40 Sponsers!!! The Goal Has Been Reached!!

It is an incredible feeling reaching a goal! Especially one I initially thought was going to be quite a challenge. I have found there is a feeling you get when you need other people, and they find you and help you. It is almost like a space opens deep inside you from being humbled and love fills it when others sacrifice something for you and you can't repay them. It makes me want to work hard and give the best of myself even more so when I am there, giving all that I can because this is an opportunity that I was given from others. So that is a great feeling. The Lord told me he would take care of me and I feel kinda ashamed that there was any doubt in my heart at all. Thank you, de mi profundo de mi corazon (from the bottom of my heart). Now there are only eight days left until I leave!! Now that is crazy exciting!

Love Renee

Passport Has Arrived!

So don't worry about praying for me to get my passport because just after I finished typing that update, my brother handed me a package right from the mail with my passport in it!!! Amazing. So new prayer requests: that God would already be preparing my heart for what is ahead. That the rest of my team would be funded and that I would get some sleep before I go, cause I am exhausted.

37 Sponsors!!!! 3 to go!!!

This has been an incredible week! With nine days to go, God is bringing all the pieces together. Now if you want to pray that I get my passport in time, that would be great! I am so incredibly thankful for everyone who has made this investment into my life and who graciously given to me. It just means so much to me....I really can't describe it other than a deep feeling of being loved. A few of the members on my team still needs a couple thousand dollars, if anyone wants to find out why it is better to give then to receive. lol. That may be a good opportunity to experience. But yes. I just finished exams on Monday and so school is done for another year. I really can't believe it but it feels good. My heart is already longing to go and prepare for this Zambia adventure. The excitement is beginning to well up inside me. God is good.
Renee

23 Sponsers! 17 left to Go!!

Everyday I have more to be thankful for. I read this good quote about God's provision: "God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest." by J.G. Holland. I got a GST cheque from the government today that can go towards Zambia, from working all year. The last couple days the Lord has been speaking to me about His purpose for my life and I am excited about how Zambia will help unfold that. Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. This is most definitely an adventure, seeing how this continues to come together. I'll keep this updated. But for now I am off to study for exams.
Renee

18 Sponsers! 22 to Go!!

Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored me. Accepting others gifts because I could not do it without them, is a humbling experience, but a profound appreciation and thankfulness to you and to the Lord have been instilled in my deepest parts. So thank you!

Zambia Letter minus the fancy pictures.

STUDENT MISSION TRIP 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

This past year I have been studying international development at York University where I first learned about the AIDS crisis in Africa. Joyfully, God has opened up a tremendous opportunity for me to serve Him this summer that I would like to share with you. I have been accepted as part of a student team that will be going to Zambia, Africa for several weeks in May. Partnering with the mission SIM and Scripture Union, we will be working alongside the Zambian volunteers for the APPLE (AIDS Prevention Plus Life Education) project. We will go into the schools in the Western Province to teach Bible and Christian sexual values to a population where over 89,000 people have lost their life to AIDS and 920,000 people are currently living with this disease. On the weekends we will serve the local churches and their youth groups in ministry. There will also be opportunities for outreach in a community school for orphans, VBS programs, and ministry through music and sports.

I am excited about the experience that lies ahead, for ministry to others, for personal growth as I seek to communicate Christ cross-culturally, and for the opportunity to learn from the Zambian friends we will meet. We recognize that our service needs to be supported in prayer and so would first ask you to consider joining our team in this regard. I will supply you with a schedule and prayer needs before I leave, and will share with you the blessings of what God accomplishes through us on our return. It would be great to have you minister with us through your prayers for the people of Zambia.

