Why God sent me to Africa...

I realized on my recent return to the United States that alot of people did not know what I was actually doing here in Livingstone, Zambia. Therefore, I would like to take a minute to explain and hopefully answer some of your questions about the departments (things) that Overland Missions utilizes, which includes the Advanced Mission Training (AMT) course that I am attending. I hope you will take a minute to read through this and even take a look at their website. http://www.overlandmissions.com/

Advanced Mission Training:
Get trained to reach remote locations, communicate the gospel and come back alive. That is what Advanced Mission Training(AMT) does during its three month training course. It is held at a remote location at the Overland Missions Rapid 14 base in Zambia, Africa. Don’t think of lecture halls and PowerPoint when you think of the AMT course. It is the practical hands-on missionary training that fully equips young adults for the field. From welding and diesel mechanics, to wilderness first aid and GPS navigation, more is taught in three months than typically could be learned in years. The best part about? It is surrounded by the wild, natural beauty of Africa. Remote villages and ministry opportunities are just a few short miles away.

Expeditions:
We deem a young man or woman more useful to the kingdom of God in villages than waiting in line to preach from first world pulpits. So we do just that, take young adults on expeditions to the isolated and neglected villages of the world. We use any type of travel it takes to reach these areas. From airplanes, to boats, expedition trucks to local buses and when the time calls for it, our own feet. As the young missonaries feet begin to get dirty in the villages they go forward and form relationships, evangelizing and strengthening the local church. Through the years, thousands of missionaries have been sent, returning with stories, stories that are straight out of the book of Acts, with all the miracles and acts of power included.

The Life Project:
70% of people affected with HIV/AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa.This statistic means that within a group of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa, 7 people have HIV/AIDS. The LIFE Project serves as a way that we make a difference in the massive problem of HIV/AIDS. LIFE embraces the methods of the tribal forefathers to provide care within the village structure. In each village the community joins forces: schoolteachers working with social workers to make sure that those that are vulnerable no longer have to live without hope. Also, a strategic system is put in place in each village that ensures that orphans, widows and vulnerable people get the care that they need. We use a holistic approach as a way to provide change, from medical assistance, to HIV/AIDS education, to providing food.

The SAM Project:
Everyone knows the old saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Africa has been given too many fishes. The SAM Project creates a micro enterprises with garden projects, beekeeping and also plants tree seedlings so that the things villages need the most, they can make themselves. Then the surplus good are sold and bring in a small income for the village. SAM helps find the local solutions that bring stability to villagers lives.

On my first mission trip to the Dominican Republic back in Oct-Nov of last year, I felt a "pull" to mission work. Being such a new believer I did not know the first thing about mission work. So here I am now exploring what being a full time missionary is all about, specifically in rural areas of Africa.