However, I believe this post should have more to do with Heavenly Father's love, and less to do with Africa. When I was home last Christmas break, I was reading Pres. Monson's biography. I was impressed by all that this great man has accomplished. Married with a family, he was bishop at 22, Stake President at 26, and a mission president about 10 years later. It caused some serious reflection on my own life. Single, 24, financially stable, and with few responsibilities, what was I doing? (the answer: nothing :) ) My prayers began to seek a way that I could serve, to do something useful or to be used in some way. I had no idea where to begin. Shortly after I returned to school, a friend that I teach with, Sarah, told me that she had applied to go to Africa with a group called HELP International. They go every summer and conduct a variety of projects, headed by a project lead and assisted by a team of young people. Many of their projects are educational and focus on teacher-training in the schools. After hearing that, I was hooked. I applied, and was just accepted today. I feel grateful for such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I am especially grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who hears the prayers of His children.
I am going to Mbale, Uganda, and leave in early June.
All donations accepted :)
Ashley, I saw you post this on facebook! How neat that you are going to Africa, I hope you love it as I am sure you will. It is fun to see your blog too!
ReplyDeletewow - i had no idea! that is crazy! congrats though!!! (ps - i dont think i will send emma to help pick you up this time!)
ReplyDeleteAsh-a-lee!!! Yay you have a blog! I am so excited for you, what a great experience! A word of caution though, when I worked for BYU sending interns abroad we were very hesitant to let them go to Uganda with HELP because of unstable environment due to the rebel forces in the north and the problems with the DRC, as well as the presence of Islamic extremists who have set off bombs in public places and committed hijackings as recent as last month. If you want more info go here:
ReplyDeletehttp://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1051.html#country
Anyway sorry if that sounds scary, but I thought you might want to check out the State Department website and make sure you stay away from those areas.
I am excited to hear about your adventures, yay!
How fun!!! That will be such a great opportunity for you...once in a lifetime, for sure! But, I don't think you need to worry about a lack of service/contribution...just like that letter from Amanda you wrote about, your smile and kind personality brighten everyone's day! That alone is a great service, speaking from experience! ;) I am so glad you are getting to do this though, I bet it will be amazing!!!
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