The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Tonight was our school Christmas program! We didn't begin rehearsals until after Thanksgiving break, so it literally came together in two weeks. Yes, there was a point where I didn't think it was going to happen...but...God is faithful! Of course, it didn't hurt that I spent hours going over every solo and line with them. It was worth it.

Here we see Mary and Joseph searching for a place to rest in Bethlehem. Mary is riding on the donkey, played by Ryan. Evvie Kate is singing the most precious song called, "Are You Weary Little Donkey?"

Close-up of Ryan's adorable donkey costume. If the outfit were pink I might have mistaken him for Ralphie from "A Christmas Story"...

Here are my beautiful angels. I took the picture before the real drama happened...within five seconds of this picture the angels began giggling and ended up laughing through the second verse of their solo. I was confused until I realized that some of my boys were making faces at them from the front row. I definitely spent the rest of the program consoling two sobbing angels...

My handsome three kings of orient are!

Phew. It's OVER! Countless hours of memorization and rehearsals came down to 45 minutes and like I said, it was totally worth the time spent. I'm so proud of my kids!!

What a Night!!

I apologize for my lack of entries as of late...life has been crazy busy. There were several things I meant to write about but never got around to putting my thoughts down on here so...sorry!!

Tonight was definitely an adventure. After I got home from school I hooked up my new converter box to my tv and managed to get a few channels using my little rabbit ears! I can get NBC, Fox, ABC, and a 24-hour news channel. Maybe I won't have to pay for Comcast afterall...I mean, really, NBC is all that matters because now I can watch The Office. After getting that set up, I decided to rearrange my living room so that whoever sat in the chair in the corner wouldn't have to twist his neck to see the screen. I like it much better now.
Of course I couldn't stop there...I had to set up my Christmas tree!! My parents sent a little 4-ft fiber optic number with me when I came back from Thanksgiving vacay, so now that that's up and running, my living room is cozy and festive. Also, David and Cindy gave me their old recliner so now the living room is more homey and less "hotel lobbyish" with all the crazy print furniture.

Shortly after putting my living room back together, I nearly jumped out of my skin because the fire alarm started going off!! It took me a minute to figure out what it was, and when I peeked out my door I realized that there is a bell in the hallway just on the other side of my living room wall. So it was VERY loud. Suddenly a million thoughts started running through my head...I need to go outside! Where are my shoes? I'm in my pajamas! Where is my coat? Should I take my computer? Where are my shoes? Don't forget the keys! Is this a real fire? Where are my shoes? Surely they don't have fire drills at night - that only happens at Moody! Where is my phone? WHERE ARE MY SHOES?!

Finally I mustered enough sanity to find my shoes and dug my phone out of the couch cushions. where it had managed to wedge itself earlier in the evening. I put my coat on, grabbed my keys, and went into the hall. The alarm was still going strong but it was the only sound. As I walked down the hall toward the stairs, I didn't hear or see a single person. Walking down the stairs I thought about how this was so typical of a Moody fire alarm - late on a COLD winter night. The only different was that I wasn't surrounded by students playing football in the plaza, and I wasn't in the middle of writing a paper that's due the next day. I got all the way downstairs and went out to the parking lot...and waited...and waited...and waited...finally I spotted an old lady standing in the doorway in her bathrobe. She looked at me, then turned around and went back into the building. I'm desperately trying to figure out what in the world is going on, looking for smoke, or flames in a window or something...and then a cop car followed by a freakin' FIRETRUCK pull into the parking lot. An officer and three very large firemen troop into the building as a few tenants finally make their way outside.

(side note: I actually saw a woman come out of the building with a DOG!! AHA!! Maybe the "no pets" clause in my lease is negotiable after all...)

We stood around for about 15 minutes before the alarm was turned off and then we were allowed to go back upstairs.

The cause of all this drama? Apparantly our smoke detectors are uber sensitive and cooking with certain spices or oils sets them off? Word on the street is this has happened three times this week.

Clearly someone hasn't learned their lesson yet...

Thoughts on the Election

We had quite the discussion in class today regarding the results of the presidential election...and I learned that my students are very opinionated. Here are some thoughts taken from their journals. I left spelling as is so that you could get the full effect.

