Gracie Leaving for 5 Months

Letter from Gracie... 

PLEASE PRAY! There is a lot to do before Thursday, but I feel God is pushing me to trust Him and step out of my comfortable life and literally jump out of the boat at very short notice.  This Thursday (1/5/2012), I will embark on a 5 month adventure with God. Yes, I said this Thursday!  Let me start at the beginning….

Many of you know I went to Malawi, Africa in April 2009 with my Dad.  Although that was 2 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday, how strongly I felt God stirring my heart.  I felt convinced that I was going to serve Him with my life in some way on the mission field.  I also felt Him urging me toward gaining medical skills to take with me into the field.

By December of 2009 I felt restless that I hadn’t made any progress toward the goal of getting back out on the field, so I convinced my parents to let me go to Urbana 2009.  A huge mission’s conference of 30, 000 college students held in Missouri!  I was about to turn 18 a week before I would leave, I was alone and I got very sick while I was there.  Most of the time I physically felt miserable, but through the worship, prayer time and incredible speakers, I felt God’s confirmation and peace.  I made a commitment to a long term mission where ever God called me; my hope was that He’d call me back to Africa.

As soon as I made the commitment, I entered a time of serious and unexplainable illness.  The year began with fainting, fatigue, migraine headaches, stomach problems, insomnia and pain, sometimes excruciating, that would just not go away.  After every imaginable medical test, and a lot of experiments with prescriptions, I ended up with the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.  This made school very difficult, work very difficult and actually all aspects of life were exhausting.  It was a very discouraging and depressing season.

Near the end of the summer this year I began to realize that I was learning how to manage my Fibromyalgia.  With changes to my diet, Yoga and swimming for exercise and plenty of rest, I only have occasional “bad days.”  I am not taking any medication and am no longer under medical care for the condition, so I began praying and asking God to move me toward my goal.  In September, I completed my EMT Certification and began searching for the right mission opportunity.  The YWAM Medical Discipleship Training School (DTS) looked very intriguing and I inquired and began filing out an application.  I didn’t complete the application, thinking maybe it was too soon and focused on school instead. 

Last week I received a call and a text message from a man named Joon from the Medical DTS.  He just wanted to answer any questions I had about DTS and so I called him back.  To make this long story a little shorter, Dr. Joon is the Asst. Director of the School, he and many others have been praying for me since I began the application. Dr. Joon has reminded me about my passion for serving God in the mission field; and Dr. Joon and the YWAM staff invited me to take a leap of faith and come to Kona this Thursday!  And, so I am!  I know God has something incredible planned for me and I strongly feel Him pushing me to finally get going!

I will spend 3 months learning from teachers from all over the world about God and about medical missions!  I get to spend 2 months after that on the mission field, ministering to those in need!   I cannot imagine a better opportunity, or a clearer call from God than this!!

All this to say I need your help.  I must raise $4,000 for the Lecture phase (3 months) and another $4,000 for the outreach (2 months, country is not yet determined).  Please consider supporting me financially.  Donations can be made out to Reaching the Hungry if you want a tax-deduction.

Also, please pray that I will feel good while I am there and that I will not be in pain, so that I can get the most out of this adventure God has placed before me.

Here is how you can stay updated on what God is doing in my life and the lives of others I will be meeting.

Stepping out in faith,

       Gracie Sales

Gracie (20), Alison (18), and Olivia (17)

blog: http://gracie-kawaiicoconut.blogspot.com/   

facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/gracie.sales

GWatanabeSales@gmail.com

P.S.  Please send all donations to Reaching the Hungry at 755 Vista Canyon Circle; Vista, CA 92084, or you can use your credit card online at www.ReachingtheHungry.org.

Happy New Year from the Sales Tribe

Nov. 2011 RtH Malawi Mission's Trip Update

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Happy Thanksgiving from the Sales Family

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Ali's Graduation

Off Again with a Team to Africa

We are heading out to Malawi, Africa Saturday night for several weeks of service.  Please pray for our team as we...

• Drill & repair 7 Water Wells
• Do two Jesus Film Outreaches 
• Visit our World Vision sponsored children in their villages
• Teach village Chiefs & their wives evangelism and spiritual growth
• Visit children in the village hospital
• Will provide $1,000 of seed & fertilizer for farming 
• Teach children at a public school
• Explore new ministry partnerships
• Participate & lead communion at a Sunday morning church service
• Survey new communities for future ministry opportunities
• Take lots of soccer jerseys & balls to play with children
• Start Bible Listening Groups using audio Scriptures in their language 
• Share & teach the Evangel-Cube, HIV/AIDS Cube, & Malaria Cube
• Go on a safari too!

Click HERE to see our itinerary as a prayer guide for you.  We will try to post some pictures and updates on FaceBook when we have access to the Internet.

Please pray for... 

• God's protection over our families while we are gone
• safe travels
• good weather
• fruitful ministry
• that we really encourage those we encounter
• that many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

    Email that was sent. 

       

Malawi Mission's Trip Partnership

Dear friend,  

I will be leading a mission’s trip to Malawi from November 5-19, 2011. Malawi is one of 53 countries in Africa and it’s one of the top 10 poorest countries in the WORLD.

We are going to share the love of God in Word and deed. We will be sharing God’s Word with them; teaching several days of spiritual and leadership training, using the Evangel Cube to share the Gospel, and setting up Talking Bible Listening Groups. We will also express God’s love by giving the gifts of  clean water & farming inputs (to sustain physical life), soccer equipment (to provide joy, especially for the children), and Talking Bibles (for the many who can’t read, to provide hope through the hearing of God’s Word).

Africa is in major water crises and millions of people are dying due to lack of safe drinking water. One of our team members has 40-years of experience drilling and repairing water wells. Our goal is to drill and repair 3 water wells while we’re there. This will save thousands of lives, many of them young children. Most children under 5-years-old that get sick, due to waterborne diseases do not survive.

No other humanitarian intervention has a more dramatic effect on life than access to clean water. Roughly every minute, 3 children die, because of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation. The lack of clean water creates a no-win situation for millions of parents in our world today... they watch helplessly as their children die for lack of water, or they can watch them die from diarrhea, because the only water they have is tainted.

Watch this… http://tinyurl.com/3ndud8t

Please help us make a difference. We need to raise $15,000 for the water well projects. This may seem like a large sum but if everyone that reads this letter would consider skipping a few extras this month (i.e., eating out, their Starbuck runs, a few movies, etc.) and contribute those funds, than lives will be changed forever. Not just ours, but those that don’t have the liberty to choose where they were born.

Above our project goals each team member, including myself needs to raise $3,000 to pay for their transportation, food and lodging. I’m writing you today because our goals are God sized goals and we are asking God to use you.

Would you please partner with us in this important work by sending a gift to Reaching the Hungry? You can send your gift to the address below, or go to www.ReachingtheHungry.org and use your credit card. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Thank you for your generosity.

Together on the journey,

                                           Carlos 

Donations checks should be sent to Reaching the Hungry at the address below, or by clicking the Donate button above to use your credit card or Paypal Account.
755 Vista Canyon Circle; Vista, CA 92084 ~ www.ReachingtheHungry.org ~ 760.523.0777