Sunday, October 9, 2011

What in the World is Happening?!?!

   Many of you may have been thinking this in regards to me! It has been way too long since I have sent out a proper update. I do apologize. There have been lots of amazing things happening but in the midst of that it has been incredibly busy!
   Just a few of the things that have happened since my last blog post: 
      1. My classes have started
      2. I have started volunteering at an African Community Center once a week
      3. I am a part of a Friday night outreach with my church
      4. I am learning to cook! 
   
   Well as I said my classes have started! After each class ends it leaves me excited for the next one! A few of the classes I have had so far are Crucial Conversations, Evangelism, Discipleship, Bible Teaching, and a preview of Cross Cultural Studies. In Crucial Conversations-we learned about how to have difficult conversations effectively. We have all been in those situations maybe as a leader or just as a friend had to confront someone on a challenging subject and with this class we were given the tools and opportunity to put them into practice. Bible Teaching has been great! We are currently working our way through Genesis.

   One of my favorite things I have started doing in the last few weeks and will possibly do till May is volunteering at a place called African Community Center. It is located in a near by town. I have met 12-15 women from 8-10 different countries. Its a great opportunity to learn about different cultures, languages, try new food, and share the Love of Jesus. Most of the women are here seeking asylum for various reasons. Many of them have come from difficult situations. I am so blessed that I can be a part of their life and just love on them.
 
  Here in the town where I live there is a problem with drugs and alcohol. There are some particular areas in town that are more affected by this. So on Friday nights my church is open for coffee and tea. A small group of people will stay at the church and talk with people who come in off the streets. They offer them free coffee or tea and cookies. Then a few groups of people go out for about an hour at a time to share the Gospel with people. We going specifically to the areas that are heavily affected by the drug and alcohol abuse. We also invite people to come back to the church for a chat. This has definitely started to push me out of my comfort zone. Its great to be there for people, we can just love them and many times have opportunities to pray for them.
 
  Me cooking?! Its shocking...haha. Well I have never really cooked much before and definitely not for 10 people. We are split into 3 groups. Last week it was my groups turn to cook. We planned out the meals, went shopping for all the food, and then as we were preparing some meals things did not work out as planned. So we decided to forget the recipes and just make our own. It went surprisingly well...everyone liked the food!

Well this week we have Development Training! Its a week of little sleep, challenging situations, and learning more about myself! I will share more about that next week!

If you could please be praying for my grandpa as he is in the hospital and also my family. Please pray for peace for all of them and that God will give them wisdom. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!

If there is anything I can pray for please let me know! I would love to be able to pray for you!

God Bless!!