Back from Bolivia! 12/31/10

Dear Friends and Family,

So I am back in the good ol' USA. :) I very much enjoyed my time in Bolivia, but I have to say that I'm also very glad to be back in the U.S. My time in Bolivia was actually a huge challenge for me, mainly because I didn't feel like I fit in any of the places where I worked. There was lots of adventure and fun, but I never felt like I was where God wanted me. However, I know that God was working through it all to change me even more into the person He wants me to be. I learned so much about myself . . . most of which I didn't like to see. But I'm encouraged because I can see that God is still working in me. I'm still a work in progress, and He hasn't finished with me yet.

The last few weeks I have been really wondering and praying about what God would have me do next. Where does He want me go? What does He want me to do? Who does He want me to be? I have also had to ask myself questions about my motives for wanting to be a missionary. So often, I believe my primary motivation is the adventure and excitement that comes with mission life overseas. And that is not the right motivation. So I have been asking God to give me a love for the people and give me direction as to what country He wants me in. And I praise Him that He has been answering, and is opening a door of opportunity for me to serve in the country where I grew up.

Hope On Wings is an organization that is beginning a very important work in Papua New Guinea. The main focus of this program is to connect the willing, trained national workers with the villages where they are needed using airplanes. Each pilot working with Hope On Wings will provide air support for 10-15 of these national missionaries, many of whom are trained as Bible workers or nurses. The dream is to have a whole fleet of small aircraft blanketing the country supporting national missionaries in every unreached area of the country. God is working in a spectacular way to get this project off the ground, and already one pilot and airplane are nearly ready to begin flying. God has also provided a home base in Hepler, Kansas where those who wish to become pilots and work in PNG can receive their training for as low cost as possible. I believe that God is leading me to become one of the pilots, so I have decided to join the Hope On Wings team full-time. My student loans are still pressing, but I believe that God wants me to move forward in His work and He will provide what is needed to make that happen. I could work for a couple of years to pay off loans and then enter the mission field, but people are dying without a saving knowledge of Jesus. So I’m entering upon a faith journey, believing that God will provide for ALL my needs. I covet your prayers, as this journey will not be easy.  I have such a strong tendency to try to work out everything in my own strength and do things according to my own understanding. Surrender of my own will has never been easy for me. But I truly believe that this is what God wants me to do.

So now I am in Hepler, Kansas. I will be helping with a little bit of everything here, while at the same time beginning my flight training. On weekends I will be heading out to various churches to share the story with others and provide an opportunity for people to share in the mission project as prayer supporters or as financial supporters, if God should impress them to give. I would really encourage each of you to visit our website at http://cosample.hopeonwings.org and watch the short introductory video found on the home page. This video provides a great picture of the need in PNG and how we are hoping to fill that need. If any of you would like me to come and visit your churches, let me know. J

To see pictures and video of my adventures in Bolivia, visit the following links.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKRxKjSU4RI
http://picasaweb.com/cosample

Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers!

In His Service,

Corrie

Bolivia Update 3 - 11/15/10

Hey, what do you know . . .an update two days in a row! Enjoy it, because this one will probably be the last one in quite a while! Plans have changed at the last minute, as they usually do. I´m once again sitting in the internet café, though previous plans dictated that I be sitting on a bus all day today and all night as well. Daniel is on that bus, but I´m not . . . I found an opportunity that I just couldn´t pass up! There is a missionary family that lives in a little indigenous village named Las Amalias, located 3 days upriver from the nearest town, Riberalta. They just moved to the village in May of this year and are working to establish a clinic and missionary training center there. The goal is to establish a place where young people can continue their education once out of secondary school (equivalent of high school), then place them in various villages along the river as missionaries. However, since they are just getting started, they are still working on establishing a relationship with the various villages along the river. So, over the next two months, the plan is to travel to those various villages, spending a week or so in each one, and hold medical clinics, health education meetings, and VBSs, and I will get to help with all of them :) So I´m rather excited! We are leaving by the end of this week and I won´t be back in communication until the end of December at the earliest. Please continue to pray for me . . . this next adventure will be sure to stretch my comfort zone way out beyond its already stretched boundaries! I can clearly see God leading in this direction, and I praise Him for making things plain and for always having such perfect timing! Serving Him is the most exciting thing anyone could ever do, though sometimes it can be quite painful too. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and your interest in what is happening here in Oblivia!

