My next trip

For those who do not know by now, I'm heading on another missions trip. This time to Africa. I leave this Sunday, March 20th, and arrive the next day.

It's been over a year since I've left North America, so I'm very excited! A little sad that it means my chance of getting a car are pretty much gone, now, though since I've used the little bit of money I had tried to save up for the car for this trip. I still owe a bit for the trip, too, however, so any prayer and financial support would be greatly appreciated!

This is a trip of many firsts, too. First time in Burkina Faso. First time in the Brussels airport. First time to fly internationally by myself. First time in the Burkina Faso airport, too, of course. Although, technically, almost every trip I go on has "firsts", I guess what makes this one special is that I know the "firsts" before they come! LOL! That and I love adding more countries to my passport, so I get to mark off one more country on my list. As well as a new airport experience to my memory.

Originally I was going to to try and fly with Deb last Sunday, and fly into Accra (where we usually fly into West Africa). However, I could not get on her flight. Then it looked like I could not get the two required visa's back in enough time to leave even close to the beginning of this week (I needed Ghana and Burkina Faso). Then the idea came to us. They're over there, making their way up to Burkina Faso this week, traveling with a few meetings; what if I missed the traveling part? If flew in to meet them in Burkina Faso, instead, I would miss the long road trip and acquire another week to get my visa's. Since that seemed the only option, really, I booked my flight for next Sunday heading to Burkina Faso and then sent my passport off to the DC embassy for my first visa. Thankfully, I got my first visa (Burkina Faso) back on a Saturday and could have sent it off for the next one. But then it occurred to us of one more thing (and one less worry for me: will my passport get back in time to fly out next Sunday?) when I googled embassy's and found that there is an embassy over in Burkina Faso! And since we'll be there about a week, it'll be plenty of time to take it by hand and pick it up by hand a couple days later, all before heading to the next country! So I'm all ready to go now, just waiting till Sunday comes!

Does that mean I'm packed? Ha! Are you joking? I've got the suitcases, the carry-on, and my little backpack sitting in the middle of my floor. A pile of possibilities in the clothing department on my African hope-chest. A pile of bags with random objects of things I have to take for Deb & Fred (a couple Deb couldn't fit in her suitcases) sitting around the suitcases on the floor...but packed? NO! Just thinking. Mostly I've been doing work on my laptop, making sure everything I like or can't live without it backed up on my external hard-drive I'll leave at home. And everything I might need while I'm gone (like at some point I've got to work on PSE and make our usually mailing and other items for our Women's Conference coming up in May) is on my laptop, with room to create or do whatever on my laptop (since the hard-drive is apparently too small for everything!)...

My schedule...for this week:
Hopefully, tomorrow, I'll finish editing the last video of the Twelve Tribes. Pack. And fit church meeting in there somewhere...Thursday my Mom comes to hang out for a date, as she'll be in Buffalo for a few days, so that day is mostly taken up with that and seeing if I can employ her as a chauffeur to make a quick run to Walmart as well...Friday will be laundry and finish packing, as much as possible (there's always a few essentials that a person doesn't pack until just before they head out the door--like a toothbrush--unless they happen to own doubles of the items)

LOL! I know, y'all are probably wondering what my AFRICA schedule is, not this week...well, I'll be...so picky!

Anywhooos...give me a couple minutes to find what little bit of the Africa schedule I know...I wrote it down somewhere...la, la, la...Ok, can't find it. What's more, I haven't got Fred's Google Calendar yet, so I can't see the schedule again to remind me. So sorry, for building up all our hopes. Hopefully I'll get access to the Calendar later and have time to post the schedule then. Although, if I remember right, there should be a schedule for Fred's whole three-month trip on Davismission, which includes when I'll be there. For those who are wondering, I'll be flying to come home from Accra, Ghana, April 13th (on a different flight then Deb, again, though our planes will know of each other since it's all about the same time and places) and arrive a couple hours earlier then Deb in the Buffalo Airport that Thursday, April 14th, morning.

