Teaching a class

I’m heading to Columbia for the weekend/first part of next week! I’ll be teaching at the senior ICS seminar class on Tuesday morning. Pray for me, that I can gather my thoughts and finish my lesson plan on the way! I’ve been trying for a couple of days to pull everything together, but true to form, I’m going to have to put some finishing touches on it before Tuesday.

Looking forward to seeing old friends!

Wedding, 2010 resolution, Columbia

Just a short update to say I’ve been having a wonderful time in Columbia.  It’s been great to reunite with friends and catch up on everyone’s lives.  The wedding on Saturday was beautiful, and I’m excited for Michelle and Seth as they start their life together.  :)

Be praying tomorrow, it’s the first Goer group in Fayetteville at 6:30am!

Also, if missed it, my New Year’s resolution for 2010 was to take a photo every day.  So far I have successfully done that, and they are all located on my photo blog, xina marie photography.  Check it out for a view through my lens every day.

So how is everybody doing?  Drop me a comment and let me know you’re reading and what’s new with you!

Columbia tomorrow!

Hello!
I just wanted to give you all a short update on some of the neat things that are happening this month.

• In the morning I’m flying to Columbia, SC. I’ll be catching up with supporters and friends there for a week (Feb. 3-10). I’ll also have the opportunity strengthen networks and help get the XPLORE book to people who will use it!
  • Please pray for a safe, encouraging trip, and that God will show up in unexpected ways!
• On Tuesday, Feb. 9, we’ll be having our first GOer group in Fayetteville. This is a place where students who are planning to serve as cross-cultural goers for 1 or more years can process through many of the issues and struggles involved. We’ll be meeting at 6:30am on Tuesday mornings for the rest of the semester.
  • Pray God will bring the right students to this group.
  • Please pray this will be an encouraging place of accountability for these students.
  • Pray for the Every Ethne staff as we organize the logistics, plan speakers, etc., that we can be a resource and mentor to these students. (And pray that we’ll all be awake at 6:30am! :) )
• Tuesday, Feb. 25 is the Collegiate Day of Prayer. Join with others across the country as we pray for America’s college campuses. http://www.collegiatedayofprayer.org. Invite your friends to join with you and take some time out this day to pray!

I hope you all are doing well. If you have the chance, please drop me a line and let me know if there’s any ways I can be praying for you.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Ice, Goer Groups, and Columbia

Well, due to pending inclement weather, Perspectives class has been cancelled for tonight.  It’s sad, but at least everybody will be safe.  Although, being from Wisconsin, cancelling things for weather before it even starts icing is weird to me. :)

The picture is from last year’s record breaking (and tree/roof/powerline breaking…) ice storm.  I was actually in Fayetteville for it in between Texas and Wisconsin.  It was definitely crazy.  So, we’re all hoping that doesn’t happen again this year.

We’ve got some really exciting things going on with Every Ethne these days.  We’re currently a Goer Group for students at the UofA.  It will be held Tuesday mornings at 6:30 am (yikes!  I hope I can get up for that!), and is for students that are serious about going as a cross-cultural goer for a year or more after graduation.  We’re going to cover all sorts of training topics, as well as provide a place of like-minded encouragement for students while they’re in school. Super exciting stuff.  The first one is scheduled for Feb. 9.

And speaking of February, I’m actually headed Columbia, SC again!  A supporter of mine is getting married, so I figured it would be a good time to connect with other friends and supporters.  If you’re in the Columbia area, I’ll be there Feb. 4-9!  Let me know if you’d like to hang out, and I’ll schedule you in!

Prayer Breakfast

This morning I had the privilege of attending the City Light prayer breakfast.  (side note: Now, those of you who know me know that it must have been pretty good if I am grateful for something that happened before 9am in the morning and required me to wake up at 5:30.)  Basically, the breakfast consisted of about 50 or so people from around Columbia. (**I was later corrected, there were 120 people there**)  There were pastors of many different churches and denominations, people from many different ministries, kids and adults, various businessmen, politicians, and other Christians from around Columbia.  We all got together at the Capital City Club, a restaurant atop one of the tallest buildings in Columbia, which offers a fantastic panoramic view of the city, ate breakfast together, shared about some of the things going on in these various ministries, and then spent time praying together.  It was incredible to see so many Christians from so many different backgrounds coming together in the name of Christ and praying together.  Seeing this kind of unity in the church is always very moving for me, and so I’m glad I had the opportunity to see some of what God is doing in this city.

