It's Poppin'
What do you think of when you think of popcorn? Going to a movie theater and lathering it with butter (pre-COVID of course)? A quiet night in with a glass of wine? A man named Orville who wears thick glasses? Stringing it together and decorating the tree? For the most part, you probably associate popcorn with fun, laughter, or maybe indifference. Rarely do we stop and think about the financial impact popcorn can have. At least I don’t, anyway. I want to share with you a story about a woman named Patricia. Patricia was part of our first Women’s Empowerment Program that ended this past May.... Read moreHow Did I Get Here??
Hi there! My name’s Hannah and I’m a 2020 Goer! I graduated from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon in the Spring of 2019. I can’t believe I’ve been done with school for over a year now! After graduation, I was in a season of real frustration. I was applying to jobs I thought I was qualified for and I couldn’t even get an interview. I kept asking God, “why do all of these doors keep closing? What do you want me to do?” Little did I know that the answer would have me moving halfway across the world to Zambia! I got connected with GoCorps through one of their alumni. It was a complete... Read more
You live here?
You live here? I recently was back in the States for a family wedding. Before I returned, some unexpected circumstances happened, in the West African country where I serve, that delayed my travel. "More than COVID?!", you ask. This year has been marked with so many instances of God's faithfulness despite the chaos out of my control. A chance to spend time with my WHOLE family has not happened in two years... as most of my family now actually live in West Africa. Thus, home has been evolving for me here in this new place. I love how I can use my passions here - languages, cultural... Read moreWhere do you get your local news?
This month has been a whirlwind of new activities for me in life and ministry here in West Africa. A friend I met in France has an English Language school in the town where I live. She invited me to teach two small classes during the months of June and July to help them finish their school semester. I had been praying for ways to connect with the community in a controlled but outside environment. God answered my prayer by bringing them to me. The last few lessons we talk about social topics such as journalism, human rights, child issues both in the States and in West Africa. One of the... Read moreLanguage acquisition is always relational
Many aspects of the GoCorps enticed me to apply but one stood out in particular - language learning as ministry. My placement and organization actively used language to reach both believers and non-believers in our area of work. The team uses a method called the Growing Participator Approach. I am a new to the GPA method of learning a language. Nevertheless, I am finding tremendous encouragement by using it to learn Bambara. This method was developed by a man named Greg Thompson particularly for Kingdom workers in the field. It starts with nurturing a relationship rather than hitting the... Read moreSubmitting to unknowns as He holds me in His hands
Held in His Hands Swahili: Anajua mateso yetu Anapenda kutusaidia! Bambara: Yesu yɛrɛ y’an tɔɔrɔw bɛɛ dɔn, A bɛ sɔn ka an dɛmɛ bi. English: [Jesus] Only He knows of our sufferings He LOVES to help us Worship follows me wherever God sends me for His cause! The first two lines above are a song I grew to love in DRC, East Africa while working there in 2018. My team would sing this quite often during team devotions. What truth that the Father is ever near to comfort us! As I begin to learn Bambara, I asked my language nurturer to teach me Bambara worship songs - particularly songs... Read moreFailed Dream
In many ways, it feels like a failed first few months in my designated country. I planned to spread the word about how evil human-trafficking is, I wanted to rescue girls from bad situations and teach them skills to make a living. Reality has really kicked me down - I can hardly have a conversation let alone make a speech about human-trafficking, can someone explain how I can rescue girls from a trafficking situation (in a third world country I've never been before??), and I don't know any skills to teach others (not ones that are sustainable for people living in poverty). Before I left I was... Read moreQuestions a goer loves to answer
“But what are you actually doing in West Africa?” This is been the hardest question to answer as I prepare to go to serve in West Africa. My response internally usually has come out as: “What other questions can you ask to a goer?” Now, do not misunderstand my question. I want to share with people God’s vision and purpose for me in West Africa. I am excited to dream how He will be using me in ministry while I am there! I want to answer the vision question. I simply struggle with the base of that particular question. 1. It comes from a Western mind set. As Americans, we are valued by... Read more
My Letter To Future Goers
My letter to future goers: Taking two years of your life to move to a new country and serve people in the name of God is no small matter. Here are some things I wish someone would have told me before I moved halfway across the world. Start by doing your research. I don’t just mean googling the easy things to find about your host country. Try to find a local in your hometown from that country and take them to coffee. Start reading books by people from the area to which you are moving. There is no better way to learn about the culture than hearing the voices of those who have lived there and... Read more