My Long Overdue Update

If I’m being honest, I have been putting off updating this blog for the past few weeks.

Last summer when I started collecting school supplies to send back to the orphanage in Liberia, it was my dream to take them to the kids myself, but honestly, that was all it was - a dream. I hoped and prayed that God would allow me to to return and take the supplies to the kids, but I guess I never really expected Him to make anything out of it.

When my desire to go back had been expressed and we (being my family and I) started to explore the possibility of returning, there was a lot of “ifs”, “maybes”, and conditions put on going back. My head whirled and spun with all the planning and details that needed to be worked out - and anyone who knows me well knows I tend to get overwhelmed a little too easily (okay... maybe way too easily...). But I was encouraged to keep taking baby steps, working out one thing at a time. And so we did! Now, I would be lying if I said I didn’t still have my “freak out” moments along the way, but The Lord has blessed me by putting exactly the right people in my path at exactly the right times to talk some Peace and sense into me. So, much like last summer, this year’s journey to return to Liberia required being diligent to take small steps and follow His lead in His timing (which, by the way, is never too early and never too late).

My biggest fear throughout this past year has been that this whole trip is my trip rather than God’s trip, and to be honest, that fear has only amplified in these past weeks. As plans are becoming more complete and concrete and things are becoming more and more real, I have been struggling with many doubts.

“What if this really isn’t where God wants me this summer?”

“What if He would rather have me serving somewhere else but I’m too stubborn to listen?”

“What if I’m asking all these people to pray, and collecting all this money when The Lord is telling me not to go?”

“Would it be more beneficial to those I’m trying to bless in Africa if I just sent over money rather than go myself?”

Let me stop here, because honestly, I could go on for hours. Yet through the cloud of doubts, God has made Himself very clear in His ways of encouraging me to keep going forward. Here are just a few of the things that have served to keep me grounded and to remind me of how Big our God:

- God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Any confusion I am having about this trip is planted by our enemy.

- I need to stop worrying about what I don’t know (aka: details, plans, etc.) and be faithful to focus and concentrate on what I do know. I was called, specifically this summer, to go and to serve in the ways I know how. Every time I am diligent to focus on what I know, rather than worry about what I don’t know, I am filled, covered, and overflowing with both peace and Peace.

- “Failure rarely stops people. Fear of failure does.” Yep.

- I was given something to work with, so I need to be faithful and start working now. I can’t wait for my situation to utopianize. If I do, I will never start.

- http://www.noordinarylove.org/reflections/2013/05/03/freedom-helping-others - Ummm, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m pretty sure this person was writing directly to me. The Holy Spirit must have overtaken this bloggers keyboard because this might as well have been hand delivered to me with my name on it!

I also would be lying if I said even after all these things the Lord spoken to me that I am still not occasionally overtaken with doubts, but in a strange way I believe that, in itself, is a sign that The Lord is in this whole trip (or rather, that this is His trip) because why else would satan try so hard to destroy it?

If you are reading this, I am asking that you please commit to praying for this trip with me. There is something that The Lord wants to do with this trip and it needs to be showered with prayer.

Specifically, please pray:

- This always remains His trip.

- That my heart and mind would remain in constant, clear communication with Him, and that His desires will always be my desires.

- He would be the only One seen through our workings.

- That satan’s schemes would never stop us from accomplishing what God has willed.

Update and Thank You!

We want to give you a couple of important updates about our upcoming mission to the orphanage and school in Liberia.

First, the Thank You! Nearly $1000 has already been given. Tim and I are excited, grateful, and humbled by such a quick response.


My original letter tells how I would go two weeks previous to Tim. My plan was to work on a jungle mission school with people from The Grove (the sending church in Phoenix, AZ), then meet up with Tim at the airport in Monrovia and bus up to Yekepa. Once we saw the effort it would take to coordinate the travel and realized that about $1300 could be saved, we decided to eliminate the first portion of the plan. We will now travel together! It looks like the dates will be within a day or two of June 22 – August 3 (tickets can’t be purchased until we have all those funds on hand).


The Grove is still very much involved. They are getting airline tickets for us from a missions travel discounter, coordinating our transport to/from Monrovia - Yekepa, and providing housing at the African Bible College. Yet, once Bekah dropped from their portion of the trip, it made it difficult for them to handle the donations.


Instead, our church has graciously agreed to receive, disburse, and provide tax receipts for all monies donated. For those who have already given, we will work with the Grove to handle it properly. For those who haven’t yet sent support, please write Hoesterey on the memo line and send checks to:
          Family Heritage Church.
          78998 Miles Ave 
          La Quinta, CA 92253

Again, thank you first and foremost for your prayers. Please consider supporting us!


God Bless!

Plans To Return!

Dear Friends and Family,

Last summer I had the incredible opportunity to go on a mission trip to Liberia, Africa. Those two short weeks shaped my heart and life more than any other experience I have had during my short 21 years on this earth. Since I have been back, I have not stopped thinking about the people I met and the experiences I had when I was there. I have been praying that the Lord would provide me an opportunity to return to the little orphanage in Yekepa, Liberia.

Amazingly, God has provided me, and my brother Tim, the opportunity to return this summer for two months! I will be gone is from June 10^tth until August 2^nd.

I will be returning to Liberia with a team from The Grove (a Bible church in Arizona) for two weeks doing construction work on the E.N. I. Jungle Mission School.  At the end of the two weeks, my brother, Tim, will be flying to meet me in Liberia so we can go on to Yekepa for the remaining 6 weeks. Here, I will be fulfilling my sports ministry internship and will be running recess and after-school activities for both the school children and the orphans. I also plan on leading a small group Bible study for the older girls at the orphanage. Tim will be helping not only with the sports activities, but also with various building projects the orphanage needs. The boys are very excited that he is coming because it is usually only women who come and visit the orphanage.

We ask first and foremost for your prayers! Please pray that God softens and prepares our hearts and the hearts of those we will come in contact with. Pray that the Lord protects us. Pray that we will be humble and ready to serve, but also ready to learn. Finally, please pray that our financial needs would be met. Because of the airfare and the extended time we will be in Liberia, the approximate cost for each of us to go will be about $ 3,000. I am asking that you consider supporting us! I have enclosed a response card with my name and a self addressed and stamped envelope. Please make checks payable to The Grove and write Hoesterey on the memo line. All donations are tax deductible. 

Thank you and God bless!

Bekah