Jessica Morgan’s Blog

A slower week

This week has been a lot slower than the past few weeks regarding Cameroon. This might seem a bit disappointing but it has actually be a blessing to have time to reflect on what God has been doing and to spend time with Him. I have also managed to get up to date on the massive pile of paperwork I have building up! However, there have been other things happening this week, namely:
1) Organisation of events - we currently have confirmed a ceilidh and children’s dance camp in Dundee, a Scottish night on Hayling Island and a social in Liverpool. If you would like to know more about any of these events please get in contact with me and I will let you know the details of the event’s organiser.
2) Acquisition of equipment - I have managed to get quotes for all the equipment we need and have begun sourcing these items. I am hoping to have the first equipment at the beginning of next week.
3) Further planning and preparation - from flights and annual leave, to team bonding and detailed project plans, many areas have taken steps forward in the last week to allow the project to move further forward.

Prayers: Thank God for time for reflection and worship. Pray for the upcoming events and their organisers. Pray for ideas and ‘open doors’ regarding finances.

Another great week

Yet again I have the chance to write to you about the awesome things that God has done for this project. I have just got home from a long weekend up in Dundee working on Cameroon. I had an amazing time with the team, getting to know one another, doing a bit of training and sharing out the jobs. From their feedback I think they enjoyed themselves too! It was a real answer to prayer to finally have people together and to really feel that this project is getting off the ground!

There is however, one major issue at present. In order for all the necessary equipment to arrive in Cameroon before we do, they must be shipped by the middle of April at the latest. This gives us just 3 months to find the finances we need and then to order everything and organise the shipping. I am sure you can understand that this is a MASSIVE task for us! If you think you can help in any way at all, please let us know as soon as possible!

Otherwise, everything else is going well, money is trickling in, people are getting involved and we hope to book our flights by the end of the month. God willing, there will be even more good news next week!

Prayers: Praise God for an awesome team, with all their skills and enthusiasm as well as the relationships that are growing so quickly. Pray for finances and provision, particularly for the main equipment that we will make the shipment deadline. Pray for blessed conversations this week as we approach people for help and advice.

Merry Christmas!

It is only going to be a short post today. Mainly, I want to wish all those supporting us in our mission to Cameroon a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. In particular I would like to thank you all for your generosity in the Christmas Wish List - we have raised over £1,200 so far through this! It is so amazing to keep ticking off items on the list - knowing that they are so greatly needed.

Otherwise, I am afraid it has been a quiet week in the Cameroon planning. Most of what I have been doing has been very organisational - including starting to plan for the first team training weekend, from 2-4th January. In particular I am looking for a good ‘missionary’s guide’ to encourage the girls and enable them to think through some issues before we arrive. Does anyone have any suggestions? (otherwise - i’ll just write my own!) I am also almost at the point of confirming exact dates for the trip - currently the working plan is for the first two weeks of July. We are only awaiting confirmation of my annual leave before we can book our flights! God willing, we will have some good news on this by the New Year!

Prayers: Praise God for His blessings of this year, that they have been continuous and timely. Pray for the team as they prepare themselves for the upcoming training. Pray they would be blessed and rested over the festive period such that they are ready and willing to begin the hard work in the new year! Pray over the organisation of the trip, particularly the ‘nitty gritty’ issues that can so often hold things up, including leave, financial issues and administration.

Further progress

If you thought the news was good last week, then be prepared for even more astounding things this week!

Firstly, I have a team. I am really excited about having each one of them working with us and can’t wait to introduce them all to you. However, that will have to wait for next week as I am waiting for one more confirmation. Sorry!

Secondly, the financial blessing keeps pouring in! Yesterday, I receive four emails from various places around the country - each one told me of a donation of a large amount of money - such that the total was over £1,500! Praise God that He can bless us so much in just one day! In particular I want to mention two groups this week. Firstly - none other than the Gate! They raised over £200 this week through bake sales and Christmas cards. In addition, they have all been a wonderous support to each and every member of the team. And secondly - Monifieth High School! The High School’s Charity Committee have chosen to support our project with a non-uniform day next term. I, for one, am very excited about the links we are making with the school to ensure that pupils learn about what we are doing in Cameroon and what their money will help us with. Assembly - here I come!

