Christmas!!

Christmas in Nigeria was a lot different from what I am used to-in that despite no cold weather, only a few decorations, and missing my friends and family-it was a memorable experience. I live in an apartment complex with other missionaries who work with orphans here in Jos. They thought that it would be cool to spend the week with the kids. The week started with the 40 boys and 40 girls doing a Nativity play in the village.

The next day, we had a morning of games planned for the boys. Dustin and I thought it would be fun to create a boot camp. Dustin was able to pull off the military role a little better than I was. It was a lot of fun. I think the boys really enjoyed it.

Dustin and I...aka Major Pain and GI Jane

wheelbarrow race

waiting in line for chin chin - reward for finishing boot camp

Later that night, we took all 40 boys to my friend Emma-Louise's house. We ate dinner, watched a movie and they all piled in the living room.

The next day we did some fun activities with them before they headed back to Gyero.

making paper chains with the boys
Karis helping some of the boys make Christmas cookies.

40 boys + 2 SUVs = good picturescactus Christmas treeHanging out on Christmas day! One of the families here had us all over. It was so nice to just chill out.

Christmas was different this year. But it was still celebrated for the same reason. I'm so thankful that Jesus Christ came into this world to give us a hope and life. May you be blessed in the new year!

December!!!

Wow. I cannot believe how close it is to Christmas! We have 2 1/2 days and then we are out for Christmas break! My kids and I are definately counting down. Hillcrest has been crazy busy lately with Christmas programs. This past Friday, the elementary school had the opportunity to present City Ministries with all the items that we bought for them. The elementary classes held fundraisers to buy things like toothbrushes, flip flops, material for clothes, candy, and food. We were able to raise over 190,000 Naira, which is close to $1,500! It was so cool. Some of the kids from the care centers here in Jos were able to come and receive the gifts. Each group did a song and a memory verse and then some of of their stories were told. I think that it was awesome for the kids at Hillcrest to be able to raise money for these children, and then to be able to see them and hear some of their stories. Many of the kids from the care centers come from difficult and sad situations. It's so cool that they are being taken care of by people who love the Lord and are sharing that love with the children.
Sunday night was 9 lessons and carols. It was a sweet time of Scripture reading and hymns. This Wednesday night is the elementary music concert. I'm excited to see it. They are pretty cute.
I am expecting to get my car by the weekend! I'm so excited! I think it will make a big difference. I'm getting a Nissian Pathfinder. It will be good for driving around here. You can be praying for patience and courage. :)
I hope to do a better job with this over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading and thanks for praying. Merry Christmas!

It's been awhile

Last Friday we had Multicultural Day. The students were encouraged to dress in their traditional dress as we celebrated the different cultures that are represented at Hillcrest. As you can see, I didn't really go all out, but I am supposed to be a "country girl". I think I was pretty excited about being able to wear jeans to school. :) Miss those casual Fridays.

We started the morning with a program and some of the other classes did a song or a skit. Afterwards there were some Tev (tribe in Nigeria) dancers that did a dance.

Then we had lunch together as a class. The parents brought food that represents their home culture. It was a fun day with and for the kids. It's pretty cool to think about the diversity in our class and know that we serve the God who made us all and brought us all here to Jos, Nigeria for this season of our lives.

So I've been here for over three months now. I miss everyone a lot, but I'm pretty sure that God is using this to stretch me and teach me that I need Him. I thought I'd share some interesting and entertaining things that come with living in Nigeria. Hope you enjoy! :)

--Walking downtown is always an adventure. You never know who you will meet or what you will see. Baturi is the word for white person, and you hear it called at you as you walk down the street. It's not meant as an insult, it's just more of an observation.

--The market. Live chickens, the inner parts of cow, some sort of black fish in a circle that smells delightful. The market is lined with shops where you can buy cloth for clothes, basic food shops, and in the middle are stands, kiosks if you will with loads of things like sandals, handbags, pots and pans, etc.

--Motorcycles otherwise known as achabas are everywhere. They weave in and out of traffic, drive on side of the ride, on the wrong side of the road and anywhere else that there is a bit of space. Most of them do not wear helmets. The traffic here is ridiculous, but somehow there is order to the chaos. Not much, but there is some. Even with all this, I am ready to get a car. It will be nice to have the independence again.

