It was four years ago this month that I surrendered to God with words similar to Isaiah’s above when my heart cried out, “God, wherever, whenever, whatever… I will go and be.” Since then I have had the privilege to serve Him in Mexico and New Orleans, and on June 26th, I will be heading to Namibia, Africa as a full-time missionary with Africa Inland Mission! I am excited to share with you some information about my assignment in the capital city of Windhoek, inviting you to join with me as I prepare for the work God has for me there.

While a simple internet search of this city of over 250,000 inhabitants will likely reveal images of modern buildings, a vibrant city center, and busy suburbs, Windhoek is dealing with nationwide concerns due to the increasing number of people affected by HIV/AIDS. More than one in five adults in Namibia lives with HIV/AIDS, and the number of orphans is growing daily with a current estimate of 140,000—of those, 85,000 are due to AIDS. Africa Inland Mission has been active in Namibia for several years through medical missions, education, leadership training, community outreach and more. They stand firm to the commitment of reaching out to African tribes and nations (many of whom have never even heard the gospel!) proclaiming throughout that the message of Jesus Christ is one of hope and healing.

Working with “the least of these”

I have been assigned to work with Family of Hope Services (FHS), a non-profit Social Welfare organization that works directly with orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). 450 children ages 6-15 are currently enrolled in FHS programs. Without proper care, OVCs in Windhoek risk growing up without an education, becoming street children, or even dying due to malnutrition or disease. The work of FHS and similar organizations is crucial to providing these children with proper nutrition, education, and hope to survive in a country with one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world. Children have always held a special place in my heart, and I am already grateful for this opportunity to serve those whom Jesus likened to “the least of these” when He told His disciples, despite the temptation to overlook such small members of society, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me,” (Mark 9:37). It is my prayer that my time with these children will be in service and obedience to Christ’s call upon us all to love God and love others.

How can you help?

* I need individuals, families, and churches who feel led to support me on a monthly basis. I am currently at 5% of my support target of $1874 a month. Perhaps you can give $20 or $50 a month. One-time gifts will also help accomplish this great goal. I hope you will pray about partnering with me financially. For information on how to support me directly, click here.

* I would love to speak at your church or small group meeting about my upcoming work in Africa. There will also be upcoming fundraising events you can attend or perhaps you can take some of my jewelry around to sell or even host a jewelry party at your house.

* Prayer, prayer, and more prayer! To guide you as you join me through the most powerful method of support, here are some specific requests:

--Pray for the Namibian people I will encounter. Pray that God is opening their hearts even now to receive His message of salvation.
--Pray for AIM’s current work in Namibia, that each team will be guided by God’s wisdom and will be blessed with boldness and strength for the work set before them.
--Finally, pray for me as I prepare physically and spiritually, raise support, and spend time with family and friends prior to my departure.

I am looking forward to this new journey, and I am anxious to share stories and pictures with you during my time in Namibia. Thank you for your support and encouragement and I pray that God will bless you richly in the days ahead.

This is a quick update to let you all know that I have been officially welcomed to the Namibia team. As you know, I anticipated that this would be my assignment but I was not 100% certain until I heard back from the Africa Inland Mission team already stationed in Namibia.

I will be working with Family of Hope Services (FHS) in Windhoek--the capital of Namibia. Their primary focus of ministry is working with orphans and vulnerable children. I'm very excited about this as a great part of my call to Africa was through looking into the eyes of the African children I saw in videos and on TV. Right now, the team in Namibia is working up the particulars of my job description and I should have that information in the coming weeks.

I will be sending out prayer cards and prayer letter updates via snail mail. If you would like to receive these, please send me your mailing address (hannahsterling@live.com). I will continue to correspond by email as I'm able, but this will give us another great way to stay connected and keep you informed of specific prayer and other needs.

I'm so looking forward to this journey and I'm anxious to share it with you as God leads me along.

As you all know, I've been appointed as a missionary with Africa Inland Mission. I am still "patiently" awaiting the details of my assignment. :) But I wanted to share with you what I do know at this point...

We are waiting on confirmation from the Unit Leader in Namibia, Africa. As it appears, Namibia will be my destination for ministry! (Most of us have to slow down our speech a bit to say Namibia correctly. :) Just sound out all 4 syllables: Na-mih-bee-a.) Namibia is located northwest of South Africa. I've attached a map for easy reference. My ministry in Namibia will include working with orphans and vulnerable children in some capacity. In addition, I could be involved heavily with youth ministry and certainly I'll be building relationships with people of various ages, cultures and religious backgrounds. As soon as I receive more information about the city and ministry I'll be working in, I will send out that information. In addition to my email updates, I will be mailing newsletters. If you would like to receive these newsletters, please send me your mailing address. I will also be making prayer cards and I will get those into as many hands as possible because more than anything, I will need the support of family and friends through prayer!