We also have financial needs to cover the airfare, inoculations, room and board, health insurance and ministry costs of this trip. Each team member needs to raise approximately $4000, and this amount must be on hand by the end of April. I’ve come to see my need as a 40 day challenge that requires 40 people to sacrifice $100 and I am reminded of Noah trusting the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights in an arc full of animals. Please consider being a part of this mission team in this regard. If God leads you to participate with financial support, make your cheques payable to S.I.M and note ‘Zambia Trip’ and my name on the memo line. All donations for the student mission team are tax deductible and will be receipted accordingly. Note that receipts are usually sent out at year-end, but can be issued immediately, upon request.

Thanks in advance for your prayers and financial support. May God richly bless you as you partner with us in this outreach.

In Christ,

Renee Heemskerk

The Countdown!! 11 sponsors so far, 29 to go!!

As of today, April 7th, 2007 I have 11 sponsors out of the 40. Which equals $1100 of the $4000!! That is great! So there are exactly 29 days left before I leave and 29 sponsors to find!!

40 Day Countdown: 40 People, 40 days, $100 each

It has been my goal since the beginning of this trip to raise $4000, by asking 40 people to sponser me $100 each. This will cover the total costs for the trip. The breakdown of expenses include $2000 for the plane tickets there and back, food, accomodations, travelling expenses within the country, Malaria medication, and vaccinations; which I've already gotten in both my arms! If you would like to take part by supporting me financially on this mission please read the following: Canadian donors can send money to

SIM Canada
10 Huntingdale Blvd.
Scarborough, Ont.
M1W 2S5.

Cheques should be made payable to "SIM Canada" with an indication that the gift is for your support. My name :Renee Heemskerk: Zambia team" should be written on the memo-line of the cheque. This will guarantee that money goes specifically to my trip expenses and not just to the organization in general.

I've come to see this fund-raising as a 40 day challenge. It seems God has been using the number 40 in my life recently and just to continue the # 40 theme, I was given the Purpose Driven Life to read, which is divided into 40 days of reading material. Since the beginning of this school year, I have been seeking out what I am going to do with my life and what I have been created for. When the opportunity to go to Zambia for AIDS relief came up I thought it would would be an experience that would cahnge my life and help me clarify more specifically what direction I am meant to go, especially in regards to the International Development Program I am taking at York University. As I cracked open the very first pages of the book I found some inpirational words of author Rick Warren on what God can do in 40 days. He writes,

" The Bible is clear that God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period. Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took 40 days:

• Noah's life was transformed by 40 days of rain
• Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai
• The spies were transformed by 40 days in the Promised land
• David was transformed by Goliath's 40 day challenge.
• Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 dys of strength from a single meal
• The entire city of Nineweh was transformed when God gave the people 40 days to change
• Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the eilderness.
• The disciples were transformed by 40 days with Jesus after his resurrection.

The next 40 days will change your life."

So I go with the expectation: That God is preparing me for his purposes in Zambia. I am excited.

The Meanings Behind the Flag

This is the Zambian flag. The green represents land, the red represents the blood that was shed to gain independence, though Zambia was one of the few African countries that gained independence through peaceful and non-violent means. The black is for the people and the yellow is for copper, which is Zambia's largest natural resource and key export. The African eagle is the animal that represents the country and is found on their money as well. Zambia is an interesting country that has the second highest number of AIDS orphans in all of Africa. It gained independence in 1964 and is now a repulic.

Official Zambia Letter!

If anyone wants one of my official Zambia prayer support letters please let me know by either emailing me at reneezambia@gmail.com or leaving a message on this blog! You must include your name and mailing address so that I know where to send it to of course. Feel free to inquire!

The Beginning of the Story

Hello Family, Loved Ones, Friends and Foes!!!
Some of you I know well, others I met years ago in far off places, some I haven't spoken with since those places and others I've seen or talked to in the past week, while still others I wish I had seen or talked to in this past week. However, I wanted to inform you all of a very important adventure I will be embarking on for the month of May this year. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that kinda found it's way to me in a rather interesting series of events. Last semester as I continued tostudy international development at York University, which consists of topics such as poverty, underdevelopment, world issues, AIDS, immigration, education, women in the majority world etc. I found myself asking, "What am I doing for anyone?" As I began to think of AIDS, I came to a point when I couldn't stop criticizing the many people and organizations that are not really concerned with it at all because it doesn't affect their daily lives. Then I realized I was one of those people.

