And so it begins...

On Monday when I arrived in Colorado, the first thing I noticed (besides the Greenpeace folks trying to get me to join their group) was that I was not sweating profusely. I think the last time I experienced not drowning in my own sweat everytime I stepped outside, was several months ago (maybe during that "snowstorm"?). And after I leave this place in a few days, I probably won't experience that relief again until February when we are in "chilly" Thailand! So I'm thankful for this warm, dry air that we get to walk in everyday as we head to our orientation sessions, sweat free.



We are staying at the very beautiful and very "green" Colorado State University campus. Since its pretty large, its taken awhile to be able to navigate our way around without getting lost. But the long walks from our dorm to the meetings have been great for some exercise (since we're basically sitting all day), as well as being able to process through a little bit of what we're learning. Through our walking and talking, its been interesting to see the personalities of my teammates and other teachers coming out. It's such a privilege to become part of a group of people Father has called for a unique and similar purpose. This time of training is a great opportunity for us to bounce ideas off each other, and receive feedback as we try to anticipate the cultural and spiritual twists and turns of the road ahead.




At the beginning of each days session we spend time in worship and hearing from the Word. Everyday, Father has been showing me something pretty significant about Himself. The first day we all met together as a group (about 50 of us), the president challenged us to reexamine John 21 where Peter is asked that penetrating question "Do you love Me?" After answering three times in the affirmative, Peter realized he didn't have any tangible evidence to prove his love, only what was in his heart. Its tempting for us as teachers to want to point to the things we've given up in order to go to Asia as evidence of our love. "You know I love You, I reduced my life to two suitcases and said goodbye to my family and friends and everything familiar." But that's really not answering the question. The challenge we were given was to ask ourselves, "am I willing to get on that plane for no other reason but out of my love for Him?" If we get this answer correct, then the rest will fall into its rightful place and with an open-handed gesture we can simply answer, "yes, You know I love You."


It's a bit sad to be leaving friends I have made this past week. A handful of teachers will be joining Olivia, Jennifer and me in Vietnam for the next 3 1/2 weeks, but the rest will head to Beijing. In addition to our daily cultural and administrative sessions, we have each had the chance to share our story with the group of how Father brought us to this point. Its hard to maintain dry eyes, listening to testimonies of His faithfulness and realizing that its not just me anymore that's going to Asia. I'm going with a group of people who love Him, and we're being sent by an organization that is passionate about His glory, and we are each individually sent by people back home who love us and support us. There is something really powerful and strength giving in that.


Tuesday morning we'll all head to the airport. Please lift us up as we attempt to lug many bodies and bags over many, many miles of land and sea. Remember especially the young families with kids (there are quite a few in the group). Thank you for your sacrifice and the significant part you play in this plan. I am beyond excited to start this journey.

Can't wait to update from Hanoi!