• If McCain won he would help the homeless and he would not hurt babies. And McCain is not a hunter. Obama will take our guns and kill all animals.
• Brarkobama wants to kill babies. That's why I don't want for him to be preident. And I won't write about him anymore!
• I'm so upset that Brakoboma got presedent. I used to like him otill I herd on the news that obama was killing babys.
• God is our father. We should only imitate God. I don't like Obama. I wanted Mccain to win.
• Barack obama won the elextion but he let's mothers kill baybies befor they are born but the baby has no choice. (This one was accompanied by a rather interesting illustration...)
• I do not like him! He is going to kil babies and that is just wrong. NO president should do that because it's just wrong! Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Am I right?
• Yesterday people voted on who should be presedent. I think John MaCain should be presedent but barokobama is going to be president. o man, I don't like obama he's going to kill babies that's rood and Macain woulden make our country look like wimps. MaCain's wife makes the best pies. Obama wife makes bad pies. (??)
• The pesadent that got chossen was obomo I think that Jon Mukan shood have. Difrint peple have difrint thot.
• Today Barack Obama is afisholy president of the united states of America! I am so excited! Ithink he will be a great president alot of people I know wanted John McCain but I wanted obama a now he is president!

If only I could show you the illustrations that went along with each entry...

Adventures in the Meantime

I really should change the name of this blog since I won't be going to Austria until next fall but I'm too lazy to do that. So for now, here's some pictures of my adventures in the meantime.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022302&l=6310d&id=163800535

Enjoy!

a turkey sandwich and midday thoughts

The second week of teaching has gone ok so far, but I'm disappointed by how irresponsible some of my students are. They each have little assignment books in which they're required to write their homework assignments each afternoon before leaving for the day. Yesterday I set aside 15 minutes (yes, it takes them that long to complete this simple task) for them to copy down their homework assignments from the homework board, check their take-home folders to be sure they had handwriting paper for the spelling assignment and any other worksheets they might need. After checking that everyone had written down their homework, I released them to go home.

This morning, half of my students (and I only have ten) came up to me to saying that they didn't have their homework done. This meant they had to fill out a "missing work" form explaining why their homework was not placed in the basket. Most of them either chose not to do it or did it and left it at home. Maybe I'm putting the bar too high, but as third and fourth graders, I expect these children to be responsible enough to complete their homework assignments and put them back in the folder to return to school. This is something that will definitely take some time and I need to be consistent in enforcing the consequences of missing homework so please pray that I would be patient and persistent in helping them form the habit of being responsible!

Another concept I'm trying to instill in them is thinking about how what we say makes others feel. I have students who range from barely able to read all the way up to kids who could read on a 5th and 6th grade level. Math abilities vary as well. One of our school rules is "Use helping language," and it's not uncommon to hear a student say, "That was easy!" as they place a worksheet in the basket or hand it to me to be checked. I've explained to them that I'm very happy that it's easy for them, but it's not easy for everyone. Some people have to work very hard and may even make a lot of mistakes before they figure something out. Therefore, I've asked them to not use that phrase in my classroom so that we can help others feel better about themselves.

Today, I had the prime opportunity to show them just exactly what I meant. I ended up having to spend almost the entire language arts unit teaching both third and fourth graders the concept of "main idea" and "supporting ideas" (like reasons or examples). No matter what model I showed them or what kind of example I gave them for practice, they simply could not apply it in their own writing. They couldn't come up with a simple main idea, and they couldn't figure out what the main idea was by looking at a list of examples. I could feel my blood pressure starting to rise and I had to go sit at my desk for a few minutes while they struggled through the worksheet. After a few cleansing breaths and a quick prayer I realized that I needed to share how I felt with the students.

Our conversation went something like this:
Me: This is easy! How does it make you feel when I say that?
Kids: Not gooood. Baaaad.
Me: But it's true. It's easy for me. This is a piece of cake.
Kids: But it's not easy for us.
Me: So?
Kids: So it's hard for us and it makes us feel bad when you tell us how easy it is for you.
Me: Hmm. So do you think now you know why I ask you not to say that to others?
Kids: Yeahhhhh...

Well, the kids have returned and my lunch break is over. Back to work!

Greetings from Greencastle

Phew! I can't believe my first week of teaching is already over. It was a BUSY week and I definitely had my work cut out for me, but already knowing the students, the school routines, and the curriculum helped tremendously. I'm kind of amazed by how NOT stressful this week has been as far as school is concerned. I can tell people have been praying for me and I appreciate it!!