My departure date is set for June 26th 2009! As I've mentioned previously Africa Inland Mission is a faith-based organization, meaning that all missionaries sent by AIM must raise 100% of their support. By May 26th I must have the required support given and/or pledged in order to depart at the end of June. Many of you have asked how to become financial partners with my ministry in Africa. If you are interested, send me your email address and I will email you that information. I also have creative ways to raise funds for my ministry through my jewelry (www.thepaperbagboutique.com) and other fund raisers I will do from now until I leave in June. So if you live around my area, let me know if you want to be involved (i.e. hosting a jewelry party, participating in a yard sale, car wash, etc.) and I will get you that information.

Just wanted to write a quick note... I JUST received word from the Candidate Director that I have been appointed with Africa Inland Mission!!! In short, that means that they have approved me to be a missionary through their organization based on my interviews, psychological evaluation, etc. Now the next step will be working with them on receiving an actual assignment in Africa. Also, I can now to begin my support raising (with AIM I will be raising 100% of my support for the field). My time line is still to leave for Africa in 2009, and I hope to have more specific details on the where and what by the end of this month. So please continue to pray with me for God to specifically guide my steps as I intentionally seek out His purposes. I look forward to sending you a more specific update in the coming weeks.

Thanks as always for your caring interest and support!

I arrived in Pearl River, NY this morning for the start of Candidate Week with Africa Inland Mission. So far I am the only "candidate" here as the rest will arrive after lunch. The next five days will be very exciting as this is my big opportunity to learn more about AIM, their mission, what it will be like to serve in Africa for two years--and all the while they will be learning more about me as I meet with them regarding my psychological assessments, and share with them my heart for the nations. I have been looking forward to this week since my first interview in April. I am very anxious to receive more information about what country I may actually be assigned to, when I will be leaving the U.S., and what the ministry focus will be during those two years. One major goal of AIM is church planting in regions currently unreached by the gospel. Some teams will be focusing on education, some on medical missions, and so on. Pray with me as God opens my eyes and heart to the opportunities and that I will be led by His wisdom each step of the way. (Africa Inland Mission: http://timo-aim.com)

I cannot forget and be thankful for the continued love and grace that God has bestowed upon me to this point in my journey. I look back on the past few years with joy and peace in reflecting on all that God has taught me through each challenge and adventure. I appreciate the maturity that I have gained through serving Him, especially as He has sharpened me by revealing my weaknesses--allowing me to grow even more.

Thank you each for your prayers and support. I enjoy sharing my journey with you, and even if you only have time to glance over my updates, it means a lot that you stay interested in what God is doing in my life. I am blessed to be back in Maryville and able to share stories with many of you face to face. If you can, send ME an update of how things are going with you, and certainly let me know if there is anything I can be praying about for you and your family. I look forward to sharing in greater details my plans for Africa after the conclusion of my time here in New York. So stay tuned! :)

I want to close with a prayer request for my dear brothers in Christ down in New Orleans. Many of you will recall my stories about Bethel Colony South, the drug rehabilitation ministry across the street from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Many of those men became dear friends of mine during my time in the Crescent City. Those men know firsthand what it is to struggle against the darkest temptations of this world. And praise be to God for using men like Mel Jones to stand up and fight for the souls of those very men, to introduce them to the truth, love, and redemption that comes only through Jesus Christ. Several have successfully been rehabilitated both physically and spiritually through the program at Bethel. Some, sadly, end up back on the streets or even dead (as happened to a good friend of mine who was murdered after falling back into a life of crime). My prayer request is one of comfort and healing. A strong leader at Bethel, Arthur, passed away in his sleep at the end of October. Arthur was young and very fit. Apparently he had a heart condition he was unaware of. Pastor Mel called me personally to tell me the news. I pray also that the testimony of Arthur's life will remain powerful to each of the men at Bethel and that they will realize the urgency of Christ's call to each of them, as none of us are guaranteed our next breath. And to let you know just how special these men are, and how special they are to me... my last Sunday morning in New Orleans was split between two churches. The first service was with the Bethel men. At 8am they have their own service together in the gym of a nearby church. The 60 or so of them gather together in intense worship. It is phenomenal to witness the singing and shouts of praise from men who truly know what it is to be redeemed--and who can't thank God enough for that love and forgiveness! I was sitting near the back and before the offering Pastor Mel called out to me to ask when I would be leaving for Africa. I told him my plans to go to East TN to spend time with family and raise support and head on to Africa next year. He said, "Men, this offering this morning is for Hannah's ministry in Africa. Now we make $15 a week, so 10% of that is $1.50. You give what you can and the Lord will multiply that gift." Humbled, I sat in my chair, stunned that such an offering would ever be put towards my ministry. Most of these men have lost everything, their homes, their families, their sense of pride, and there I sat... listening to the sound of change being rattled in pockets and placed in the offering plate. The total amounted to $340. It may have well been one million dollars because that gift, like the widow's mite, meant more to me than any I have ever received. (Within the next 48 hours, through that gift and jewelry sales, I had raised the $700 required for Candidate Week. And here I sit, ready to absorb all I can about my next adventure! God is good. All the time. Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. His grace is sufficient for me.)

