thank you for your support!

Hi, friends and family! :)

Thank yall once again for yall's interest in where I'll be going and what I'll be doing within these upcoming months! An email can't possibly articulate just how much I appreciate your thoughts and prayers as I travel to Zambia and see God working in places outside the States - your support is truly a blessing.

Before I head out to work with the Zambia Project, however, I still have one more week of classes at Vanderbilt, graduation (!!!), and two short weeks of relaxation and preparation for the next four months. For those of yall who wisely told me that these four years in college would be over before I knew it, I have to admit that I never really believed you. For those of yall who aren't seniors yet, your four years in college will be over before you know it! To my classmates and the Class of 2011, I send you a huge digital hug (and hopefully I'll still be able to hug most of yall in person before May 13th), and I thank you with all my being for your joy, encouragement, and for pouring your infectious energy and hope into my life. To new friends and mentors I've had the pleasure to meet in the United Methodist Church, in Durham, and in Houston, your gentle guidance and wisdom have been invaluable. To my family...there simply are no words. I love you all!

Thankfully, graduation isn't "goodbye" - it's just a recognition that life's about to get even more exciting! I'm thrilled that I'll be able to stay in contact with all of yall during and after this upcoming year. Please let me know what yall're up to so I can pray for specific events coming up in your lives!

So college, check (well, almost). On May 18th, I'll join a church group of about 18 from Dwelling Place (a church up in Christiansburg, VA) to fly from Roanoke, VA to Johannesburg, South Africa. We'll all land in S. Africa on May 19th, spend a bit of time there, and then head up to Mongu, Western Province, Zambia. There, I'll be working with Paul and Marinette Van Coller and other missionaries with the Zambia Project (http://zam.co.za/), probably spending most of my time in the provincial capital with kids at the Villiage of Hope orphanage. We'll have spotty internet access, but when I am able, I'll post updates, stories, on a new blog: http://lightandsalt51314.blogspot.com/. If you'd like to receive those (probably weekly or bi-monthly) updates, please click the "subscribe to this blog by email" button on to the right of that link.

In about four months, on September 15th (-ish), we'll head back to the States. From then on, I hope to receive training in drilling and installing shallow water wells in underdeveloped countries (hey, that engineering degree might just come in handy!), find other short-term mission trip opportunities, explore different areas of ministry, and see more of God working in the world.

I sincerely hope that this spring has been a beautiful one for each of yall, and I'm excited to hear what's about to start in your lives this summer! Thank you again for your prayers and support, and Happy Easter weekend! :)

In His peace,

Stephanie Bruse

s.l.bruse@gmail.com