Fundraising info and Good-byes

Those of you on facebook may have seen my most recent fundraising update - I am currently at 80% of needed funds. This is a definite blessing, praise the Lord.  Being close to my goal has raised a question: what if one raises too much money?

The answer to this is complex. My budget is based on estimates of what I think I will spend, based on numbers I received from Tenwek and what I spent last time. The budget is not set in stone and things, like my rent, are quoted in American dollars, if the American or Canadian economy changes and the dollars no longer line up, I will need additional funds. Prices in Kenya such as lodging, food and transportation could also change while I am there or since my last visit.
 That being said, if it looks like I will have too much money I have a few options. First -  all the monies raised go to Samaritan's Purse.  They reimburse me for expenses, and must approve all of them.  They would not reimburse me just because the money is there or because I feel like taking off to Hawaii. So given their approval here are a few options for extra money in no particular order:

~Using the funds for a trip to Burundi to work with some missionary doctors who I met at Tenwek. They are restarting a hospital there and I would love to go and help them out, by offering education and support, for a week or two. Burundi is close to Kenya and going from there would be an economical decision.

~Purchasing medical equipment that will be utilized by Tenwek.

~Help the community with contributions to local orphanages, needy patient fund etc.

~Keep the money in the account for my future work at Tenwek, if I intend to return after my first 2 years.

~Transfer the funds to other work the Samaritan's Purse is doing.

So there are plenty of good reasons for you to continue giving, if you feel called, as funds will not go to waste.

I have also been asked how much Samaritan's Purse takes for administration expenses. When I proposed this question to my contact at Samaritan's Purse the answer is that they will not charge any fees or percentages for their administration costs. These are recouped through their general fundraising drives.

On a completely separate note I have started saying good-byes, I only have a little less then a week before I head south. So I am saying good bye to Edmonton, the city I will not miss, it is a city. When I say I'm saying good-bye to Edmonton I mean the people here. My friends, co-workers (most of whom are also friends), and church family. It is crazy when I think that it will be years before I see all these people again. I will miss weddings, and babies more that I will miss time together, fun laughs and conversations at the end of a long night shift, it seems the most serious and/or hilarious conversations take place at this time.

So if you live in Edmonton, good-bye, I love ya and will miss ya. Come find me in the next week for a hug. And remember e-mail works (most of the time) in Kenya too. And if you ever find yourself in Kenya, spend a day or a week with me at Tenwek.

Much to be Thankful For

It’s almost thanksgiving, wow, time flies. Back in the spring when I was accepted by Samaritan’s purse to go to Kenya I looked at the long list of things to do before my departure in January. Much of this list has been checked off, however, I keep adding to it so it does not seem to get any shorter and the time to complete my tasks keeps passing by. I am very excited for the next step and that next step will be hitting the road.

The end of October I will be resigning from my permanent position at the Misericordia. This same job that I was so excited to get upon graduation in 2008 I am walking away from. I am sad to say good-bye to my friends, a familiar work environment, knowing what to (mostly) expect when I  get to work each day and my paycheck. I am trading this in for new friends, a different work environment and day to day work full of new surprises – will there be oxygen coming out of the wall today? Will my equipment work? Will anyone show up for the lecture I prepared?

As I mentioned earlier I am hitting the road, early November my roadtrip begins. I am heading south, to visit family and friends. I start out with a visit with my brother in Iowa and then head to the Global Mission Health conference in Kentucky. This is a great place to network with medical missionaries – past, present and future. From Kenutky I have some time, 2 weeks until I must be in Colorado for a 3 week mission training course, so I will spend time with friends who I met previously in Tenwek. Here is a map of my proposed trip

you can see it in more detail here (http://goo.gl/maps/PRJu6)

Between points "D" and "I", my timing is a little flexible, so if you live anywhere along here and think I should stop by send me an e-mail. If you live along one of the long stretches I may be looking for a place to spend the night so if you live there and have some couch space for me let me know. 

I am thankful for this opportunity to spend time with my family and friends. I met these friends during my time in Kenya in 2011 and we experienced a lot together and I hope this friendship will be able to withstand the test of time.

As its thanksgiving I will end this post with a list of things I am thankful for:

• Donations received by Samaritans Purse as of Oct 1, 60% of my funds are raised
• Family who are supportive despite the fact I am moving to another continent
• God who has given me Salvation and guidance
• Friends who are excited for me and listen to the same stories over and over again
• a great job that has given me flexibility and funds over the past year
• a place to live with a great friend 
• the time to travel to see friends and family

Home Again

In my last post I shared that I was off to Ontario. The trip was very successful. It started with 2 weeks in the big city of Toronto. There I took a course on Language basics called PLANTS. Highlights of this course were meeting with other missionaries from all over going all over, spending 10 hours learning Swahili, and learning different methods of learning outside of language school.

The timing in Toronto also coincided with a visit my brother was taking to Ontario with his family. I was able to connect with them and meet my newest niece. It was great to see them again. My nephew was quite jealous as I got to take the train to meet them.

