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.