God has been so sweet lately in filling my life with reminders of His Faithfulness! Support has been coming in from unexpected places (including a $1,000 rebate from Texas A&M that I have no idea how I managed to get, WHOOP!) and everything just seems to be falling into place. I had breakfast with Jamie Bauknight (she's also going to Kenya with AIM), a weekly ritual, and it was so wonderful to hear about how God is providing so faithfully. I was getting so excited hearing about it that I could hardly sit still in my squeaky Chick-fil-A booth! I often have to remind myself not to be quite so surprised at it all - for this is our God :)
I've gotten a lot done in the past two weeks - finished my shots, bought luggage (at super discounted prices), bought a year's worth of toiletries and contacts (at Sam's - so super discounted prices; also, this is a very fun thing to do - I felt like I was preparing for hurricane season or Armageddon or something!), finished all of my AIM/RVA paperwork, applied for an international drivers liscence (that should be interesting... first time I drove a standard, I drove over a barbed-wire fence... hopefully I'll do better on the other side of the road?), and - most importantly - bought my first pair of Chacos (at a super discounted price). I've done a lot more too, but those are things I'm super proud of.
Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know how faithful God is. It's beautiful to watch, and I pray that you see it tomorrow and in the coming days!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
RVA Orientation: Day 4
So this is a little late coming, but I just hate leaving things unfinished. Day 4 was fabulous. We had a round-table discussion with two previous RVAers - one was the superintendent for about 5 or 6 years, and they had both done just about every position possible. It was a great opportunity to find out more about the school, the kids, my co-workers, what to expect, etc.
Afterwards, we had a luncheon with all of the AIM staffers, short-termers shared testimonies and prayer requests, and then they sang us out. After pictures and soaking up the last bits of cool weather, we said goodbye to our newfound AIM family, and off to the airport we went.
I cannot thank God enough for the people He placed in my life up there. It was so fantastic meeting all of the staffers who have been helping me from the beginning and working so hard to put this trip together for all of us. It was so encouraging to see their love for the Lord, their patience in their work, and their support in our lives. I now feel 100 times more ready to go and can't wait to see what God has waiting in Kenya :)
The next five weeks will be filled with doctor's appointments, packing, unpacking, and packing again, support raising, goodbyes to last a year, and much much more. But God willing, five weeks from today, I will be landing in Nairobi, figuring out how to not lose all of my money paying bribes at the airport, and stepping into the land that I've been dreaming of for five years. How sweet it is :)
Afterwards, we had a luncheon with all of the AIM staffers, short-termers shared testimonies and prayer requests, and then they sang us out. After pictures and soaking up the last bits of cool weather, we said goodbye to our newfound AIM family, and off to the airport we went.
I cannot thank God enough for the people He placed in my life up there. It was so fantastic meeting all of the staffers who have been helping me from the beginning and working so hard to put this trip together for all of us. It was so encouraging to see their love for the Lord, their patience in their work, and their support in our lives. I now feel 100 times more ready to go and can't wait to see what God has waiting in Kenya :)
The next five weeks will be filled with doctor's appointments, packing, unpacking, and packing again, support raising, goodbyes to last a year, and much much more. But God willing, five weeks from today, I will be landing in Nairobi, figuring out how to not lose all of my money paying bribes at the airport, and stepping into the land that I've been dreaming of for five years. How sweet it is :)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
RVA Orientation: Day 2 & 3
These past two days have been incredibly busy and exhausting, but encouraging and exciting beyond what I ever imagined!
Yesterday we had our psych evals and looked at our personality test results, and apparently I passed and am safe to go to Africa, praise God! I was amazed at how right-on it was in describing my personality, and I'm excited to see God teach me and grow me throughout the next year as we work on my personal goals :) I feel so grown up and official...