Oh yea! I want to share some fantastic news with you. Last month I wrote in my newsletter about the need for a car. I wrote that I would need around $7,000. I found out that someone anonomously donated $7,000!!! I'm so thankful for God's faithfulness. I will let you know when and what I get. It's quiet a long process here, but hopefully I'll have one by January.

Final story for now -- We now have a pet pig on our compound. Long story, but we got it as a gift for our friend Lisa who just got back from a visit home. So we are thinking of keeping it for Christmas dinner. :) mmm bacon.

Hope you are all doing well. I love hearing from you.

Isn't it Cool?

Isn't it cool how God works? We have praise and worship night on Wednesday nights. Someone usually shares their testimony and we sing and have time of fellowship together. Tonight, my friend Rachel shared and so much of what she said was what I needed to hear. She was talking about the difference between a faith that is dead and faith that is alive. So often I get caught up in my daily needs and desires. I want to grow and go deeper. She shared this poem and I want to share it with you.
"I Will Not Die an Unlived Life"
I will not die an unlived life
I will not live in fear of falling
Or of catching fire
I choose to inhabit my days
To allow my living to open me
Making me less afraid,
More accessible
To loosen my heart,
So that it becomes a wing, a torck, a promise
I choose to risk my significance.

--Donna Markova

My prayer is that God would grow me and that I would make the conscience effort to live in the day that He has set for me. I pray this for you as well.

OBUDU!

Hello! The first nine weeks has come and gone. I spent all day last Friday conferencing with parents, and then we had a much needed week off for October break. A group of us went to Obudu, which is in Cross River State south of here. The trip was about seven hours, but went very smoothly thanks to Baba, our driver. We were able to have three days of relaxation and fun. It was good to be in a different setting. It was quiet and there was an abundance of fresh air, two things we don't have much of in Jos. We spent two days at the pool and one day of hiking.

School started back today. It was good to seek the kids again. Please pray for wisdom in teaching and that I would point them to Christ daily. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Not sure if you can see what is being carried on this truck. Inside, are cows and up top are donkeys. As well as a few Nigerians.

Our first night there...we ate at "The Ultimate Restaurant" in the village.

Just wanted to make sure that you see how awesome it is. :)

This was our view from the pool. No complaints.

Just a normal day in the village...:)

This is the view from Holy Mountain. There were only a few opportunities to take pictures because of all the fog.

View from our hike. The amazing thing is, is that there are people that live out here. They farm on this land. A bunch of teenage boys from the village came along on our hike. They were wearing normal flip flops and were running all over the place. They helped us by carrying our backpacks and showing us where to step. I was very thankful for them!

We hiked to this waterfall. It was quiet a slippery hike. But it was also quiet a nice view.

View from the President's villa. It was so cool to be above the clouds.

Dee and I on the cable car. Dee is from Texas and she is here to do discipleship with the kids at the care centers here in Jos.

View of a village from the cable car.

The view from the cable car. Amazing view!

Claudia, Karis, and I at dinner on our last night. These two kept me laughing most of the weekend.

Pictures!!

My class on Independence Celebration Day.

Lisa and I. I am so thankful for her friendship. She's lovely. (I say lovely because she is from England and they say that. It's funny that I didn't really anticipate learning more about other cultures besides Nigerian, but it's been so fun and funny as well!)

Fun night of dinner and fellowship. Thankful for these friends.

Somewhat of a pyramid. My favorite part is the pile of chacos to the left side.

Tara and I (Tara is the first grade teacher. She is an encouragement to me!)

My sweet friend Grace and her husband Musa with their two girls, Jemimah and Sophie.

Experiences

Over this past weekend, I had the opportunity to stay with a Nigerian family. Their two daughters attend Hillcrest. Here are some experiences and thoughts from the weekend. Hope you enjoy!

