Go!

Hi Everyone! Greetings from Belfast!!

I have been here for a week already! I just wanted to share a bit about my first week here, and about future communications, so that we can all be on the same page. So here we go!

My first week here in Belfast has been quite interesting. I arrived last Thursday, I was met at the airport by the wonderful Johann and Andrea. Right off I was able to go view an apartment that was in a great location, and in my price range. It was really exciting to find such  a great place just a few hours after arriving. I fought through some jet lag, and had a lovely dinner with my ENB family! The next day was Johann and Andrea's eldest daughter, Makayla's birthday! So we went out to dinner to celebrate.

Unfortunately that night I was hit with a stomach bug, I thought at first was food poisoning, but I think it was actually a virus I caught on the plane. So I spent all of Saturday just resting and trying to recover. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me during this time!

Sunday I was feeling a bit better, and attended my first church service! I had the privilege of meeting several of our Every Nation Church Belfast members, and it was a lovely time becoming acquainted with them. I am so excited to see more of them in the future!

Monday, our day off, I was feeling fully better, but it was time to fast, as our church is spending this week in prayer and fasting. I also went to the city center to set up my bank account, and turn in my application for the apartment I had seen on Thursday. Afterwards I got to have coffee with Caly, Lenny, and their son Eli. It was lovely to just spend a bit of time with them and chat, and I loved spending time with Eli, as he reminds me so much of my niece Selah.

Tuesday was staff meeting, and it was so great just getting to be with my team, my family, here and pray together, plan together, and just being a part of everything. I'm so excited that I get to work with such amazing people! I am truly blessed! In the evening we had a time of church prayer and worship, and it was such a sweet time to be together in prayer and agreement with each other.

Last night I was able to attend a special welcome dinner for international students arriving at the university. It was a great time of fellowship, and while we were overstaffed, and I wasn't able to eat with any international students, I was able to eat with some students that are from Northern Ireland, and I was able to learn a little bit about my new home. It was a lovely time, and I'm glad that I could learn a bit about Northern Ireland from the locals!

Today I found out that I got the apartment I applied for! Praise God! So hopefully I will be moving in the end of the month! I am so excited to get fully settled in, and begin my regular schedule of work in the coming weeks, so that I can continue connecting with my new home, and my new friends here.

So, that was my first week here in Belfast! The shortened version, but overall it's been such a wonderful time getting to know my leaders, my family here, and my environment. I look forward to learning and knowing more about my home. God has been so good to me, and I think I can safely say He is just as excited as I am that I'm here. I know that He's got big plans, and I feel so honored and blessed to be part of those plans! I am so excited that you all get to be part of these plans as well, as you are actively supporting and praying for me, you are part of what God is doing here, how cool is that? I love how the body of Christ works! So to that end, I would like to update you on how I will be communicating with all of you during my time here in Belfast!

Okay, so my plan is to continue blogging monthly, but I am thinking about adding a new medium of communication in as well: vlogging. I am planning to do my first vlog in February, and if I feel that this is a good form of communication I might do one every other week, maybe just five to ten minute updates. If this is something that you are interested in seeing, please let me know, because I think this might be a fun, somewhat more interactive way to know what's going on. Plus, you won't forget what my lovely face looks like!

Also, side note, all online communication (this blog, my vlog) links will no longer be shared straight from my FaceBook page, so if you'd like to receive those links, and even immediate updates (if something major, but sensitive comes up) I do have a private FaceBook group called Chrissy's Call. If you would like to be added, you can just let me know, and I will add you to the group!

I will also be sending out a quarterly email newsletter. I do have some of your email addresses, but if you would like to make doubly sure, and would like to send along your email address so I can add it to my list, I would not mind at all.

Now, you may be wondering, why all the communication? Well, I would like you to feel as much a part of my journey as you actually are! I want to be as transparent as possible (If you haven't figured that out from some of my older posts), and I want to share all that God is doing as quickly as possible! So, the blog and newsletter will definitely stick, we'll see about the vlog, as it is a new possibility that may or may not stick. But all this to say, I want you to be as well informed as possible, because this is your journey too! If you have any questions, concerns, or want to share anything with me, please feel free to shoot me an email, Facebook message, text, WhatsApp, whatever you'd like!

As always, thank you all for your support and prayers, they mean the world to me. I am so excited to see what the future in Belfast will be like, and I cannot wait to learn all that God wants to teach me here. Stay tuned! Until next time,

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

On Your Mark, Get Set...

Hi everyone!