I also hope that my access to the Internet won't be to shaky during the whole trip so I might post occasional updates, but sometimes even just connecting long enough to send an e-mail gets interesting. So we'll just have to see what happens!

Keep me in your prayers throughout, and may God bless y'all abundantly!
<>< Hannah Joy

Song-ish...

Remember last time I left, I got some old song stuck in my head, but with new words applicable to my trip ahead? Well the last couple days I've got that old Wizard of Oz song in my head, two lines, and it goes like this:

I'm off to the Philippines,
To see the wonderful Filipin's, all...

Yeah, it's a good thing that's all the song I know, or I'd be driving us all crazy with more lines then that! Whole verses of them! LOL! (By the way, that last word is supposed to be abbreviated form of the word Filipinos, in case anyone is wondering!)

Pray for us, and y'all have great three weeks while we're gone!

Christ's Blessings to y'all,
<>< HJ

Blurb

This is just a quick blurb to inform everyone the following:

First, our women's conference went off quit well, or so I've been told!...Also, I'm not sure I said everything I wanted to say, or as well as I wanted to say it, but I did pretty well Saturday morning...as did my partner, Emily!

Secondly, for those who are not aware, I'm leaving next Wednesday for the Philippines. I'll be gone three weeks, and this time it is not a medical missions team, but simply and ministerial one (or whatever ya want to call holding a bunch of conferences and ministering to the people in prayer and such like?). The team, to my knowledge, consists of seven people, all of whom have been to the Philippines before, but one of whom has never traveled with us and only knows Debby and that's more through his parents (he was an MK to the Philippines back several years ago; we're all looking forward to getting to know him, too!)...At any rate, you may keep us all in your prayers as we, once again, venture forth with the gospel...and endure long 16+ hr flights!

Blessings,
<>< HJ


PS. For those who didn't know, our foreign-exchange-type (we didn't exchange her with anyone, LOL) student, Dorcas, just had her first birthday in the USA. She turned 16! Her pictures are in an album labeled accordingly to the right.

I'm Back...

Just wanted to let y'all know I'm back. Thanks y'all again for helping me go! It was a great trip...struggling with jet-lag and all that, but I'll post soon...that is if the Thanksgiving & Christmas rush/season doesn't sweep me away...

Blessings,
<>< HJ

Leaving on the Everlasting Flights...

What a fellowship, what a joy to find,
Working with this missions team of nine,
What a blessing that, what a trip is this,
Leaving on the everlasting flights...

I'm leaving,
I'm leaving,
High and long from here to the Field,
Oh, I'm leaving,
Yeah, I'm leaving,
Leaving on the everlasting flights.

Safe in God I lean, what have I to fear,
Even on this everlasting flight,
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaving on the everlasting flights...



NOTE: "Everlasting" is a slight exaggeration in reference to a flight that takes 16-18hr from NYC to Hong Kong...Also, if I had time, I'm sure I could write more verses...but I'm leaving! Yeah, I'm leaving...Keep us all in your prayers!

Christ's blessings to y'all,
<>< HJ

Not Much...

Besides the last post, not much has happened in the last week. However, I know y'all will want to hear from me before I leave, so I'm writing a quick note...

Fred & Deb will get back from the conference Debby is doing in Canada tomorrow, though probably more like Monday considering the hour. My wonderful friend from Avon will come tomorrow sometime too, but in the afternoon-ish. Of course Bill and Cathy are around for the weekend but I hear they'll be popping in and out; they however, aren't going to the Philippines this year. Emily & Michelle will show up Monday, hopefully early enough to help with the packing/sorting/weighing/etc we do to our suitcases before we leave. (It's gonna be partly a medical team/trip this time, so we gotta divide up medicine, check weight of our bags, figure in the second bags we each have if we need, etc). Starting tomorrow night, we probably won't get much sleep. After all, we have to be packed and ready to leave for the Buffalo airport at 2AM. But what with a 16+ HR flight and several hour layovers between shorter flights (it takes nearly two days to get to Manila, and three total till we get that last flight to Puerto Princesa from Manila; don't forget we lose 12hrs flying across the International Dateline) hopefully we'll catch up on our sleep and rest well!