--I got to eat lots and lots of Nigerian food. One of the main highlights of living in Nigeria is experiencing superb hospitality. Here are some of the foods that I got to eat: red stew, moi moi, plaintains and rice, pop (corn but in a custard texture), and much more.
--Bucket baths. When you don't have running water, you heat up the water and take a bath with a bucket and a bowl. Thankful for hot water :)
--Got to meet their kaka (grandmother) and grandfather on the other side. What a neat experience that was. I guess it's because you know they hold so much wisdom. They were both very sweet.
--Talent Show Friday night. The older of the two girls was in the talent show. She did a fantastic job. She danced with a friend to a song by Superchick. The song was about needing a mean boy like needing a bowling bowl dropped on your head. :) There was some amazing break dancing as well. Hillcrest is full of talented kids.
--I got to spend time with the girls and hear about their interests. The younger sister wants to be a writer. She is writing a book. Amazing. The older wants to be a missionary. :)
--Cooking lessons from the mom. :) She even taught me to make pancakes from scratch.
--The mom also spoke to me in Hausa some of the time. Great way to learn. Mun gode Allah. :)

There was much more, but I need to rest for school tomorrow. Thursday is Independence Day, so we are celebrating tomorrow. I will post some pictures soon. Love you all and miss you very much. Hopefully I'll be sending out a newsletter this week, and I'll try to post it on here as well. Love in Christ ~ Heather

Recently

So I want so much for you to be able to visualize what life is like here. The best way that I can think to do that is to describe typical experiences here and hope that it gives you a glimpse of life in Jos, Nigeria. On a schoolday, I wake up and get ready for school. This includes on most days using the 12 volt light system that my parents so generously ordered and paid for. Power here is unpredictable and limited. I imagine that there is a man by a switchboard determined not to follow a schedule. But with the 12 volt system, there is nothing to complain about. But it doesn't power the fridge or the washing machine. So you learn what things to keep in the freezer and to be flexible with the laundry. The school that I work at, Hillcrest, has provided a driver in the mornings and afternoons for the teachers that do not live on campus and need a ride. This has been such a blessing. Especially since I have such great luck with taxi rides. :) I get to school about 7:30,which is nice because the second bell doesn't ring until 8:30. We start with Bible, and then do a whole group reading lesson. At 10 the kids have recess. Nice, right? Then, we finish reading and do math till noon. The kids eat from 12-12:15 and then go play. There is no lunchroom, so most of the time they bring their own lunch. Or someone brings it for them. They can also buy stick of suya (chicken on a stick) or chips (french fries). After lunch we do science, grammar, and writing. On Mondays the kids get out at 2:30. We sometimes have a staff meeting or professional development. On Tuesdays-Fridays they get out at 3:10. On Tuesdays I help with a 9th grade girls discipleship group. I'm leading it with another teacher which is nice. We are leading them through a study on how to be a godly woman. I did a Bible study with some friends last year on Proverbs 31. It was so good, I had my mom scan some of it to me and we are using it with them. They are fifteen lively, opinionated girls, so it's a challenge to plan things that will keep their attention and help them to grow. On Thursdays I take tennis lessons after school. Why not? One thing that the elementary teachers have the opportunity to do is to go on home visits. So I visit each of my students' homes. While it is taking a long time, and it takes up some of my afternoons, I am appreciative of the opportunity to catch a glimpse of their lives. It helps to understand them and their parents better. I have eleven boys and six girls in my class. Five are missionary kids, one is Lebanese, and the rest are Nigerian. The staff at Hillcrest is supportive and encouraging. On Wednesdays during recess the elementary staff get together and pray. On Wednesday nights we have praise and worship with some of the single missionaries around Jos. We have compound prayer on Thursday nights. I don't think I have had two similar weekends yet. Last weekend a group of us went to Styre. Styre is in Bauchi state. It's an old trucking company...I think. Anyway, they had a pool, which was nice. Once you get off the plateau, it gets warmer. We went to a giraffe park on Saturday. We saw a few giraffes and some zebras. Yes, they were enclosed in a fence. But I say it is two steps up from the zoo. 1. Because you are in Africa. 2. Because you get to walk around in the fence. This weekend we have a four day weekend because Monday and Tuesday are Muslim holidays. Shallah I think is what it is called. So I'm hoping to see some of the different ministries here in Jos. I will write more later and try to describe more of what it is like in Jos and what the culture is like. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. I praise the Lord for his hand in each of our lives. God Bless.

First weekend away...

This past weekend we went on a staff retreat to Miango. It was great to get to know everyone better. We had some great time of praise and worship as well as the opportunity to hear some awesome testimonies. On Saturday we got to go on a hike. It was so refreshing and beautiful. Here are a few pictures.