Hugs!

Bolivia Update 2 - 11/14/10

Hi Everyone,

I´m sitting in an internet cafe in Guaiara, Bolivia, up near the Brazilian border. Daniel and I have been traveling by bus for the last week in order to get here in time for the graduation ceremony at the secondary school here. Some of Daniel´s kids (ones he taught a couple of years ago) are at this school, so we came to visit them before they leave for their summer vacation. We will be traveling for another 3 weeks in the same manner, so don´t be surprised if you don´t get any long newsy letters from me. The plan is to return to Familia Feliz and then go from there up to La Paz. It looks like others will be traveling with us the whole way as well. Then we will head back to Familia Feliz for their graduation before heading back to Santa Cruz. Once we get back to Santa Cruz, or maybe while in La Paz, I will try to write up a more newsy letter telling you some of the fun things that are going on. But for now, I must say goodbye and God bless!

Hugs!
Corrie

Bolivia Update 1 - 11/03/10

Dear Family and Friends,

I have been in Bolivia for two weeks now, and it’s about time I sent out an update! Too much has happened to give you all the details, but I will do my best to give a picture of what is happening here. After I arrived, I figured out pretty quickly that one of the biggest needs was for cooks. There are three different locations here in Santa Cruz where various volunteers are working, and only one of these locations has regular meals being prepared. I also found out that no one wanted to be in charge of finding things for me to do. My nursing is not needed at the Albergue (rehabilitation house), and the people around here just ignored the fact that I was here and let me do whatever. That suited Daniel just fine, because he had plenty of ideas as to what I could do. My main responsibility is to cook lunch for the airplane mechanics that are working on the various airplanes. After that is done, I run around with Daniel and just help with whatever I can.

Adventures in Prison – Sabbath, Oct. 23

By 7:30am I was headed out the door with Mikaela and Elisabeth. Once out on the main road, we caught a microbus, #73. We rode until we got to the intersection with the Indian statue, then got off and waited to catch #71. After about an hour of riding, we finally arrived at the prison. We joined the women’s line, waiting to get in. Daniel was to meet us here and since the men’s line was much shorter, he was able to come a lot later. By 10:30 we were finally in. We went upstairs and joined the children. Some older children were helping out and leading the singing. No one could sing on tune, but a joyful noise was definitely made! J  These children live in this prison with their mothers. Most have been abused in some way and many do not know who their fathers are. One little one, Blanca, told me that both her mother and father were in prison. She and her little brother lived with her mother, but her two other siblings lived elsewhere. She asked a question, too, that I could not fully understand. These kids are full of questions. And even though they have such hard lives, they are happy! Those who come to Sabbath School have been introduced to Jesus, and many of them have asked Him to be their friend. The change in their lives as a result is a joy to see! And often, they become the tools in God’s hands to reach their mothers. Daniel told me the stories of several children that did just that, and now their mothers attend the church held in the prison each Sabbath. The experience reminded me of when Christ told his disciples that we must become as little children, fully trusting in our Father, in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

A Bible Study – Monday, Oct. 25

The motorcycle wove in and out of traffic as we tried to get through the nearly blocked intersection. We were on our way to do a Bible study at the home of a family that Daniel had met while the mom was in prison. Traffic finally opened up and we were able to speed onward. Lupe (one of the little girls in the family that Daniel lives with) was sitting sandwiched between Daniel and I. Night had fallen and we were coming to a somewhat dangerous part of the road. Dangerous because the road turned to dirt and we had to navigate through dirt and dust up to 6 inches deep. The back end of the motorcycle kept sliding around, but Daniel managed to keep it upright. We arrived to find the family at home and very happy to see us. We started out by asking if they would like to watch a video called ‘El Gran Conflicto’, created by Amazing Facts to illustrate and share the story of the great controversy between good and evil. I hadn’t ever seen it before and was very impressed with how well it was put together. They definitely wanted to watch it, so they invited us into their bedroom where there was a table to set the computer on.  During the video, Daniel would pause every now and then to clarify a concept or to answer a question. The adults were spell bound by the story. They had heard bits and pieces of it before, but all the bits and pieces had never been put all together in such a simple way. We were at their home for at least two hours, watching the video and answering their questions.

