I am home…I am tired…I am going to bed!

All is quiet on the SEND base here in Farmington, Michigan.  Its 8:30 on Saturday morning and I am the only one up and about on the property.  There is only one other girl from my orientation program that is still here as we are getting a ride to the airport a little later this morning.  As far as SEND staff, they are all at home enjoying their saturday.  The quietness here has given me an opportunity to reflect a little on what has just happened and to get ready for what the next year is going to bring.  

I entered this candidate orientation as just that, a candidate knowing that God had opened the door to SEND and checking it out to see if that is exactly where God wanted me to serve.  Having done countless assesments, (I know more about me than ever before) trainings and interviews the door with SEND opened even wider and now I am a member!  What a ride these two weeks have been!  What a ride the last five years have been!  Because it was after my time with OM in 2003 that I knew God wanted me overseas in full time missions.  To finally see that all come together and to combine it with an area of the world I am growing to love and a ministry i believe in is just amazing.  Something only God could put together.  WOW!  

Looking forward however is one that brings with it as much excitement as it does uncertainty.  In the next few months I will be working at Indian Hills Camp, going on a scouting trip to see where in South Central Europe God has for me to serve and then jumping in to finding partners for this ministry.  Like I said before it sounds exciting but overwhelming at the same time.

Before I go and clean out my room and pack, (I have 2 hours before we leave to the airport) I thought I would give a brief recap of yesterday’s news.  In the morning we had a little service where all of us new people were officially welcomed into the SEND family.  It was amazing to sit there and remember all that God had brought me through to get there.  WOW, that’s a lot!  During that short service the speaker spoke on Joshua three and how the Israelites were told to make a memorial to remember what God had done for them after they crossed the Jordan river.  The crossing of the Jordan was a monumental occasion in their lives and the memorial served as a reminder to remember for the rest of their lives.  In fact the Bible says its still there today!  Anyways, God didn’t part any rivers for me but my appointment with SEND is still a work of God and it is exactly what God wants me to do.  In that way, I need to remember this moment for the rest of my life!  That was the jist of the message and after the service we had a reception which was pretty cool.  Then it was all  about tying up lose ends before going home!  Some of us went home yesterday while others are on our way home already or like me and leaving in a little bit.  

So, the plan for the day and the next week is to go home, sleep, and be ready for breakfast at IHC 6:30am Monday morning.  I am looking forward to it!  At the same time I will be looking to begin the partnership development process by inviting people to join with me in the work God is doing.  It should be exciting as I trust in God to meet all my needs before I can hit the field.

May we all act with urgency as we overflow Jesus wherever we are in order to share His love with those we meet and invite them into a relationship with God that will radically transform their lives forever!

Well, its the last night “officially” at COP although a few of us will be here tomorrow night as well, the program ends after dinner on Friday.  With that said, I am excited to be going home after what will be twelve days away.  At the same time I am bummed that I will be leaving this new community that was formed of people who may have different ages, genders or backgrounds but share the same passion…sharing Jesus with the world.  That is what I am going to miss the most about COP…the people!

Before it finishes though, I have a few more projects to get done so I better make this post one of the “shorter” ones in my list.  I do have one story to share before I go however…one that I still can’t believe happened and will encourage me for weeks to come.  For the latter part of this week we have been learning and practicing various methods and stratagies that have been effective in partnership development.  One of those methods was sharing our story and expressing our partnership needs with someone in a one on one situation.  To help practice this skill, outsiders were brought in to give us their listening ears.  It was at that time that I met Duane and we both shared what God was doing in our lives.  As I went through my story and came to the part where I asked him if he was interested in partnering with me, he said YES and proceeded to give me a financial gift to help with my outgoing expenses.  I never met him before and now Duane is a prayer partner and has given to the ministry.  I think that’s pretty cool and almost did not know what to say.  God is awesome and He moves in ways we sometimes don’t understand.  We just need to overflow Jesus and hold on tight for what comes next.  To God be the glory!

Its Wednesday here at COP…only a few days left of orientation before its back to San Diego!  That fact brings with it a bit of excitement because its always good to be home but at the same time a little bit of dread is there because of the long road ahead when it comes to partnership development.  There is a certain amount of faithful, committed prayer supporters, monthly supporters and those giving to my outgoing expense fund that I need to raise before I can go.  Its a daunting task but one that I look forward to with great anticipation!  Anticipating what God is going to do through this ministry to prepare me to join Him in what He is already doing in Europe. Well, outside of more training and stuff, not a whole lot has happened.  Now its time to relax until tomorrow!

