My First Day Off!

Since I have been back, I have not slept in once. Most of my days have been spent out and about and I don't get home till late. Wednesday I spent some time at home but most of it was productive time. Today, however, I took a break. I slept in. I did nothing. And it felt good.
My week has been pretty awesome and action packed, but rest is awesome,too.
Monday - I had lunch with Danielle and went window shopping
Tuesday - I had coffee with my Student Minister and dinner with a supporter
Wednesday - I went to the dentist, was produtive at home, and went to starbucks with my mom's gel
Thursday - I took a couple girls out, hit Animal Jungle, Tropical Smoothie, Lynnhaven Mall, the Oceanfront, Dairy Queen, then went bicycling down the boardwalk with my gel group and watched a street preformance.
Friday - I went out with a Student, lunch with mom, dinner with 5 students
So after all that, today I rest.
I hope to have an equally fun ride next week.
If you'd like to make plans let me know.

Rough Conversation

Last night I had a conversation with a couple that really frustrated me.

We were talking about bible translation and about how that worked as a career.

Missionaries do not get paid by a company. We have to go out and raise support, finding people who are willing to give a monthly donation to the mission. The gifts are tax-deductible as they are being giving to my company "Pioneer Bible Translators" which is a non-profit organization.

The woman took this to be me being a charity case and using people.

That's not exactly how this works. I'm not using people. God is. I am asking God's people to use God's money to do God's work, which is taking God's Word to people without it. Also, I'm not begging people for money. I'm offering people an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus told us to go into all the world proclaiming Him. He wasn't talking to just the missionaries or just those in Ministry, He was talking to everyone. But not everyone can drop what they're doing to run off into the jungle. But by financial supporting a missionary, they can. By sending a missionary, they have become a vital part of the execution plan of the Great Commission.

Also, I'm not just asking for a handout. I am working. I am doing a job that must get done but no one is paying anyone to do. But there is a cost to living and that does need to get paid as I work.

So, I am asking you to play an important role in the Great Commission by giving God's money to this Mission, so that I can cover the costs to do Bible Translation in Papua New Guinea.

I wanted to mention this so that if anyone else feels the same as this woman than they can understand a bit better the whole affair.

First Day Back in Town

Well, really I got back Saturday, but I got in at noon and slept all day so that doesn't count and Sunday's are too crazy to be considered a part of my routine. So today was my first day back in my VA routine.

No complaints, kind of a lazy day. I had lunch with Danielle and we went shopping at MacArthur Mall (aka: scoffing in outrage at all the ridiculous prices on hardly any fabric and didn't purchase anything). Mom rented "The Lazarus Project" (I recommend) ad bought Subway. And I started the construction of a shirt (forget spending lots of money on shirts, I'll make my own and they'll be just the way I want them, too!)

So I want to be booked during the three weeks that I'm back in town. This week is filling up pretty nicely but I have two other weeks that are looking slim. If you'd like to do something, I would love to make a special spot for you in my time back.

I had a fairly uneventful trip back from TX, by the way. Only one noteworthy occurance, and only because it might make a good story. But stay posted for that one.

PD Wednesday

Today was the last day of the PD workshop. Afterwards, about 20 people affliated with Pioneer Bible Translators went to the Texas Rangers Baseball game. (Rangers won, 5-4 10th inning) That was a lot fun. I think it was my first time going to a baseball game since I was 6. I would go again.
Right now, I'm hanging with the PNG people again.
Tomorrow, we head home. We're going to stop and stay the night at the home of one of the PNG people in Missouri. Rich and I are leaving at 2, after we drop Danielle off at the airport.

My support raised to 19.6% today. God provides. Isn't He amazing?

PD Tuesday

The Partnership Development Workshop has been awesome. I have some great ideas for things that I can start doing. A church in North Carolina has invited me to come speak. I'm starting to plan a potential dessert night with a woman in Virginia Beach. (The dessert night would be a night where the host invites people I don't know to come and here about my mission as we nibble at desserts). I'm really excited about getting started. I've been spending a lot of time now filling out documents to give to PBT's awesome Media Arts and Communication (MAC) team, so they can give me personalized documents for my display.
Right now, I'm hanging out, working on Partnership Development work, with the PNG people, that is people who have been or are destined to go to Papua New Guinea.
Tomorrow's the last day of the workshop, and the next day takes us homeward bound!