We also had group-building time and played some fun little games, including hacky sack (which I am terrible at, in case you're wondering...) and a woofle (?) ball game that we rocked. Afterwards, we split up into ministry groups (so the 7 RVA people were together) and answered fun little questions and got to know each other a little more. In case I haven't said it enough, God has been so gracious in blessing me with absolutely fantastic people to work with and I am out of my mind thankful for each one of them and the encouragement they've brought!
A few of us walked up to a little corner store afterwards, which was shocking for me because I made it all the way there without sweating - I don't think I get 2 feet in July in Texas without bordering on a heat stroke. The weather was beatiful and the fireflies were out (some may or may not have been eaten...), so it was a perfect summer night. I love it here...
Today we had a lot of meetings and lectures on culture and worldview, banking, travel and what the Bible says about missions. Parts of it were a bit like college lectures and I had trouble focusing without my crosswords there, but other sessions were exhilerating as I thought about trying to get through customs and flying overseas and packing and whatnot. I'm a bit worried the Africans will peg me as a first-time-international-flier and note the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing and get away with hundreds of dollars in bribes, but I think I'll just practice beforehand or something.
I got an email this morning from the RVA Superintendent asking me to teach 7th or 8th grade English and/or be a 9th grade dorm parent. Gasp. In case you've forgotten, my degree is in elementary, and while I love love love English, I've never taught it, so this is definitely going to be a challenge. Definitely. But I'm insanely excited as I... well, love love love English, so I'll probably head home and start studying up on grammar skills and whatnot. It's funny, up until about a year or two ago I was terrified of the thought of teaching junior high, but I've slowly come to really like that age, and now God seems to be opening a door that He's began to prepare me to walk through. I'm pumped, to say the least.
Things are really starting to hit - there's a team here that leaves tomorrow and thinking about their situation sort of helps me to visualize what I'll be doing in just over a month, and it's exhilerating and terrifying at the same time, but a good terrifying, if that makes sense... It'll be strange going home after I feel so prepared being here, but I have a ton to do before we leave, so the time is sure to fly... eek...
Anyways, it's bed time. Or something. So goodnight all :)
Yesterday we had our psych evals and looked at our personality test results, and apparently I passed and am safe to go to Africa, praise God! I was amazed at how right-on it was in describing my personality, and I'm excited to see God teach me and grow me throughout the next year as we work on my personal goals :) I feel so grown up and official...
We also had group-building time and played some fun little games, including hacky sack (which I am terrible at, in case you're wondering...) and a woofle (?) ball game that we rocked. Afterwards, we split up into ministry groups (so the 7 RVA people were together) and answered fun little questions and got to know each other a little more. In case I haven't said it enough, God has been so gracious in blessing me with absolutely fantastic people to work with and I am out of my mind thankful for each one of them and the encouragement they've brought!
A few of us walked up to a little corner store afterwards, which was shocking for me because I made it all the way there without sweating - I don't think I get 2 feet in July in Texas without bordering on a heat stroke. The weather was beatiful and the fireflies were out (some may or may not have been eaten...), so it was a perfect summer night. I love it here...
Today we had a lot of meetings and lectures on culture and worldview, banking, travel and what the Bible says about missions. Parts of it were a bit like college lectures and I had trouble focusing without my crosswords there, but other sessions were exhilerating as I thought about trying to get through customs and flying overseas and packing and whatnot. I'm a bit worried the Africans will peg me as a first-time-international-flier and note the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing and get away with hundreds of dollars in bribes, but I think I'll just practice beforehand or something.
I got an email this morning from the RVA Superintendent asking me to teach 7th or 8th grade English and/or be a 9th grade dorm parent. Gasp. In case you've forgotten, my degree is in elementary, and while I love love love English, I've never taught it, so this is definitely going to be a challenge. Definitely. But I'm insanely excited as I... well, love love love English, so I'll probably head home and start studying up on grammar skills and whatnot. It's funny, up until about a year or two ago I was terrified of the thought of teaching junior high, but I've slowly come to really like that age, and now God seems to be opening a door that He's began to prepare me to walk through. I'm pumped, to say the least.
