[From Facebook, with love]

"Dear Facebook friends,

It has been two months since I last was on here. Two months FULL of laughter and tears, trips and travels, homecomings and staying home. I went to the beach for Thanksgiving, spending delicious amounts of time with family, and then came home and became a live-in au pair for the month of December [excepting Christmas week]. Sadly, because of my busy schedule, I was unable to take any more CLEP tests, but Im ok with that because part of the reason Im doing this program is so that I can still continue to live while doing college work. I started working a bit on recipes, but have now realized what a monumental task this is going to be- I will consider myself very blessed if I get this project done within two years! I never did land a job at Starbucks or B&N, but I was given an even better job: spending time during the weekdays as a nanny and personal assistant to a dear family I love very much. It was wonderful getting to be involved with their life, and getting to encourage them this past month. I was encouraged and grown spiritually as well, so it was a month well spent.

Now the new year has arrived: 2011. I'll be honest, when I was a kid I somehow got it into my head that I would never survive past the age of 18, so I am very grateful to be alive. :) I want to tell you a funny story about God's providence: His timing is perfect. Earlier this past week, I joined 90% of America in making "new years resolutions". Of course, I also took fallen man's depravity into mind, so I only went as far as March, knowing I probably would have to change them again after that. ;) I decided that what I really needed to do was concentrate on school work. Therefore, January I was to take 4 CLEPs, February take 3, and March take 4. I would also be working on the webinar with my wonderful mother dear, and going through book lists with my daddy. I missed seeing my extended family, so I planned to set aside more money for travel expenses-- fly to Tx for a week, VA for a week, and maybe if I could, squeeze in a trip to Wisconsin with my best friend Ariel, so we could see some friends up there and actually enjoy snow for more than a day :) [You are probably picking up by now that I am using verbs in past tense- I HAD planned on doing all this....]

I decided all this on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010, at 10 am. I showed my friend my list, and she approved, so I started to get ready for the day. I began work and my phone rang on that day, at 10:30 am. This conversation ensued:

Me: "Hello?"

Matt Chancey: "Hi Mercy! How would you like to go to Africa?"

That sentence changed my life.

Its funny how life works. Apparently, living in Africa is on everyone's bucket list except mine. Ive always wanted to visit South Africa again, to see my "African family" that I love so much, but Ive never had a desire to live there.... But God works wonders, and I can't wait to tell my children in future years that for two months, my address was Nairobi, Kenya ;) Here is a great quote I love: "“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” [Mark Twain]

THEREFORE, Dear facebook friends, after much prayer and talking to trusted advisors and reasoning and praying some more, I will be going to Nairobi, Kenya for two months to help Matt and Jennie Chancey move and get settled in to their new life in Africa! I cannot explain enough how excited I am about this trip. Slightly nervous and/or terrified? Yes. But with the knowledge that I honestly believe God has called me to go to Kenya on this trip, and that through Him I am not only safe but I can do great things for His kingdom and for the people over there, I am thrilled to be given this chance. Plus, its with one of my favorite families on earth- how much more amazing can it be?

I am asking for your prayers, for myself and the Chanceys, and everyone we will be meeting- pray that we will be used for His Kingdom, that we won't get sick or hurt in any way, that we will be highly effective and able to help those who need it over there, and encourage the Christians we will meet. Pray for our families here, that they won't miss us too much, and that they will be safe while we are gone. And most of all, please pray that God's Will will be accomplished! Thanks for reading this, and I will talk to you soon Lord willing :)

Because He lives,

Mercy.

ps. If you want to know more that I didn't mention on here, message me and I'll try to answer any questions. :) "