Goodbyes

What do you do when you are in the middle of excitement, nervousness, and many other emotions in the Charlotte airport? You jump into Joshua 1 and then crank up One Direction on your ipod of course!

Leaving was difficult this morning (probably because my family is absolutely wonderful and loves me so much).  After a tearful goodbye, I found great comfort jumping into the Word and reading God’s words about being strong and courageous (I have read Joshua A LOT).  I definitely needed that comfort while I sat in the airport for a few hours by my lonesome self.   I followed my Joshua reading by listening to an adorable British Boy Band singing about how “you are beautiful."  I will have to say it is hard to feel sad after doing both of those things.  I made it safe on the plane (barely fitting all of my luggage ;) Yes, it PASSED the airport scale Dad).  I now am sitting in excitement with so many questions waiting to see where and what God has called me to. 

Now, there are cute little kids distracting me from my nerves.  And they are speaking Spanish.  :) Perfecto.

Reading Psalm 118

Keri :D :D

“1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
    “His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say:
    “His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
    I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense[a];
    he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b]
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up[c] to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.”

Date to leave!

Hello all!  I officially bought my plane ticket :) AHHH.

AUGUST 16th

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

Jungle Kids for Christ Info and Support

“Come, all you who are thirsty, 
    come to the waters; 
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk 
    without money and without cost. 
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?"
Isaiah 55:1-2

I did a little excited dance about AWEfull life.  Director Roberto Davalos called on behalf of Jungle Kids for Christ and the work I will be doing this year.  

"The vision of Jungle Kids for Christ is to rescue the children of the jungle of Ecuador and embrace them in a loving Christ centered environment so that they will become what God intended them to become-children of light, followers of Christ."

I will be living in Misahualli, a jungle town in the Amazon, with a few other missionaries.  As far as I know, I will be teaching science and english to different grades (more updates about the details of this), helping with whatever other work the organization needs, showing God's love and reaching those who are thirsty for something more than this world can satisfy.  I have been giddy today as I plan crazy games and songs for learning english.  (Please comment with any fun and engaging teaching ideas, I would love to use your ideas and creativity).  

This trip provides me with the opportunity to meet physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of a community that is in need.  I greatly need prayer  for myself, other missionaries and leaders in the organization, the community, and anyone that will meet God through me.  I believe in the power of prayer and God's answers to these prayers.  I would ask that you pray for safety, good health, smooth travel, and financial support.  

If you feel led to support me financially in this mission, I would be very grateful.  I need to raise money for housing and other expenses, donations for the children, and the work the organization is doing for the Lord.  I am currently in the process of linking paypal to this blog so you can make contributions online.  Below is a way you can contribute using a traditional mail method: Please reference Keri Carpenter but write all checks out to Jungle Kids for Christ.  

Traditional Mail Method
You can mail your gift to:
(Please make sure you write the P.O. Box number correct)
Jungle Kids For Christ
P.O Box 151981
Cape Coral Fl, 33915
Jungle Kids for Christ is a non-profit organization and has IRS approval. All gifts are tax-deductible, and you will receive an annual Receipt of Contributions. If paying by check, please make it out to: Jungle Kids for Christ. We thank you for your faithful support!
You’re invited to learn more and participate in Jungle Kids For Christ. 

God's call

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8

I am excited to write this blog today as I am officially leaving for Ecuador in mid-August.   Back in January I decided to teach for a nonprofit in South America and started searching/contacting various friends and organizations. This summer, there were some complications, and I at times feared my ability to go and do God's work--BUT God is good. These complications caused me to apply to other places, one of which is an organization called Jungle Kids for Christ. They are located in the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador.  While I was aware of God's call to teach and love in Ecuador, I had never imagined becoming a missionary (Much of the past year I have been learning to recognize the ways I need to stop fearing my ability to do God's work.  I have learned the great and awesome things I can do only by the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.  Without Him, I would freak out about almost EVERYTHING).  After much praying, jumping into my Bible, jumping into my bilingual Bible, talking with the people from the organization, talking with much Christian community, and investigating, I knew what God was asking me to do, and I  am really EXCITED about it.   If you would have told me that I would be a missionary a year ago or 6 years ago, I would have been like Sara and laughed in your face. As Sara was laughing about her old age, God said BOOM: Trust me, You are having a baby.  In my life, God said BOOM: Trust me, I want you to be a missionary. My thoughts that this would have been impossible, have been changed by the One who can make all things possible.

Here is a little more info about Jungle Kids for Christ (JFC) and what I will be doing :):
http://www.orphanos.org/assets/1627/jungle_kids_for_christ_host_faqs.pdf

Here is the link to the sister organization:  It's all about kids
http://itsaboutjunglekids.org/

I will be buying my plane ticket today and will post the date of when I will be leaving the United States (Most likely August 12-20th).  Thank you for your prayers and support!
Blogging is a new thing for me so I want to apologize in advance for the many buttons I may not push correctly or the way in which I am technologically challenged.

Seeking to follow Him always

El deseo para regresar

God has continuously been molding me over the last four years, in many ways I didn't even know were possible. Specifically while in Peru, I volunteered at an organization called Deporte y Vida, an afterschool program where I would tutor and play with children in the impoverished district of Villa El Salvador. God had me fall in love with these children. At first, I feared my lack of Spanish speaking skills and my safety. However, I soon developed much trust in the Lord, which allowed me in turn have confidence in myself. Besides teaching math, braiding hair, dancing the Macarena, and doing all sorts of crazy fabulously fun games, I learned how important it was to show these children God’s love. I learned that many children would leave the program to go home to abusive parents or siblings. It broke my heart each day to send them home. I experienced God’s anger, righteous anger (Psalm 7:11), an emotion I am not sure I had experienced before as I heard stories and looked at the vacant eyes of innocent children. Once, I returned home, I realized how God had changed my desires of the life I once lived. I had always wanted to graduate, to marry, go to med school, and defeat the many bullies of my middle school years. I soon realized these past desires for my future were not bringing me joy, but rather an idea of fleeting happiness. God was not and is not calling me to any of those things. I am excited that now MY wants and passions have become HIS, those He has called me to- ones to love and serve in South America. 

Awful Dictionary mistake for Awefull.

Poor awful.  I still can't understand how awesome describes amazingly fabulous things while awful describes the terribly horrible things.  It will never make sense.  So, I have decided to dedicate this blog to the word.  I have always thought that it was given the wrong definition by dictionary makers so long ago.  I raise my glass to you Awful.  I want your identity to be changed.  I want to use you to describe the life that I want to live- full of awe.  I want to use you to remind myself that I need to start acting a little more childlike.  I want to start singing hakuna matata a little more.  I want to use you to describe my passions and my joy.  Abre los ojos (open my eyes) and make things awefull.