I'm posting from school because I still can't get internet in my apartment, and I came in today to do some work on the classroom. Yesterday after the kids left I rearranged their desks, and this morning I worked very hard on a huge wall display about the fruits of the spirit. Making the tree was the hardest part!! I'm going to work through the fruits of the spirit with my students this year and each month we'll look at one of the fruits in depth, learning how we can display this that particular fruit in our lives. I'll try to post pictures of the tree and the rest of my classroom as soon as I free up some memory on my camera. :)

My apartment is beautiful and came stocked with about 90% of the things I need to get by. What a life saver! It even came with an alarm clock in the bedroom, haha!! I'm still looking/waiting for a TV but that's not a necessity so it's not at the top of my list. My building is extremely quiet, and after almost 10 days of living there, I have yet to see one of my neighbors. I see people in the parking lot from a distance, and I hear doors slamming and people talking down the hall, but I have yet to actually SEE another tenant inside the building. It's almost eerie. Another thing that makes my building unique is that it used to be the Putnam County Hospital. The structure has been there since 1922 according to the cornerstone, but the inside was remodeled and modernized and now it's apartments. It still says Putnam County Hospital on the front, and they left the ER entrance pretty much as is - there's a ramp that leads right up to the door. Also, I'm guessing the elevator has been there for awhile too - it's a big hospital type elevator and is somewhat temperamental. Looks are deceiving though, because once you get into my apartment, the difference is like night and day. I have beautiful cream carpet, linoleum in the kitchen and TILE in the bathroom! I'll post pictures soon.

My first night I crawled into bed and was amazed by the silence and lack of light coming in from the huge windows above my bed. After four years of trying to sleep in Chicago, I could get used to sleeping like this! The silence was almost deafening. Then I thought, "Oh my word...people DIED here!!" If you know me, you're probably laughing now because you know that ended my happy thought... I pulled my blanket up to my shoulder and squeezed my eyes shut, praying for sleep to come quickly.

Well, I have a few math papers to grade here but I want to leave you with my first kid quote of the school year. When asked on a reading test, "What did you learn about friendship from this story?" one of my third graders wrote, "Friendship is better than vegibals." AMEN!!

Life's Detours

To carry over the theme of road construction (see my last post), my detour has certainly taken an interesting turn. One week ago today, I received a call from Peace Lutheran School in Greencastle, Indiana. I completed my student teaching there last semester with first and second graders. Apparantly the school is looking to hire another teacher unexpectedly, and after a talk with the director, we agreed that I would be a good candidate for the job. There were a few other applicants so this wasn't an official job offer, just an inquiry as to my interest in the position. I tried not to put the cart before the horse but I was really excited about the possibility of returning to Peace and my old students. Three excruciating days later, Elaine called me back to inform me that the School Committee had approved my hiring and that my first day would be September 29! Yes, that's one week from today.

How does this affect my journey to the mission field? Great question. As it turns out, Ken, the director at VCS has worked out a plan that allows me to take a year to finish raising support and plan to go in the fall of 2009. I've actually known this for about two weeks now, I've just been trying to figure out the best way to tell everyone at once - I can't afford to print and mail 200 letters anymore! The news that I had to wait a year came as a relief, but of course not without a bit of disappointment as well. Being at only 46%, I kind of knew it just wasn't going to happen, but at the same time I was still holding out for a miracle. But knowing I could plan to be at home for a year meant I needed to find a job, and I started signing up to get involved with some ministries at church. After two weeks of silence from potential employers, I got the call from Elaine, and the rest is history. God answered my prayers, but definitely not in the way I was expecting!

So, this Thursday I will be moving back to Greencastle, Indiana. I will teach third and fourth graders, and I'm especially excited because my third graders were my second graders last semester!! Over the course of the year I will continue to share my vision with and build up my team of supporters. The goal is to be fully funded and ready to move overseas in August 2009, in time for the 2009-2010 school year.

Please keep the following things in prayer over the next few weeks, and thank you so much for your encouragement and support!

• For a smooth transition - school is in full swing so pray that this transition (I'm taking the place of another teacher) comes with minimal disruption and that I can get lesson plans ready in time for my first day
• For my students - change can be stressful for children so please pray that the kids take this well
• For my move - I'm driving myself down to Greencastle, signing apartment papers, and setting up utilities all on my own so pray I don't mess anything up!
• For my support team - Please pray that I can find ministry partners in Greencastle. Pray also that I am diligent in studying German over the next year!!