So I have lots of very exciting news that I can't wait to share with you all! First, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sticking with me, thank you for praying for me, encouraging me, supporting me, being great listeners, and being a part of this mission. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

I am so pleased to say, as many of you may already know, I am fully funded! As of mid-November, I was told that I was fully funded, praise God! He provided precisely when He meant to, and I am so thankful for such an incredible God that is my provider! I was commissioned by my sending agency, Bethany Gateways, on November 15th. Essentially, this is a special moment where I am prayed over and officially sent out as a missionary. It was a very profound moment for me, as I felt that this was finally happening. It really hit me that I was going to be leaving soon, so start this new chapter as a missionary.

The next step in the journey was applying for my visa. This is an exciting time, but also a bit daunting and nerve-wracking. It's exciting, because it's taking an official step, saying: I'm doing this. I'm taking a very official step in heading to Belfast! It's a bit daunting because you have to make sure all your paperwork, documents, etc. are in order. You want to nitpick to make sure there is no reason for them to deny your visa. So it is a bit daunting to do so. It's nerve-wracking because what if they deny your visa? What if they say no?

I began the application around Thanksgiving, and submitted it a few days before the end of November. Then it was just a waiting game. Hoping, praying that it would be approved I waited. And today I got the email: my visa is approved! I will be receiving it in the mail in the next couple of days! PRAISE GOD!!

Now, my next step is to book my ticket, which I will be doing tonight. I am so incredibly excited that in a few short weeks, I will be leaving on a plane, to begin my journey in Belfast. I am planning to leave the first week of January, but I will update one FaceBook once I have an exact date.

So here we are, I am getting ready to head off to Northern Ireland, to do ministry, share the gospel, and have some adventures along the way. I am so glad that you are all here, to share in this journey with me. I look forward to telling you all about everything that God is doing, and will do while I'm there!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Major Update

Hello all!

Now, I know that I've just done a blog post a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to update everyone, because I have some exciting news! I have been wanting to share this with you all, but I needed to wait for full approval from both of the organizations that I am working with. So here we go!

Percentage Breakdown

I am VERY close to my goal for leaving, and now I can give some exact numbers for what that looks like! So here is the breakdown: I have about 50% of my monthly budget actually pledged and currently giving. Now this may not seem like a lot, HOWEVER, I have about 28% more of my budget verbally pledged. This means that I have been told by some how much they are planning to give, but they have not begun to give yet. This means that total I have 78% of my monthly budget taken care of (of course, providing that those verbal pledges become physical pledges)!! This is VERY exciting!

How much I Have Left To Raise

So, I've given a percentage breakdown, but what does that mean as far as actual numbers go? Well, this means that I have exactly $453.34 left to raise for my monthly budget. This brings me so close to my goal! broken down, that is 15 people giving $30 a month! This is very exciting news, but it brings me to my next piece of information that is very important, vital, and possibly the whole reason that you've opened this blog post. So here we go!

My Deadline

I now have a deadline. The deadline I have to raise the rest of my monthly support is October 31st. Again, I had to wait until everyone was on the same page before I released this information, which is why I am just posting this now. 

So why the sudden deadline, and why so so soon? Glad you asked! Well, in order for Every Nation Belfast to sponsor my visa there had to be dates when they filled out the paperwork to receive the rights to do so. So when this was done, a while ago, we all figured I would be there by now, so the end of this year was the deadline. Of course, there have been some unforeseen circumstances in this process, and I am still working on raising this last bit of support. The reason that my deadline is the 31st of this month, and not November is because I still need to apply for my visa, and the closer to Christmas you apply, the less likely it will be done in a timely manner. The visa processing usually takes between three and four weeks, and I need to physically be in Belfast before the end of the year.

So what happens if I don't make it by the end of the year? Great Follow Up question! Well, the consequences could be great. ENB could potentially lose the right to sponsor my, or any visa. There could also be potential problems with the government as well. And since I always try to be as honest as I can on here, I have to say this: I would feel so incredibly AWFUL if that happened. 

So...What Can I do?

Well, there are a couple of ways that you could help. First of course, pray about giving. I emphasize: pray. Make sure that this is a move that God is in accordance with you making. Then, if He moves you to do so, decide how much you want to give. You could give as little as $5 a month, or as much as $453.34, it's between you and Him. If you would like to give, look up at those tabs above this post. Look for the one that says Ways to Give (or just, you know, click that link.) and follow the instructions listed on the page. If you would rather give by check, feel free to email (chrissy.charleman@gmail.com) me, and I'd be happy to send you all the info on how to do so!

