from my journal - 8/23/12

I am so encouraged this morning.

I received a text from a life-long friend this morning saying that she was in tears as she read my blog. She said, "you are changing the world." The reality is though, that the only thing I am doing is being obedient. God is changing the world. And through the process, He is changing me.

I pray that the story the Lord is writing in my life is somehow changing lives of others for His name's sake.

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Every month I have a one-on-one meeting with my boss. We always find ourselves talking about the future, what's next here at Fossil or in life. We actually talk about Kenya and my faith quite a bit. I am so blessed to have a boss who cares about me as a person and not just about what I can do for this company, that he is willing to help me get where I want to go even if it means leaving, and that I can be open and honest with him throughout this whole "figuring out" process.

This morning we were going over the individual development plan that I recently filled out, talking about what steps to take in order to get where I want to go in my career. Honestly, I don't know where it is that I want to go. My boss knows I need more design at work and that I have a passion to create. He has been working diligently trying to get me more design opportunities, but it's been a slow-moving process. Although he isn't a believer, he said, "above all else, your passion is your faith and then your creativity." I am so encouraged to get words of affirmation that what I believe is my ultimate passion, the Lord, is actually coming across in how I live my life. What a sweet blessing from the Lord!

My boss totally gets that I need this time in Kenya to really figure out what's next. He knows I have a desire to move to Africa or to work for an organization that supports Africa in some way. He knows that I don't know exactly what I'm doing or how it will play out. He also knows that I'm trying to figure out how my gift of creativity, my heart for Africa, and my passion for the Lord all fit together. He gets that I need to do something more meaningful - he even said he wants that for himself. But, he also knows that I will work hard to succeed here at Fossil if that's where the Lord keeps me for a while longer.

I pray that the Lord reveals Himself as He softens the heart of my boss as we walk through this process together. I pray that the Lord clearly reveals His plan for me for the next steps of my life through this trip to Kenya. Ultimately, I pray that the Lord is glorified in everything that I do, in all aspects of my life.

love,
jules

Hidden Treasure

I know this is silly, but I was just going through pictures from Kenya last year. I feel like I've literally looked through those pictures a hundred times, but somehow I've always missed seeing a few. Finding these few pictures feels like finding hidden treasure!

Anna, Tim and I gazing upon Lake Nakuru on our Safari Day.

With the sweet children in the IDP camp.

Anna and I in the safari van before beginning our adventure.

crazy hair!

There are so many more great pictures from our trip last year, many are favorites, but these new ones just make me happy.

Looking back through all the pictures makes me incredibly excited for another chance to fall even more in love with Africa and even deeper in love with the Lord. I know this year will be extremely different, but I know the Lord will once again work in mighty ways.

Will you pray for me? Pray that I keep my focus on our specific mission of sharing the gospel and launching the Rift Vally Fellowship church plant. Pray against any expectations that creep into my mind based on my experience last year. The only expectation I want to have is that the Lord will do an incredible work in Kenya and in my heart while we're there. 

I love you all and I'm so thankful you're in my life.

love,

jules

Well, we leave for Kenya in less than a month. Can you believe it's already almost time? I guess the summer flew by without me knowing!

So what's the latest? I'm not really sure! I had to miss 3 consecutive team meetings this summer and have only seen the team, or most of them, once since May. Last Sunday we all met up to go to a Kenyan church here in the Dallas area called Upendo Baptist Church. Apparently Upendo hosts other churches in their building because more than half of our team ended up in a South Sudanese worship service instead of the Kenyan worship service.  I was among the group who was in the wrong place. haha. It didn't matter though, we were all excited to be there. It made me even more excited/ready to get to Africa!

South Sudanese Worship!

After we left the wrong service, we "snuck" in to the Kenyan service to try and catch the last few minutes. Well, as quietly as 15 people can sneek. We came in as they were about to pray for a few church members who would be traveling to Kenya soon. They obviously noticed us come in, so they asked us to share where we were from and why we were there. You have to remember, we're the only white folks in there, and a rather large group at that - very noticeable. We told them we would be traveling to Kenya to help plant a church in the Rift Valley, and that we were excited to share the gospel with the people of this area of Kenya.

After the service, the pastor invited us to chat with him for a few minutes and then we had chai, in typical Kenyan fashion, with the church members. I absolutely loved spending time around these people. They are all so very friendly and welcoming! I'm hoping to go back again soon, and possibly on a more regular basis. 

So there you have it, our first experience going to Kenyan Church!

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At the beginning of July I decided to partner with an organization called World Wear Project in hosting a clothing drive as a fundraiser. The plan was for me to gather clothing donations and WWP would pay per pound donated. Initially I was going to host a donation bin, but I couldn't ever find a location to place the bin, so I resorted to Plan B. I collect bags of donations for a few weeks and kept them in my living room until I could get the WWP truck to come and pick everything up. 

This is what your living room looks like when you have
a fantastic group of friends who donate so much!

It didn't hurt that a lot of friends were moving at the time :-)

It ended up taking over the living room...

Although it was a bit cluttered for a while, I was so thankful that everyone was willing to donate their unwanted items to help me raise a little money.

We ended up collecting a total of 1,127 pounds, which equaled $169.05! I was happy with the outcome. Every little bit counts!

Thanks to everyone who donated!

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One last thing - We now have a supply list of requested items from Isaac, the pastor we will be working with in Kenya. Would you please take a look at the spread sheet and see if there's anything you'd like to contribute?

If you'd like to donate any items please email me to arrange pick up/drop off/shipping items to me.

julie.a.cosby@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! 

I'm so blessed to have you in my life.

love,

jules