the area and pray with people. My team of 4 people was invited into one of the flats. I was able to pray for a lady who was having pains in her neck. She was healed! J
The last day we were scheduled to do ministry was a Sunday. Edward had met a pastor who invited him to preach in his church. We showed up at the church for the 5 o’clock service only to find that the pastor had forgotten and there was no service. But that did not stop us! We had our sound system and our instruments and our people, so we headed over to the cricket field in the middle of the area called Hex Park. We held our very own open-air church service! It was so much fun! At first we just had about 10 kids who joined us as we sang some songs, then some more as Edward began to speak on Discipleship. Then their parents came out and at the end of the service there were about 40 or 50 people gathered in the cold night (the sun had set).
Edward asked me to give a short testimony. I spoke for about 5 minutes about how God had gotten bigger for me while I was in Africa. Worcester is in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. I talked about how God is like the mountains. He is always there, protecting us, giving beauty to our lives and never changing yet always different. I said how sometimes, with God so close to us, we can become blind to Him. If you live with the mountains all around you, you forget they are there; you disregard their beauty. But if you come at your surroundings with fresh eyes, like someone seeing mountains for the first time, you see the magnificent splendor as you behold them. That is how God is. God is like the mountains. We mustn’t forget that He is there.
It was a fantastic ending to an amazing outreach. I couldn’t have asked for a better close. At the very end, after everyone’s gifts had been strengthened, tried and proved, they were brought together in perfection. I had the opportunity, that night, to pray with a lady named Wilma who had come out to join the service. I asked her what she would like prayer for. She replied, “I smoke, I drink, and I would like to give my life to Jesus”. So I prayed with her and she accepted Jesus into her life. It was wonderful because she embraced the challenges that come with full surrender. I was so honored to be able to pray with her. Praise Jesus. J
Over the whole 7 weeks in South Africa we had the opportunity to join with YWAM Worcester for their Base Worship and Intercession, every Monday and Wednesday. It was a much-needed time of community and refocusing. We made many friends at the YWAM base there. J
That open-air service was on a Sunday, on Monday our English team left for Goudini Spa. Erena (who led the African team and who had facilitated our trip) blessed us with 2 days to relax before we headed home. We had a few rooms, 3 to a room, and use of the Spa (you had to pay for everything but the mineral pool). It was a good time to sleep. The only thing I endeavored to try was the renowned mineral water pool heated by the hot springs. It was amazing. J
On Wednesday afternoon, our African team members came to say goodbye. We hugged, cried, ate ‘sandwiches’ with jelly and cheese, took pictures and left. In the 7 weeks I was in South Africa, I had been to the Cape Town airport 4 times - once on arrival, once to drop off Rhian and Jem, once to drop off Chris and departure. This was the strangest van ride ever to the airport. We were leaving. Leaving Africa.
The plane ride was as long as the first one and England was ridiculously sunny. (It had been raining in South Africa when we left and the days were substantially shorter as it was their winter). The first thing I noticed about England was the lack of trash on the ground and the delicious quality of the air. We were greeted at the Kings Lodge by all the staff that was still there (many had left for the summer). It was all so surreal.
There was one week of debrief for the DTS students, of which I was able to be a part of, and the week ended with the DTS graduation. What a night! Rhian and Jem were able to come up to join us for the evening! I had so much fun participating in the graduation, even though I was not a graduate myself. J At the end, I read part of an email I had received from Erena earlier that day –
“Wow! do we miss you guys!? BUT! the work is going on! Raylene (One of the students from our youth camps) is meeting with the hostelites (the kids living in the school hostel where we stayed) every Wednesday evening - I just heard about it last night, so I really would like to take a few of our team members to attend their meeting next week. You're so welcome to send messages then I can pass it on to them.
Yesterday Redgy and I went out to the farm where Patricia (one of the girls from our youth camps) lives - it is very far from town - way past Goudini Spa! It was an amazing time of ministry. We sat down with Patricia and her mom. It was as if their hearts were prepared, as if scales fell from their eyes (amazing what prayer does, don't you think?), and they immediately recognized the loopholes in their family relationships. It was as if the enemy was exposed without a fight. They both saw how their heart-attitudes must change to come in line with God's standard.
Tomorrow night is a big night for us. We're having our Youth Concert in the Dutch Reform Church on Church Square. We're excited about this! Been praying with the YWAM intercession group yesterday morning - Redgy, Michelle and Vivian joined me. It was awesome! Jennifer, you'll be glad to know that you sowed a seed in my heart when you suggested about the drama! The YWAM DTS have taken on the challenge. I spoke to their leadership Monday, and they're going to do a drama tomorrow night to show the youth of our town what happened at the Pardon Cafè 150 years ago! (150 years ago in the center of Worcester there was a revival led by Andrew Murray and a local girl. It was a very profound thing and is world renown.) I can't wait to see it. We also have a school boy of Montana who will be singing a song God put in his heart for the youth - and accompanying himself by piano. Don't you just wish you were here? Our radio friend, Simon, will also be performing.”
I left the Kings Lodge at 6:45am on Saturday for my flight at 8:45am. As I sat in the airport waiting for my first flight, a flight attendant approached me. “Are you flying alone?” she asked me, “Yes, I am”, I replied. I thought she was going to ask to search my bag, but instead she said, “We would like to randomly select you for a free upgrade to first class”. I was stunned. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. I gladly took the seat for the 8-hour flight. The seat was amazing and the blanket was thick. After we took off I took that blanket, put it over my head, and had a good cry. What a sight I must have been.
I knew that God had done nothing short of a miracle in this journey I was on. I could never thank Him for what He had done and what He was doing. And I knew that He had GREAT plans for me back home, I was sure of that. I knew I was covered in His blessing just as much as I was covered in that blanket, just as much as those beautiful mountains in Worcester had surrounded me and just as surely as the fields of Ohio would welcome me home. I missed my dear friends that I left behind in various countries, my dear friends whom I did not know if I would ever see again. But that’s what memories and Heaven are for, right? J
As the plane descended over Columbus, well, I don’t know if I can begin to describe the feeling of seeing familiar fields, downtown, landmarks… home. I could feel the tears building up again. I made my way to the gate where Mom and Susan were waiting for me. I didn’t know what life would be like now that I was back. I had changed and grown, as did Mom and Susan. But as I rounded that corner and saw them I burst into tears. We melted into a blob, the three of us, and just cried together. I was home.
What an incredible journey. What an amazing life this is. I wish I could do it justice by describing it to you. J Even though this has been very long (thank you for reading it!!!) I left out many stories that I could tell, as I’m sure you know. I am more than grateful to that Lord, to my family, and to all who prayed for me and supported my financially. Thank you!!!! And I know that the journey is not over! Praise the Lord, oh my soul.
