These past three weeks have been some of the best yet hardest in my life. I am in North Carolina right now getting cross-cultural training before heading to East Africa. This training consists of forty-one people, all of whom are preparing to work in a cross-cultural setting. It has really been a blessings to be a part of the community that has developed over these past three weeks. Hearing about how each of them has been called to their specific location and all that they have been brought through to get here has been so encouraging.
These past three weeks have also been hard though. Saying goodbye to friends and family was hard, but the training here has also been pretty intense. For the first two weeks, we had some sessions and homework that was somewhat designed to “cut the legs from under our stools” so to speak and eradicate our dependency on our gifts, talents, strengths, and abilities, and build our reliance on the One who gave us all of them. It was definitely a humbling experience seeing where I was trying so hard to be self-reliant instead of trusting Him, or where my pride was getting in the way of His work.
While it has been very discouraging to get a glimpse of how much I need to work on, the Helper has been bringing these impurities to the surface so that they may be purged from me and I may be refined and molded into the image of my Brother. I have seen much growth these past three weeks, but I know there is still a lifetime of growing to do. While it is difficult, uncomfortable, and sometimes painful, it is such a blessing to know that He loves me because of who He is and not because of who I am or what I have done.
Prayer Requests:
- Safe travels to a wedding and back next weekend
- That I would be intentional about building rhythms and practices into my life that will deepen my relationship with Dad and be transferable to the field
- A humble and receptive spirit to receive correction and direction from the Helper
Praises:
- My visa was processed and back to me before I left for training
- The community that is here to support, encourage, and build up as we go through training
- Dad is moving around the world to make His name known, and we get to be a part of it!