Health and Wealth Update

Greetings, Loved Ones!

I have been dreadfully sick for a few days now, and only worse for knowing that it's been a week since I've last touched base with you. My sincerest apologies! I would like to start out straight away by saying that it is quite difficult being sick in a country you've never been in before. This is because, first, chances are you've caught a bug native to the land and your body simply isn't used to it. Second, and something I've been running into without end this past week - you've never heard of ANY of the medicines that are apparently used to help you get well again.

So, now that the whining can be set aside, I'd like to get you all up to speed on "the haps" (otherwise known as "the happenings"). Life has become quite busy here... and to the dismay of all, the small cafe we have here on campus is closed and has been closed for a week now on the basis of construction. Community living, for those not used to it, is starting to sink in, as is the fact that we will be in this state for five more months! Luckily, I love community living and am used to it by now due to my summers working out of state at a Christian family resort in Upstate New York.

I'm sure you've already gotten a good feel for the mood that's been settling here, but here is something you don't know: we found a cockroach in our room over the weekend! Actually, I found it, to my own disgust. We have all resolved to not let a single crumb fall to the floor un-vacuumed. While we are all still adjusting to this environment for a variety of reasons, one thing rings true (and this we have thanked the Lord for already multiple times): the 16 girls in our room absolutely love each other, and the entire YWAM base has a constant aura of acceptance, patience, and brotherly love around it.

Our lectures last week focused on Identity; the phrase "I didn't expect to be this challenged so early on in the school" was said so frequently that by the end of the week it was just an understood campus-wide thought. It was SO good. We were all brought face to face with issues we may or may not have wanted to confront, and made to take the first step in overcoming them. I feel that you all deserve to know as my support base that I too had a few things to confront in myself-- I want you to know that Christ is with me and He is championing me into more than a conqueror. Thank you again for your prayers- they are NEEDED and they are FELT!

I also want you to all to know that I have thought of you all frequently- I have been deeply thinking on the best way to get into contact with you personally. My cell phone doesn't work over here, and payphones are quite pricey after a while, as is postage ($2.45 for a single overseas post card). My email finally works again, and I would be more than happy to converse with you all individually through that medium if you could find the time! Click here for my email address. Please, feel free to shoot me any questions or  comments and, even more importantly, I'd love to just stay updated on how you all are! I may be overseas, but we are all missionaries in the sense that we are the sent out Body of Christ. Nothing is more encouraging than hearing about how our comrades prosper in the journey, eh? I will answer as soon as I am able. I may not have a solid Wifi connection, but I am never too busy for you all.

Now, my specific DTS is made up of 12 people (rarely enough, we are evenly split into 6 men and 6 women!) and, blessedly enough, we all love each other. In saying this I don't mean that we all "deal" with each other or "get along" with each other- I mean this as a MASSIVE praise to Jesus that we LOVE each other. We already long to see each other grow and prosper in Christ and in life- we are rooting for each other in everything each one of us does with the Lord. We support each other and want to be with each other every step of the way in the next half-year. Because of this, we are all praying that we will be able to avoid being split on Outreach (which, at this point, is looking like it will indeed be Papa New Guinea- no absolutes, though!). Often, a DTS with more than 10 people is split into two groups for evangelistic outreaching; we will have, including leaders, about 14, and we are all praying that we get to stick together. If the Lord has other plans, so be it, amen, we will follow them as best we know how. Our personal wish is that we stick together- we are praying about whether we SHOULD along with asking that we would be allowed to. So, keep that in your thoughts and prayers if you would- that we would see what to do concerning our missionary teams. Thank you, friends!

Lastly, I would like to talk to you about money. I know, I know- it would be much easier to just breeze over this topic and have it all flow in when we need it, wouldn't it? (Ha!) It is currently looking like outreach will cost anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000. I currently have about $3,600 in my bank account for this mission and have not yet deducted the cost for things I needed to purchase when I arrived like bedding, basic toiletries, and other staples of living. (Ps- everything in Australia is expensive! The cheapest pillow anywhere was $20!) In addition, I will need to purchase certain camping gear (deet bug spray, boots, etc) along with outreach equipment as it becomes necessary depending on our final, decided destination. Now, I fully and completely believe that the Lord will provide for me, and I have been already utterly blessed by such an incredibly generous support base family! This being said, I would feel much safer with a small bit more- I know that many missionaries operate on infinitely less than this, but I am in a place that requires tuition payment as well as mandatory equipment purchases. While this can be stressful, I know that the Lord is working it out for the good in me and in my fellow students. If you feel led to give me any more help financially (and, as always, your prayers are a huge support to me!), you can make out checks to West Shore Evangelical Free Church. If you need the address of that church (as that is where my funds are collected), you can find it in my previous blog post titled "a note to my financial supporters", which includes other vital info such as the reminder to make it clear what your money is meant for when it is sent in. Thank you all for journeying with me through this. It is truly incredible here and I can feel encouragement from you the States even as I write this. Thank you again.

Random Fact of the Post:

I was at a sort of bonding night for my DTS this evening. It was quite dark out even though it was early in the evening and I was sitting under what looked like a beautiful yellow rose tree. I reached up and plucked one of the blossoming flowers from its vine and twirled it in my hand before, suddenly, the woman next to me (a native Aussie) says quite casually "they can blind you, you'd better wash your hands." I responded with a classic American "wait, what?" And was met with a more elaborate "the blossoms are poisonous and they can blind you if you touch your eyes after touching them. You'd better go wash your hands!" So naturally, I got up and washed my hands. I have two observations: 1. Numerous people saw me pluck the flower- why were my naïve American hands not stopped? 2. What if no one had told me to wash my hands? Would I still have use of my eyes? These are the questions that taunt me. As always, thank you for your prayers... I thank the Lord for you all.