You can watch Pastor Mel's incredible testimony here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVxEuLgkzzE

As I've already mentioned in previous updates, my time with MissionLab in New Orleans is coming to an end. My feelings at this moment are bittersweet. I am certainly sad to think of leaving behind the wonderful friends that I've made here--many I now consider family. And who can describe the magic of this city? Its unique atmosphere that sings a song all of its own, the beautiful people that make up each distinct community, the food, the flavor, the culture... It's an odd feeling, too, to leave behind a work in which I've invested the last two years of my life. I had never even been to New Orleans before this storm called Katrina wrecked havoc from corner to corner and beyond. In April 2006 I found myself driving through what might be described as a massive playground of destruction. The city looked as if it had been tossed in the air only to fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces. (Parts of the city, sadly, are far from being put back together.) The needs in this city infected me with a desire that I couldn't shake. I wanted to do more. There was nothing else at that moment I could do, but do more for this city--more than just the 4 days of volunteering that I had originally signed up for. Within two weeks I was making plans to join MissionLab for the summer. By the end of that summer '06, I knew God had a full-time calling on my life for this work. And here I've been! My time here has been incredible, challenging, heartbreaking, joyful, and inspiring. God has blessed me with the opportunity to meet so many needs personally and through our volunteers. Words can never describe the joy that comes from seeing someone in need, and meeting them where they are to help fulfill that need. The stories and testimonies I have heard from some of the homeowners we have been able to serve have been so encouraging for my own life. How inspiring it has been to see the challenges and the triumphs of these precious people who have lost everything and yet never lost hope in the God who never leaves us nor forsakes us.

I suppose the hardest thing about leaving is knowing that there is still so much left to be done in this city. There are still homeowners distraught--unable to rebuild without further assistance. There are still children who have been bumped low on their parents' priority list as the family struggles to survive. There are individuals in AIDS residences who are hurting, men and women in nursing homes who are lonely, homeless people who are hungry, and people everywhere I turn who are weary, broken, and without hope. It is difficult to leave a ministry that is reaching out to each of these. It is easy to feel, in a way, that by my leaving I am turning my back on the very ones I came here to love and to serve. And then I'm reminded that no matter where I go, the needs of God's people are unending. The poor we will always have with us (Matthew 26:11). The orphans and widows will always need to be cared for. There are still 2 billion people in this world who have never even heard the Gospel! My main calling in life is that WHEREVER I am, I am to love and to serve God and God's people with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I have dedicated myself to that calling and leave myself open daily to whatever and wherever that looks like. Even while being in New Orleans, my heart is continually broken for people worldwide, and it is that brokenness that has led me to the next step in my journey. My last day with MissionLab will be September 30th. From there I will head back to Maryville, TN to spend the next several months with my family and friends there as I raise support for my next adventure.

In November, I will be going to Pearl River, New York as part of the next phase in my process with Africa Inland Mission's two-year program called TIMO (http://timo-aim.com/). I will be in New York for 5 days as part of AIM's Candidate Week. There I will learn more about the program, they will learn more about me, and (what I'm most excited about!) I will get more details on which country I will be going to and what the ministry focus will be. I am definitely looking forward to that week and hearing more about the specifics of what the next two years of my life will be like! :) I will definitely keep everyone posted and I hope that you will continue to pray with me as God leads me through this process. I will have more details after Candidate Week about how you can financially support my time in Africa if you feel God leading you to do that. I know God will provide. He already has in so many ways throughout my ministry here in New Orleans and other trips I've taken up until now. And I'm thankful for each of you who have prayed for and encouraged me along the way. I could not have accomplished all that I have without God using people like you to pray me through it!

I hope those of you here in New Orleans will continue to keep in touch after my departure, and I will be looking forward to seeing others of you when I am back in Tennessee!