Where am i going

You can see the town of Isiro in the far North East of the DR Congo, towards the Sudan and Ugandan borders. Isiro is the capital of Haut-Uele Province. A bit more about the situation in the DR Congo below (i took this info from Reliefweb). Its often described as a chronic conflict and the first civil and regional war began in 1996

A recent mortality survey carried out by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) claims that war, disease, and malnutrition area are killing 45,000 Congolese every month in this conflict-driven humanitarian crisis, which has claimed 5.4 million victims in nearly a decade. Most of these deaths are due to easily treatable and preventable diseases through the collapse of health systems

If you are interested to read more about the DR Congo, I'd recommend looking at various sites on the net, Medair, Releief Web, Alertnet.org are all good starting points.

Why Im going

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Isiro, DR Congo

Im back in Manchester now after after my week in the Netherlands with Medair. It is very difficult to know how to summarise such an intense week, but i can certainly say i've learnt a lot about humanitarian work, about living and working in a team and about myself. I've been back at home for 10 days and im still processing all that happened. It was great to be in that environment though, surrounded by so many passionate, committed and professional people from all over the world

during the week i was spoken to about a Finance and logistics role in the DR Congo, in a town called Isiro. There was so much to take in during the ROC that i didn't want to make any decisons there and then. I've since had contact with Medair and feel there is where God is leading me. Its looking like I will be heading out there in June. Excitement, awe, fear, some degree of panic - these are some of the emotions im feeling right now, all normal im told. I will post more details about my role in the near future. Thanks for everybodys encouragement and prayers - you're all amazing!!!

The ROC

Its arrived finally!!! Very early on Saturday morning I fly to Amsterdam for the ROC, which is Medair's training week. I expect to be learning lots about relief work, this will be my introduction humanitraian aid and Medair's mandate within that context. I thought that I would be feeling nervous and apprehensive as this moment approached, but i've got to say im really looking forward to it. Not sure if thats because i've been so busy recently ...I think its more to do with my outook on life though. I always get excited by a new adventure!!!

It promises to be an intense week as I start to understand what it means to be living the life of a relief worker. I believe this is where God wants me, I have a real peace about that. I hope things come together as the week unfolds, that a role and place within the organisation becomes clear for me. Thats where i will really need your prayers I think.

I really believe in Medair's programmes. They literally work amongst the most vulnerable people on earth, in some of the most forgotten crises across Africa and Asia. It will be interesting, no doubt about that.

A bit more about me

Im never sure how much i should reveal through this blog, as its not just my close friends who will see it. Anyway, i think there is some stuff that i should say, especially my interest in going overseas and my future work with Medair

A quote from Steve Chalk inspired me to share a bit more. He said 'My aim is not to impress people with what i do - but to train and inspire them to do better themselves'.

I first became awar of Medair when i was living in London back in the day. There was a girl from my church who went to work in Afghanistan as a nurse. I remember hearing her speak and thinking wow, im interested in that! My fascination with the organisation and humanitarian aid work in particular has never faded, infact i would say its grown stronger and stronger.

Hopefully since then i've matured in my faith. I am tuly convinced that Jesus holds the key it is only him who is able to transform people, communites and indeed entire nations. I have all the practical skills to build a successful career in this line of work, but without Jesus at the heart of it whats the point, wheres it all leading!

Medair

Well i've been accepted on Medair's training programme. You may ask who are Medair? well they are a Christian relief organisation. They work in some of the poorest countries on earth. I will be going to Amsterdam on 21 March for a week of training, and to see if they are the right fit for me. If all goes well, I may have a new job, or it could just be another step on the learning curve for me

A bit more about Medair....www.medair.org

Medair responds to natural disasters, conflicts that uproot communities, and crises such as drought or disease. Our core competencies are emergency relief – responding rapidly to save lives in a crisis – and rehabilitation – restoring vulnerable communities in the wake of a crisis. Our ability to provide life-saving care is enhanced by flexible multisectoral expertise including health services, water and sanitation, and shelter and infrastructure.

Medair serves the world’s most vulnerable people, who are identified by the seriousness of their needs. For Medair, this often means traveling to remote and hard-to-reach locations to assist the most underserved populations.

All of our activities are bolstered by a persistent focus on training and capacity building that stimulates self-sufficiency and nurtures independence. Being accountable to our beneficiaries is a vital component of our programme design and implementation. We do not travel to distant countries to impose our will; we come to compassionately serve the most vulnerable, to listen to their needs, and work alongside them to find the best solutions.

Following (Part 2)

This morning i've heard George Verwer speak at my church, Ivy Manchester. George Verwer is the founder of Operation Mobilisation. Check out more at http://www.georgeverwer.com/. He talked a lot about following Jesus, answering yes when Jesus says 'Come follow me'

The topic follows on nicely from my last post on this site back in October. Im sure you're wondering what i've been up to since then.

Well i started to apply for jobs with relief organisations over Christmas, and im waiting to hear back on applications at the moment. Having spoken to a number of people in the field in recent months it looks like i should get a post pretty quickly. I can trace this calling on my life back to my early days as a Christian, so you could ay its been a long time coming

Doesn't make it any easier actually saying yes though when Jesus comes calling. Im pretty happy in Manchester, i go to a good church, have a great group of friends and a fantastic family. The thought of leaving all this to go and live and work in one of the worlds most needy, dangerous countries seems crazy at times. I think sometimes i must be mad, or confused or running away from something. All sorts of things start to go through your mind its pretty scary. Will i cope being away? Will i be any good? Will i get on with my colleagues out there

i know, in my heart, what Jesus is leading me to. i have to trust him. This is what famous Chrisitans talk about when they say you need to surrender your life to god. Leaving your job and moving halway across the world. its all coming my way i think, if im brave enough to go and follwo Jesus