three weeks down...

This week it finally feels like I am getting comfortable with life at orientation. I am getting used to the taxing schedule and long days, classes loaded with information, and enjoying new friendships. It is amazing how quickly we have formed a community. One of my favorite parts of orientation so far is our small group times. Our small group is made up of of 10-15 people from our region and each Sunday (and beginning this week every day) we meet and enjoy worship together. It is to simulate house churches that most of us will be joining or beginning on the field and also helps us learn more about the culture of our region. The intimate setting reminds me a lot of Thursday night at the Taylors' (I miss you all lots).

On Sunday evenings, we meet as an entire community for cultural worship. This is done in the style of worship of a particular region or country each week and is even conducted (as much as possible) in the language of the country. Tonight was an east asian service and it was amazing. It is so beautiful to hear the name of our Father proclaimed in other languages just as if we were hearing the multitudes before His throne. What a great day that will be!

We also had two "special meals" this week during which we eat food from different regions using their customs. We had a middle eastern meal and had to eat with our hands. This is very similar to the culture in my country which is also a right hand culture. You eat with your right hand only, it is the clean one....you do everything else with your left..... Then later in the week we had a Hungarian meal and I learned that red cabbage is not so bad.

the journey begins....

Well, I made it safely in Virginia and it has been a crazy week and a half since arriving. There is so much we have to learn in such a short time before leaving for the field. It has been wonderful seeing friends that I met at conference in April and getting to know the people serving in my same region. Orientation has the feel of being in college again with classes during the day, lots of work to do, and still time to play pick-up games of basketball and football (probably because we weren't reading the assigned book for the next day :) . There are over 350 people here, the most workers sent out to the harvest from one orientation session in the history of the board. Please be lifting all of us up to the Father.

Orientation itself has been a unique mix of practical and academic learning. The classes have range from discipleship and doctrine to how to cut hair and drive a stick shift. There are so many things that I take for granted so much that will not be available on the journey ahead. Though the days have been long and the pile of books get higher each day, He has been so faithful and so present in this place. This past week He has been constantly whispering in my ear (1 Kings 19:11-13), reminding me of how He led me to this journey. He is so faithful!