There are a tone of things that I could say to explain my lack of blog writing and updates. The truth is I don’t want to face the fact that I have to ask for support again. In avoiding this blog I am denying the people in my life the opportunity to join in celebrating the amazing things God is doing in my life and joining me in the journey He is taking me on. So I am asking for your forgiveness and that you will consider joining me in this new journey.
Speaking of, let me tell you what I am up to these days. The organization that I was a part of while traveling around the world has seen a need in the people who come off the World Race and have had their lives wrecked and don’t know where to go from there. As a result they have started a program called Center for Global Action, or CGA. We spend the mornings working in a department then have classes in the afternoon. We live in community and meet with our supervisors, the other people in our track/ focus area, and other people to get discipleship and mentorship. The goal of the program is to develop us professionally, emotionally/socially, and spiritually through apprenticeship, community, and discipleship.
Ok that’s a general idea of the program now for what that means for me. To start off I am living in a house with 7 other girls who have all just come off the race within the last 3 or 4 months and a couple that is about our age who also did the race. They have a beautiful 14 month old daughter named Ezzy that fills our house with screams of joy and laughter, every now and then some cries but we still love her. Not only to I get to do life with some amazing people, I also get to learn from a married couple how that works and even see more about raising a family. They offer a different perspective that I have yet to experience since I haven’t been married, yet. This is my main community and in the two weeks I’ve been here they have already taught me so much. I could spend all day telling you all that they have shown me but I’ll try and sum it up in one sentence. We are learning what the church in Acts was all about and really trying to do life together and sharing everything.
For the professional side of things I will be working in the office in the accounting department. I am super excited about this, I will be able to use my degree and learn from some amazing people who are passionate about their faith. Whether I have my own ministry, stay with AIM, work with another ministry, or get a secular job I am learning how to practically use my degree and how to incorporate that into my ministry. As most of you know, businesses don’t like to hire you without experience so this is giving me the opportunity to gain some experience as well. I will receive feedback on a regular basis and once every couple weeks I will have a more in depth feedback so I can learn what I’m doing well and what I need to improve on. I am really excited to be working for an organization that puts God first. We even start off the week with breakfast and corporate worship at the office. They are focused on what God wants to do and move where He is telling them to go. If He says I want you to worship all morning then they will, even if it means work will have to wait a bit. The overall atmosphere is one where you give and receive feedback on how you are working and even how you are acting and presenting yourself. It’s like working with your family or at the very least really close friends. Adventures in Missions is such a positive place to be and work. Can’t wait to see what God has for me here, it’s already been amazing.
So for the educational part of this, I will be taking classes/labs in the afternoons to help me discover my calling, disciple me further in the teachings of God, and learn about my relationship with God. The classes I will be taking from now until December are, Discovering Your Calling, Living Word, Spiritual Formations, and Funding Your Dream or Women Who Can. That last one is elective and don’t know what I’ll be doing just yet. Then on Fridays we have a time of processing or meeting with our discipleship groups. We will also meet with the people in our tracts once a week to discuss what we are learning. So once a week I will meet with the leader of the non-profit tract as well as everyone else that is also focusing on non-profit during this time.
Now that you know a little more about what I am doing I would like to invite you to join me in this. This program is costing me $300 a month. This includes my housing, my classes, and a $200 a month stipend to go towards food, gas, and any other expenses I might have. In this season I am not going to other countries to help spread the Gospel, but I am staying behind to mobilize and support the ones who are. I am plugging into the community here in Gainesville and learning what it looks like to spread the love of God where I’m at. I also need people praying for me and encouraging me along the way. I thank all of you who have been supporting me this last year and ask that you consider partnering with me once again. God has blessed me so much through each one of you even through your prayers. I pray that God continues to bless you in your obedience and if you have any questions or want to know more, message me I would love to get connected and tell you more about what’s going on J
