Fall is here

     When I think about this fundraising process and realize that I have only been officially fundraising since the end of August (two months ago), I'm just amazed at how much has happened.  $1,400 in monthly support has been raised, which leaves $600 left to go.  $600 kind of sounds like a big number, but $1400 is a much bigger number that has already been provided for.  $600 is 8 people at $50 a month and 2 people at $100 a month.  I feel like I keep saying this over and over again but this whole journey that the Lord has me on and this process of raising my necessary living expenses has been so eye opening and affirming for me.  The fantastic news is that $12,000 of my one time costs are already in!!  When I came home from my time in Costa Rica last July, these numbers were really overwhelming and I couldn't even think about how they were going to be taken care of beyond the fact that I knew the Lord would provide according to His timing.  Wow, God!

     Things at school are slowing down a little bit now that parent conferences and Red Ribbon week are over.  The conferences that I conducted in Spanish with some of my parents were not without their flaws, but we were able to understand each other and I was able to communicate what I needed to share about their students.  A few of the parents looked at me with kind of a surprised look on their face when I told them I was going to do my best to communicate with them in Spanish.  There have been a few times this school year where my students are not understanding (or else are choosing not to listen) to my directions, so I switch to speaking in Spanish and that gets their attention real quick.  My one little boy who is already making a name for himself as a fantastic storyteller told me that "just because my hair is black doesn't mean you need to talk to me like that" (meaning in Spanish).  This group of students is really a sweet and oftentimes funny group of kiddos, and I'm very thankful for that.  Last year was a really trying year for me in many ways, and I know that God has blessed me with a group of students to end on a high note with rather than a "good riddance" note.

     This time of year is busy with so many activities involving the fall season and friends.  In the past few weeks I have enjoyed both the Tulare and Fresno fairs, several costume parties, and am REALLY looking forward to a trip to Disneyland with my friends from Visalia in November.  There's a little bit of sadness knowing that the next few years I will not be able to experience these things, but I'm very thankful for these times and the sweet memories they bring.  I am encouraged knowing that I have a large support group that I am going out from, and my ministry and life in Costa Rica will be prayed for on a daily basis.

                                         A hot day at the Big Big Big Fresno Fair

                                         Concert in the park with co-workers

                 Red lips and nails for Halloween!

Halfway there! Halfway to go...

I am pleased to announce that I am halfway to be fully funded as a Students International staff person!  The past few weeks I have had some more dear friends and family join my support team and I am encouraged each time I see another name on my list.  It's such a humbling thing to know that I have people believe in me and in the call that the Lord has given me, and want to make sure that I'm able to GO and fulfill that call.  So THANK YOU for your prayers and financial gifts, I am so grateful.

This week has also been an interesting one for me emotionally.  I have had several different moments of realization that I'm going to be moving and leaving family, friends, my job, my home, my car, my youth group girls that I've been with for four years, my church...and it makes me sad to think about that.  I have been so blessed by all these things and have grown to love Visalia.  I think it hit me when I heard the wonderful news of a dear friend's pregnancy and realized that I will be missing out on that birth and the first years of their life.  But I know that everyone special to me here will not be able to experience all that I will be experiencing there either.  I'm very thankful for technology and the fact that I will be able to video skype and facebook and email.  But I will miss zumba with my friends on Tuesday night, praying with and having dinner with my ladies Thursday nights, lunch after church with the crew, etc.  I know that there will be more moments of realization how big of a deal this move will actually be, but I think it just began to feel real to me this week thinking about these things.

In other news, I was also reminded that His timing and ways are not always my timing and ways this week.  The "plan" had been for me to go to Missions Training International in Colorado in the middle of January and then move to Costa Rica at the beginning of February.  I found out this week that the training I had signed up for and put a deposit down for was full with a 10 person waiting list already.  None of the other sessions were full, including one this month, in November and in February.  I was really bummed when I received this news and still partly am, but I'm trying to remember that it is in His control when I go.  I will now most likely go to the training that starts later in February and move mid-March.  The silver lining is that I would be able to meet my niece or nephew who is going to be born at the end of February before I would move, whereas if I moved at the beginning of February I would miss out on that.  It's continuing to be a journey of surrendering all aspects of the move and the fundraising and the tying up loose ends here to Him.  And I'm sure this is not the last "bump" in the road and change of plans.  

This week is parent conferences for me at my school.  I'm challenging myself and not having a translator to help with my Spanish speaking parents but speaking to them on my own.  I made a cheat sheet of academic vocabulary that I may use and praying the rest goes well.  I need to start getting used to thinking academically in Spanish!  :) 

First newsletter

I just realized that maybe some of you might not even know what I'm doing or talking about when I say I'm fundraising and moving to Costa Rica to work with Students International.  The link below will take you to my first newsletter that gives all of that information.  I probably should have posted it first, but I'm new to this blog thing.  :)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/67097795/Newsletter-Aug-2011

On speaking tour...

The past few weeks have been kinda busy and exciting on the fundraising side of things!  I had the opportunity to share in the Shafter MB church two weeks ago and at Neighborhood Church in Visalia this past Sunday.  While a bit nerve racking, it was such a blessing to be able to tell friends, family, and fellow followers of Jesus what God has been doing in my life over the past few years and where He is leading me.  It was really fun for me to share in Shafter because that is the church that I spent the first eighteen years of my life in.  That was where I came to a relationship with Christ, grew in my knowledge of Jesus and the Bible, served in youth ministry, and had my first missions trip experience.  I was really confirmed and blessed by the people of that congregation by kind words and encouragement.  

Sharing at Neighborhood was quite different; for one thing, we have two services there so I got to stand on stage in front of lots of people two times.  Also, the worship center is really big and there were a lot of pairs of eyes staring up at me!  But it was so exciting to get to talk to people after the service, people that I had never met before but somehow had a connection to Students International, teaching or Costa Rica.  I was blessed with the opportunity to be able to let me church for the past six years know what my next step is on this journey of faith and trust.

The good news is that my fundraising is coming in!!  I have about $650 pledged monthly with the goal being about $2000.  My good friend Ashely, a numbers person through and through, informed me that I'm about a third of the way there to meet my goal.  My one-time costs funds are coming in and I'm blown away at the generosity of friends and family.  I need about $10,000 to pay for plane tickets, 3 weeks of missions training in Colorado, Spanish language school, Visa and residency costs, moving costs, possibly a used car...and I'm about halfway there with $5000 in my account thus far!  Praise God, I am so blessed.  :)  It has honestly been strange for me to talk to people and ask for money, it's not something I've ever experienced in this way.  But I know that this is part of the journey of trust and stepping out that the Lord has me on, and He's proving to be faithful in providing for my needs.

Another really great piece of news is that I was able to talk with my principal and dear friends at my school, and while there is sadness for the hole that I will be leaving in our school community, they are excited and supportive of me.  I will need to put in a letter of resignation within the next month, so I'm praying that I will have enough of my support pledged or in my account to project that my February departure date is a reality.  If you think of it, I'd cherish prayers for continual wisdom in all these decisions I'm having to make and that support will continue to come in, in His timing.