Building Foundations

Whoo!  Week one is now behind us.

It was a challenging week, with lots of new points of view about God and the world we live in.  We spent three days focusing on Spiritual Warfare, how to defend ourselves against the attacks of the devil.  Without going into too much detail about it, it was a very trying topic for me to comprehend, because it is something that we never talked about growing up.  Its still a concept I can't fully understand.

Class time

We also spent some time on prayer- how to pray, why we pray and to ask, seek and knock  (Luke 11: 9-13). We know that we are like sheep, He is the shepherd and like sheep, we recognize our shepherd's voice, we just need to learn how to listen.  We spent the day today seeking God's voice in the wilderness at the Tyler State Park.  We tried to utilize what we learned this past week to drown out the competing voices and seek God in the silence.  



Move along lil doggies!



We care about eachother!



BBQ



Not everything we've done has been in the class room, we've spent our evenings and nights learning about each other. We come from all over the world, representing 6 different countries.  We've herded cattle, had a REAL Texan BBQ and had the first Inside-Out-Day (where we wore our clothes inside out)  What fun we've had in just the 7 days that we've been together, can't wait to see what the next 3 weeks in Texas, 2 weeks in Sierra Leone and then on the ship.  

Inside-Out-Day

Please continue praying for rain here in Texas, it is very, very hot and dry.  The entire state has fire bans in place.  Also, we would love to be able to do our fire training in 2 weeks :) 

Blessings 

Pull Up A Chair

The adventure begins!  After months and months of planning, praying, crying, and a wee bit of procrastination, the time has come for Gateway- the 4week training program in Texas.

Let me catch you up to today.  Last week, after I moved out of my apartment, I spent the weekend up in Estes Park- hanging out with friends and enjoying Colorado in the fall.  I then drove home- with my cat- and stayed with my parents.  After a short week in Independence, saying goodbye to everyone and repacking 6,000 times.

Dad took me to the airport, bright and early Saturday morning (ie: 5:00am)  Before I knew it, I was in Texas and driving to the IOC (International Operations Center- the headquarters for Mercy Ships).

I meet 21 other people, who like me, are crazy enough to sign on for a longer time.  After a fun day of group building, including a chocolate relay races (which my team won!).  We learned about the local wildlife when we found scorpions on the floors and even on the walls in our rooms!  But if you call out, the Scorpion Wranglers will come to your rescue! 

Ken- our hero!

The Scorpion Wranglers to the rescue!

Today was our first day of classroom work.  We spent the day learning about the character of God and who He is.  We focused a lot on Exodus 34: 6-7

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'"

It was an interesting discussion, including the different sterotypes people preceive of God and how God releved Himself through different scriptures.

Our nights, so far, have ended pretty much the same- everyone gethering in the lounge of our dorm with their computers or games and creating fun nights of entertainment.

The "internet cafe" in the dorm

Texas is experiencing a very severe drought, with lots of wildfires popping up around the state.  We had a nice thunderstorm last night, but as of right now, we might not be able to do our firefighting class (its supposed to be really fun) so please help us pray for rain, not just for our ability to play "firemen", but for the people of Texas who are having a hard time with this drought.

Moving Day!

Who would have thought September would come so fast?  Last week it was 90+ degrees out and come Sept 1- its barely reaching 70 degrees!  As I am writing this, I am sitting in my sparsely filled bedroom, I just took down my curtains and paused to look out the window to a view I've had for 5 years.  The little aspen tree by the water fountain is starting to turn a brownish gold around the edges- it doesn't turn the pretty colors like its mountain cousins- but I've enjoyed looking at it over the years.



Steely and me!



One week ago today was a bittersweet moment as I left my job.  I've worked at the university for over 6 years now- most of them on the night shift.  I made a lot of friends, learned a lot and I can credit the U for preparing me for the opportunities I am able to do now. 

Yesterday was my last day at the barn, and even though the weather wasn't ideal (60 and raining), I still got to get a trailride in with my Steely.  I think saying goodbye to the people and horses at the barn was the hardest I've had.  I have to keep reminding myself that its only for a short while- I'll see them again in a year....

And that leads us to today.  ITS MOVING DAY!!!!!!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!  OK- don't panic quite yet.  Most everything is in boxes- there's still some stragglers, but soon everything will be emptied and packed in the storage containers parked outside.  I really, truly pray that everything fits.  Please Lord, let it all fit- I can't deal with having to come up with Plan B!

So, here's where things start to get interesting.  Up until this point, I haven't had much to blog about, but I promise, from here on out, I'll have regular updates.  I'm still looking for some more people to help sponsor me- click that little button on the left hand side of the page and help me out! 

Blessings

First fundraising trip a success!

What a trip!  In 9 days, I gave 7 talks to people interested in Mercy Ships and my mission to return.  I've been truly blessed with the outcome of these talks and the outcome was amazing.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to come hear me. 

Talking with the staff at Buchanan County Health Center

Not all my time in Iowa was talks and fundraising.  I got to see a lot of my friends and catch up with people, do lunch and have bonfires and picnics.  I got to stay in my parents' new house for the first time, Mom and Dad even took me to the Mississippi one day.  I wish I had more time, but I will be back in September.

Time keeps moving forward and I am having a hard time accepting that June is almost over.  So much to do and so little time.  I've been busy trying to piece together all the things that need to happen between now and Labor Day.  I still need to find a storage unit, get boxes and packing supplies and do the thing I hate the most... pack.

I want to thank everyone who has helped me as I am planning this trip back to Africa.  Your support means so much to me.  Thank you!

Coming to a City Near You!

Attention all Indee folk!  I am coming to your town next week! 

I know, exciting right?  I'll be home for about a week and am talking about my up coming trip.  Where will I be and when, you ask? 

I'll be talking at...
May 31 Rotary @ Bill's Pizza
June 2 @ BCHC / Oak View
June 4 & 5 Immanuel Lutheran Church

If anyone would like to come see me and hear about my adventures please come! 

Also, you may have noticed that I've added a new link to the right- its a link to my support page, click on it and check it out!  Every bit helps (and its tax deductable :) )

Happy Easter!

A reading from Matthew 28...

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Remember, Jesus died for us all and it is our duty to live our lives the way He wants us too.  We are forgiven and all has been washed clean.  What an amazing gift from an amazing God.

Peace & blessings to you all

Am I doing this right?

Ok, so I'm trying a new blog format and I'm trying to figure this out... Bare with me for a bit while I try to work out the bugs.  I hope to have this up and running soon so you can follow my travels.

Stay tuned!