this is my first blog ... so i figured i would share about my decision to go to south africa, and my journey so far.

[just a warning... i like to write. and... my story is kinda lengthy.]

i think it all started back when i decided to go to Anderson University. my whole life i was a huge volleyball player. i got offers from big schools, christian schools offering me money to play... but i decided on AU, where i recieved no volleyball scholarship. Now deciding to go to a school to play volleyball where i recieved no scholarship, versus a school where i could have got full tuition... might be a little crazy. But, for some reason AU is where I felt I needed to go. At first things were a little crazy and hectic with my decision but my family supported me and i felt thats where i was to go. So, i went to AU and I wound up there a week earlier then most students for pre-season for volleyball. We had a few days of team building and then we started with our two a day practices. The first day, our second practice of the day... I dove for a ball during practice. It was a move I have done for YEARS. but somehow, and i sttill dont remember it really... I think I was kinda in shock... but for some reason that day when I dove for the volleyball... I broke my wrist and sprained my elbow. Yep... my dream and what I had worked out basically flushed itself down the toilet. So after lots of x rays and trying to figure out what I actually broke, I got my arm casted. I'm not going to lie, I have never been so upset and devestated about something. For me to say that , I feel really shallow. But, God quickly started working on my heart. I felt like my role on the team that year wasn't as a player on the court, but to encourage the other girls. And wow, that was something new for me. I didn't know what it was like not to be out their on the court. It was difficult at times but God really humbled me and started working on me. I started doing my own workouts and physical therapy while the girls would practice in the gym. I spent a lot of time with myself during those months doing workouts. One of my workouts that I did included riding a stationary bike for a half hour at a time. Ok this might not seem that difficult, but I quickly started hating it more then anything. It was really tough trying to ride a stationary bike with my right arm in a cast... but I did it. And it was then that I started learning what I was capable of . I started spending a lot of time with my mind. I thought a lot. I would pop on my ipod and ride my bike. Sometimes I would peddle and pray to God. As silly as it might be I would just pray for him to get me through my work outs, it got so menotinus and so boring at times. Other days I would ride and listen to Chris Tomlin (my favorite)... and just pray for direction and guidance. Through breaking my arm and those stupid little bike rides, I feel like thats when God started working in my heart. Well the cast came off in October, I was loaded with homework, and Christmas break was nearing. As my year had went on I had some seeds planted in my heart about missions. And honestly I did my best to push them away. I was stubborn. I loved college. I loved being on my own. I didnt want to leave for Christmas break, let alone take a year off. But I got my stubborn butt in my car and came home for Christmas break. While I was home for break I had the chance to go out to breakfast and talk with Breann. Breann is one of my good friends from home. We went to high school together, went to church together, and I dont remember a time when our families were not close. She's like my sister that I never had. I admire her so much. Breann was home for Christmas break as well. However, not from college. She decided to take a year off and spend it on the mission field. In Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa. Yes, with AIM. So breann and i went to breakfast and we sat and talked about south africa. she showed me pictures and really shared her heart. she told me how much i would love it and that she was praying for me. and quite honestly i felt something tugging me toward what she was saying but at the same time , I was being stubborn. I told my parents what I thought but I didnt say much else. Before I knew it I was heading back to college. The next five months of my freshman year flew by. My last month or so of my freshman year  I became frustrated with AU and I felt that I needed to go somewhere else. I came home for summer vacation and applied to a different college. Well I didnt get accepted, I was .02 off of my GPA of getting accepted. WOW. I quickly became frustrated, didnt know what i wanted to do. I felt like i had no other choice but to go back to AU. which is not what i wanted, not this year. i didnt feel like i was ready to go back yet. i was @ a crossroads in my life and i finally said ok god, what do you want me to do? i knew in the back of my head what it was I was meant to do. but as i said, im stubborn. my parents knew what it was i was meant to do, but they didnt say anything. not yet. they wanted me to figure it out. as i continued to become frustrated with everything i finally opened up my bible and said god show me what you want with me. help me. i opened my bible up and found this verse ...

"whatever is on your heart, go and do it; God is with you." - 1 Chronicles 17:4

wow. what else can i say. i knew from that moment on that i was meant to spend the next year of my life on the mission field. i stopped fighting and let got control my life. i stopped trying to control my life and put him in control. i said ok god, use me. i got online and looked at different mission organizations and i quickly became frustrated because well, it was almost june and none of them were accepting people for the 07-08 year. i then looked @ AIM. and oh my gosh did i have so many options. i knew i was being called to africa... but i didnt know where. my first thought was kenya. but after getting accepted, and talking to vicki i realized i am meant for jeffrey's bay. i have been praying about it and i feel meant to be there. like i said i started late with my decision. i applied early june and didnt get my support letters out till about the middle of june or so. i have struggled with worrying about my support money because i have so little time. but like so many other things, god is taking care of it! in the past week i have gotten a pretty good chunk of support. i have had so many cool things happen with it and i have been able to share my faith with people when they ask about what im doing. the thing that blows my mind the most is how much my faith is growing. im learning what its like to trust god, trust he has everything under control and have faith in him. i feel god working in my heart and preparing me for the mission field. i still dont know what i want to do when i return from africa, and quite frankly i dont care at this point. i just know that god will help me figure that out while i am gone. recently, we were also given the oppurtunity to stay in south africa over christmas break instead of coming home. before dave even told us about having the option it was something that was on my heart and something that i thought a lot about ... i didnt know if i wanted to come over over christmas. as much as i would love to see my family, i knew it would be that much more difficult to leave. and honestly,  a month is a long time and i didnt know if i would be able to be gone for that long. i know that my heart would be anxiously wanting to go back to SA. so i prayed about it and thought a lot about it... and then we were given the option to stay in Jeffrey's Bay! wow is all i have to say. at first i was a little shaken up and i questioned myself about if i would really be able to stay. i doubted myself. and finally i got a grip of myself and said raelynn wake up! i talked it over with my parents and as much as they would like me to come home they told me they would support me in staying. i have nine months of my life to completely give over and surrender myself to God and to Jeffrey's Bay... why the heck not give it my all? SOOO im staying over Christmas break in SA! I will be gone the entire nine months but I have no doubts. I have many more CHristmas' to come. How often will I be in South Africa? I have been talking to a lot of the girls I will be living with in SA and it makes me so thankful! These girls are amazing and I cannot wait to meet them at training camp in september! I already feel so close to them, I know that we are going to have a great team. WOW is all i have to say about the whole process. WOW. GOD IS SO GOOD. i also want to say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported me. i cannot thank you enough. please contine praying for me as well, this would all be useless without prayer. I will try and update this blog as much as possible but you can also get a hold of me by emailing me: 



rechambers@anderson.edu

"whatever is on your heart, go and do it; God is with you." - 1 Chronicles 17:4

"here i go and there's no turning back. my great adventure has begun. i may be small, but i have giant plans to shine." - little women

"the biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams."