Freeman Jan 2019

Hello everyone, it has been a while since my last newsletter and there is much to share! I want to go ahead and thank everyone who has been supporting me through prayers and financial giving. It has been very special to me to see how God has orchestrated these past few months and the people He has blessed me with, so THANK YOU! I have many things to tell which include Happy Reformation Day/Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Christmas, and Happy New Year! So let me give you an update which is long overdue.

Back in September, I packed up a bunch of my belongings in huge boxes along with my comfy chair and took them down to the Rafiki Home Office in Florida to be placed on a container and shipped to Rwanda. Back then it was very nerve-racking to think that my possessions (even some of my sentimental things) were packed in a container and shipped across the ocean without full confirmation of whether or not I, myself, would be joining them anytime soon! In fact, I have even heard that it took a container two years to get to its destination.

October felt like an excruciating waiting game! “Will I ever get the support I need?” “What if I don’t?” “What if I have completely misread God’s direction?” These were all questions going over and over in my mind. To top it off, I was only at twenty-two percent of my support needed. I really had to take it to the Lord, and guess what, He gave me peace! October leaked itself into November and I took a trip to say goodbye to my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my cousin on my Dad’s side. It all seemed so surreal. “Can I really be saying goodbye to everyone for TWO years!?!?”

December came and the stress started to get packed in! I have not yet quit serving the Iranian community in the Atlanta area, and have been working on my good-bye making sure to make everyone feel cared for and loved even as I leave. On the twenty-second of December, I was the wedding planner, maid-of-honor, and musician for one of my dear friend’s weddings. Her name is Shaghayegh (I dare you to try to say that… “Sha-qha-yeqh”) it means poppy. She became a sister to me and since she got engaged in August, we all wanted to pull off a fast wedding so that I would be in town for it and be a part of it. Her joy is my joy! It felt like a wonderful and beautiful close to much of the work that I have done in the Iranian refugee community. At the wedding, I was really taking in everything as much as I could because I had recently received a phone call from Rafiki Home Office saying that I was at sixty percent and that my ticket was going to be issued immediately! I am SO EXCITED!

So now it is January, you are all caught up, and if you read this far, I take my hat off to you. I will now tell you the most exciting part of this newsletter.

I have a ticket for February 8, 2019 and will officially arrive in Rwanda on the 9th! LESS than a month away! God is so faithful to me!

I got the opportunity to say goodbye to my Mom’s side of the family at our New Year’s celebration. I have started packing my suitcase, trying desperately to get my paperwork in order, and trying not to cry every time I see someone I love that cannot visit me when I leave. You might have concluded some prayer requests from that previous sentence, but there are more.

• Pray that the paperwork I am having difficulty obtaining would cease to be a problem and that I will be able to have my papers prepared and in order for my visa ASAP!
•  Pray that on the plane, my viola will not be a problem in the upper cabinets and that no one will attempt to put my “baby” with the luggage!
•  Pray that all the processing and visa business will go smoothly in Rwanda.
•  Pray that my heart and the hearts of all there at the Village would be prepared by the Lord for glorifying Him through music and art.
• Pray that God will keep my eyes fixed on His strength and His power made perfect in my weakness.
•  Pray that God will give me peace and comfort as I say goodbye to people who are very precious to me.
•  Pray that the stress of this exit will not weigh heavily on my health so that I can start strong in my new home!
•  Pray that the remaining forty percent funding for full support will come in quickly.

I am so blessed to have you all out there supporting me, praying for me, and encouraging me! I promise to write soon! Next time it will be from Rwanda!

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