This is the view at the end of our hike!

One of the many beautiful views on our hike.

These girls are great!

Jayne, Zoe, Grace, me, and Tara.

I took the scenic route

So I already feel behind in writing on here. I had an interesting and funny experience on my very first day of school. I think I mentioned the crazy traffic here. There are no stop lights or stop signs. Sometimes the traffic people are at the post, sometimes they aren't. So I was excited and anxious for the first day of school. I left in plenty of time because I was taking a taxi and I wanted to get to school extra early so I could be ready to greet me students. It didn't take long to get a taxi, and when I told the driver Hillcrest School, he nodded. To me this meant that this would be the place where he would drop me off. Logical. After we drove past Hillcrest, I began to wonder what just happened and what should I do. There were two other people in the taxi, so I thought that maybe he was taking one or both of them up the road, and then would turn around. I wasn't sure of all the taxi rules yet, so I decided to wait patiently. After about 15 minutes of driving away from Hillcrest I figured I should ask the driver if he would be turning around sometime soon. He nodded. By this point it's about 7:25 and school starts at 8:00. When he finally does turn around, he periodically pulls over to try to pick up new fares. It's now 7:35. I told him that if he would keep going to Hillcrest, I would pay extra. When we pull up to Hillcrest at approximately 7:55, I remind him to pull over, pull out N1,000 (1,000 naira) get out of the car and give it to him, and rush to my classroom. Now, if you are unfamiliar with how much things cost in Nigeria, I'll tell you. A taxi ride from my apartment to Hillcrest is N30. So I gave him a N970 tip. I'm not sure why I did this, but I was so ready to get to the school, I didn't give it much thought. My more seasoned missionary friends thought it was crazy that I paid so much. But they also enjoyed the story. So, two lessons learned before the first day of school. You are supposed to tell the taxi driver when to pull over. Logical. And, living in Nigeria is completely unpredictable. FYI N1,000 is $6. Not a bad price for a good story. You may ask why didn't the taxi driver say something about getting off at Hillcrest. I think there are two possible answers to that. 1. Maybe he didn't understand me. (Quiet possible) 2. Nigerians do not like conflict. He might not have wanted to ask me or embarrass me. Who knows. Thanks for reading!

Saturday

My friend Grace and I out shopping.







Downtown Jos

Sweet friends. Met at SIM in 2008

Shopping for fabric at the market.

These are pictures from my day of shopping. I am so excited to get some Nigerian clothes made! Hopefully they will be ready in about a week, and I'll post pictures...as long as they look ok!

School has been in session for a week and half. I have seventeen sweet, energetic third graders! They keep me on my toes. Hillcrest School has done a great job at making the new staff feel welcome. They had two huge laundry baskets full of groceries and household items. It was such a blessing. Shopping and cooking here takes a lot more time and planning than at home. You can't just run to Walmart and pick up something. I'm adjusting to instant coffee. Yum. I'll be ready for a latte when I get home. Back to school. I'm still adjusting to the fact that I teach in a Christian school. We pray during the day and I teach Bible every day. In third grade they begin with Genesis. The other day I was surprised and excited by all the questions they were asking. It challenges me to study more and find the answers to their questions. Please pray for their hearts that they would be soft and receptive to the gospel.

My apartment was furnished when I came here. I also got a brand new table and coffee table. They are so nice! I look forward to getting some things to decorate, but it's so great to not have to worry about it.

I have signed up to do a discipleship group on Tuesdays after school. Another teacher and I will be leading it together. I believe that we are going to be doing the ninth and tenth graders. It will be a coed group and we will do topical studies. I hope that this will be a great way for me to be more involved at Hillcrest and invest in other students. I enjoyed working with the high schoolers the past couple of years at Briarwood and I hope that I can be some encouragement to these kids. Please pray for wisdom in planning and that we would find favor with them.

This morning I am getting ready to go the Plateau church. This will be my third church to visit since I've been here. Please pray that I would find a church soon where I can be fed and also be invested in the church. I look forward to finding a "church home". I'll write more later. Please let me know if there is anything you want to know and please let me know how I can be praying for you! Love in Christ

Observe. Think. Pray. Appreciate. Learn. Repeat.