The other way you can help is PRAY! Prayer is an even more important way that you can help me out, because we know that the power of prayer is one of the greatest things on this earth. Pray for encouragement for Every Nation Belfast, for the church, and the team that I'm joining there. Pray for me, that the Lord would open the doors that need to be opened in order for everything to happen in time. 

Okay... Let's Do This!

So, everyone, here we are. It's crunch time. But, you guys, I'm so excited. I was spending time with the Lord this morning, and He just gave me the most amazing mixture of peace and excitement. I know that He's going to make this happen, I know it with every fiber of my being. I am so excited that I am finally going to be in Belfast before the end of this year! Time has come, and soon, I'll be on the next phase of my journey, and I am so glad you're all along for the ride! I'm so glad you all get to be a part of this journey with me, and I cannot wait to share with you all, not only how God comes through, as a testimony to His faithfulness, but everything that He is doing in Belfast. I cannot wait for you all to come with me as I head to Belfast, and we can all see how God uses us. Because, I really want you to understand this, you are as much a part of this as I am. If you are praying for me, supporting me financially, or through simple encouragements, you are a part of this! You are vital to this whole journey. So get excited! Because we are about to cross the Atlantic, and embark on a whole new, incredible journey! Are you ready? I know I am!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

#blessed

Hi everybody! I just want to start by apologizing for not writing in so long... It's been difficult to do so because there was a lot going on, behind the scenes, lots of moving pieces, that I really couldn't write about until things were all squared away with the right people. As of right now there are still a few parts that are shifting around in order to make sure that everything is up to par for me to leave. But I wanted to update you all, as much as I can, at this moment. So here we go!

I was hoping for a September departure, but since I still have a bit to raise, and still need to go through the process of getting my visa, I think we're looking at an early October departure at this moment. I am SO incredibly excited, as I'm watching this dream, that I've had for over two and a half years finally moving from dream to reality! It's been a long, difficult journey, but I am finally able to see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it has truly been an incredible thing to see God work, and move as I continued to move forward with the vision he has given me. Watching everything fall into place, in His timing has been such a cool thing to see.

I also want to take a moment, in this blog post, to say thank you to a very special person. I want to say thank you to Joan Cox, an amazing woman of God, that has known me, and prayed for me, since before I was born. She has been such a blessing to my family over the years, and has been such an incredible blessing and essential part of helping me in my support raising. I love her so dearly, and I can only hope I can be half as loving, caring, kind, hospitable, and a strong example of the love of Christ as she is someday. So thank you Joan, for all you've done to help me in this process, it has been more encouraging and inspiring than you know.

Now I just need to brag on God for a minute. He has provided such an amazing opportunity to partner with a very special church, the church that I grew up in, that has now become All Souls Community Church. I am so thankful that God, through Joan, opened the doors for me to share with them, and after much prayer and consideration, partner with them. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and there is no doubt in my mind, that this was fully orchestrated by God. He saw where I was at, that I was feeling a bit discouraged, wondering how all this would work out, and He provided this amazing opportunity for a partnership, which I am so excited about, because I believe it was very much God ordained.

God has blessed me. He has blessed me with people that have been supporting me for years, both prayerfully and financially. He has blessed me with a loving and supporting family. He has blessed me with an incredible calling, and while I feel unworthy at times of such a calling, I know that HE has made me worthy of it. I have to say, I cannot believe that this is actually happening. But I am so excited to watch what else God does as I'm preparing to leave for the field. He has done so much already, and I know that He will continue to do so much more.

If you are in a place of doubt, wondering where God is, why He led you to where you're at, only to feel that He abandoned you, know that He hasn't. He will never leave, nor forsake us. He has things we need to learn, ways that we need to grow. Even if you feel like you aren't growing, like God isn't there, He isn't speaking, let me tell you, you are growing, He is there, and He is speaking. As I look back on my time here, I see how God spoke, how when I would feel at my lowest, He would send encouragement, whether through my sister, my best friend, my mom, or total strangers that I was able to forge a deep connection with, He always spoke. Look for the little things, be vulnerable, open up and tell your support system where you're at. If you don't have a support system, tell God where you're at. He knows, but something happens when we're open and vulnerable with Him, He moves, He changes things, whether in the physical, or in our hearts, something changes. It's so easy to forget, believe me, I know, but remember, God will always give you the right perspective when we just ask.

Thank you all, for your continued prayers and support! We're almost there, and I cannot wait to write my first blog post from Belfast VERY soon! Please continue to keep me in prayer as I finish up my time here support raising. Also, remember, if there are any prayer requests that you have you can send them my way, I would love to be praying for all of you specifically as well! Love you all!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Vulnerability

Hello Everyone!