Anyway, we leave for the Buffalo Airport at 2AM Tuesday, arrive there a couple hours later, fly out a couple more hours later. We fly to JFK airport in NYC, where we then have a several hour layover before taking the long flight to Hong Kong, where we then have a couple hour layover, a short flight to Manila and a place to rest for a short time. Then a day of shopping, picking up our tickets to Puerto Princessa, and eventually flying there at another "un-Godly" hour in the morning...probably.

You have to remember that missions trip are ALWAYS subject to change, and unless otherwise noted Deb and Christina Dunk (a friend from NH) will be the main speakers though we will all have our turn sharing, but here is the tentative schedule as Debby wrote it:

Friday, Oct 31, Arrive in Puerto Princesa

Saturday, Nov 1, Fishing Village
Church Service as night

Sunday, Nov 2, Puerto Princesa
Pastor Jun's church all day
(Grace, Pastor Jun's daughter, leads Street Kids Ministry afternoon, we'll be ready to sing & preach)
Sunday night church service

Monday, Nov 3 Evening-Tuesday, Nov 4, Puerto Princesa
Seminar & Medical clinic

Wednesday, Nov 5, Aborlan & Princess Urduja
Aborlan: Morning & Afternoon services
Princes Urduja: Evening Service with Pastor Jonathan

Thursday, Nov 6, Nara
Bible School teaching all day
(Pastor Jonathan is the leader of the collage)

Friday, Nov 7 - Saturday, Nov 8, Quezon
Morning & Evening services, Medical Clinic @ local Tribal church

Sunday, Nov 9, Quezon & Puerto Princesa
Quezon: Sunday morning service
LOOOONGG drive back to Puerto Princesa

Monday, Nov 10, San Miguel & Roxas
San Miguel: visit/do morning service?
Roxas: evening service

Tuesday, Nov 11, Dumaran
Drive to and do Evening service

Wednesday, Nov 12-Thursday, Nov 13, El Nido
Drive to and do Evening service
All day seminar & medical clinic

Friday, Nov 13, Puerto Princesa
Drive back to Puerto Princesa

Saturday, Nov 14, Manila
Fly back to Manila

QUICK NOTE: Philippines Trip

For all you friends and family out there praying for me and the last little bit to come in for my trip to the Philippines, I have a praise report:

ITS IN!

Hallelujah!

One person called right after I posted Saturday morning wanting to know where to send it, knocking the total needed down to $300. Then this morning, a friend from my old home church in Hemlock sent out the prayer request for me at church this morning and afterward someone came up to her and wrote out a check for me to cover the rest! Hallelujah!

Pray for safe travels, and hopefully a seat on the same plane with Debby and the rest of team once we get to Manila, Philippines (I wasn't able to book that flight at the same time, so there is the sad possibility of me needing extra protection traveling for a short flight by myself!)

To everyone who has helped me in prayers and financial support, especially lately, THANK YOU! Many blessings to you and yours!

Christ's friend on the mission field,
<>< HJ

URGENT: Philippines Trip

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that I have most of the money coming in for my trip to the Philippines! Praise God!

BUT there is one draw back! I can't get my plane ticket (must have the check in the mail Tuesday!) without the full amount for the trip. (FYI: debit cards, etc can't be used in the Philippines)

SO, I need JUST $400 dollars more to come in by Tuesday! If 8 people could find it in their heart to mail $50 each, it would all be covered!

Thank You!

Christ's blessings to y'all,
<>< HJ

The Weekend...

Well our conference went great! Tina was an awesome speaker (as I knew, but others hadn't yet) especially for the subject of Praise and Worship. I had a wonderful time with my friends Christine and Emily (who had to leave Saturday to preach somewhere else Sunday, which I heard went awesome and was along the same theme, too!). Christine got to stay till a few hours ago because she doesn't have to work till later today; but while she was here it was decided, she is now joining us to go to the Philippines! Hoorah! I was also blessed to receive a couple hundred for my trip from a friend, as well as have next years conference handed off to me (the subject is going to be on friendship and titled Forever Friends, so please come and bring your friend/s!)...