I am extremely grateful for all the training that I went through before coming to Jos, but nothing can fully prepare you. I guess you just have to experience something to know what it is like, and then somehow process it even when you don't fully understand everything. Pretty clear, right?

I've been in Nigeria for almost a week now. I'm slowly adjusting to the crazy traffic, the different noises and smells, a new language, a new school, new friends...the list goes on.

The traveling here was long and for lack of a better word, interesting. The Lord was gracious and everything was smooth at the airport. My friend Kim and I spent the night in Abuja at the Baptist guesthouse since we arrived at night. We left the next morning for Jos. The best way that I can describe the traffic in Nigeria is that it is like I am in a video game. It's amazing how there seem to be no rules, but people follow rather loosely some sort of rules. I think I'll wait on the purchase of a car...and try to learn those rules :)

I live in an apartment complex with other missionaries. It's great to have a support group around. There are quiet a few other missionaries in Jos, which is nice. I've also met some great people that work at Hillcrest.

I spent the morning in my classroom. I have a pretty good setup. I'm teaching third grade for a year in place of a missionary that is on home assignment. She has left the classroom in great shape for me. However, after teaching in the states for three years, I realize what a great amount of resources we are given back home. It's kind of hard to process. The question comes to mind, why do we have so much when others have so little? How am I using what the Lord has blessed me with the bless others? How can I make a difference here? I pray that the Lord would provide guidance and opportunities to proclaim His name. It's different here. People are really watching you to see if you practice what you preach. The white skin has a little to do with that. :)

I'll write more later. I need your prayers and want to know how I can be praying for you. Love in Christ

It's Here

The time is finally here. After over a year of preparation, I am leaving tomorrow for Nigeria. It's a little surreal. Even thought it's not easy to leave family, friends, and familiar things, I am looking forward to my time in Jos. I would appreciate your prayers as I travel tomorrow. Please pray that my bags are not too heavy, that customs would go smoothly, and that somewhere in all the time that I spend traveling, that God would use me. Please pray for my short transition into teaching and living overseas. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, and I look forward to updating you very soon. May the Lord receive all the glory in this.

Reflections and some other stuff

I arrived in Charlotte today. Awaiting me were five out of ten shots to prepare me for living overseas. I'm glad that my calling is sure.

I wanted to share some more about my time at Pre-Field Orientation. One of the best parts of the training was getting a chance to be around others with a similar mindset. It's amazing and exciting to see what God is doing in their lives. I appreciate their encouragement and I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses them.

Most of our sessions were taught in a lecture hall with uncomfortable plastic chairs, but they were worth it. We learned a lot about TCKs and what their life is like. TCKs are considered third cultured kids because they do not own their host culture, and they do not own their passport culture. So in an international school, there is a third culture that is created. I realized the huge responsibility and opportunity I have ahead of me. As with any child, they crave consistency, which as you can imagine is hard to have when are often in transition. We also had the neat opportunity to hear from a TCK panel made up of kids who grew up overseas. Even though some of the participants had some hard stories to tell, it was so sweet to see the Lord working in their lives and using their experiences to go and share the gospel.

We talked a lot about making a smooth transition. It was so comforting to hear about some of the emotions that occur during different stages of transition. It's encouraging and a relief to identify those different stages and pray through them. I plan on referring back to the different transition models regularly. I also learned so much about my personality. I know that sounds strange. I learned some of the best ways for me, as an introvert to process stressful and new situations. I learned that I need to consciously make an effort to journal, spend time in the Word and prayer, and also sharing my struggles and praises with other believers.

I am leaving from Charlotte to go to Nigeria. Before I left home, the Lord used my friends and family to give me sweet encouragement and time in prayer. I feel so blessed when I think of all the godly people the Lord has allowed me to spend time with. I have learned so much from them and I will be forever grateful for their love and support. We are not meant to walk this journey alone, and while I will be far away from them, I feel their prayers and support. Praise the Lord for the body of Christ and how we are all working together to bring honor and glory to His name, no matter where we are.

One more thing that we talked about at PFO was how important it is for us to have a heart of gratitude. My prayer for you is that the Lord would give you a heart of gratitude and that it would be evident in your life. Please email me with your praises and prayer requests. My email is hrlacroix@hotmail.com. Love y'all!

