I had an amazing day, and it's not even over! Can you believe it?!
Today I went to Mission Central. It is a place in near Mapleton, IA which exists solely to support missionaries. They make the connection between donors and missionaries, and are a place to go to see reports from all over the world. They have a museum of artifacts from all over the world that you can see! If you get a chance, go down there and visit! It is a wonderful place where God is truly present, and where He makes it possible for missionaries to be just that--missionaries.
I would say more about it, but I think you just need to check it out! Follow the link in the previous paragraph to see the website, or better yet, visit! All I can say right now is that I am amazed that I have not been there before, because it blew my socks off. Missionary Gary is so passionate about the work that God's doing all over the world, and wants to do all he can to help us as missionaries. Again--please check it out! God does miracles through this place!
Well, as if this day could get any better, I guess it will! I am hosting 2 girls from Hong Kong at my house this week, and they come today! They are in Chicago right now en route to Sioux Falls! I am super excited to meet them, and to have them in my home :)
If they are up to it, they are going to come with me to Thunder Road tonight, which is a local amusement park where you can ride go-karts, mini golf, rock climb, and more! I am excited to have this opportunity to chaperone the youth event, and to possibly introduce the Hong Kong high schoolers to the youth at my church!!! :)
Well, I have already written a lot for you to digest today ;) My hope is that today you enjoy the beautiful day today by grilling out and having some ice cold lemonade, and that you reflect upon the blessings that God has given us--both materialistically (the grill/food/drink!) and non-materialistically (friends, Christian fellowship, etc). Especially remember the blessing that NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY FROM US--the blessing of Jesus Christ's sacrifice to pay the price for our sins, so that by belief in Him, we can enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Orientation
One week and just a couple assignments left until I leave for Orientation in St. Louis! I am very excited about orientation, because a) I will meet other missionaries going into the field this year all over the world, and b) I will learn TEFL which I am super nervous about. I am also excited because this means that I am one step closer to Macau!
I have 2 half assignments to finish, and one that I still have to start. One of the half assignments is reading through the book of Nehemiah. I am over half-way done with the book, and am finding it quite interesting. Nehemiah rebuild the city of Jerusalem after it was destroyed, and he was under a lot of opposition by Israel's enemies who threatened to attack. The people were scared as well, and he had to keep them calm and ready to defend Jerusalem. He was well respected and trustworthy, two qualities that leaders need to possess, and that I strive to achieve. He also trusted God in everything, and asked for God's help in his life. He also gave God the credit instead of deserting God in the good times, saying that he had done it himself. That's something that I hope I can do as well. Sometimes it's hard to put selfishness behind me and give God the credit for everything, but it's something that I am striving to do.
My other half assignment is a TEFL chapter....ohhh English. How I love you, but how I do not know how to teach you. I guess that this textbook is something for me to read so that I can get a semi-accurate look at how I can approach teaching my language to others. This assignment doesn't have to be done 'til the 11th, but I can't imagine myself wanting to do it while I am in St. Louis!!!
Well, if I keep typing, it will just be random babbling, so I will spare you the nonsense ;) May God bless your days as He has been blessing mine!
I have 2 half assignments to finish, and one that I still have to start. One of the half assignments is reading through the book of Nehemiah. I am over half-way done with the book, and am finding it quite interesting. Nehemiah rebuild the city of Jerusalem after it was destroyed, and he was under a lot of opposition by Israel's enemies who threatened to attack. The people were scared as well, and he had to keep them calm and ready to defend Jerusalem. He was well respected and trustworthy, two qualities that leaders need to possess, and that I strive to achieve. He also trusted God in everything, and asked for God's help in his life. He also gave God the credit instead of deserting God in the good times, saying that he had done it himself. That's something that I hope I can do as well. Sometimes it's hard to put selfishness behind me and give God the credit for everything, but it's something that I am striving to do.
My other half assignment is a TEFL chapter....ohhh English. How I love you, but how I do not know how to teach you. I guess that this textbook is something for me to read so that I can get a semi-accurate look at how I can approach teaching my language to others. This assignment doesn't have to be done 'til the 11th, but I can't imagine myself wanting to do it while I am in St. Louis!!!
Well, if I keep typing, it will just be random babbling, so I will spare you the nonsense ;) May God bless your days as He has been blessing mine!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Thank God!
I am sitting here writing thank-you notes. I am stoked to write them, because that means that people have been called by God to support my ministry. I want to take a moment to share with you some figures that I have calculated.