I hope this post finds you well, and enjoying the hint of summer in the air! I have promised a blog post, so here it is, just before the end of the month! The reason I've waited is because I was working on some things, and hoping to be able to tell you all a little bit about it at this point. However, I'm still ironing out some details with the organizations I'm working with, so I will have to be a bit vague at the moment, but I will definitely have a bit more detail by my next post! So let's dive right in, shall we?

Summer is about to begin, and with that I have some good news! It looks like I'll be able to leave around August/September for Belfast! I am SO excited that this time of support raising is coming to a close, and this next season of being in Belfast is fast approaching. This is all pending some of the details currently being ironed out, so hopefully everything will work in favor of me leaving at that time. Now, I am still a bit short on my monthly support, so I do ask that if you are not financially supporting me, that you would prayerfully consider doing so. Also, just a friendly reminder, that this cannot be made official until everyone who has stated that they are going to give actually start giving, so that my sending organization, Bethany Gateways, has a physical record of the promise to give. To those that are giving, or supporting me through prayer, and everyone else who is just following my journey, thank you for being here through this. I am so thankful for all of you, and I cannot wait to share with you all the adventures and encounters that God will have for me in Belfast!

So, as my time in Belfast is fast approaching, I am reflecting on my time here in New York, and my overall time support raising. It's been so much of a rollercoaster time, I cannot even begin to tell you. As I think about it, I think about James 1, where it says,

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:6-8)

When I read that verse, granted, Paul is talking about when we ask for wisdom, I think about my time during support raising. I feel as though this has been a time when the Lord has shown me how I need to stand strong, how I need to not let my doubts get in the way of his work. I cannot let myself be double-minded, I cannot be like a wave in the wind. If God said he would do it, no matter how impossible it seems, I need to believe he will do as he promised. I can see how this time has been a time to grow in this area in my life. I know that he's done so much for me before, he has provided time and again, when something seemed impossible, he always made it happen. So why, why was it so easy for me to forget those times, and question if it would happen?

The Old Testament is riddled with stories of those that forgot the provision of God, over, and over, and over again. I'm in good company there. But, I have to learn from their mistakes. I have to learn from my own mistakes, and that's what I've had to do. So many times I felt like I was sinking, like I wasn't good enough, like I wasn't cut out for this life, like all of this was too hard. I thought this way because I was so focused on myself. I was focused on my own abilities, my own connections, my own strength. So many times I was tempted to just give up. I was tempted to walk away from the path, the life that God had chosen, that God had called me to, that God had promised me. But every time, every single time, God would send someone (often my sister, or my best friend), or make sure I heard a message to encourage me. To remind me when my own memories failed me, that he had not abandoned me, that I had not heard him wrong, that he was working, even when I could not see. Over, and over, and over, God reached down to my most broken, most vulnerable place, and healed me. He lifted me up to where I needed to be, so that I could stand solidly on the rock of his truth, and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I am meant to do, and that HE would make a way for me to do it.

So here I am, so incredibly close to reaching this goal, and all I can say is thank you. First and foremost, thank you God, for loving me through this time, even in the darkest moments, reminding me what you promised me. Thank you to my sister, and to my best friend, for always speaking truth to me, even when I didn't want to hear it. For letting me cry to you, and be vulnerable without worrying that you were judging me, and for loving me through some of my most unlovable times. God has truly blessed me with you both, and I could not be more thankful for you incredible women of God. Thank you to every person that has prayed for me, that has encouraged me, that has preached an amazing message, thank you. You have absolutely no idea how grateful I am for your prayers, your love, your support, your willingness to be lead by the Spirit. God has used you, and you have touched my life in a major way. So thank you, really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

So in conclusion, I am not a perfect person. God is working on me. He will always be working on me unto my death. I tell you all this, because I want to be vulnerable. I want you to know the struggles of support raising, of being a missionary, of being a follower of Christ. He never promised us an easy, simple life, but he did promise that all of it would be worth it, and I fully believe it will be. I shared this because I hope in some way, it will encourage all of you. That you will know, doubts will come, difficult times will come, but we have to stand firm on the promises of God. No matter how crazy, how insane, that if he has promised us something, and we know that he has promised it to us, that it will be so. It may not look the way we imagined, but it will still be fulfilled. I want my struggles to be a testimony of the greatness, the love, the grace of God to encourage others. That is why I share, that is why I am vulnerable with you all. So if you are in a struggle, first, feel free to contact me so that I can pray for you, second, know that you are not alone. You are loved. God sees, and he wants to help you through it, you just need to let him.


Blessings and Love,

Chrissy