Dear Brother and Sister in Christ,
God has been preparing me for this moment for as long as I can remember. It started back when I was a little girl. I had my dolls and ponies all set up and ready to listen. I then would open my Bible and start preaching and teaching. They were the best audience I’ve ever had! I’ve always known that I wanted to be a teacher. God gave me many opportunities to grow in this area; through leading Bible studies, youth group, Vacation Bible School, tutoring and mentoring. My love for special education started when I was a junior in high school. This was the time that I started teaching a group at Friendship Bible Study. This is a Bible study for adults with cognitive impairment. Every night I taught, I came alive! I loved it! I had discovered my sweet spot! I knew this was where God wanted me to serve.
My love for Africa started so long ago that I really think that I was born with it down in my bones. I was that one person, that one student who was sitting at the edge of my pew listening to every word, observing every picture of every missionary who came and spoke at my church. My love grew and grew. Without ever having set foot on the continent, I was in love with a place. I was in love with a group of people I’ve never met or ever looked into their eyes. Finally, my junior year of college I was able to go to the place that I loved. I spent a month in the country of Kenya. That love became so much deeper. My heart cried out for another opportunity to go back and serve my God in my sweet spot in a continent that I have an indescribable love for.
Well the opportunity has come. God has been tugging on my heart for a while now, “I want you to do more.” “Are you ready to move?” And then the last questions really struck a nerve, “Do you trust me to be your everything?” Every fiber in my being wanted to shout “YES!” I was beginning to understand what Peter went through when Christ asked him, “Peter, do you love me?” In my life, I have denied Christ more than I care to admit, but here was my chance to shout yes, as Peter did. But yet, even though I so badly wanted to shout out on the top of my lungs, I found myself holding on to things….”Everything, Lord?” Surely I had misheard Him; surely he didn’t really want me to leave EVERYTHING. But the more I prayed and pleaded with God, He continued to say in that small voice, “Do you trust me to be your everything?” It became a never ending question in my head. It seemed that every sermon, song and devotion was asking that question. I knew what I had to do. I had to say yes! So like Peter, I must go feed and care for Christ’s sheep.
So this journey to Tanzania is the chance for me to go and teach and hopefully start the long process of introducing special education. This is really a chance for me like Peter, Paul and so many others to say “yes, I do trust you to be my everything!” Like Moses, I feel 100% inadequate for this opportunity, but I do have faith in the promise of God’s amazing power. Because of inadequacy His glory and power will truly be seen! It is really Him doing everything, I am just the vessel He has allowed to use in His work. I am beyond excited!
I ask that you too would join me in this journey. I ask that you would keep me in your prayers daily! There is nothing that I covet more than them! They are the valuable thing that you can do for me! Thank you in advance! You too, can say yes! I may be going to teach and help introduce the concept of special education, but through it I will see Jesus. I will be walking among those whom Christ says are the least of these. I will do the only thing that I truly know how to do: love. I’m ultimately going to love our brothers and sister in Christ. One of the vision statements of Village School International is “sharing the Gospel in Africa through education.” This is what the Lord has called me to do. I ask that you too would consider sharing the Gospel in Africa through prayer support.
I am extremely excited to see the amazing acts that God is going to be doing! Thank you so much in advance for joining me in this journey!
Your sister in Christ,
Alexandra Dodde
God has been preparing me for this moment for as long as I can remember. It started back when I was a little girl. I had my dolls and ponies all set up and ready to listen. I then would open my Bible and start preaching and teaching. They were the best audience I’ve ever had! I’ve always known that I wanted to be a teacher. God gave me many opportunities to grow in this area; through leading Bible studies, youth group, Vacation Bible School, tutoring and mentoring. My love for special education started when I was a junior in high school. This was the time that I started teaching a group at Friendship Bible Study. This is a Bible study for adults with cognitive impairment. Every night I taught, I came alive! I loved it! I had discovered my sweet spot! I knew this was where God wanted me to serve.
My love for Africa started so long ago that I really think that I was born with it down in my bones. I was that one person, that one student who was sitting at the edge of my pew listening to every word, observing every picture of every missionary who came and spoke at my church. My love grew and grew. Without ever having set foot on the continent, I was in love with a place. I was in love with a group of people I’ve never met or ever looked into their eyes. Finally, my junior year of college I was able to go to the place that I loved. I spent a month in the country of Kenya. That love became so much deeper. My heart cried out for another opportunity to go back and serve my God in my sweet spot in a continent that I have an indescribable love for.
Well the opportunity has come. God has been tugging on my heart for a while now, “I want you to do more.” “Are you ready to move?” And then the last questions really struck a nerve, “Do you trust me to be your everything?” Every fiber in my being wanted to shout “YES!” I was beginning to understand what Peter went through when Christ asked him, “Peter, do you love me?” In my life, I have denied Christ more than I care to admit, but here was my chance to shout yes, as Peter did. But yet, even though I so badly wanted to shout out on the top of my lungs, I found myself holding on to things….”Everything, Lord?” Surely I had misheard Him; surely he didn’t really want me to leave EVERYTHING. But the more I prayed and pleaded with God, He continued to say in that small voice, “Do you trust me to be your everything?” It became a never ending question in my head. It seemed that every sermon, song and devotion was asking that question. I knew what I had to do. I had to say yes! So like Peter, I must go feed and care for Christ’s sheep.
So this journey to Tanzania is the chance for me to go and teach and hopefully start the long process of introducing special education. This is really a chance for me like Peter, Paul and so many others to say “yes, I do trust you to be my everything!” Like Moses, I feel 100% inadequate for this opportunity, but I do have faith in the promise of God’s amazing power. Because of inadequacy His glory and power will truly be seen! It is really Him doing everything, I am just the vessel He has allowed to use in His work. I am beyond excited!
I ask that you too would join me in this journey. I ask that you would keep me in your prayers daily! There is nothing that I covet more than them! They are the valuable thing that you can do for me! Thank you in advance! You too, can say yes! I may be going to teach and help introduce the concept of special education, but through it I will see Jesus. I will be walking among those whom Christ says are the least of these. I will do the only thing that I truly know how to do: love. I’m ultimately going to love our brothers and sister in Christ. One of the vision statements of Village School International is “sharing the Gospel in Africa through education.” This is what the Lord has called me to do. I ask that you too would consider sharing the Gospel in Africa through prayer support.
I am extremely excited to see the amazing acts that God is going to be doing! Thank you so much in advance for joining me in this journey!
Your sister in Christ,
Alexandra Dodde
No comments:
Post a Comment