A Humbled Update

I want to write, and I will. I will write a lot more, soon.

Today is different. Today, I am writing an almost painful post. It shouldn’t be painful to read. It’s just a very…humbling…blog for me to write.

Let’s start here:

Wearing an Australia hoodie
on my 1st MIA trip! :)

Way back in the fall of 2007, I signed up for a mission trip with Olivet’s Missions in Action [MIA] organization. Loved it. Definitely set the trajectory of the rest of my life. After that trip, I was blessed with the opportunity to lead an MIA trip to Los Angeles.
 
These two trips influenced my decision to go on the World Race. I would not be doing what I’m doing and be who I am today if it weren’t for MIA trips through Olivet.

Why am I telling you this? Well, I am super excited to share with you that I have the incredible opportunity to lead an MIA Ambassadors’ trip to Australia this summer. My team of 5 students and I will head "down under" the last part of May and spend 6 weeks sharing the love of Christ.

We aren’t quite sure what we will be doing there yet, but that will all fall into place. Right now, we’re meeting [almost] weekly, hanging out, getting to know each other, and preparing our hearts for this trip.

We are also raising funds for this trip [this is the humbling part of this blog].
 
Each person on the trip needs to raise just under $4,000 in order to go. In the course of the next 3 weeks, we each need $2,400 in our accounts.
 

If you would like to support my ministry, team and the Missions In Action program directly, you may send a check made out to ONU here:

Samantha Allen
One University Avenue, Box 6128
Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2271

You may also make your donation online at http://programs.olivet.edu/mia/

ONU will designate these funds to the Australia MIA account under my name and mail you a receipt.

I would greatly appreciate your support as I work to lead and empower these students to do the Lord’s work in Australia this summer.

As always, prayers are GREATLY appreciated! We should never underestimate the power of prayer.

Thank you for reading this.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for your encouragement.
I could not do this without you!

Peace and Blessings,
~Samantha

Can't Shake It!

This might be the most spaghetti-brained of all my posts.

Sometimes, I have too much to say. Really.

Like the fact that I have recently become much more introverted than I used to be. Why is that? Is it age? Maturity? Or is it for another purpose... has Papa changed my personality? Maybe it's a tweak that needed to happen?

I'm angry. Again, this is definitely a righteous anger. Did you know that there are CURRENTLY 27 MILLION slaves in this world? TODAY. Yes. Right now. January 15, 2012. SLAVES.

That's NOT okay.

I want to do something about it. I want to be an abolitionist. I want to set the captives free. I cannot shake this. I cannot get those 27 million out of my head. Battling for them in prayer everyday.

I just don't know... I mean, I know that the Lord has placed me here for a season...but how long is that season? Did He take me around the world, give me passions to fight injustice, and then bring me back here so that I will only long to go out again? Does He want me to do something here? Does He want me to realize that this is a place that will be okay without me, but He needs me on the front lines? Does He want me to just stay here for a while longer because maybe I can help raise up His army here?

I just don't see what good I'm doing here right now. I envision brothel raids in Ukraine, hanging out at the bars in Thailand, doing the Banana Dance with rescued children.

Can I do that today? Or must I wait...

I feel so torn. If I stay here, I have a plan. I will be safe here. I will be comfortable. I can do ministry, yes. I can speak truth and life into the women surrounding me.

Am I just experiencing wanderlust + the fascination of "going," or is it a deeper desire? What happened to my passion to be here? What happened to that love of Res Life? Do I hate Res Life? No way. I still enjoy it, but the passion isn't the same anymore. I still love my RAs. Drew is spot on when he calls our RD team "dream team."

Am I just missing the close-knit community of The Q? or is it something deeper?

These are the questions I'm wrestling with right now... It's hard, but I know that God is still good. He is still in control.

Passion2012 was phenom. I can't explain it. Louie Giglio convinced me to get a Twitter. I'm part of a music vid -- that comes out Feb. 27th. Details about that will come SOON. SO pumped for it. #27million.

Since Passion2012, I've been praying Ephesians 6:19-20 ... my prayer sounds a little like this...

Papa, Whenever I speak, give me words so that I may fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. May I declare it fearlessly as I should.

Life is good. God is great.

More ramblings to come soon...