Things are really starting to hit - there's a team here that leaves tomorrow and thinking about their situation sort of helps me to visualize what I'll be doing in just over a month, and it's exhilerating and terrifying at the same time, but a good terrifying, if that makes sense... It'll be strange going home after I feel so prepared being here, but I have a ton to do before we leave, so the time is sure to fly... eek...
Anyways, it's bed time. Or something. So goodnight all :)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
RVA Orientation: Day 1
So last night I officially felt like a 6th grader going to summer camp. RVA Orientation is this week (today-Wednesday) in New York, and I knew I wouldn't know anyone going up, and I had no idea what to expect about activities/housing/people/anything, so I was ridiculously nervous. But praise the Lord, it has been fantastic!
The nerves really kicked in at the Newark airport in New Jersey when I was at baggage claim; I was waiting for my baggage and the taxi driver to pick me up and started panicking, realizing I was far away and about to go through all of this without anyone there to hold my hand through it and it just felt like the first REAL step towards Africa and like it was already beginning and thinking about all of this made it a little difficult to breathe and see straight. I met the taxi driver and he immediately pegged me as a Texan because I was "so friendly." Apparently when he was in the Navy a million years ago he met a Texan who was the friendliest person he'd ever met and it shocked him so much that he hasn't forgotten her since. And apparently he'll remember me forever too? I was nervous - I talked a lot. Apparently New Yorkers don't do that.
Got to AIM Headquarters, driver dropped me off at the front office, and I realized it was locked. Lights off. No one answering the door. I tried a couple other doors, and no one answered there either. I saw no signs of people, so I felt a little abandoned. That's awkward. Luckily, someone happened by and let me in, so I sat in my room alone for a couple hours reading and napping and everyone else showed up about 3 hours later. At least they came...
Anyways, I've met an old Ag (c/o '79) who decided we should have Muster while over there. He's GREAT. There are four older adults (two couples) and they're great and so fun to watch, and two other girls - 23 and 24 - who will be teaching at RVA as well, praise God.
Anyways, all of this to say God has been so gracious in reassuring me that things are going to be more than okay. It's scary - and the whole "I'm living in Africa for a year" thing is starting to really hit, making me insanely nervous, but I'm so so thankful to have these people beside me with the same concerns and anxieties, but the same passions and excitements as well.
This is going to be great. :)
The nerves really kicked in at the Newark airport in New Jersey when I was at baggage claim; I was waiting for my baggage and the taxi driver to pick me up and started panicking, realizing I was far away and about to go through all of this without anyone there to hold my hand through it and it just felt like the first REAL step towards Africa and like it was already beginning and thinking about all of this made it a little difficult to breathe and see straight. I met the taxi driver and he immediately pegged me as a Texan because I was "so friendly." Apparently when he was in the Navy a million years ago he met a Texan who was the friendliest person he'd ever met and it shocked him so much that he hasn't forgotten her since. And apparently he'll remember me forever too? I was nervous - I talked a lot. Apparently New Yorkers don't do that.
Got to AIM Headquarters, driver dropped me off at the front office, and I realized it was locked. Lights off. No one answering the door. I tried a couple other doors, and no one answered there either. I saw no signs of people, so I felt a little abandoned. That's awkward. Luckily, someone happened by and let me in, so I sat in my room alone for a couple hours reading and napping and everyone else showed up about 3 hours later. At least they came...
Anyways, I've met an old Ag (c/o '79) who decided we should have Muster while over there. He's GREAT. There are four older adults (two couples) and they're great and so fun to watch, and two other girls - 23 and 24 - who will be teaching at RVA as well, praise God.
Anyways, all of this to say God has been so gracious in reassuring me that things are going to be more than okay. It's scary - and the whole "I'm living in Africa for a year" thing is starting to really hit, making me insanely nervous, but I'm so so thankful to have these people beside me with the same concerns and anxieties, but the same passions and excitements as well.
This is going to be great. :)
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