Oh, and as an added bonus, for my birthday a friend is paying for my expenses to attend the conference in Toronto on my birthday. I really wanted to go, since I've never been and Heidi Baker is a speaker I've wanted to see since I first heard her of her a few months ago, but with trying to pay for the Philippines trip I couldn't do both. So I'm very happy about getting to do both! (Of course, I'm trusting God for the provision to still go to the Philippines; but I'm certain, when God calls, He provides. He has every time before, so He will again!)...

That's all for now, I believe...I pray blessings to y'all...

<>< HJ

Planned Philippines...2008

This is just a note to keep us in your prayers. Half of the medical team has dropped out of going to the Philippines in October, and the lady who was going to lead the Bible School for the kids has dropped out too. We can still manage, but most of us who are still planning on going are very very short financially and all of us are wondering when--not if--God is going to provide; we need $2400 for the plane ticket in two weeks! Emily and Michelle could also use extra money to come up with the medical supplies they plan to bring...We appreciate and envy your prayers, so keep it up. In the end, The Lord will have just the right people going and all the things we need, right now we just need more faith!

I love y'all and pray God blesses you back, continuously...

<>< HJ

Missions: Honduras 2008

Just a quick note to let y'all know I returned safe and sound from Honduras on Saturday 23rd, flying into Pittsburgh, PA, around midnight. I went to church with the Ingole's and their church family Sunday morning before Bill Hoffman drove me home.

HONDURAS was awesome! There are so many things I could say about the place, the people, the trip itself, but I'll try and limit myself just a little...

We arrived in Roatán, Honduras, August 8th, drove across the island to a location across from The Key (a smaller island which never appears on maps and juts off of Roatán) and then took a couple boat trips across till we got our luggage and our team across...I must break quickly to mention our team consisted mostly of friends and church family to the Ingole Family, most of whom I had met at some time but only the Ingole's, Bill Hoffman, Pastor Joe (first week), and Michelle Harter (second week) did I truly know. Now, thanks to the trip, I can truly appreciate them and even better I can now call out most of the people in Jubilee church by name (that's saying something for me!)...back to the trip. We went to Brian's shack, which the guys would be tearing down and rebuilding during the two weeks we were there, and found all it's posts submerged under sewage water due to the recent rain. Bill Hoffman immediately responded with "we can't do this," however, as it turns out, the guys did manage to tear down the shack, dig holes, which they filled with cement, cement blocks, and more cement, and then add floor to the new building in the first week. And it was now stable. The neighbor across the path made a huge fuss, and continued to cause problems during the two weeks, then we found out she was into witchcraft and did intense prayer over the building between the morning and evening church services on the 17th. It did take till the very last minute on Friday the 22nd for the guys to finish the last bit of the new house (they finished by flashlight) before we left early Saturday morning.

THE FIRST WEEK, our team consisted of 12 people, then on Saturday two left (Pastor Joe and Pastor Amie) while 11 more arrived. It was rather full, then, at the mission house, but as I said before, I had a great time getting to know everyone...The first week, Monday-Wednesday, us ladies did a Bible School in the afternoon for the children of The Bite (the poor area, near the shack being torn down, and a Spanish-speaking area [The Key was mostly English/Island with little Spanish, while Roatán and it's Bite were Spanish with little English speakers present; yet they were oddly, only a quick boat ride away from each other!]). Wednesday morning, we also had a soup kitchen in the same building as the Bible School, and in the evening the Mission House where we stayed (which also has a school for the Key and a church) had its usual Wednesday Night church service which we attended. We saw almost 200 kids that last night in the Bite...Then Thursday we had a day off, for us ladies that is, and all but one of us went to a natural beach, which takes really long to get to, but was definitely worth it! Clear and calm, beautiful! Oh, and we stopped and shopped briefly on the way for little trinkets for family back home; maybe that's why the trip seemed so long!...Friday, while a couple of the ladies went to help the men, I and one stayed and rested--I was due for a nap!--and Emily went out boat riding/driving with three of her long-time friends from the area (they are now my friends to, we call them Yo, Jo, and Carretta)...Saturday Emily spent most of the day at the airport, dropping off two people and waiting forever for the next eleven to come, while Erin Fisher and I worked on making a cake at the neighbors, decorating it, then carrying it back over for Michelle Harter who's birthday we had missed because she was only coming in that day!