And finally this week, I have been wonderfully blessed with support from those who are more wise than I this week! From Dr Peter (previously mentioned in the blog) who has been helping with my stupid questions again to Paul Melville (Gate youth pastor) who has been helping to support and aid the team decisions, not forgetting to mention the amazing Dr Beri (Medical Director at BBH) for answering all my tricky questions about fiddly things like plug sockets and fuses!

Prayers: Thank God for His continued blessing over all the people involved in this project. Pray for the team as they get to know one another, that each would find the role and responsibility that God has called them to in this group. Pray for those who are helping us through finances and personal support, that they may be blessed in their generosity.

A God who answers prayers!

Isn’t God awesome? I have been reading back about things that I have blogged over the past few months and have realised that so many of our prayers have already been answered! God has been so good to us regarding this project, and the work goes each week from strength to strength. I can only reiterate the verse that has been spoken over this mission - Habakkuk 1:5 - Look among the nations, wonder and be astounded - for I am doing a work in these days that you would not believe if told!

So what has been happening this week? Well, currently I am on Hayling Island - where I was fortunate enough to grow up, and where I have been spending time with the congregation of South Hayling URC. Their kindness and generosity has provided us with nearly £700 in the past month - that is nearly enough for two oxygen concentrators!! It was a blessing to speak with them this week about what their money is being used for and how appreciated their donations are!

Also, we have this week - the Christmas Wish List!!!! Have a look at the list by clicking on ‘Documents you may need’ just at the top of the page - then have a look at the link! The document is amazing (thanks Kerr) and tells you all you need to know about buying that perfect humanitarian gift for your friends and relatives! They even get a wee thank you certificate from us! And we will keep them update on the mission after our return so they can see just how their gifts were used!

The next big event has been the application for team members - these are all now in. Paul and I will be carefully considering the team and will confirm it with the people involved before it ends up on the blog. However, watch this space because these details will be revealed soon….

Collection boxes - now completed - thanks to some amazing work by my flatmate, Hannah - if you can think of somewhere to put a box - ie where people will put money in it - please send me a comment and I’ll be in touch about sending one out! Also available are the simple and eye-catching missions posters - again - look in ‘Documents you may need’. And finally today - pictures will be uploaded just as soon as I have compressed them so take a look at that page this week too!

Prayer points: Praise God for His glorious faithfulness and for His continuing grace over this project. Pray for continued financial blessings and that we would be wise in the spending of this money. Pray for the applicants to the team, that they might know peace during our decision making.

Whiteboards!

Just a quick update today on a few big things. Firstly, team selection is going well. Application forms are trickling in and we hope to have a confirmed team by this time next week. I’m very excited about having some extra help around. Secondly, I am off to Hayling Island this weekend for some time with my family and with the church there. Any of you around on Sunday will be getting an update on the mission and what we’ve got going on at the moment. I’m excited about the prospect of getting more people involved! Thirdly, posters, collection boxes and Christmas lists should all be ready in the next couple of days - please let me know if you would like a wee supply and I will send them your way!

And finally, an explanation of the title! I have received this week, the two whiteboards for the ward, which will be used as a patient board and a teaching whiteboard. I am very excited as I also am able to use one of them as my planning board! This allows me to write everything I am thinking about down so that I don’t forget! Hopefully it will help me keep a better track on what everyone involved is up to as well!

Prayer points this week: Please pray for wisdom and discernment in picking our team. Thank God for the help and support provided to me by the Gate staff team, in particular Paul, Rachel and Kerr. Pray for the workers out in Cameroon who are enduring the current conditions and helping us prepare for our trip.

Continuing progress

I write this at 4.17 am so please forgive the middle of the night nonsense. However, I thought I ought to keep you all up to date and this is the first chance I got. So despite my being on call for the last 5 days - I still have exciting news to share with you all.

Firstly, team selection is well and truly underway and we hope to have the team finalised by Monday 8th December so watch this space! Secondly, finances continue to come in. This week a great thank you has to go to Hayling Island URC for their fundraising efforts over the last two weeks! I don’t have an exact number yet but we are grateful for all we get. I will be paying a ‘thank you’ visit in 10 days time to share more of what we are planning to do. Thirdly, I have begun ordering items to take with us. The first big order was for teaching supplies - mainly a couple of whiteboards and equipment to go with them. These will also come in handy as my ‘planning boards’ and should be arriving some time later this week. And finally, on the Christmas wish list front - I have it on good faith that this will be posted on the blog some time in the next few days. Keep your eyes peeled!

