First Writing for OM

Here is my first post to appear on the OM website! The first part I had to write in 3rd person which is a little strange :] but enjoy! Also, tomorrow I leave for Zambia, so please be praying for that.

Caitlin is a university student from Texas who is currently spending a semester interning with OM in Madagascar. From August 1 - November 1 Caitlin will be learning how to do communications with OM. During this time, she is an assistant communications facilitator for the OM Madagascar team, helping to write stories and gather photos. The following post is written by Caitlin; her thoughts and insights into what it is like for a young woman from the USA to be on the mission field in Madagascar. 

It feels like just yesterday that I heard direction from the Lord telling me to pursue a position with OM in Madagascar! I had never heard of Antananarivo (the capital of Madagascar), and now I will be living there in just a few short days. Preparing for this trip was exciting and nerve-racking all at once; exciting because I was preparing to go to a new land and nerve-racking because for three months I will be apart from everything and everyone with whom I am comfortable. However, the Lord made it clear to me that this was His plan. I obtained my new passport, visa to Madagascar, and all my vaccinations with no problems. Yet, as I said goodbye to my family in Texas and boarded my plane, I wondered if I was making a huge mistake or embarking on one of my life's greatest adventures. 

It was certainly a long flight to South Africa, but when I landed there I had a great sense of peace and realized that when following the Lord's direction there is never any reason to fear. Everything I am experiencing here in South Africa is new and unfamiliar and, while struggling with jetlag, it is easy to feel slightly overwhelmed; but I can feel the Lord reassuring me everyday that He is in control. He will complete in me the good work which He began - part of that completion might be bringing me here, to Africa. Before I left the USA, my mother encouraged me with these words from 1 Chronicles 28:20, "...Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished." 

Some people have asked me if I feel as though I'm wasting a semester of college, while others have told me how great I am for sacrificing my time in college to go to Africa. In those times, I'm reminded of a quote by the missionary David Livingstone, "If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" I feel so honored and blessed beyond words to be chosen by God for this task. I'm looking forward to arriving in Madagascar!

To God Be the Glory,

Caitlin