According to LCMS, I have raised $11,958 so far. In this most recent report that I received, I received some donations that stunned me, because I was never expecting them. Thank you so much to those who supported me as financially as a missionary with any sized donation! I could not be a missionary (overseas, at least!) without donations, and I thank you for your generosity.
I know of at least $4,000 more that was raised which is being processed right now, but was not included in this report. That brings me to $15,958. There was more than that $4,000 that was sent in, but I do not know how much more, so I will leave that out for now. Also, there is another $1,000 pledged that just isn't included in the total "in". Before I can leave for Macau, I have to raise at least 70% of my total goal of $27,000, so I am looking at $18,900 before I can go. Subtracting the $15,958 that I have raised already, and the $1,000 pledged, this means that I have $1,042 to bring in before I am 70% funded!
If that last paragraph confused you, here it is simply: I have just over one thousand left to raise before I can book my flight to Macau! I have about $10,000 left, though, before I am fully funded...but I am more than half way there!
This is amazing to me, and I want to take a moment to thank my partners in this ministry, and to pray for them as they are praying for me!
Lord, THANK YOU so much for those you have called to support my mission, whether it be with prayer or with added financial support. Please be with them as they are doing your work in their own communities, and bless those who are around them. Thank you for allowing our lives to somehow cross paths so that we could join together to achieve the work of Your Kingdom, especially now as we talk about Macau! Please also be with the people of Macau as You are working in their lives to bring them closer to You. We praise you because you are God! You are the one we serve, and the one we praise. Thank you for your protection in our lives, and for promising to be with us wherever we go! In YOUR name we pray, Amen!
According to LCMS, I have raised $11,958 so far. In this most recent report that I received, I received some donations that stunned me, because I was never expecting them. Thank you so much to those who supported me as financially as a missionary with any sized donation! I could not be a missionary (overseas, at least!) without donations, and I thank you for your generosity.
I know of at least $4,000 more that was raised which is being processed right now, but was not included in this report. That brings me to $15,958. There was more than that $4,000 that was sent in, but I do not know how much more, so I will leave that out for now. Also, there is another $1,000 pledged that just isn't included in the total "in". Before I can leave for Macau, I have to raise at least 70% of my total goal of $27,000, so I am looking at $18,900 before I can go. Subtracting the $15,958 that I have raised already, and the $1,000 pledged, this means that I have $1,042 to bring in before I am 70% funded!
If that last paragraph confused you, here it is simply: I have just over one thousand left to raise before I can book my flight to Macau! I have about $10,000 left, though, before I am fully funded...but I am more than half way there!
This is amazing to me, and I want to take a moment to thank my partners in this ministry, and to pray for them as they are praying for me!
Lord, THANK YOU so much for those you have called to support my mission, whether it be with prayer or with added financial support. Please be with them as they are doing your work in their own communities, and bless those who are around them. Thank you for allowing our lives to somehow cross paths so that we could join together to achieve the work of Your Kingdom, especially now as we talk about Macau! Please also be with the people of Macau as You are working in their lives to bring them closer to You. We praise you because you are God! You are the one we serve, and the one we praise. Thank you for your protection in our lives, and for promising to be with us wherever we go! In YOUR name we pray, Amen!
Monday, June 13, 2011
amazing day!
Today was an amazing day. It was SUPER busy, but it was amazing.
This morning I went to raise support at Faith, another church in Sioux Falls. I was blessed by being able to share my mission information with them, and they responded more generously than I imagined! Thank you so much, people of Faith, for the extreme generosity that you have shown to me! I am blessed to have a connection with you for your friendship and multiple kinds of support!
While I was there, I found out that there are students from Hong Kong coming for an exchange program--they'll be here for a few weeks. They are in need of hosts while they are in Sioux Falls, and it is very possible that I will have the opportunity to host two of them! We'll see if they still need someone to host or not :)
I then went to my own church to catch the end of the service, and ended up seeing some friends that I had not seen in a long time! Then we went and ate tons of pizza, and enjoyed every minute of it. Afterwards, I had counselor training for camp which starts in a week, and then had a fundraiser for Macau!
The fundraiser was held at Color Me Mine in Sioux Falls where we painted ceramic mugs together, and then the owner and friend of mine will be firing them up and returning them to us next Sunday. All proceeds were donated to Macau, and the shop was full!!
All in all, today added another $4000-$6,000 to my total support raised. I do not know the exact number, but it was $4000 at the minimum! This means that I am over half way to my goal! I am so blessed to have been given the opportunities for fundraising that I have been given, and am so thankful for the connections that God has placed in my life, and for those that God has called to help send me (financially) to Macau. As a parishioner at Faith put it today, not everyone is able to go to serve. Those at home who cannot actually GO can serve in over seas missions by SENDING. Thank God for all the senders, because we could not GO if it were not for the SENDERS!!