Prayer points: Thank God for His constant provision and guidance. Thank Him that He continues to uphold us and renew our strength for this project. Pray for wisdom in the selection of the team. Pray for financial security in the current climate.

Massive steps!

Yet again, I must start this post with an apology for not writing for a while. However, I am sure you will be excited by the enormous steps that have been taken in this time for the project. All of this occurred because I have just spent 5 (only 4 were planned but illness caused an extra day’s stay) days in Dundee, with the Gate. The following developments have occurred:

1) We have the makings of a team! After an excrutiatingly embarrassing appearance in the video announcements - many people volunteered to come with us. In actual fact, more people than I have the space to take would like to join the team. Therefore I am starting the difficult process of picking my team but I am hoping to have this confirmed by Christmas time so watch this space!

2) We have an admin assistant! Kerr Brady, one of the Gate’s admin people, has offered to help with our project for half a day a week. This will make my job a LOT easier as he can do a lot of the time consuming tasks that have been holding the project back! Already he is make an indent into things that have had me stuck for a while.

3) We have some collection boxes on the way! If you think you have somewhere that you would like to put a collection box and poster for this mission so that people can drop their pennies in, please let me know and I’ll send one your way.

4) The Christmas wish list is completed! It is currently in Kerr’s inbox, awaiting prettifying (ie changed into something that doesn’t look like a doctor wrote it!)! Watch this space for the list coming up soon!

5)I have full account details for the mission, as well as Gift Aid forms for those of you who pay tax, so if you would like information about how to send money, please send me an email (address: cosmicjess@hotmail.co.uk)

6) There are a lot more exciting fundraising events taking place all over the country. If you want to know about ones near you or would like to set up a new event, please let me know.

So that’s about it for today, I think! Will try to get back to the normal blogging rountine as soon as possible.

Prayer points: Thanks God for His amazing blessings this week in all areas of the project. Pray for continued enthusiasm and commitment for those involved in the project. Pray for discernment in selecting a team.

Another week down…

Great news today - we can use the Gate’s accounts for our funds! This might not sound the most exciting thing in the world but believe me -it matters a lot. It means that we can now claim Gift Aid for donations from UK taxpayers so if you are thinking of donating - please get in contact with me first so that I can send you a form and we can get back a load more money without you paying a penny!

On other notes, have been brousing through the Durbin plc catalogue - will be writing our Christmas ‘wish list’ this weekend so if you want to buy us a gift from a friend or relative, you can get in contact and see what we have going. The only other big work that I have been doing is looking at grants from various trusts to see if we qualify. This is very time consuming work but, I hope, well worth it if we are awarded any money.

Unfortunately that is about all the news I have for you this week (due to a long and busy 80 hours in the hospital) but hopefully there will be more next Monday- I have the weekend off to work on this (and my eportfolio!). Many thanks to you all for your support.

Prayers: Pray for financial blessing, particularly for large amounts for the items we need. Pray for good communication between all those involved, particularly between Cameroonian and British elements. Pray for donations of equipment. Thank God that He persistently provides encouragement and motivation for this project.

Oops I somehow lost last week’s blog!

Sorry guys, I did write a blog last week (albeit not a completely interesting one) and somehow it got lost in the internet ether that I don’t quite understand! Basically it said I met one of my heros - Helen Roseveare and you should read her books (read about them on Amazon).

Anyway, so the news this week is again very good. Have made lots of new and exciting contacts this week, from right here in Whiston to the far-flung parts that are the United States! I’ve met someone who is supporting me personally in the mission leadership side of life (something I definitely needed but had felt a little afraid to ask for!), including just generally giving me cups of tea. I’ve also been in contact with someone who is very willing to help us with the acquisition of all the equipment we need through their own charity. God is so good at giving us the people we need just when we need them most!

On the finances front (which I try to be very open with), money continues to come into the funds (over £200 in the last week) and people are also offering to run more events each and every day! I, and the rest of the team, are so thankful for the time and money that people so generously offer to us. However, we do still need a lot more money so if you feel you want to help in any way please do send a quick reply with any of your ideas! In particular, if you know of any grants that you think this project might be suitable for, please let me know so I can get applications in asap!

So, though it doesn’t sound like much, that’s a lot of news for this week. Here come the prayer points….

Prayers: Thank God for His continued confirmation that this project is His will. Thank Him for sending the right people for the right job at the right time. Pray for health in a team that currently seems plagued by health worries. Pray for continued financial blessing.