…and now for a nap…

The Global South

Since being in Columbia, SC, I’ve been getting reacquainted with a church I started attending this summer.  It’s called Church of the Apostles, and it is part of the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA).  

We are affiliated with the Anglican Mission in America, a fresh movement in Anglicanism that is rapidly sweeping across North America.  With episcopal oversight from Rwanda, the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) exists to glorify God by building an alliance of congregations in North America committed to gathering, planting and serving dynamic churches in the Anglican tradition. AMiA’s call is to reach the 130 million un-churched in the U.S. and some 20 million in Canada with the transforming reality of Jesus Christ. AMiA is committed to evangelism through church planting, fulfilling Christ’s Great Commandment and Great Commission.  To learn more about the Anglican Mission, check out there website at www.theamia.org.

It is really a neat reminder of a phenomenon happening in missions that many in the American church are unaware of: We’re not the only ones doing it!  Many of the places that have been receiving Western missionaries for the past century have come full circle, sending out missionaries themselves!  In fact, as the West becomes increasingly secularized, we are likely to see more and more of our Christian brothers and sisters from other parts of the world coming here, bringing with them a vibrant and Bibically sound faith that will speak to the emerging postmodern generation.  

For more thoughts on this phenomenon, check out this article:  Introducing… The Global South by Paul Borthwick.

 

In other news about me, I’m still in Columbia, and plan to be here for a couple more weeks.  Please pray that God will give me open doors to find people to share with, and that He will provide for the rest of my support quickly so I can move to Arkansas.  Also, if you live in SC, please help me out by getting me in touch with some of your friends who may be interested in hearing about my ministry with Every Ethne.

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O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the 
earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those 
who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people 
everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the 
nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; 
and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Prayer for Mission, The Book of Common Prayer

 

Thanks for praying

Last Saturday I was reminded why I hold to the belief that Columbia driving is the worst I’ve encountered in the United States…  I was driving down I-26 at one of the worst interstate merges I’ve driven (I-20 and I-26 near the St. Andrew’s exit), and my car was hit by another driver changing lanes (she wasn’t from here, so she didn’t know the lane she was in ends abruptly).  I swerved to try to avoid them, narrowly missing a car to my left.  Luckily, nobody was hurt, and there was only minor cosmetic damage to both vehicles involved.  

So, thank you for praying for me, because I’m pretty sure God’s protection kept this from being a lot worse.

Michigan to South Carolina

I wanted to take the time to give you all a quick update.  The trip to Michigan was good, and I got to meet some great people and hang out with some old friends I hadn’t seen in several years.  :)

I left this past Monday with 3 inches of snow on the ground, and drove through another 3 hours or so of snow, and then about 6 hours of rain, and then about another 3 hours of not so bad weather, and finally arrived in Columbia, SC.  It’s been great to see a lot of my CIU friends these past few days!  

 

I hope all of you have a blessed Easter!  I am very excited to celebrate the Risen Savior. :)

I’m halfway there!

I just wanted to take a moment to announce some big news…

As of this week, I am at 50% of my monthly budget!  Yay!  That means I’m only $1590 a month away from being at full-support.  So, if 15 people would pledge $100 a month, or 30 people at $50, I could be there!  

God has brought me halfway, and I am trusting Him to provide for the rest.  Please continue to pray that God will provide.  

For ways you can help me out, check out this page. 

 

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Also, a short update on my whereabouts and future locations.  The plan is to leave  Michigan on Monday and drive to South Carolina.  If you live there and haven’t read about the HUGE ways you can help me out yet, please check out this post: South Carolina friends, please help!

Michigan trip, part 1

Michigan, the Great Lakes State

Well,  I made it to Michigan yesterday, as evidenced by this photograph from the Michigan welcome center.  They have a replica lighthouse there (but they door was locked, so I couldn’t go in it; how sad).  I’m staying in Grand Rapids, though I’ll be making a couple trips to Big Rapids, and possibly a few other places.  If you’re in the area and would like to get together, please let me know!

The current plan is to head down to South Carolina around April 6 or 7.  And, speaking of South Carolina, I know a lot of you from SC looked at my post asking for help (if you haven’t read it yet, click here.)  So, for those of you who have talked to people and haven’t let me know yet, please do that so I can start setting up appointments.  And for those of you who have been well intentioned but haven’t had a chance yet, it would be incredible if you could talk to people this week and ask them if they’d be interested in meeting with me.  Thanks so much!