PD Sunday

Today, I had my first day of the Partnership Development workshop. It was awesome, three hours flew by because of our amazing speakers. That encourages me a great deal because these people are the ones who are going to teach me how to keep an audiences attention. I'm excited about going to do PD work already and I've only had 3 hours of the class.
After class I went geocaching with the PNG people (these are people who live in Dallas who have been or are going to Papua New Guinea). That was fun. Now, I'm hanging out enjoying the company of some pretty amazing people.
I know I've probably said this before, but there is nothing better than being with people united by a common goal to extend the Kingdom for our awesome God. Because that's what we're doing. I don't think that some people see things that way but that's wat we're doing. We're not just translating a book. We're fighting a war against Satan for the Glory of our God and King! If only we always saw life this way! How much more seriously would we take our bible college classes if we realized that they were training for our roles in God's Army. How much more seriously we'd take Sunday morning sermon, if we realized that they were to mold us into people equipped for spiritual warfare.
....
Perspective:
amazing, revolutionary!

PMI Friday

PMI is over. I met some awesome people and heard some amazing stories and learned some good stuff. It was a great week.

This week, I guess the climate change affected my poorly. My throat started hurting and then my face broke out with small bumps EVERYWHERE. As someone who does not break out, this was NOT ok. Called my mother, she told me to take Benedryl. She did NOT tell me that Benedryl causes you to crash. So sitting in my first seminar of the day, Child Safety, my world starting going crazy as drwosiness overtook me. I spent the rest of the day asleep. Luckily, the other seminars for today were Partnership Development seminars and the information will be gone over again during my PD workshop. So I didn't miss anything. and my face cleared up and my throat feels great. So all ends well.

Tomorrow is my day off and then, Sunday, the PD workshop begins. I was under the impression that this one class wouldn't take up all day... I was wrong. Sunday-Wednesday will be just as intense as the PMI week.

PMI Thursday

Wow. PMI is almost over. Today, I'll admit, I cut chapel and lunch, but I just needed some alone time. PMI has been lots of fun and I love hearing people's stories but the schedule is intense. Non-stop activities from 7:15-7:00 and then you socialize with the others in attendance. I intended to skip so that I could crash and get some sleep, but I ended up spending all my time hanging out with my God, which was awesome and very refreshing.
Something happened with my insurance and (I think) my accident from a few years back finally dropped off my record and (I think) that means that I can cut $50 from my monthly need. I love finding all the surprises where I can cut costs.
Partnership develpoment has brought me to 15% of my total needed. So I still have a ways to go, but the missionaries here have reassured me that, as I am just starting my PD, I'm not behind. That's good to know, I feel.
I am so excited to see who God brings to extend His kingdom through my hands by partnering with me.

PMI Wednesday

PMI has been going well. I went to Deliverance Church on Tuesday night and that was an ...experience, a very unique church. Tonight was the PBT Coffeehouse. There was so much laughter! Missionaries have wonderful stories to tell. The most stressful event at the time can be so entertaining in retrospect. It was a great time to fellowship and laugh. But much of PMI is for that. Perhaps when I get out of the craziness of this week, I'll go more in depth on what exactly I learned at PMI, but for now my head is reeling.
I did find a room for rent for $150/month in contrast to the $415/month room I intended to rent. So that saves me $265 for the four months that I'll be in Dallas this year. Pray that things will go so well with the arrangement that the woman lets me rent the room Jan-Jun, too.

PMI Monday

PMI is awesome and amazing.
Last night, I met this chic named Allie who goes to this very Forefront-esque kind of church. Tomorrow night, I'll be going to a bible study there and I'll attend church on Sunday. I'm very excited about that.
Last night, I also went to the house of 2 women who were short term assistants (STAs) in PNG. We stayed up late swapping stories and emjoying one anothers company, having a good time.
Today has been edcational; although, as educational as it is, the best part is the community that happens here. All of us are so different, from different places, and going different places, but here and now, for this week, we're all here. People unified by the desire to see the bible-less people of the world with the Word of God in their heart language.
And whats amazing and beautiful is that these people are passionate. There are no Sunday Christians here! There are none who are insincere. All of these people are genuine and passionate and lay down their lives everyday to follow Him.
How amazing!
I would tell of all the things I learned, but I was up late last night and need to crash.
I have no internet in my room. I'll try to give a daily update, but no promises.

Overtipping Means He Can Afford to Buy Next Time

Tonight I went to Cardia, a middle/high school Forefront Student Ministry function, to see a few of my girls. That was a lot of fun. Cardia is starting to fill up with kids I haven't seen before, which is awesome, because that means it's reaching new people.
After Cardia, I took two girls to Applebee's for dessert shooters. Arriving, we asked for our waiter and we were told that "He's here, but he's not working" We didn't really understand that until our attention was directed to the bar, and we saw him sitting there. So we were served by another, but he came and sat with us and after entertaining us, picked up the bill. Apparently it pays to make friends with the wait staff.
I'll miss my girls but I hope to get involved in a student ministry in Dallas. I would like to make new girls.