Today our friends Emily and Jeremy came to St. Louis. They're going to borrow some of our furniture, so we loaded up a big old pickup truck with furniture and a few boxes. We're off to Jacksonville now to unload. Now our living room is so empty!! All that's left is a tv, a trunk, and a lamp. No chairs even! But it will make next week so much easier.
We're officially trained now, signed and sealed by Wycliffe. Training was really great! The staff there are so passionate about missionary kids and it would have been impossible not to catch their enthusiasm. We also have a clearer picture of how much God had to do to get us there so fast!! We have pictures up from training in the
photo gallery.
We got out of Orlando this morning without any ill effects of Hurricane Dennis. Now we're packing up. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, we will have almost all our furniture gone, just leaving behind a bed, folding table and chairs, and computer desk. We took all the decorations off the walls today. We also packed quite a few boxes, even some dishes. It's really starting to look like we're leaving. That's both exciting and sad. There are so many people we want to see over the next few weeks, and it's amazing how close we are to leaving!
Jeremy and I are down here in Orlando, FL at training camp for Wycliffe. (Suffering for the Lord in the beautiful sunshine, of course!) Training is going absolutely great!! We are learning so much information about what to expect, and how to best serve the kids and our fellow staff. Plus, we are making great friends! We've even met three other people who will be going to Grace, so we're getting a head start in that department! It's making us even more excited about going!
Last night, we all (about 40 of us) went to Cocoa Beach to celebrate the 4th of July. We had a picnic on the beach, and spent lots of time playing beach volleyball, frisbee, & card games, shopping, eating, and just hanging out. Of course, there was also an amazing fireworks display to enjoy at the end! It was a really fun evening, and it was such a neat perspective to be celebrating an american holiday with a very international group who is all about to leave for another country.
Hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures from training within the next few days!
It's 5:15am, and we're about to head off to the airport for Wycliffe training in Orlando. It officially starts tomorrow. We're excited about it!! Please pray that this will be an effective training time, and that God will use it not only to educate and prepare us, but to connect us with friends who are in a similar situation. The training is a week long, so we'll return next Saturday night.
We'll post photos at the end of the week!
Jeremy and I had a great time visiting his family down in Arkansas. It was especially nice to see his mom and grandparents once more before we leave.
Last Sunday we were back at church in St. Louis for the first time in several weeks. We had lunch with Khun Paiboon, Khun Patcharaporn, and Petie again, along with another Thai lesson. I've been working on reading Thai, and Khun Paiboon says I could be in second grade now!!
Now we are back to me working in Jacksonville, and Jeremy working in St. Louis. Next week will be our training with Wycliffe in Florida, and we are looking forward to that.
It has really begun to hit us how soon we are leaving! It is exciting, but it's also giving us a sense of urgency to see everyone before we go. There are so many people here that we care about and want to spend time with. Please pray that we would use our time wisely over the next few weeks.
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