I didn't know how much I didn't know

My time at Houghton College is coming to an end. I've been here for the past two weeks for PFO (Pre Field Orientation). Most of the sessions have been focused on how best to relate to TCKs (Third Culture Kids), teaching in an international school, and how to adjust well to a new culture. The training has been rich with content. I am grateful for all that I have learned and look forward to processing it all and applying it very soon! I will update with some of the things that I learned later, but thought I could go ahead and share some pictures from my time here. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!

We got to go to Niagara Falls! It was lots of fun! It rained most of the day, but that didn't ruin it. We were wet anyway.

Hanging out at a state park. We saw a deer hanging out on the side of a cliff. Crazy!

Hanging out with some girls at Citgo!

"This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you."

Do you remember...

Do you remember the TV show, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? I used to love that show. Just wanted to let you know what's going on over the next month or so! I know I'm not as cool as Carmen, but that's ok. Humor me.
On Saturday I leave to go to Houghton College in New York. I've been telling people that it is in Buffalo, but that's not the whole truth. I think it's about an hour from Buffalo aka in the middle of nowhere. I'm excited though. I think I will be learning a lot about how to teach in an international school. I hope to learn a lot!
I'll be back on July 3. So I'll be in Jasper, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Cullman and who knows where else that week. I will try to let you know when I'll be where as it gets closer. I think I might have a day where whoever wants can come to Jasper and hang out at the lake. :) That will probably be best for people with flexible jobs! Let me know if you are interested!
Then, I go to Charlotte on July 11. That's for two weeks of training with SIM.
Finally, I leave to go to Nigeria!! I hope to be flying out on July 25 and arrive sometime on the 26 because training at my new school starts on July 29! I'll be sending out an update through email this week. Let me know if you are not on my list and would like to be!

Oh yea. Support update. As of now, I'm at about 97%. That's right. You read it right. Thank you Lord for providing! Look forward to hearing from you!

No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly

I don't have the words to express how grateful I am.  Thank you so much for your prayers.  Over the past couple of days, my support has gone from about 57% to 75%.  I find myself in some sort of shock, and then remember that this is what I and you have been praying for. We have prayed for the Lord to provide and to bring in support so that I can go and live and serve in Nigeria.  Thank you for your prayers and encouragement and I look forward to updating you soon! 

Lesson Learned

You know when the Lord is teaching you something, and it shows up in all different areas of life? He is teaching me that Christ is enough. He is more than enough. He can calm my biggest fear, lead me in the darkest place, forgive me of my greatest sin. There is an unmatchable peace when I put all of my trust in Him, and allow Him to lead me. I pray that this would be a pattern in my life and yours. I constantly revert back to old habits, but Christ is always there to redirect my steps. In Isaiah 26:3 it says You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you; because he trusts in you. It's right there. The answer is right in front of us. We long for peace in our lives. For things to work out in a good way. In Romans 8:28 it says "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." There is something we have to do though. We have to believe, trust, and walk with Him. I pray that you find peace in Christ alone, because He is enough!

Support Event!

Some of the teachers that I work with are putting this together. This will most likely be my last event before I leave. I would love for you to come if you can and you can invite others as well. You can come and go between 7-10 and enjoy dessert and fellowship. I would love to know if you will be there, so they can know an approximate number to plan for.

Right now, I am at 50% of my monthly support! Praise the Lord! Please be praying. I need to start the Visa process soon, and in order to do that, I need to be at 80-85%. Then, before I leave, I need to be at 100% of my support. Please pray that I would not be anxious or pessimistic, but trust that the Lord is at work and will provide in His timing.


Alabama to Africa…


Please join us for a night of fun and fellowship

as we help raise support for

Heather LaCroix’s trip from Alabama to Africa.

May 15, 2009

7:00-10:00

The fun will include live music, refreshments, and relaxing.

Bring fishing poles and lawn chairs, if you are interested.

