First, let me share with you about what has been moving forward. I am now in week 10 of Perspectives class and it is so incredible the things I'm learning related to missional history, culture, and God's call. I love going every week and have made some really nice friendships as well. It has amazed me who God has sat beside me in those classes because I've been surprised more than once to find out who these people are. The first class I went to, there was a young woman there that was native to Peru, but moved with her mom when she was a child to the US for a better life!!! All I could do was just laugh! Then, this past week, I met a woman and her husband (and daughter) who are feeling the call to Haiti and plan to leave sometime next year. The amazing and wonderful thing was to find out that she is an Occupational Therapist too! Wow God! It was so great to hear their journey and plans. They told me they would be doing basic medical care in Haiti and they were planning to take a 2 week class that some organization puts on in North Carolina that teaches basic medical things that you can learn to use on the field with minimal supplies. Some of these things could be life saving. I'm definitely interested in taking this class, so I am looking into it. Sounds like it would be extremely helpful and would provide me with tools to help even more if I am needed to.
In the last month, my computer decided to die a slow death, which was causing my Rosetta Stone software to not work properly. Thankfully a good friend of mine knows great deals on computers and now I have a new laptop that is working wonderfully! I've been spending the last 2 weekends trying to transfer everything over to this computer so that I can recommit to the Spanish that I so desperately need to learn.
In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to share my love and vision for Peru with my church's women's retreat and to the grades 1-6 Sunday school classes. Both were good learning opportunities for me as I am a little shy and get nervous speaking to a group of people! I've been told that this is all good training for when I'm in the field, so I welcome these opportunities as one more way to help me be prepared.
Last time I wrote, I was still in the process of filling out applications for a sending agency. I've moved on now to the next step of references and will have my initial interview with a sending agency that I'm hoping to be sent by. The interview is this Monday night. It is a phone interview since the agency is not local. Prayers for the interview to go well and that I am able to convey my thoughts and heart to this group of interviewers would be greatly appreciated.
Ok, so now to the part of this journey that I feel is in a holding pattern....My condo. As you all know, the market is terrible. I live in a 10 unit building with one unit in the end stages of foreclosure. I have had my unit up for sale since the end of October with not even one person coming to look inside. At the time I listed my place, there were I think about 145 other 1 bedroom condos for sale in Oak Park! I bought in the height of the market in 2006 and now owe more than what it is valued at. Pretty much like everyone else who owns anywhere in the US right now that bought around the same timeline as I did. My mortgage plus property taxes and association fees are too high to be covered by a renter, or I would do that in a heart beat. This is my dilemma........I KNOW that even though this sounds like it is hopeless, God is the one who put this desire in my heart and He has the solution! He already has a plan for all the things that are seemingly impossible so that we can all glorify Him when this solution comes to the surface. I KNOW that even if it is 4 months or even 5 years away, He has a plan and he will see to it that it will come to be.
So, during this time of waiting, I wonder what it is that God is wanting me to still learn about? More spanish? Of course. More classes to help me be prepared to go? Sounds good. Learning to put my complete trust and faith in HIM? Definitely! I treasure this time that He is giving me to do all these things......
Please continue to pray for my condo to sell, and my college debt to get paid down. And please pray for my interview this Monday and the other processes that will continue to take place related to the sending agency process. Lastly, will you please pray for me to keep looking forward to the future and to not get discouraged by God's timeline. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I appreciate them greatly!