AFRICA!!!

Well for anyone who does not yet know, I am so super excited to go do missions in Africa for two months this summer! I'm going with one of my friends from nursing and yeah, I would definitely say that it has been a dream of mine to be a missionary in Africa since I was a little kid...something that I have always wanted to do before I die - and now we get to go! It still seems kind of like a dream, but I am asking all of you who talk with Jesus to please pray for me and my friend as we are in Africa - for safety, health and that....hey why don't you just read my letter that I've written to tell people all about what we're doing....

Hi there,
My name is Rachael Hildebrand and I am a second year nursing student at the University of Manitoba.

For as long as I can remember, I have had the dream of being a missionary to Africa; to go as a doctor or nurse, live with people who are not able to afford medical service, and tell the people about Jesus.

As I grew up however, I realized that landing on foreign soil does not automatically make me a missionary. I first need to be a missionary wherever I am and through whatever I am doing as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31b, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Therefore in my day-to-day life, I have been trying to put this into practice; praying for opportunities to love people and tell them about Jesus in my classes at school, with the people who sit next to me on the bus, and also to encourage people who already know Jesus in their relationship with Him. I have come to realize that I can do so much here in my own community and in the inner city of Winnipeg, a ministry that is also on my heart. Even so, I still dream of going to Africa to experience a culture that is different from mine, to be challenged, and to serve the people.

During my first year of University, I met someone who was also in the nursing program and had the same desire to serve God in Africa. We have presently made plans to leave for Kitwe, Zambia on April 20 and I will be there for two months. We will be staying with a missionary couple who are the directors at a Bible school and run a feeding program for AIDS children at a school in the Village of Hope. We will be helping with the feeding program and possibly running a Daily Vacation Bible School since most of the people speak English. Both of us will be health care aides after completing this year of nursing, so we will also be able to help out in a health care clinic in Kitwe.

I am asking that you would pray for us while we are in Kitwe - prayers for our safety, for health, that we would be able to connect with the people there, that we would share Jesus with them through our words and actions. Also please pray that as we step out of our comfort zone, we would rely on God in all situations.

I also ask that you would consider supporting me financially as I take this step of faith, trusting that God is able to supply all my needs according to His glorious riches that are in Christ Jesus. If you do feel led to support me, please send the donation to my home address. Since I am not affiliated with one particular organization, you will not receive a tax-deductible receipt for your donation. Thank you for your prayers and may His blessings and peace rest upon you.

In His love,
Rachael Hildebrand

Well that's my letter...if any of you would like to support me financially, you can just email me at beautiful_feet7@hotmail.com. But more than financial support, I am asking for your prayers, for it is the foundation of our trip and of everything we do in the name of Jesus Christ. I read a neat quote about prayer one time by Gerald and Ruth Nygren:

Missionaries need intercessors more than admirers.

They need prayers more than donors.

They live and work in the enemy's territory and become

The special object of satan's attack.

Support your missionaries by praying for them.

Thanks for praying!