The Western 2 step!

Sorry it's been a while since i've written. Let me fill you in... The silent retreat on Saturday was a really neat experience. We all piled in vans and went to the state park (which was gorgeous!). We got there at 10am and everyone dispersed to find his/her own place to get away and try to listen for God. When we gathered together again at 1:30, I was so blessed to hear stories of how God spoke so personally to each. It actually moved me to tears as I listened, because I was just overwhelmed with the realization of just how precious we are to God. I was just struck with how anxiously he is waiting for us to get quiet so he can come and talk with us intimately. And he talks to each person according to the details of how he created us! He knows us so well and loves us so passionately! It was an awesome time for everyone.

Then Saturday night, we all let loose and got off campus to have some fun. About 20 of us loaded up in 4 cars and drove 45 minutes to a Big Sandy's Dance Hall, where a crowd of older people regularly cut loose. It was SO much fun! Some feisty little old ladys taught us all some great Country line dances, and we spent the night learning the western 2 step with sweet old men my grandpa's age :) It was a blast and we all want to go back!

Sunday was church and a nice loooong nap :D. Now today we're back to the normal schedule, in class at 8. Today we learned about conflict resolution: between us and God, us and other people etc. It was very helpful and I think well needed in preparation for living in a big tin can (ie. the ship ;P) with about 450 people. hehe After class we took a team photo of the whole Gateway class and the staff. It's been fun. looking forward to another week and what God has planned for the rest of the time!

At the Barbeque

Sunflowers!

Tracey (my small group leader) and her husband

More sweaty fun!!

Girls photo! at BBQ

Coolest plates ever!

Prayer

In class today we learned about prayer and how powerful it really is. Also how we CAN hear from God and he wants to speak to us. We just have to be willing to deal with the things in between us and then ask him. Then we actually have to wait and let there be silence so he is able to answer. It's been really a great topic, and i'm being challenged to re-evaluate my prayer life and get more serious about it and actually listening.
Besides that there's not a whole lot new to report. We've been playing lots of sports which has been great. I found a piano I can get away and play which was such a blessing. God knew i missed it :) Last night was our first Dominican republic field service meeting. There are 7 of us going. It went really well. we just got filled in on some of the background of mercy ships relationship with the place were going to work. We just got back from a barbeque at one of the staff's houses. It was very yummy and lots of fun! tomarrow we are having a silent retreat. We will be going to a park at 9am and staying until 3pm. I'll write later to tell how it went :)

Hot+Sweaty=Swimming...

It's the end of our first Monday in Gateway, and I am happily tired and ready for bed. Today we had our first full class session. This first couple days will be about learning to know ourselves. It was so interesting and I absolutely loved it. We talked about our intrinsic value as children of God. This example was used: A hundred dollar bill all crumpled, torn, and ripped is still a hundred dollar bill! Just as it's value doesn't change even then, neither does ours! We also each completed a DISC personality profile before Gateway and we went over those. It was so interesting and helpful in understanding myself as well as others and why they act or do or see things the way they do. At Lunch, a group of us got to eat with the speaker, Doctor Andrew Clark. He is on the Mercy Ship staff and lives here on campus. He is originally from South Africa but has lived in New Zealand for a long while. He is an incredible speaker that I could listen to forever. After class me and one of my roomies, Becca, went for a run on a circle path through the woods back around to campus. It was Extremely hot (in Texas, it apparently just gets hotter as the day goes to where 5 or 6 is the hottest time of the day!) and as we were walking by the pool all hot and sweaty we just decided to jump in fully clothed! It was fun. Then later we went and played wally ball and soccar with other gatewayers and again people wanted to go in the pool. So we went in the pool again, me and Becca fully clothed for the second time today!! now we have run out of clothes... :-p JUST KIDDING! haha but we found the whole thing funny. So now I'm off to bed. Up at 6 tomarrow, hopefully run at 7, and class at 8. Nothing like jump startin the day!

Lunch with Doctor Clark

(Me, Gemma, Murrey, Doc. Clark, Christina, Noah Son or Young Pyo, & Hayley)

Soccar!!!
More Soccar...
from left: Micah (Holand), Elliot (Canada), Me

Hot and Sweaty after playing! front: Becca & Micah Back: me, Elliot, Christina, Murry

Swimming to cool off. Me, Christina, and Becca (taking picture) Were fully clothed :-p hehe

Texas has scorpions! I've seen 3 so far. They are quit small tho.