So, the euro 2008 soccer tournament is going on right now and since the beginning I have been rooting for the countries I have been to and served in.  At the start that was…Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Croatia, Romania and the Netherlands.  Now the tournament is at the semifinal stage and of all “my” teams Germany is the one still standing.  Bummer!  Despite my German heritage and the large number of German friends I have, I was rooting for them the least of all.  Plus I usually go for the underdog which they never are.  So, now what do I do?  Stick with my plan or jump on the bandwagon of one of the other three teams left???  That is the question of the night.  Germany, Turkey, Spain or Russia?  Which team?  Right now I kinda would go for Turkey just because they would be the underdogs against Germany.  As far as the other game, probably Spain because there is a team from IHC going there this summer.  Enough meaningless babble about euro 2008 and on to the reason why you are reading this blog…info on another day at COP here at the SEND Base.  

But before we move on, was the babble on euro 2008 really meaningless?  It was supposed to be when I started but now I don’t think it really is.  You see, my love for some of these teams in this tourney I believe is directly tied to the relationships I have with people from these countries and the experiences I had when I was in them.  For example, I really wanted Croatia to win above all the others because I love that country so much.  In fact I am really stoked to be going back there this summer.  Poland was probably a close second maybe even tied with Croatia because I spent three and a half months there serving the people and loving the children.  So many countries throw all their national pride and passion into one 90 minute game where people they don’t know but where their flag on their chest kick a round ball into a net.  I know soccer or football is the sport above all others, but in the grand scheme of things is it really that important?  

Compare that with the pride and passion we have or should have in our relationship with Jesus.  These Europeans are so excited to share their passion with you…are we just as excited to share our passion for God with them?  There is a euro 2008 semifinal game on this Wednesday and Thursday I would love to watch them both but can’t because of where I am at the moment.  If you have a chance, watch the games!  Watch them because its soccer but also watch them to see the national pride flow out of the fans at the stadiums.  If you do get to see it, ask yourself if your pride for God matches their pride for their country.  

Okay, so I got a little carried away with the whole euro 2008 thing…sorry I get really excited about international soccer and especially when it comes to Europe or the United States.  But back to the title of this email and what I thought I was writing about…I am tired!  Right now especially because I have been working on this presentation that I will be giving 3 times tomorrow and then 2 times on Thursday.  AAAAHHHH!!!!  Its just a practice one for what we will be sharing as we work to develop partners for our ministry.  Reminds me a little bit about school…staying up late cramming for a test or working on a message to give.  Mine is pretty much done for now, we will see what changes come tomorrow.  

So, what else happened today besides me working on my presentation…where do I begin??  This morning was all about the Biblical foundation for partnership development and then we learned about another one of the SEND Core Values.  Today was all about belonging!  I liked this one because I am one who cherishes community and all that it brings.  After lunch it was meeting time!  YEAH!  First for me was a meeting with my partnership development coach on the exact amount of money I am going to need per month and what I will need for start up costs.  Both of these goals need to be met before I can leave.  The numbers aren’t final yet but they already look overwhelming.  (this may be true but I am not a grasshopper!!)  Next was a meeting with the media team and the design of my prayer card.  It looks pretty sweet so far but because I don’t have a final destination yet, it can’t be sent to the printer.  The final official meeting of the day was regarding my vision trip to the few SEND teams in South Central Europe that I am deciding between.  Hopefully that will happen in August sometime than I can begin in September building a team of partners.  More to come on that though.

The evening consisted of throwing the frisbee, eating burgers at a community BBQ and more presentation work.  What a night!  Its 10:30pm right now and I am outta here!

am i a grasshopper?  are you a grasshopper?  what a question to ask someone especially in the title of the latest blog post.  leaving the training for the day here at the SEND base, i wrote down this question as one i plan on asking myself over and over again.  i am guessing that you are thinking right now and wondering where on earth i got this question from.  before i tell you, let me go through the events of today…

so far the day has consisted of 6 sessions and a very good lunch!  i am getting used to not having to cook here and so it might be hard to get back into the swing of kitchen life when this is over.  as far as sessions go, they covered finances, the importance of personal devos, presenting your ministry, the core value of servanthood and partner development foundations.  

after dinner we have a last session consisting of time to work on all of our homework.  i totally thought i was done with that, but that is not how it works here.  tonight my homework is preparing my ministry presentation (i have to give it 3 times on wednesday), filling out a few financial worksheets and to read a few other things.  it shouldn’t take all that long especially when we are all in the same room working together.

finally, the answer to the question that i think you are asking yourself.  if you skipped down to this paragraph, you are missing out because it all builds on each other.  alright, to understand this question, picture yourself totally overwhelmed with so much stuff that you have no idea how to do it all let alone where to start.  because that’s kinda why my brian hurt so much after the finance session.  next bust out your Bibles to numbers 13.  if you don’t got one around, check out this link Numbers 13  

read it yet?  i think its vital you do before moving on!  alright, lets move on…in the passage moses is told to send some spies into the land that God has said He would give them.  they do and come back saying how sweet the land is but how large and scary looking the people who live there are.  they say that the israelites are like grasshoppers to them.  nothing but insects!  they are overwhelmed to the tenth degree and know they have a lot of work to do but don’t even know where to start.  they are grasshoppers!

now back to the original question…am i a grasshopper?  are you a grasshopper?  the real question here is are we looking too much at the situations we are in and feel so overwhelmed that we forget about God?  God promised the land to the Israelites yet the spies (except for caleb and joshua) forgot that and got overwhelmed with the gigantic obstacles in their way.  they took their focus off God and put it on the problem at hand.  look where that got them…40 years wandering in the desert!  so the question is, am i a grasshopper or am i one who in spite of the HUGE obstacles and the overwhelming task at hand keeps my focus on God?  that right there is something to think about.

