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Dream becoming reality...

So it was November. Thoughts of Africa had been replaced with thoughts of getting through nursing school. Every once in a while I would think about how much I wanted to go back and just love on and take care of those sweet children...but not often...school was wearing me out.

I fell asleep one night and had 4 hours until my alarm would wake me for clinical. I curled up in bed and took a few deep breaths and tried to release the tension in my shoulders and drifted off to sleep.

I was sitting in front of Carol in Africa. (Ron and Carol McDonald are the founders of CHaRA-Construction Health and Relief Acts-the group I went to Africa with over the summer.) We were in an open air shelter under a canopy of trees and it was breezy but warm outside. I could smell the Indian Ocean nearby. The sun was beginning to set. Little African children were running everywhere and the sound of laugher warmed my soul. Ron was in and out finishing a day's work on the grounds. Philip sat beside me. I knew that I was on the campus that CHaRA plans to build one day. A "campus"-complete with living quarters, a school, a hospital, and a church.

Carol looked me in the eyes and said, "Cara, you and Philip will bring a team to Africa in October of 2010."

...And the hideous sound of my alarm awoke me...to my dismay, I was not in Africa...time to get ready for clinical.

The next day I was granted a scholarship I had never signed up for-for my volunteer efforts in Africa!

I prayed about the idea of going back so soon and taking a team and sent an email to Carol.

Carol said that October was free and the perfect time for a team to come.

Since, we've met and done the initial planning for the trip.

Based on the people who decide to go, we will determine what we will be doing while we are there...with one thing that is for sure: we will be busy! Possibilities include medical clinics, building a school or safe house, teaching, digging wells, ministry, distributing food.

I am putting the word out to anyone who is interested in joining us.

October 2010 -We are taking a team to Africa.

Please email us at philipandcara@gmail if you are interested

and check out:

https://www.giveforward.org/joy/

AMAZING NEWS!!!!!!!

I am so excited!!!!!Today I found out that my mission trip is paid for!!!! Thanks sooo much to everyone who donated!!!!!!

I talked to Carol today and she suggested that if anyone else would like to donate towards my expenses, have them write a check to me. I still have hundreds of dollars worth of vaccines and antimalarial drugs to pay for.

Also, I am selling Autobell carwash tickets for the price of their regular basic wash. If anyone is interested, let me know. Autobell gives half of the profit to the charity.


So email me at philipandcara@gmail.com if you want any basic washes from Autobell. If you would like to donate toward my expenses please write the check to me and send it to:
Cara Wicker 227 Culp Street Mooresville NC 28115

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Autobell

Today I went and picked up my Autobell charity car wash tickets.
They are for the $13.95 basic wash.
We have 30 days to sell them.
We will also be selling them for $13.95. Autobell gets $6.98 per car wash sold and gives us the other half.
It's a pretty awesome fundraiser. I know I will be buying a few! I've got a feeling that this semester will be keeping me too busy to wash it myself.

When I thought the burden was heavy...

This past week, checks continued to trickle in for my trip. I am so grateful for each and every donation. Tomorrow I will be starting back to what I have heard is the second to hardest sememster of nursing school...this is also my second to last! As I've anticipated this semester, I hate to say it but I've been a little concerned about this HUGE amount of money I need for my trip. I couldn't figure out how I was going to juggle my class, studying, working, being married and fundraising.

Yesterday, I received a check for $1000 dollars. This check puts me just hundred's away!

I don't even know what to say but this came to mind:


^{Matthew 11:30 (Amplified bible)} For My yoke is wholesome (useful, ^[t]good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

Hummingbirds...messengers

This morning, a hummingbird flew up to me as I waited on my patient's porch. At first I did not know what it was but it sounded like the world's biggest bee, and out of the corner of my eye, it looked like it too. When I noticed that it was a hummingbird I was amazed that he came within feet of me.

On my way to my second job, Philip texted me. "A hummingbird flew right up to me". I called him immediately. He works in a business park...not near any flowering, blooming areas. On his lunch break he stepped outside to get some air. A hummingbird flew about three feet in front of his face, hovered there for a second and flew off.

A coincidence? I don't think so.

I've found quite a few different symbolic meanings of hummingbirds...I am waiting to see: Pure love, joy, celebration of life, messenger, angel, conception, resiliance and the ability to handle seemingly impossible tasks...

Garage sale

So...the garage sale. No more than two weeks ago my mother in law suggested I do a garage sale to fundraise for my trip. May is a busy month for everyone so we had to do it quick...it was yesterday. I was absolutely shocked by the amount of donations that rolled in and the willingness of people to help. I am so thankful. The garage sale items took up approximately 1/6 of Donna's garage (we had it at her house cause our house isnt a good "garage sale" house). When we started to unpack the stuff on Friday night, it's like the stuff multiplied. So after just a few hours of sleep, we woke up Saturday to beautiful weather and eager garage-salers. Becky shocked me with her mad-skills. I think she needs to open a shop! It began to get really hot and we closed shop around noon. The grand total was a whopping $778! Then Donna called me and told me that one of her neighbors son's, who bought some midevil looking swords, came back by her house and dropped off another $20 dollars. He said he went home and felt like God told him to bring more. SO the garage sale put me $800 dollars closer to my May 22nd deadline...other contributions this weekend took me $50 dollars above it! One more deadline to go! Wooh! Needless to say...I failed to wake up this morning...garage sales are tiring! Thank you so much to everyone who helped out!!!