So I decided in my heart and was encouraged through Urbana to give in some way, even if it was just five dollars a month of my East Side Mario's tips to an AIDS organization, little did I know something bigger was in store. At this same time I was trying to be more committed to the church I had been attending. So one Sunday when I didn't have a ride to this church, I nervously called up a nice lady I had recently met and asked her to pick me up. She did. On the ride there she asked me about school and my program and encouraged me to get some experience. I politely nodded as she gave me an example about a team going to Zambia to work with youth, children and AIDS programs this summer. As I left church that day, my mind began ponder about the trip. "That's great." I thought. "I would like to do something like that in a couple of years, once I critically analyze the organization, programs, initiatives, motivations and unforseen problems and results that may come of this (as school has taught me) or when I save some money and when or if ever I finish school." However, in the next couple days, before I had been able to criticize anything at all, she had found my number and called me at home.

"One person dropped out of the Zambia team I was telling you about." She said, "I told the team leader that you might be interested and they'[re holding a place for you, if you want it." My heart leaped with excitement, fear and panic all at once. I tried to bide my time with excuses. "Wow." I started. "I'm just not sure...I will have to be working this summer to pay for school and couldn't be gone for more five weeks." "It's only four." She quickly retorted. "Well...it really wouldn't work for me in June, July or August cause I've been planning on moving to Winnipeg." Again, she replied. "Well, it is just for the month of May." Why didn't I say May?! I questioned myself before throwing out my next excuse. "Well, I really wouldn't be able to afford it, if it was $5000." I knew that most of the trips cost that much and I still had school to pay for. "It's only $4000." she answered. "And you can raise the money through the Church body." Ok, ok. I thought. So I told her I would go to the first meeting and check it out. Though I tried to push the opportunity away, I could feel in my heart a desire which whispered, "Go." All night I was riddled with worries about money, thinking that it would be financially impossible. The next day I got a bursury from my school for $1000.

That is only the beginning too. There are so many other confirmations and coincidental moments so far. As always, there have been many up and downs, indecision, fear and at the same time tremendous excitement, joy and provision all for this month long trip!!! I'm excited to go and I know that the Lord will teach me great and challenging things while I am there learning how to give, serve, and care about the people who are directly affected by AIDS, face to face and far beyond my five dollar bills.

So yes, that's my story, this far. I have attached my prayer and support letter for anyone who is interested in reading even more!!!! If you want an official copy mailed to you, just send me your address and I would be happy to send one to you. Please let me know if you would commit to praying for me, or being one of the 40 (<-details in letter). But I didn't write this mass email for those purposes as some sort of secret agenda. I really just wanted to share this part of my life with you and practice my story writing skills. I hope you enjoyed and if you didn't I'm sorry that you continued reading to this point. lol.

Feel free to write me back any questions, concerns or with stories of your own.

Never stop learning,
Love Renee Heemskerk

The Capital City: LUSAKA

A Closer Look at the Country

Zambia, Africa

Zambia Team May 2007!

This is the Zambia team I will be traveling and working with. We have been meeting every Tuesday since February and will continue to meet until our departure date on May 5th!

In order from the left are: Heather Kay, Sharon Kamau, Heather Stump, Renée Heemskerk (me!), Shantel Smith, Dave Roberts (our team leader), Jonathan Summers, Sam Beaulieu, and Samuel Manianga. We are quite a unique bunch to be sure. It seems that the Lord hand picked all of us from all different places, with different purposes and somehow orchastrated for us to be on this team together. So I'm glad I can introduce you to these great people whom I have the pleasure to go Zambia with.