beginning again.

So, it would appear that introductions are in order...

That's me. My name is Annie Morgan. I am nineteen, a college student, and the blog and prayer team leader for the 2009-10 trip to Liberia in West Africa. In the past, Danielle Williams, the missions coordinator for the Water's Edge ministry, has been primarily in charge of updating this blog. Thus, all the entries previous to this one have been either from her wonderful self or from another member of the Liberia 08-09 team. If you're curious to see what a Water's Edge mission experience would be like, those entries are a perfect place to explore stories and photos of last year's journey. Beginning here and now, however, a new story is unfolding. God is again bridging the oceanic gap between nations, sending out handfuls of eager twenty-somethings to Haiti, Bolivia, Guatemala, and of course, Liberia. This is something He is doing all the time, revealing Himself and His heart to every corner of the earth; how thrilling it is to be a part of something so much bigger than just our team! That brings all the more weight and significance to the short amount of time we'll spend in Liberia, knowing that Jesus is always there and He is loving those people every day. And we get to follow Him around over there for a week and be a part of what He's doing- I'm more than okay with that.

Anyway, all of this to say that we are a very excited group of college kids (and one real adult: our pastor, Dave Bearchell) who may or may not be at all prepared for what we've gotten ourselves into. It's okay. So far, I am just loving the process. The first official Missions meeting happened on August 9th, and it was inspiring in so many ways. The tables were covered in the flags of all four countries, and a heart of worship for the Creator was clear and present in the room throughout the night. Danielle guided us through "the ultimate ice breaker," i.e., "a scavenger hunt extravaganza" that led us all across the 12Stone campus and ultimately onto the bridge to take our team pictures.

I must say, our team exhibited insurmountable levels of skill and teamwork during the hunt, racing, as a unified force, past every other team to the finish line. Haiti claims that they got there first, but their methods of arrival were most dubious, if you asked me. And by that I mean that they cheated. Definitely. Which makes us the champions. Liberia 1, Haiti 0. But, who's counting, really?

So, it was good to finally match up all the names on our team with a face, and to look at the people around me and know that they will become more than casual friends or acquaintances by the time January comes around. We have been told that each member of every team was

 prayerfully considered and carefully placed into their position. I believe it, and I am grateful. I can't wait to see what each member will bring as an individual part of the beautiful whole. Starting at the top left and going across are our three leaders, Dave (red), Danielle (white), and Brent (green). Amy (blue), Jesse (black), and myself are the other three standing. On the ground, from left to right, are Dimitri, Jeremiah, Steven, and Kayla. Altogether, I think we are perhaps the most attractive group of people ever assembled for missionary purposes. More importantly, though, we are passionate and excited about the task we have been given. I pray that our hearts would be opened up in prayer for one another, and that we would be like Jesus in the way that we follow our leaders and serve our teammates. "For even the Son of Man came not to have service rendered unto Him, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) 

After the ice-breaker, Pastor Shannon Whaples spoke about the church's responsibility to honor the Great Commission, reminding us of the authority and urgency in Jesus' words,

"Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be)." (Matthew 28:19-20)

We then met and prayed together as a team for the first time, which was very cool. I have so much respect and affection for the leaders on our team, and so much gratitude for each individual member... I can't wait to see what happens next.

Pray that the Spirit of God in each of us would unify us into one formidable whole; a team of amalgamated hearts, longing to give themselves away in service to each other and to the Liberian people. Pray that, in the course of these 4 months, Jesus would so intimately acquaint us with Himself and with His voice that we would be filled to the point of overflowing. Pray that we would learn, in leaps and bounds, what it means to be a follower of Christ, that we would study His example and imitate Him, that the living Word of God would be alive in us on a daily basis. Pray that every financial need would be more than met, and that we would have stories to tell about the perfect faithfulness and providence of God. Pray for our leaders, for our hosts, for the people whose lives will intersect with our own while we are there. Pray for Liberia, for her widows and orphans, her sick and abused and hungry, for the ones whose lives have been shattered by chaos of the recent civil war. Pray that the love of God and His redemption plan would be woven into the fabric of Liberia's story.

Thank you for reading, thank you for praying. More soon.