Camping in the Mountains – Friday-Monday (Oct. 29-Nov. 1)

We were sitting in the street, playing our recorders and waiting – waiting for the truck to come that was to take us up to the mountains. The family that Daniel has been living with owns a piece of property about an hour out of town and they were heading up to work on it a bit. We got tired of playing, so we started singing . . . first in English, then we started singing songs we knew in Spanish. The kids perked up and started singing with us. It was so much fun! Songs like “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy” and “Jesus Love is Bubbling Over” kept us going for at least an hour. The kids wanted to sing them over and over again so they could learn the motions along with the words. The truck came and we loaded up and headed out, and the singing continued. J Then the kids settled down and fell asleep. I wasn’t in a position to sleep, so I stared at the stars. At times like that, God feels so close. I know He is always close, but often I don’t feel Him. When I’m out under the stars, it’s as if I can just reach up and take His hand and other distractions are gone. I praise Him so much for counting me as one of His daughters! We arrived at the property about 1am, set up camp by 2am, and finally crawled in bed by 3am. Then it started to rain and I quickly discovered that my tent does not do well in wind or rain. There were puddles in the tent by 6am and I had to abandon bed. There was a hut on the property that provided some shelter, so thankfully there was a dry place to sit. The rest of the day it continued to rain, but that didn’t stop us from hiking in the mountains and swimming in the river that was nearby. This weekend was my first opportunity to really get to see the workings of this family. Daniel has been living with them for quite a while, and has been trying to share and show principles of Christian living. I don’t have time or space to go into all the dynamics, but it was interesting to see how the family interacted with each other and to see the Bolivian culture up close. 

So that gives you all an idea of what I have been up to. I praise God for the ways I see Him working and leading.

God bless you all!

Corrie

Almost on my way!!!

Hi Everyone!

This is just a short note to update you on the recent happenings in my life. On Sept. 27 I took my nursing boards and I found out soon after that I passed!!!!!!! So now I am officially a Registered Nurse. :)  I'm so thrilled to see how God has brought me through the training and then helped me on the test. Now my dream of being a missionary nurse is very close to being fulfilled.

On September 29, I flew to Guadalajara, Mexico with Fred and Diana Adams. I went along on their one week trip in order to help in whatever way I could. The purpose of the trip was to fly in the mission plane up into the mountains where the Huichol Indians live. Pastor/Pilot Dagoberto Cirilo flew us to several different villages and we were able to talk with and encourage various Adventist Huichols, who face persecution from their own people when they forsake the traditions of their tribe that do not fit with their new beliefs. Fred was also able to provide encouragement to a young man by the name of Luis. He had been paralyzed in a car accident about a year ago and hardly ever left his home because he was ashamed of needing help getting around. He still had a lot of function, though. He was paralyzed from the waste down, but still retained control of bodily functions and was even able to stand, though he couldn't take steps. With hard work and therapy, he probably will be able to walk again. Fred, who is a quadriplegic due to a construction accident that occurred in Mexico 23 years ago, talked to Luis about getting rid of the word 'impossible'. He encouraged him to do as much as possible for himself and push himself beyond what he thinks his limits are. The visit seemed to be a big encouragement to Luis and that evening, he and his parents came to the evening vespers program held in the Adventist church. It was the first time his dad had come to church, though he had been invited many times.  I really enjoyed the trip, helping to lift Fred into and out of the plane and vehicles, walking around the villages getting pictures and videos, and helping to cook meals. The one week passed really quickly.

The past two weeks I have been staying with Fred and Diana while preparing for Bolivia. And now, I only have today and tomorrow to finish the last minute packing and details. I fly out of Sacramento, CA early Wednesday morning and will arrive in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on Thursday morning. I would appreciate your prayers that all the travel goes smoothly and that I won't have too terrible a time getting my Bolivian visa once I arrive. I'm so excited to see how God is leading and providing and am looking forward to seeing in what areas I can serve once there.  It's impossible to know exactly what I will be doing once there . . . there are so many options, I just have to wait and see what needs I can best fill.

If you want to see pictures of our trip to Mexico, you can visit http://picasaweb.google.com/cosample The pictures are also posted on my facebook profile.