$5.00 donation per person (kids free)


Sharon Rogers’ Home
101 Twelve Oaks Circle
Chelsea, AL 35043

Thankful

I've been thinking about all the recent things I have to be grateful for. I’m extremely grateful. I was reading in The Valley of Vision the other day, which by the way, if you have never heard of it or read it, you should! It’s a book of Puritan prayers. I think that they are my thoughts and sentiments that I’m unable to express. They do it so much better and much more eloquently. One of the prayers is titled Living By Prayer and part of it says: “I can only succeed when I pray according to thy precept and promise, and to be done with it as it pleases thee, according to they sovereign will.” I know this is true, because I see it being worked out in my life and in the lives of other believers.
There is much to be joyful about. On Tuesday my Papa had a stroke. In just a few days the Lord has been so gracious to him and he is doing much better.
My sister and her husband Finally closed on a house.
Matt (my sister’s husband) did my taxes for me the second year in a row. That’s one of those things that you don’t know how to do or want to do by yourself.
I have sold enough of my t-shirts to pay back the production cost and made $275 profit towards my support.
I was able to speak at a Sunday School class last week at First Baptist Columbiana. I work in Columbiana and they were so sweet to have me and so interested in hearing about what I’m doing.
I am approaching my one time needs. Praise the Lord.
I registered for PFO training. PFO stands for Pre-Field Orientation and it is a two week training for teaching Third Culture Kids. This is in Buffalo, New York. I’m excited about learning how communicate and understand the kids I’ll be teaching. TCKs or Third Culture Kids are kids who spend significant time in one or more cultures that is not their own, in turn integrating that culture into their own, creating a third culture.
My friends and family encourage me consistently through this preparation period.
Approaching Easter, I'm reminded of what Christ did for us. Everyone is searching for freedom and we have it with Christ. It's by grace that we are saved and we have hope because of Christ.
Please pray! Pray for my Papa, for my support to continue to come in, for God to be glorified in all of this. If you would like to be added to my email list, or are interested in joining my support team, please email me! Thanks for your prayers and support. I'm so grateful.

Beautiful Day

Yesterday was beautiful. For those of you who frequently receive those white flakes from the sky, you may not get as excited about less than an inch of snow. As soon as I could yesterday I went outside with Karenina and played in the snow. We made a snowman that turned out to look more like a snow blob and had a snowball fight. Karenina beat me hands down. I laughed so hard.

My support party on the 20th was great. My sweet friends did a fantastic job and I had so much help getting things together. My friend Katie was able to fly in from Texas and surprise me, which was such a blessing and a lot of fun. We were able to raise around $500 in support. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.

I keep being reminded of the fact that it's all about Jesus. He is the reason we have any kind of hope and in that hope we can somehow turn our mess of a life into something that can bring him honor. He is "our wisdom and our righteousness and santification and redemption" 1 Cor 1:30

Please join me in praying that 100% of my financial needs would be met. Please consider joining my support team. Pray for Hillcrest School and for the missionaries serving now in Jos, Nigeria. Pray for my school here -- Elvin Hill Elementary. Please let me know how I can be praying for you. Grace and peace.

Support Party!

It's official. I have the BEST friends. God has been gracious to me in many ways, especially in my friendships. He has surrounded me with godly women that I am constantly learning from. A few of these friends have volunteered to help throw a party to help me raise support. Like I mentioned in my last post, I am raising support to go and teach at Hillcrest School in Jos, Nigeria. The party is THIS Friday, February 20. (Happy Birthday Holly!) There will be Bingo, dessert, coffee, live music, and prizes. It will be at Vineyard Community Church in Tuscaloosa, AL from 6:30-9:00. There is a $5 cover. I would love for you to come!

Update

It's been a few days since my last entry...well a few months. I am going to be updating this more often! I don't think that's too high of a goal!
There have been some changes to my plans since I last wrote. I am now going to be teaching 3rd grade at Hillcrest School in Jos, Nigeria. I will need to be there by the end of July to be ready to start school in August. When I think of all that needs to be accomplished, I have to take a deep breath. But then, I remember who we serve. We serve the one and only true God. He is the author of Life and I trust that He will provide.
Before I leave in July, I need approximately $10,000 in my account. The rest of my support can be promised through monthly donations. My monthly needs total $2,133. Please consider making a one-time gift or joining my team and supporting me monthly. I also ask for your prayers during this time of preparation.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment to meet or have a phone conversation. I would love to talk with you!

Have a fantastic week!

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6