Pictures!!

from left: Estelle (South Africa), Becca, Haley My amazing Roomates!!

Roomies :)


Movie night!!! we watched "Win a Date with Todd Hamelton" hahah :D

Don't be fooled, I CANNOT play guitar! I only wish i could very badly! :)

about 7 of us had a little time of worship and prayer one night.

Church, Happy Fathers Day!

Today we all went to church. We filled up two rows. It was a really neat time of worship. Both the singing and preaching were powerful. The singing was about God as our father and I so enjoyed it. To me there is just nothing quite the same as worshiping God through music and song. There is just a special connection for me there. The speaking was about living unselfishly and a clip from fireproof was shown. Very touching and convicting.
After church we made our sack lunches and then went to class for orientation. Yesterday we began going around and having everyone share the story of how they came to be here now with mercy ships and also whatever background they deemed relevent. Today we continued that as we sat in a circle passing a little purple bean man across the circle. whoever catches it shares their story then throws it to someone else :) It has been so neat and a real blessing to learn where people come from, their struggles, miracles and just their stories. I haven't gone yet. I still am not exactly sure what i'll say or where i'll start hehe, but I'm just praying God tells the story how he sees it thru me.
Though it is all exciting and very beneficial I am also beginning to find it exausting. It is a different and very full schedule. I'm sure It will mellow out as I get used to it all and find my rutine :) I'm very expectant to experience what God has for me in the next couple months. Pray that I am aware and receptive. Pray that in this time God will teach me to hear his voice more clearly than ever before so I can follow Him like never before. And then that I will retain all that I learn and continue to live it out...

Last Day of IMS

Today was the last day of IMS. A lot of people are leaving to go back home now because they are doing the rest of training at different times. It is kind of sad and yet exciting to know that in a few months I will see many of them on the ship! Also new people are arriving for Gateway training; we got another roomate. She's from South Africa.
Today we had sack lunches and a bunch of us went down by a little lake and sat on an old (unstable) pier. Lots of goofiness! it was fun. ;-p Tonight we went swimming and will probably watch a movie because tomarrow is Saturday and the first day we get to SLEEP IN!!!!! :-D

Prepare the Way...

There's only one more day of IMS. Saturday I register for Gateway. I'll keep you updated on what it's like! I can't wait. I feel like every stage progresses with more excitment and challenge. I feel that with every day I am driven more strongly to an awareness of my need to depend on God and open all of myself up for him to work in every way. I know there is a lot of work He wants to do in me.

I have been doing well. Today and tomarrow are the financial part of IMS. I learned a lot today and it has been very helpful. I found out that with crew fees (room and board), and other necessities, and a little for incidentals I will need about $700 per month. I am well on my way. I will make specific needs known as they arise. Thank you so much to all of you who have been Such a blessing with each of your financial gifts! I feel so blessed with the support I have with all of your prayers! Again I consider that detrimentally important!

I would greatly appreciate specific prayer in these areas right now:

*That God would specifically prepare the way for our field service trip to the Dominican Republic, as well as preparing us! (I think we leave July 16th)

*Secondly, Please begin praying for the spiritual warfare we will encounter both in the DR and in Africa.

I am praying for you as well, for needs I am aware of! Please let me know how I can pray for you! I'm thinking of all of you!

Welcome to Mercy Ships! From left front: Rebecca, Haley, Gema (UK), Me

New friends from South Korea: Hyo-Jin(sitting) & Youngpyo(behind)
Hyo-Jin (pronounced: Q-tseen) & I

The girls outside dinner :)

Our IMS group

It's Only the Beginning...

Hey Everyone!
This is the Beginning of my adventure with Mercy Ships on the Africa Mercy. I Just arrived at the Mercy Ships training center in Tyler, TX on Mon, 15. We just started classroom today. It has been so exciting. I'm in the intro to mercy ships faze. Next week Gateway will start (Gateway is the specialized training for being on the Mercy Ship and hands on training for things we will experience). I have already met tons of amazing people and learned so much. I am extremely excited! I'm sensing so strongly that God is present and I am so expectant to see what he's going to do and teach me. He's outside the boat and motioning for me to step out with Him; this is the beginning....He's teaching me to walk on water!

here are some picutures...

Me and some of the girls in front of our dorm

My room

My Bed: Bottom :)

Dinner the first night :)

Our Table (I don't know what i'm doing:-p)
Our Classroom

In Classroom

(from left: Haley, Danae, Christina, me, Heather, Annie and Blake standing)
Haley is my roomie