Thank you all for your love and prayers!!!!
God bless!
Corrie

Life Update 9/26/10

Hi Folks,

Wow, it has been such a long time!!!! Some of you haven’t heard from me in a long time . . . while others have maybe seen and heard from me more than you wanted! :)  The last year and a half has been quite a roller coaster for me, as I survived an accelerated nursing program in Pueblo, Colorado. It was every bit as intense as they say, maybe even more so. But in the 14 months of school there, I obtained a BSN and soon will have my RN (if I pass my boards, that is).

But that is all in the past. I’m assuming you would like to know what I’m doing now and in the near future. Well, the biggest thing coming up is that I’m going to Bolivia in less than one month!!!!! Hmmm, can’t tell that I’m excited can you? :) Gospel Ministries International has a mission aviation outpost and a media center in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Part of the aviation program includes a home where patients who have been brought to the hospital by the mission plane can stay. Many of them cannot afford to stay in the hospital, yet they are not able to return to their villages because further care is still needed. I will most likely be working at this home, helping to provide the care they need. I learned about this opportunity from Daniel Adams, a mission pilot there who is a very good friend of mine. He and I worked as student missionaries together in Venezuela back in 2006 and part of 2007. We bumped into each other again at the last Generation of Youth for Christ conference (GYC) and he invited me to come and work with him in Bolivia.

In the meantime, I have been staying with Daniel’s parents, Fred and Diana Adams, in Placerville, CA since my own parents are currently nomadic as they work towards their goal of returning to Papua New Guinea. Over the past month I drove up through Oregon and Washington to visit my parents in Moses Lake, WA where they were building an airplane. If you don’t get their updates and would like to, go to www.cosample.hopeonwings.org and sign up for the e-newsletter. I spent several weeks with them and visited other friends and relatives on the way up and back down.

I went on an adventure while driving back down from WA to CA.  I decided to stop and camp in the Diamond Lake/Crater Lake area, which is where my family used to go camping during the time we lived in Sutherlin, OR. I have so many amazing memories of the family time we spent there, that I wanted to go again and relive those memories. Even though I was going alone, I decided to hike in 4 miles towards Mt. Thielson and then camp at the base of the mountain. My dad, brother, and I had done this a while ago and had found an amazing rock shelter with a view of the mountain, and I wanted to find that shelter and camp there for the night. I got a rather late start, though, and by the time I was two miles in, the sun had set and dusk was fast turning into dark. The moon was only a sliver, but I was still able to see the trail ahead so I didn’t turn on my headlamp immediately. It was an incredible experience to walk through the woods at night … and surprisingly I wasn’t afraid. In the past, being in a forest at night with all the sounds and rustling was a frightening experience, but I knew that my angels were walking with me and I had no need to fear.

I arrived at the base of the mountain at about 9p, but rather than setting up camp, I continued on the Pacific Crest trail heading down the other side of the ridge and going beside the mountain.  Somewhere just below the trail was the rock that I wanted to camp under, so I left the trail and headed down a wide ravine looking for it. I had my light on by now, but nothing looked familiar. It was obvious that avalanches had come through in the past winters and the new growth was difficult to push through at times. After about an hour of looking, I gave up and went back to the top of the ridge to camp. I unrolled my pad and bag and crawled in. As I looked at the starry sky above me, I couldn’t help but think of the God who created those stars . . . and as I thought, I realized some lessons that God wanted to teach me. God has created a path for me to walk in . . . He whispers ‘this is the way, walk ye in it’. This trail that He has set for my life is not necessarily easy; it has ups and downs, twists and turns, that are often unexpected by me. On this trail, shortcuts are not a good idea because I don’t know where this trail will lead me next; I have no way of predicting the next twist or turn. But if I do choose to try a shortcut, I miss out on the blessings that would have come by sticking to the trail. Even then, though, all is not lost because God is able to create trails leading from wherever I end up back towards the purpose He had for me originally. But I must choose to follow. As I walk along this trail, the most important thing for me to do is search for the Rock, only this Rock will always be found by those who look.

