It's almost time...

3 1/2 days and counting till my departure to Africa. Last night it became even more real as I went to church to weigh in my bags. If you don't know, the airliners have changed weight restrictions now and your checked luggage can only be 50 lbs. You still get 2 bags but on this trip we were to reserve one suitcase for the missionaries. I was very nervous about my suitcase b/c I tend to overpack but surprisingly last night I was 15 lbs. under! I was stoked! I'm going to go back through my bag and make sure I have everything.

I don't think the reality of the trip has really sunk in. I feel like I'm just packing for a vacation. Because we're going to be in the middle of a huge city, it doesn't fit the mold of my thought of Africa and so really I just don't know what to expect. I also feel very inadequate for this trip. Though I know the Gospel and know what Christ has done in my life, I feel very ill prepared to share it with others.

On that note, if you wouldn't mind, would you please pray for me on the following things while I'm gone:

1) Safety: Pray that everything with the trip would run smoothly and safely including our luggage.

2)Health: I usually have serious issues with my ears and the change in pressure. Please pray that this wont be an issue. Also I am starting to feel the effects of a cold which is not fun. Pray for that our bodies will fight off any foreign agents and we will remain healthy.

3) Our missionaries: Kurt and Janna Kay and their children, pray for their ministry and their church plant. Pray that our time there will be a refreshment of home as well.

4) Our ministry there: Pray that children will come to our our backyard Bible camps and that we would be able to love on them and share the Gospel effectively with them; pray also for our evangelism training with the nationals

5) Boldness for myself: Pray that I would be able to step out of my comfort zone and really share the love of Christ to those I encounter

Thank you for your prayers!! They are vital to our time there! Have a great 2 weeks and I'll post again upon my return (Aug. 10th). :)

I heart CWR

I mean I really do. Everytime I go back to visit I am reminded of the Lord's presence there and how the Lord has worked in my life. From the time you pull in the driveway of camp you can feel it and I love that that feeling hasn't gone away. Saturday I had the privilege of going back with 2 of my favorite people, Robin and Claire. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the dock and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the boat with my brother and some of our other friends. One thing I love about camp is that everyone is so vunerable with one another about what the Lord is doing in their life. I mean where else would you sit down with someone and they immediately go into what the Lord is teaching them and how they are falling more and more in love with Him. I just love that! Anyways, it was a great day and I enjoyed catching up with my brother, Alicia, Gabe, and Catherine.

Being at camp, also convicted me of how on distant I feel from the Lord. The distance has been created because I don't spend time in the Word like I should. You would think with all the extra time I have this summer, I would have really used the time to dive into the Word and prayer but I have actually spent less time than I do during the school year. JD's sermon on idolatry yesterday made me realize that I have put different idols in my life to satisfy me and therefore am not looking to the Lord to satisfy me. I heavily rely on the the relationships in my life to satisy me. My identity is found in the friends that I have and the persona I have created in their image. I spend more time consumed on building my relationship with them than finding my identity in Christ. Human relationships will let you down and they have. I will never be fully satisfied with what another human can give me. I need to take my friends off their pedistal and return the Lord to His proper place. My identity and satisfaction come only from Him!

(Ok I'm sorry if this didn't make sense. Listen to JD's sermon on the link above and it will make more sense. Also I'm not the best for always being able to write exactly what I am thinking so please forgive me.)

Exciting news!!

No we're not pregnant but it seems like if you tell someone you have good news these days they think you are. Our big news is that Jeremy got a promotion! He will now be a full time designer for the seminary. Now you're probably like what is so great about that? As a full time employee of the seminary, you get free tuition and healthcare. This is very exciting b/c it elevates some financial burdens and may allow us to get a new car. This may not be exciting to you but we're pretty stoked!

In other random news, did you know that your turn signal control level (in your car, left of the steering wheel) can fall off? Well evidentally it can and mine did. So now I can signal a turn and have difficulty turning on my lights. Fun stuff uh?

FYI, 2 weeks from today I'll be in Africa!

The Evolution of Dance

My sister in law and her husband came to visit us last weekend and showed us this video. I thought it was awesome so I passing it on to you. Enjoy!

2 years as Mr. and Mrs.

Wow! We've been married for 2 years now. The time has flown by! Yesterday was wonderful and while we didn't do anything over exciting it was nice to just spend the day together just focused on the two of us. Last night we went to the Melting Pot which was super fun and very filling. We came back home and watched our wedding video again. Pros: We got to relive the day, see our family and friends, etc. Con: I realized that we have both put on some weight. I really need to get back into working out. You know it's always weird to watch yourself but as I watched the two of us on the video I remember back to how I felt that day and how I was so in love. At the time, I thought I knew Jeremy so well but now I feel silly because I know him so much more now. At the time, I didn't think there was anything new to know about him but he continues to amaze me each day. I really am blessed to be married to such an amazing man who loves the Lord so intensely and who is so compassionate in every area. I look forward to getting to know him even more in the next 78 years. :)

Pass the Pigs, Africa, and a Pay raise

Last night we went over to Gary and Natalie's with Matt and Cheri and decided to play some games. Cheri was insistant that we play Pass the Pigs so Gary got it out and I was instantly taken back to my childhood. In Pass the Pigs you roll 2 rubber pigs like dice and depending on the way the pigs land you get a certain number of points. I know it sounds weird but really it is fun; you can click on the title of this post and play an online version. Brandon and I used to play this when we were younger just to pass the time. It's funny how over time things become more fun.

So I'm now 3 weeks away from my departure for S. Africa. We had another meeting on Thursday and I'm getting even more excited. Each member of our group is supposed to be in charge of one aspect of the Bible camp and guess what part I'm doing? The music! It's very ironic since I have no music ability whatsoever but they liked that I knew all the kid songs and music. I guess working at camp for 2 summers really helped. :) It's going to be good though and I'm really excited about teaching these kids about Jesus. J and I got some practice on Friday when we went with our church into a low income neighborhood and helped with a backyard Bible camp. It was a real stretch for me because I was totally out of my comfort zone having to solict people to come and then trying to motivate them to participate. It was a great opportunity for me to get a feel of what it is going to be like in Africa. It also helped me to see what worked and what didn't. I'm so ready to go!

This week the NC Legislative approved the 2006-2007 budget which included a 8% raise for NC teachers! The budget is now on Gov. Easley's desk for his approval and knowing that he's a big advocate of education I'm certain it will pass. 8% is huge! that's like and extra $2400 a year! Sadly, with the raise, we will still not be comparable to the national average. They wonder why NC is so low in education it's b/c of the work conditions we endure for the low cost we get paid. Personally, the amount of money is not problem, it's the amount of stuff teachers have to put up with, from discipline to the mountains of paperwork. I heard lately that the new teacher coming in only averages 2-5 years in the profession. I can totally understand why and if things keep going the way they are, I might be part of that stat.

Ok enough of my soap box...have a great weekend!

Just call me Suzy Sewer...

It's been raining all day so to occupy my time I pulled out the sewing machine that was collecting dust this school year. The pictures above show my lovely projects. The first is a lovely paisley style purse and the second is curtains for my new classroom. I love sewing purses, as many know, but this is a new style for me which was rather tricky at first. Surprisingly it turned out well! I'm proud of my curtains (shown up close so you can see the pattern)because I didnt have a pattern and had to do them myself. I think they turned out lovely and I look forward to seeing them in my new classroom rather than modeled in kitchen.