Friday, July 24, 2009
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.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
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 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!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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."
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