Well, after the crazyness of yesterday, the non-stop week I have had so far and then the crazy weekend before that and week and a half before that, today was a day to kick back, relax and just hang out.  It was fun!  I got to sleep in, go to a really cool church nearby that is very friendly, eat some good chinese food, relax at the SEND Base, good for being in michigan mexican food, minature golf and go karts all before 10pm!  now its off to bed!  tomorrow looks to be more training and stuff like that.  i do have homework here blieve it or not and have a BIG presentation on wednesday i think.  we will have to wait and see how that goes.  sorry for those of you looking for something deep and profound!  this is as good as today gets!

you know when you get an amazing gift from God and your day/week/month and maybe even year has been made because of it?  well, that happened today!  i couldn’t really imagine putting it in the same post as 8 mile so that’s why this is a double post day.  let me write one paragraph trying to explain what God did today and leave it at that…

today it was officially announced that i was accepted as a member of SEND International (read the page on this site) to work in their camping ministry in south central europe.  this is a dream come true for me and i am so stoked that God is blessing me with this opportunity.  i would love to write more but it would be a book saying the same thing over and over again which is…i am so stoked that God is blessing me with this opportunity.  more later…

what a combination of words we have in the title tonight!  The best part is that none of them have to do with what happened here at the SEND Base.  So, lets start with the titles…

dutch blitz: So, all of us in training that are here at the base tonight are hanging out in the dinning hall talking after playing a new game.  the three girls have all played it before and i have never even heard of the game before tonight.  lets just say we played about 5 games of it and I won the last one!  i would describe it to you but i really can’t.  you just have to know about it i guess.

8 mile: Today I had the opportunity to take a trip down 8 mile.  Those of you not familiar with what exactly 8 mile is, here are a few definitions off the internet.  8 mile is a state trunkline in the U.S. state of Michigan, running along the northern boundary of Detroit. It is known as 8 Mile Roadfor most of its length. Or… 8 mile is a 2002 American drama film directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Eminem. Set in the Detroit hip hop scene during 1995, the film depicts Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. (Eminem) as he struggles for respect among his peers.

To be honest my trip down 8 mile wasn’t all that exciting for all the hype Eminem gave it with his movie.

shawarmas: did you know that the city dearborn, michigan has the largest Arab population in the world outside of the Middle East!  Isn’t that cool to know!  Not only that but it gets better!  This weekend was the Dearborn Arab Festival and we here at the SEND base had the chance to go and check it out.  It did rain so it wasn;t as exciting as advertised but ti still was good.  That’s where we ate the shawarmas which if you don’t know what they are, check it out because they are pretty good!  If you are from Jamul and know about the Jamul Meat Market think that good but from the Middle East instead.  It was that good!

so, those three things pretty much made up my afternoon here at the SEND Base.  Kind of exciting if you ask me.  Tomorrow looks to be more of the same!  

Well, another day has passed and so here I am sitting in the dinning hall writing yet another post of the events of today!  This one might not be as long as the last few, but it still should be good!  Oh yeah, if you were wondering where the pictures are, well they are all in my camera!  Here in Michigan I don’t have any way to transfer them onto my computer so you will just have to wait until after my return to see what this place looks like and what I am doing!  Now, back to today…

The day started like the last few have, me waking up to the clock saying it was 6:30 but my body saying it was 3:30am.  Not the best way to start your day!  The first session was titled “how to tell your story” and it was all about…you guessed it…storytelling!  Its a skill that’s good for sharing what God is doing through your ministry in order to get others to partner with you in the work.  I learned a lot!  Next I had my picture taken here at the base for my prayer card.  I get to design them next week and that should be cool.  After lunch was when I got the analysis of that psycho test I took back and met with someone who could explain it to me.  There wasn’t a whole lot to talk about because apparently I am normal.  This may come as a shock to some of you but its true!  Anyways, after dinner we all went into town to celebrate Coldstone Creamery’s 20th birthday.  Here in Michigan we all got free bday cake!  That was fun!

One exciting side note…tomorrow I have my last big interview at 7am California time and in the afternoon we all get to go to the Annual Dearborne Arab Festival.  Apparently Dearborne, Michigan has the world’s biggest Arab population outside of the Middle East.  How cool is that?

Okay so one more bit of news that’s even more exciting than the last…one of the kids of the missionary who is leading our training here decided to begin his own personal relationship with Jesus the other day!  It was amazing and when we are all in heaven I will have to introduce you to him because if you like me I know you’ll like him!