La Sonya

Umm, so one week from today is my long journey to Africa, the country of Tchad. I'm about $545 short but I'll pay for it from my camp funds. God is good! I am packed except for my last min purchases such as a waterfilter, head lamp, drink mix, shampoo, ect. . . I'll get those things this week. I was looking at my iteneary earlier and WOW what a journey I have ahead. I leave DFW @ 7:22pm but I'll get to the airport @5pm. ANyway I'll get to Tchad by 8:30pm TUESDAY night but that's just the capital we'll have to drive a very long way down to Bere. Liz also just told me that there will be another SM nurse going from PUC! Sounds like we'll have a full house of Americans.

Riley smiling Originally uploaded by dreams with faith Kids, I can't wait to play with them in Tchad. I had a lot of fun this summer with Conner and Riley (not to mention the 100s of campers that came through). I know that just being around the kids in Bere I will improve my French. Plus kids know the language of laughter and smiles.

I've started packing. Only because I have all my belongings here in Tennessee and I fly out to Texas on the 26th (thursday). It's exciting to be packing, I'm trying to make sure I take everything I need because who knows if I'll need it or be able to buy any over there. I am taking a whole bunch of Burt's Bees stuff because Sara said that it gets really dry down there. I am also taking a whole lot of shampoo because they don't have cheap shampoo down there for white people hair. I have no idea what shirts to take either, they told me I don't need much clothing which is true but I have so many t-shirts I have no idea which ones I want to see every week for the next year and which ones I can go without seeing for a year. Then there's the possibility that I take to much or just simply not enough. All well, I think this is all part of the adventure!!!! Maybe I'll just take a change of clothes :o) If you know of something I should take let me know! I only...

I've decided I am not a huge deep thinker or an amazing writer. But what I do is express my thoughts. I've seen God work in so many great ways. I have a friend who turned down a good camp job because he thought he would get this other way cool job. Turns out he didn't get it and it was to late to go to the camp job. So he had to wait awhile. He had no idea what God had in store for him to do. So he starts to make some short term plans. Turns out God had BIGGER plans for him and he got to go to Washington state to do this really cool camp. God's ways are higher. I wanted to go to Tchad, but for awhile didn't think I was going to go. If the NAD had said okay from the begining they would have sent my Passport away and i wouldn't have been able to use it to go to Ashley's wedding in Mexico. God's ways are higher. We just never know what He has in store for us. We never know why something might have happened in our life. What we do know is that God knows the ...

Here's the scoop on how I got connected with Tchad. It was early March and I had just been rejected by Boston College for my masters in international social work, with the recomendation that I get more experience then reaply. So all my options were open I could do anything I wanted or go anywhere! I then recieved an email from Maria Sager telling us about her friend who was a doctor in Tchad, who could use some prayer and if anyone was willing to go out there they could use more volunteers. Knowing I wasn't medical I wondered if I could actually do anything useful for him. So I emailed him to see. I told him that I had been out before what I had done and that i was a social worker and a nonprofit minor. He right away was interested and we started working on me going through Southern as a student Missionary. I have since graduated and I am being allowed to still go through SAU. I am very excited about going and I know that God is leading in my life. If you are really interested ...

Today, Jul 11, 2007, the General Conference Appointees Committee took the following Adventist Volunteer Service action: Sonya Faye Reaves (NAD) (SAU) has been approved for the following call. Call Information Call ID WAD.BEAH.2007.06 Position Title Social Action/Services Organization Bere Adventist Hospital Country Chad Begin Date End Date Length Dates of Service Aug 5, 2007 Jul 31, 2008 12 months Please notify the volunteer and appropriate organizations. Feel free to follow through with visa, travel, and insurrance arrangements.

Well on tuesday of this week I went to the Motgomery Childrens Heath and was shot! Owww! I now have been given the clear for tetnis and Yellow Fever. I am glad that it is over with. I was afraid I would pass out or something, I was glad my friend Rachael from Camp went so she could distract me. The tetnis hurt but the yellow fever was nothing but a bee sting. So now I am one HUGE step closer to being able to go!!! Andrea up at Southern is in the process of buying my ticket for the 6th of Aug. I'll fly to Paris alone and meet up with Liz over there. It is going to be one HECK of a long journy. Just to get to Europe is 9 hours, then down to Africa several more, then once we are there we have to drive a really long way to get to Bere. So I am guessing that it will take around 2 days all in all. Not to mention the time change! Yippie! Sounds like fun!!!! Camp is going good, I am getting excited about leaving and I keep thinking of more things that I need to get together to take with me...