Road Construction

This is a something that was passed on to me by Janet Armstrong, a friend and one of the JTMers who works on my support account for Austria. I thought it was rather appropriate to my life right now so I wanted to share it with whoever may be reading this. Be encouraged!!
__________

ROAD CONSTRUCTION by Os Hillman

"The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together..."(Isa 40:4-5 NKJV).

I don't know about you, but I hate road construction. I live in a growing city and it seems like there has been ongoing road construction for years. Everything is a mess, you can never plan your trips because of delays, and sometimes you get caught off guard when traffic signs are placed in unusual places and the natural flow of traffic takes you off the main road onto bumpy surfaces. Recently one of our main local roads discovered a sink hole in the middle of the road. The road was closed for more than a year. We had to take alternative routes that were inconvenient and it took longer to get places. Sometimes God takes us through our own life re-construction project. Our lives get disrupted, we can no longer depend on the things we did before, and we don't have control over our circumstances or timetable. God is doing major construction. However, even in the midst of the re-construction the glory of the Lord is revealed in that place. For some, it is the first time they've ever seen the hand of the Lord in their life to the degree that this process allows them to experience Him. It is a process they would never choose to go through voluntarily, but it is an experience they value for the rest of their lives because the glory of the Lord was revealed in the process. Once the process is complete, things begin to flow better. Just as the new roads allow you to drive on a smooth, more spacious area, so too God paves a way for you to move into an expanded place with Him. Isaiah tells us: "He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows" (Isa 30:23-24). Be patient with God's re-construction project. You will like the finished project.

thank God for self-adhesive stamps

August update letters went out today! If you're not on my mailing list, you can either click on the link to the right under "documents" or email me with your info and I'll add you to my list.

I have hit a wall in support raising. School starts this Monday the 25th...and I'm really, really bummed to not be in Vienna, getting ready to teach my very first math class. It's a mix of emotions right now because on one hand, I feel bad and almost guilty for not following through on my committment to be there, ready for the school year to begin. Of course, it's not entirely up to me. I'm relying on friends and family who share my beliefs and passions and want to support me in my desire to follow God's calling on my life. And I'm relying on God to press upon their hearts and call them to give. All I can do is share my story and pray it calls them to action.

In the meantime, I'm sort of enjoying having a little extra time with my family. For the first time in five or six years, I'm going camping with my family over Labor Day weekend! I'm not really looking forward to donning my bathing suit for the first time since senior retreat (yes, that was almost one year ago) but I AM excited about going out on the lake and spending some time in the sun. Also, I've been able to watch a lot of the Olympics, and I mean ALOT. I think I saw every one of Phelps' swims. I also learned that he stands 6'4" tall, has a wingspan of 6'7", and wears size 14 shoes. For a girl who has more often than not towered over the boys you have to admit, he's a stud. :)

Please continue to pray that God would provide supporters, both in prayer and finances. If you're not currently supporting me financially and would like more information, check out the information here in the right hand column or contact me directly. I'm hoping to make it to Vienna by October so that I don't miss more than a month of school. Pray also for my fellow teachers who are preparing for the first day of school at VCS. Black Forest Academy starts on the 26th so pray for those teachers, RAs and dorm parents as well. God is good!

counting the cost

Luke 9:57-62

As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."


Please prayerfully consider the possibility of monthly financial support. I was supposed to arrive in Vienna over a week ago, and school starts two weeks from today. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for another $650 in monthly support before I receive the green light. All it takes is 13 more people giving $50/mo, 26 people giving $25/mo, or 65 people giving $10/mo. Your support and sacrifice will be appreciated not only by me, but by my fellow teachers and administrators, my students (who may have never heard the Gospel) and their families. And not to sound cliche or anything but God will reward you for your faithfulness. It may or may not be monetary but no doubt you WILL receive blessings you never dreamed of should you choose to heed the Spirit's call!

I've counted the cost. Will you?

the next step

Well, it's looking like I will not be leaving for Vienna this week as originally planned. As I mentioned before, Janz Team requires me to have raised at least 80% before I can buy my plane ticket. Currently I've received 45% of my monthly needs and 58% of my set-up costs. In order for me to reach 80%, I still need $655 in monthly pledges and about $1500 in one time contributions.