My Niece

My weekend in Toronto was spent exploring with a few other course participants. We went out for Dim Sum and saw Chinatown, Kensington Market and headed out to Queens Quay to explore there.  This involved taking streetcars which as a small town girl I found rather fun; it's the small things in life. After spending the first week in the dorms I spent the second week with my cousin's family in Toronto. I got the full Toronto experience as I stood in the crowded subway to and from my course each day. It was also great to reconnect with her and her family.

The tourists, CN tower in the background

Kensington Market

Downtown Toronto at night

From Toronto I spent a week visiting my extended family. It was great to catch up with most of the Ontario relatives. The holiday ended with camping on the shores of Lake Huron. This is an annual weekend and a one day picnic that is attended by most of the aunts and Uncles and cousins. I shared a campsite with my cousins the Pots, they have 4 beautiful daughters, 2 of which have special needs. I enjoyed spending a few days getting to know them all better and lending a hand. You can read about it on on their blog http://thepotfamily.blogspot.ca/2012/09/we-camped.html. 

It was great to reconnect with so many people in such a short time, I also enjoyed swimming in lake Huron, Alberta doesn't have beaches and lakes like that. 

Sunset over lake Huron

After all the fun of traveling it is good to be back home in my own bed. Now its back to work for 2 more months after which I will hit the road again.

Fundraising update, and PLANTS

Blog posts while home in Canada are probably much less interesting than posts written from Kenyan soil, they are also harder to write, but I have an exciting fundraising update and I take off next week for a few weeks so it seems like a good time to share.

Fundraising has been going well. Back in May I sent out my very 1st prayer letter and prayer card, sharing the need with my community (If you never received one, and would like one, send an e-mail to annette.lie.87@gmail.com). I also shared at my parents' church and anticipate sharing at my own church this September  I have now received totals of where I am at and God has been good: 40% of my budget has been raised. Thank you to all of you that have contributed thus far. That being said, I still need 60% so your support is still needed, please contact me if you have any questions,

As I alluded to earlier in this post I am taking off Monday. I am going to Ontario for a course called PLANTS.

 While I love plants, the course is actually about language. Principles of Language Acquisition: Natural Techniques and Strategies. I will be spending two weeks in Toronto learning how to learn a language and  hopefully also spend some time actually learning Swahili. I am looking forward to learning some tricks that will make the three months of Language learning in Kenya, that I will do in January, a little easier.

The course also coincides with my Ontario relatives' family picnic every Labour day. I will be spending time  visiting family and camping in the Pineries. It has been a few years since I have seen many of my Ontario relatives and I look forward to reconnecting with many of them.

What I've Been Up To

It’s been a little while since I have posted, so it's about time to share with you all. I am continuing to prepare for my departure in January, this has involved becoming homeless – not really I have moved in with a friend. The early weeks of June were busy sorting through my stuff – what do I need here in Canada now until I go, what do I hope to bring with me to Kenya but don’t need now – my textbooks and good paring knife made this pile, the third pile was things I don’t need but neither could I part with, my parents have been kind enough to store these items for me. The last pile, and a large pile it was, consisted of stuff I no longer need. It has been rather freeing to destuff my life and it will make things easier before my departure as I won’t have to do it then.

the Truck all packed up and ready to go, Happy Father's Day Dad

Preparation has also involved starting to raise support. I have sent out letters and have shared at my parent’s church. I pray that support raising will continue to go well, and that I will I have my total anticipated budget of $30 000, raised or committed to before I leave. If you would like to receive my newsletter (3-4/year) please e-mail me your address (annette.lie.87@gmail.com). Thanks for those of you who have already supported me, if you haven’t yet but are interested just click the link on the side of the page.

I also have had some fun lately I’ve had 2 weddings to attend, neither of them here at home, this has given me a good excuse to get away and enjoy some of the beauty of God’s Creation. Here’s some pictures for you.

Arizona Wedding with my Tenwek Friends

Grand Canyon

Banff with my new roommate

Its summer, so hiking must lead to snow

My RT friends

This coming summer I am sure will go by quickly and before I know it I will be starting some missionary training courses in Ontario and Colorado. I will keep you posted. 

Next Steps

The time has come for me to move forward with my plans to go to Kenya. I have been approved by Samaritan’s Purse to serve for two years, and the Kenya Society of Physiotherapists has accepted me.  There have been a lot waiting on this final approval and now time to get things done. What are these things you may ask?  There are two main things: training and support-raising.

 The training is related to the mission field.  I have just completed a week long course in Calgary called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement – I highly recommend this course to anyone looking into missions, (it is offered all around North America). I will also be taking five weeks of training on learning how to interact with other cultures and how to learn language.

Support-raising is my other project. Support-raising goes by many names fundraising, friend raising etc. I need support in two ways: prayer and financial. It will take these two things to sustain me for the time I am in Kenya. I ask for your help in this. For information on how to give either read the next blog post or click on the donation link on the side of the page.  Thank you.

How To Give

As my time with Samaritans Purse is done support raising is on hold until I am accepted by Reach Beyond. So stay tuned

Thanks