And thank you for reading my blog. It's nice to see that people are reading my random musings, and I appreciate it a lot!
Prayer Requests for today:
This morning I went to raise support at Faith, another church in Sioux Falls. I was blessed by being able to share my mission information with them, and they responded more generously than I imagined! Thank you so much, people of Faith, for the extreme generosity that you have shown to me! I am blessed to have a connection with you for your friendship and multiple kinds of support!
While I was there, I found out that there are students from Hong Kong coming for an exchange program--they'll be here for a few weeks. They are in need of hosts while they are in Sioux Falls, and it is very possible that I will have the opportunity to host two of them! We'll see if they still need someone to host or not :)
I then went to my own church to catch the end of the service, and ended up seeing some friends that I had not seen in a long time! Then we went and ate tons of pizza, and enjoyed every minute of it. Afterwards, I had counselor training for camp which starts in a week, and then had a fundraiser for Macau!
 |
| This would be me making my zebra print mug!! |
All in all, today added another $4000-$6,000 to my total support raised. I do not know the exact number, but it was $4000 at the minimum! This means that I am over half way to my goal! I am so blessed to have been given the opportunities for fundraising that I have been given, and am so thankful for the connections that God has placed in my life, and for those that God has called to help send me (financially) to Macau. As a parishioner at Faith put it today, not everyone is able to go to serve. Those at home who cannot actually GO can serve in over seas missions by SENDING. Thank God for all the senders, because we could not GO if it were not for the SENDERS!!
And thank you for reading my blog. It's nice to see that people are reading my random musings, and I appreciate it a lot!
Prayer Requests for today:
- THANKSGIVING for the milestone I met today in my fundraising--over 50% funded!
- Another note of thanks for God being awesome in general!
- For those suffering loss--some church friends lost their grandfather yesterday
- For me to get through my homework in the midst of all my other work that I have in the next month.
- For the students in Hong Kong preparing to come to America in the next few weeks!
- For everything I left out! ;)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Life :)
 |
| Texas!!! On the boarder... |
 |
| Drinking our 珍珠奶茶 |
 |
| With my not-so-little brother |
I received a textbook to go through before I go to Missionary Orientation, so I have lots of studying to do as well! I present at a local church for fundraising on Sunday, and just finished the powerpoint today. I also made copies of documents so that I can get my work visa so that I can start working right away in Macau! :) I am excited! Looks like everything is getting done, and things are starting to get put together! My plane ticket is booked for orientation, and I hope that I can soon book my ticket to Asia!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Finished---now off to Texas!
 |
| Labeling and stamping the support letters! |
Now that that's done, I am packing super fast for TEXAS!! My friend Dana's family is driving to Texas for a friend's graduation, and they have invited me to go along! We will probably be seeing my brother as well, who I will likely not see again until I return from China in a year! So it will be good to see him :)
 |
| There were lots of stamps!! |
I have one more thing left to do: get ready for the 12th!! I am going to be presenting at Faith Lutheran, and need to get my powerpoint together to present :) It is together for the most part, but for some reason, Macs and PCs are enemies, and I cannot just transfer mine over...I just went with the free Open Office download instead of buying Word for Mac, so I cannot take my powerpoints made on my computer and put them on a PC. Hmmm...so I will have to use the desktop at home to do that. Why can't technology just all get along?? Oh well :)
That's all the news for now! Leave a comment if you have questions or comments for me! :) I will eventually put up a copy of my support letter for you all to see!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Stamps, Envelopes, Copies, Addresses!
My support letter just went through its final editing process, as my dad and I found some mistakes in it after I thought it was done ;) Always more work to be done, I guess!
Now I have to make 160 copies and send it out to my Christmas list. I'll also be making copies to put up on the kiosk at church which will be "advertising" my mission work in Macau.
All I have left to do is copy the letters, get a few more envelopes, stuff and stamp them, put the address labels on them, and sent them out!
I'll also be creating fun things to decorate aforementioned kiosk with! I am excited for that. Though I am not great at art, I love making stuff with construction paper! It should be a good time! :)
Now I have to make 160 copies and send it out to my Christmas list. I'll also be making copies to put up on the kiosk at church which will be "advertising" my mission work in Macau.
All I have left to do is copy the letters, get a few more envelopes, stuff and stamp them, put the address labels on them, and sent them out!
I'll also be creating fun things to decorate aforementioned kiosk with! I am excited for that. Though I am not great at art, I love making stuff with construction paper! It should be a good time! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)