VCS will try to hold my position as long as possible. School doesn't actually start until the last week of August so there is a good possibility I can get to Vienna before then. If I don't, the other teachers will have to teach my classes on top of teaching their own. That will be rough on everyone involved so pray that it never comes to that!

As you can probably tell from my last few posts, it's been a contemplative weekend. I've spent much time in prayer, searched the Lord and come to the conclusion that I am still going to pursue this with everything that's in me. Being a missionary is something God has laid on my heart for years and I'm not going to give up now when He has brought me so close to the field. I will never understand why God is delaying my arrival in Vienna, but I know He is the ultimate planner and HIS TIMING is PERFECT.

Please remember the following prayer needs:

• That God would continue to provide in specific ways - $655 in monthly committments and $1500 in one-time gifts
• For the other members of Janz Team heading to Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany
• For the other new staff members at Vienna Christian School
• That I would recognize and appreciate the work God is doing IN and THROUGH me during this crazy time of my life

hope now

If everything comes down to love
Then just what am I afraid of?
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I'm Yours

When my life is like a storm

Rising waters all I want is the shore

You say I'll be ok and

Make it through the rain

You are my shelter from the storm

I'm not my own
I've been carried by You
All my life

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free
You've become my hearts desire
I will sing Your praises higher
Cause Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free

[addison road, "hope now']

on being still

Be still, and know that I am God;
the God of strength, the God of truth.
I am your refuge in your time of fear,
and you will know that I am near.

Be still, and know that I am God;
the God who gave my only Son to you.
You will find hope in His great sacrifice;
your faith leads to eternal life.

Though waters may roar, and mountains may shake,
and danger fills your heart with deep despair;
with faith and hope and love, you'll find Me through your prayers,
and know that I am near.

Be still, and know that I am God;
in Me, find solitude and perfect peace.
Keep faith, my wonders never cease.

in times of pain, in times of war;

Be still, and know that I am God;
the God of strength, the God of truth;
with love I speak the Heavenly words you hear,
so you will know that I am near.

Trust in me, for I am here.
Be still, and know that I am God.

-----

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. -Psalm 62:1-2

CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS part 2

Yesterday I received some good news and some scary news. Currently I'm up to 40% of my monthly funds and about 43% of my set-up costs. Praise the Lord!!

The scary news is that my final report regarding my support level is this Thursday, July 24. By that point I need to have at least 80% of my funds raised, if not more. That's five days from today. I know, it looks impossible. It's big. But God is bigger!!

I'd like to ask you to go through your address book, rack your brain, think of anyone you know who might be interested in supporting me monthly. I need you to go on my behalf to your friends and relatives that I don't know and share my story and my needs with them! And remember, there is no amount too small. $10 a month might not sound like much to you but what if nine other people also gave $10 a month? It becomes $100 a month!

God wants to use you to get me to Austria on time and glorify HIS name in the process...how are you going to get involved?

CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS

I'm coming down to the wire and I need your help! Currently, I'm at 10% of my monthly funds and 23% of my set-up costs. If the rest of the funds don't come in within the next two weeks, I will NOT be able to go to Austria this year. If that were to happen, VCS would be stuck without a teacher to fill my spot and no time to find one.

I'm looking for friends and family who are willing to commit anywhere from $25-$100 a month to help get me to Austria. I realize that with the economy being so unstable these days, many of you are afraid you won't be able to follow through if you made a committment. But if God wants you to support me, He WILL provide for you in the meantime. You will be blessed in new and exciting ways for taking a step of faith. Please consider giving monthly!

Orientation Extravaganza!!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, but through it all, God is good! From June 16-21 I was privileged to spend time in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with the new candidates (now missionaries) of Janz Team Ministries. I built some solid relationships with those incredible people, but it was hard to leave them because while I will be heading to Vienna Christian School, many of them will be working at Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany. There were many information-packed sessions that were the equvalent of drinking from a firehose, and we spent our evenings playing cards, ultimate frisbee, and just enjoying the sweet fellowship of one another. Here is the 2008 Janz Team!