THE SECOND WEEK we did clinics. Monday and Thursday was in the same church as the Bible School had been in down at The Bite. Tuesday was quite a drive farther down the island, and Thursday was a long boat ride around a large section of the island. We saw nearly 700 people in the clinic over those four days, and blessed the people with medicine, care, love, and prayer. The first two days I was a gofer-girl (I ran between one nurses table and the clinic table for supplies), and the second two days, when Pastor Mike had to go back to help the guys, I took over the position of praying for each patient after they had been seen and giving them a little gift bag we had designed (various assortments of candy, pencils, rulers, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, cream or lotion, or other such little things they all appreciated!)...Friday was another day off for us ladies and once again we went to the beach, this time without any stops on the way there or back. And spent longer there before coming back earlier--we had to handle the Youth Service that night. In the end, most of the ladies helped the guys finish by flashlights and Emily, Michelle, and I were left at the last minute re-planning what we were going to do...

OH, and I forgot, the first Monday there Emily and I covered the chapel service for the school, and I shared my testimony of healing from the wheelchair. It was too early to be up and I crashed for an hour nap afterward, but it was good. All the more practice for the big Friday night...

YES, Friday, I preached for my first time! Not just sharing for a couple minutes, or giving my testimony, but preaching...Don't laugh, but I spoke on Zacchaeus and The Covenant of Friendship. Maybe you'll hear it sometime, or I'll post it here. At any rate, it came about because I opened my mouth and said I'd had something cooking. I was smart enough not to say it any sooner then that Friday, but I also said I had something because I felt the Lord urging me to share it and when we needed to come up with something at the last minute for that night, I thought "It's now, isn't it, God?" So I mentioned it...It went great! God was definitely there and was really hitting my interpreter. There were a couple times I had wait a while before she could speak again, once she sobbed and said "This comes straight from the Throne room!" and then, finally, she couldn't speak and a friend of hers in the back stood up and took over...I know I'm called to be a missionary, and through friend's and prophecies I've been told I'd preach, but now I can see it. I know God is moving me that way, and I'm glad He's using me...now matter how great or small!

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Blessing to y'all!
<>< Hannah Joy

Today: Honduras and Angelina

I have set this post to automatically appear as I am sitting in the Pittsburgh Airport waiting to take off for Honduras! FINALLY! But while you all are thinking about me and holding me up in prayer for the next two weeks, I hope you'll also remember a very special person today as well...

TODAY, at about 5pm, my cousin Angelina will be marrying a wonderful guy named Josh. And boy, am I excited for them! It will take place back at home in Olean as I arrive in Honduras. I am terribly sad I won't be there (originally we were going to fly out the day AFTER, not OF, the wedding) but I want to give her and Josh a wonderful SHOUT OUT!

Angie & Josh:
Congrats you two! May this day be wonderful; as family and friends gather from all over, may you know you are truly loved and blessed. And may all your days ahead as one be truly God-filled and God-sent! May what occurs today in celebration be but a small representation of how much better it will get with each new day to come! God bless you both, and my prayers are with you as you fly to Hawaii tomorrow as well!

Busy week...

This'll be short...Man is it getting busy around here! I'm trying to get ready to leave for my friends' house Friday, so we can fly out early Saturday morning for Honduras (I'm so excited, but also nervous; it's the first missions trip I've done with this group of people, so we'll see what it's like)! I'm also working on getting the brochure ready for the women's conference we will have in Salamanca in September (and it's looking snazzy! Almost professional, if I might brag!)...on top of that all, this house is filling up with preparations and people for Angelina and Josh's wedding , which is also this weekend (congrats you two!)!