The next morning I woke up early and decided to again look for the rock . . . but I never was able to find it. I had just enough time left to climb to the top of Thielson, looming more than 1000 feet above where I had camped. The trail to the top was only a mile, but the elevation gain made that mile seem a lot longer! But the view from the top was totally worth the climb! I have uploaded pictures to my Picasa web albums (http://picasaweb.google.com/cosample)

I’m now back in California at the Adams’ home, doing last minute studying for the NCLEX (nursing board exam). I take the exam tomorrow. On Wednesday (29^th) I’ll be flying to Mexico for one week, then it will back here for another two weeks before flying to Bolivia on the 20^th of Oct. Life is moving fast and God is leading and blessing tremendously! I’m looking forward to seeing where He takes me in the future! I pray that God will bless each and every one of you as well. I plan to send out a monthly (or more) newsletter via email, just to keep everyone up-to-date on my mission adventures. If you don't want to be on my list, let me know. 

Blessings,

Corrie

And the weeks march on . . .

Another Sabbath is over . . . and another week is beginning. The Colorado sun never came out from behind the clouds today here in Pueblo, but there was still sunshine in my heart :) Sabbath is always an amazing day especially with such an awesome church family! The afternoon was spent making music, a small orchestra playing hymns . . . one violin, two recorders, and a piano. Oh how much fun though :)

I realized not too long ago that it has been well over a year since I last updated this blog site. Shame on me!!!!! So much has happened too! My last blog had me heading to back to Union, and now I find myself in Colorado! I don't know how many people actually read this blog, but in case anyone wonders how or why I'm here, just keep reading. If you already know, well, keep reading anyways, you might learn something ;) Seriously, though, God has done some amazing things in my life in the past year and I cannot doubt that His hand is leading!

While at Union from Aug. of '08 to May of '09, I looked at several different nursing school options. I finally decided that I would attend South Dakota State University Accelerated Nursing Program because I figured that would be close to my parents, who were still living in South Dakota at the time. However, February of '09 came around and lo and behold, my parents and brother and sister-in-law all decided to move to Albuquerque, NM. Not too surprising for them to be moving again, but it threw a wrench in my plans because I wanted to be as close to home as possible. The closest accelerated nursing program I could find was in Pueblo, CO. The other option was Las Cruces, NM. I applied to both programs. I preferred the one in Pueblo, though, just because it was located close to mountains! But their application deadline was clear back in October, so I did not expect to get in . . . but God had a surprise for me! They called me within four days and told me that I was accepted!!!!

The program started the day after I graduated from Union, so no summer break for me! The first semester was incredibly hectic with up to 4 exams per week, every week. But God's strength was sufficient and I made it through :) The second semester was even harder than the first because not only did we have a full class schedule, but we also had three clinicals weekly, totaling nearly 30 hours/week when we could not study. By the time Christmas vacation rolled around, I was desperately needing the month off! But through it all God has remained constant . . . His promises are sure . . . and He has provided many opportunities to witness to my classmates. It has been a very interesting experience attending a non-Adventist university for the first time. My classmates can tell that I'm different, but most of them really respect and even appreciate the differences. They admire the fact that I stand for what I believe in . . . that I won't do school or clinicals on Sabbath . . . they don't understand, but they respect it. In fact, when they plan parties or get-togethers, they often try to plan them so that they can invite me . . . ie. games at someone's house rather than going out to the bar.

I'm now in my third semester . . . only one more to go after this :) My church family here has been absolutely amazing! I never go home to spend my Sabbath alone after church . . . they won't let me! They consider me as part of their family and treat me as a daughter or grand-daughter. Its so amazing to have such a supportive family here!

So, the next question I often here is "so what do you plan to do when you get done?" Guess . . . go to the mission field of course! At this point it appears that God is leading me to Bolivia. There are still mountains that need to be moved, but in faith I have asked God to move them and I'm certain that He will in His own time. I praise Him so much because He is faithful to fullfill His promises to me . . . not only to finish the work He has begun in my life, but also to prepare me and fit me for His service. We serve such an amazing God!

Today there was discussion after lunch about popularity . . . one friend said that he was not popular, not at all. The others in the group agreed . . . I didn't. I am popular . . . maybe not by this world's standards . . . but the King of the universe knows my name . . . the entire universe is watching my life with intense interest and is rooting for me . . . hoping I will choose life and not death . . .therefore I am very popular! God Himself takes an interest in my life! And friends, He takes an interest in your life too! We are all popular with God . . . He WANTS to spend time with us . . . to share His heart and mind with us . . . WOW! WHAT AN AWESOME GOD!