On June 21 I went jet-setting across the US, boarding three planes in six hours, eventually arriving in Buffalo, NY. From there I took an hour and a half bus ride to Houghton, where I will be until July 4. Here I finally got to meet the new staff members of Vienna Christian School, as well as new staff from several other MK schools around the globe. We're here for Third Culture Kid Pre-Field Orientation with ACSI, the Association of Christian Schools International. I'll write more about TCK's later, but for now all you need to know is that a TCK is an individual who has been raised in a culture different from his parents' culture, but who identifies with both cultures and many times does not know which is his true "home." It's a very common occurance in the missionary and international business community, and learning how to teach and relate to this group of individuals has been challenging. I'm so excited to put what I've learned here into practice at VCS. Here are the fabulous new staffers of Vienna Christian School!

Despite the excitement of these past few weeks, I'm struggling with support raising. Currently I'm up to 9%, which means I still need to raise over $2,000 in monthly support and about $5,500 in one-time funds. I have a little less than month in which to raise the remaining funds and I know nothing short of a miracle will bring it in. I'm praying for God to reveal Himself in such an incredible way that I can't do anything but give HIM the glory. If you haven't committed to giving yet, PLEASE pray about how God would use you in the ministry of Vienna Christian School.

a child-like faith

Today I went to a birthday party and spent some time with my extended family. A conversation with my ten-year-old cousin Camilah went something like this...

Cami: When are you going to Australia?
Me: You mean Austria?
Cami: Yeah!
Me: August first.
Cami: Oh. I was talking to Grandma about giving you money and I asked her what would happen if I gave you one dollar a month.
Me: Well, it would certainly add up. How many months are in a year?
Cami: Twelve.
Me: So if you gave one dollar for each month in the year, how many dollars would that be?
Cami: Twelve dollars.
Me: Well, twelve dollars is a lot of money for you to give up, but I would definitely appreciate if you wanted to share like that.

After that, she begged her mom to let her go to the car and get her money. She returned, beaming, and handed me a wad of dollar bills. "Here's five dollars," she said. "I'll give you the other seven before you leave." I thanked her, hugged her, and gave her her very own prayer card. Her reply: "I'll have to do a lot of yard work before you leave! Those weeds at Grandma's house are all the way down in the foundation of the house!!"

Her innocence and desire to give so sacrificially reminded me how much we lose faith as we grow older. As I've shared with some of my fellow future VCS teachers, it's hard to be so confident and say that I know without a doubt that God will provide for all my needs in the next six weeks. My brain tells me one thing, while my heart tells me another. Why shouldn't the God in whom I've place my trust, the God who created the universe in six days, be able to provide $2500 in six weeks? If I am in the will of God (and I believe that I am), there is no reason why not.

Lord, renew in me a child-like faith.

One month

It's been about a month since I began actively raising support for Austria. Things are coming along, but not nearly as quickly as I'd hoped. In less than two months, I must have all of my support raised; if I don't, then I can't go to Austria. To date, I've received $100 in monthly pledges (4% of my goal) and about $800 in set-up costs. It looks bleak right now, but I'm confident that God will provide!!

This weekend I plan to finish packing up the boxes that I'll send on the shipping container to Austria. I've been doing some research, finding estimates for how much it will cost to send my boxes to New Jersey, where the shipping container is located. Hopefully I'll be able to send my things off in the next week. Also, this week my prayer cards arrived. If you've received one of my letters already, you'll get a card in the mail. If you're not on my mailing list...get on it! :)

June is shaping up to be a very busy month for me. On the day after Father's Day, I'll catch a 7:30 AM flight to Winnipeg, MB, Canada for a one week orientation with Janz Team. I'm excited to meet all the staff with whom I've been in contact these past few months. Then on June 21 I'll catch another 7:30 flight from Winnipeg to Buffalo, NY. The Association of Christian Schools International is holding a two-week Pre-Field Orientation (PFO) at Houghton College. I'll meet tons of new teachers preparing to serve all over the world (including those headed to VCS with me) and learn about Third Culture Kids. When that's all over, my parents will drive up to Houghton, NY to bring me home on teh 4th of July. It will be a long, busy, and tiring three weeks full of valuable information and I'm sure some great memories with new friends. Pray for me during these next few weeks as I begin training and start to build new relationships.

Pomp and Circumstance

As of Saturday I am an official alum of Moody Bible Institute! My family had safe travels and a wonderful time celebrating with me in the windy city.

