THIS IS ME...As many of you know I’ve spent the last 3 years of my life living in San Jose, CA, working as an ER nurse after graduating from Biola University. Reflecting back over these last years and thinking ahead to this new one, I am again amazed at how life rarely conforms to our own expectations yet how God orchestrates masterfully to bring about His plan, more beautiful than we could devise for ourselves.
So what’s new, you ask?
At the end of 2008, I was officially endorsed with a missions organization called WorldVenture as a midterm missionary. I’ve accepted a 2 year commitment with them working as a nurse in the country of Uganda.
A NATION OF CHILDREN....UGANDA
In Uganda, 50% of the population is aged 14 years-old or younger. Two-thirds of Ugandans live on less than $1 a day. Of the thousands of orphaned children of Uganda, many are the head caretakers in their households, or are often living with a single adult woman unequipped financially, educationally and otherwise to care for several children.
In Uganda, I am going to be working for a program called Hope Alive!, a relief and development project focused on orphans and fragile family units in the slums, in poor, rural areas, and with refugees and IDP (internally displaced persons) living near the border of Sudan.
My job description is broad; as of now, Hope Alive! does not offer its own medical care, but serves to help children gain access to what is already available. This means I will be helping Hope Alive! create a vision for this part of their program, starting with needs assessment and profiling children’s current health status and deficiencies.
NEXT STEPS...So, what comes next? A lot of preparation! At the beginning of March, I attended a week of orientation at the WorldVenture home office in Colorado.
The biggest question everyone (including me!) want to know is...When do I leave? While my goal is to leave for Uganda in May 2009, this will largely depend on my financial support raising process since funds and commitments must be adequate in order to be given clearance to depart. If I'm not fully supported by May, then my alternative departure date will be November.
In order to serve for this 2-year term, I will need to raise a total budget of $49,000 (or a monthly budget of $1,800) to make this trip a reality. I appreciate your prayerful consideration of being a part of this ministry God is growing in Uganda. If you feel called to financially partner with me, you may send checks payable to WorldVenture, writing my name and the account number on an attached note – not on the check memo line. (i.e. Josifek / #6154-947) You can also give online at: WorldVenture, scroll down to my name in the missionary directory, enter the monetary amount, and click on ADD and follow the prompts. Tax-deductible receipts are issued from WorldVenture.
I feel strongly that God is going to use this venture to Uganda in the lives of many people, not just my own. I hope and pray that you, too, will perhaps find a love for the people and country of Uganda, but mostly that you become more and more open to how God wants to use you, creatively and uniquely, in His ongoing process of bringing redemption to the world.
Questions? Comments? Wanna hear more? Would love to talk to with you!
Also check out WorldVenture and Hope Alive!
WorldVenture is a faith-based organization that is involved with projectssuch as church planting, leadership training,relief and development, and business mentoring in more than 60 countries around the world. www.worldventure.com
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