On Sunday morning I spoke at Chicago Northside Church of the Nazarene and was overwhelmed by the response of those in attendance. For one reason or another many people were absent this Sunday but the ones who were there gave freely and expressed their desire to support me through prayer and I simply couldn't ask for more. What a great way to jumpstart my support raising campaign. Praise God!!

Praises

I've received a lot of positive feedback this week following the delivery of my support letters. There have been a handful of both one-time and monthly pledges made, and I'm so thankful for each one!!

This evening I made a presentation at my home church's board meeting and they are allowing me to present it to the congregation, hopefully at the beginning of June. I enjoyed sharing my heart with the board and feel privileged to have a chance to speak to the whole church. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of those who will be in church that Sunday and allow them to respond however He would lead them.

Please also pray for my family this weekend as we travel to Chicago for my graduation. On Sunday I'll be speaking at Northside Nazarene, the church I attended while a student at Moody. I'm excited to share this ministry with them, but nervous as well. Public speaking scares me! This might come as a surprise, especially since I am going to be a teacher. However, anyone who has worked with children will tell you that speaking in front of a group of students and speaking in front of your peers or elders is as different as night and day!!

And they're off!

This morning I sent out nearly 200 support letters! It took me two days because in between folding, stuffing, and stamping, I was running around the house taking dangerous things out of Jake's mouth and praying he wouldn't have another accident. Jake is my brother's new puppy, who I have the privilege of housetraining while David is at work.

I tried to include everyone with the letter I sent out, but if I somehow missed you please let me know and I'll get one out to you.

Please pray that God would work in the hearts of the people receiving my letter and that they would respond accordingly!! Pray also as I work on getting packed up for Austria - anything that I plan to send on the shipping container (kitchen supplies, bedding, books, etc) needs to be on the east coast by June 1. Whatever doesn't go on the container either stays at my parents' house or on the plane with me in July, so pray that I can think through everything I'll need and make wise choices with shipping!

Guten Tag

Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. I am a soon-to-be graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Elementary Education. I've been offered a position to teach middle school math at Vienna Christian School, located in Vienna, Austria. God willing, I'll be moving to Austria this fall to begin teaching.

VCS was founded in 1986 to serve missionaries who were working in Europe. Communism prevented many of them from actually living in this countries where they served, so missionary families stationed themselves in Vienna. Meanwhile, they smuggled Bibles into closed countries and helped start underground churches. Years later, the fall of communism provided these missionaries the chance to spread out and move into numerous countries. This meant a declining number of students needing VCS. At this point, VCS decided to open the doors to the public. The student body has been growing ever since! What started as a school for missionary kids has become a means of evangelism as 70% of the student body represents the international community. Not only are they from various nationalities, but many different religious background, too. International businessmen who serve with the United Nations, oil companies, and other businesses send their children to VCS because they seek a quality, English-speaking school where their children will receive an outstanding education as well as be loved and accepted. In the meantime, their students are being taught about Christ's love and experiencing it on a daily basis. It's a tremendous opportunity to impact entire countries for Christ, by simply planting a seed in the heart of a student!

For various reasons, I will not receive a salary from VCS.

• Not paying salaries helps keep tuition costs affordable for families.
• Austria charges 130% in taxes for all wages paid to employees.
• By raising support, I will better identify with the missionary I serve.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not working "for free." That being said, I am also not looking to make a profit. Consider the Levites:

• The Lord said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites. I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the LORD. That is why I have said concerning them: 'They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.'" (Numbers 18:20-24)

I have joined a missions agency, Janz Team, and will raise support like all of the other teachers and staff members serving at VCS. Janz Team will mange my finances and has helped me write a budget that includes certain amounts of my support set aside each month for insurance, retirement/saving, groceries, rent, and various other things. My current need is $2,700 per month, plus $7,000 in set-up costs. Set-up costs will cover visa fees, plane tickets, and other one-time costs like furniture for my apartment, which I will share with another female VCS teacher. If I don't have 100% by the end of July, I can't go. We serve a BIG GOD, and I know He will provide!!

If you'd like more information about Janz Team or Vienna Christian School, check out the following links:

• www.janzteam.org
• www.viennachristianschool.org

And if you'd like more information about how you can get involved with this awesome ministry, please email me and I'd be glad to talk with you. Check back throughout the summer for prayer requests and updates on how support raising is coming along!