How much has it cost you?

A friend of mine emailed this to me today...its worth 10 minutes of your time. All I have to say is....WOW!

7 Days Left

7 Days Left....ahhh!

There is so much still left to do and so little time to get it done!

Pray for me...

Pray for my funding (I'm still $570 short per month)...

Pray for my time...

Pray for my packing...

Pray for my final days with friends here in Colorado...

Pray for my final days in California...

Pray for my goodbyes...

Pray for my flights (2 to get back to Cali, 2 to get to Uganda)...

Pray for my sleep (when I have lots to do, my brain tends to spin and not let me sleep)...

Pray for my sanity (I don't have any down time between CO, CA, and UG - Not good!)...

Pray for my mind (It's tired! But yet my next training in UG starts on July 5)...

Pray for my time with God (that it may be peaceful and refreshing)

Pray for my mouth (all this language training has given me terrible English speaking skills)...

Just Pray...

:)

How do you know its true friendship?

The answer is simple...when they can totally mock you and you love them even more than you did before!

This picture is just that....my dear friend Tracy...mocking my future adventures in Uganda!

For those of you who know my "Ox Plow" Story...you will appreciate this picture...

For those of you who don't...boy are you missing out!

Here's a glimpse into my future adventure at New Hope Uganda as I...yes I...will be learning the great skill of Ox plowing in a long skirt...

If you are having a hard time visualizing this...then let me help you out as I turn from being mocked by my loved ones to mocking myself...

and yes...that is my face super-imposed onto that picture...hey...thats the kind of humor you get from me at 1 am on a Friday night after 4 long weeks of missions training...

Have a great weekend and enjoy some good chuckles with your friends! I'm sure I will!

11 days...

I can't believe it! My has time been flying!

I have 7 days left here in Colorado before I head back to California.

PILAT has been going well but it sure is challenging my brain.

I am in the Russian Language Group so I have now had about 8 hours of Russian language training in the last 2 days! I think my brain may have hit its capacity somewhere around 10am this morning but well...on I go...trekking forward!

After PILAT...I am so excited to have one more Sunday at Cornerstone once I get back in town...boy am I going to miss my church family!

I am so touched by the 6 different offers from my Cornerstone Family to borrow a car for my last days in California...Thank you for stepping up...you are all such a blessing to me and a great picture of how a church family should function!

I am now at 89% on my monthly funding as well!! Up 2 percent in the last 2 days!! Thanks guys...I have 11% left to raise and 11 days left to do it! Lets see if we can up my monthly budget 1% every day for the next 11 days...so that I can leave at my 100% goal! I have no doubt that God can provide it...please pray for His provision!

11% in 11 days...Pass the word and thanks again!

Walmart Sighting

The other day I saw this bumper sticker in Walmart...(aka "Wally-land" to the Southerners here at MTI)...either way...I got a good chuckle and an "awww man!" all at the same time...can you say "paradox"!

All that to say...I sure hope some of you out there care...but either way...I'm gonna keep pretending that you do because it makes me just a little bit happier to think that you do!

la la la...fa fa fa

So today is the second day of PILAT (otherwise known as the language portion of my training here in Colorado) and well...all I can say is that my tongue is TIRED!

The day consisted of strange noises, pinching our noses, feeling our throats, covering our ears, sticking out our tongues, watching our mouths in mirrors, and all sorts of other strange sights...

I chuckled as I sat around one of the round tables tonight doing my homework....Try and imagine it with me...

Kristen is saying: pat pat pat pat, paid paid paid paid
Mary Sue is saying: bee beat bead bean
Tim is saying while covering his ears: Thames thy though thine thin
Beth is saying: rode rode rode rode, road road road road
And there are two others, myself included pinching our noses while saying: roam road pan pad ram rad

As the table of random noises continued on, we were busy writing down our observations, circling words, underlining letters and the works...

Occasionally you were hear a very strange and humorous sound above all the rest and everyone would burst out in hysterical laughter and then continue on with pinching their noses, covering their ears, sticking out their tongues, and watching their lips in mirrors.

It was quite a funny sight and one that I am sure will be occurring on a daily basis for at least the next 2 weeks.

I'm tempted to bring my camera to our next round table study group and record a few funny sights....Of course I may incriminate myself in the process...so I may or may not follow through on the plan...but stay tuned because I have a feeling that this "la la la pa pa pa pa fa" game is far from over!

An Insight Into Life at MTI

The last three weeks I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out just how to describe the experiences here at MTI. Yesterday my friend described it perfectly on her blog...so as a good friend does, I am going to copy what she wrote and let her describe it to you! Thanks Tracy :)

The entire MTI experience was more intimate than I can really share in this format right now. I am still processing how to implement the tools learned and truly want it to be more than an experience. It wasn't the "mountain top experience" you often get at retreat and such. It was more like they let you climb the mountain and then fall off. Then once you were at the bottom you got kicked and told to climb back up. I know that sounds cruel, but for some of us that is what it takes to learn and change.

So there you have it...MTI's SPLICE Program in a nutshell...

Monday I start the language portion here at MTI...otherwise known as the PILAT Program.

Hopefully we aren't kicked off any mountains during this half but hey...you never know!

A Trip to Pike's Peak

Last weekend the Martin family and I ventured off to the top of a mountain...A 14,1oo foot mountain at that.

At 7,000 ft it was a mild 70 degrees at 14,100 it was a brisk 32 degrees with wind that had to bring the temp down to at least 20!! Brrrrr....

Here are some of the pictures from the Peak

New Friends :)

I haven't been the biggest picture taker while I have been here...I think I have only taken 2 actually so one of these I stole :) Either way....here are some of my friends who are already so near and dear to my heart!

Tracy, myself, Heather and Mairan at the Rock House enjoying Ice Cream Nachos

Me and Dee on our way to Sunday services at the local Cowboy Church

Smore Night hosted by the singles
Dee, Rose, Kyle, Myself, Kristen and Kate


Here's the cool part...With just the people in these pictures we are representing 7 different countries: Nigeria, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Uganda, Tanzania, Ecuador and Mozambique

This is my heart's song...it brings me so much peace and comfort.

I hope it blesses you the way that it blesses me.



Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.


'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear,
And Grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.


Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come.
'Tis Grace hath brought me safe thus far
And Grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.

Have you ever....?

Have you ever had a day that was...

• mentally and emotionally exhausting?
• seemingly unending?
• confrontational almost to a fault?
• freeing?
• agonizing?
• full of fears but also full of reassurances?
• full of hugs and full of tears?
• filled with laughter?
• overflowing with new friendships?
• powerful?
• reflective?
• hard but in retrospect very sweet?
• encouraging?
• challenging?
• introspective?
• challenges you to grow?
• stripping you bear?
• forcing you to weep, wail and lament?
• refocusing your gaze onto the Savior?
• showing you the preciousness of Gods goodness?
• incomprehensible?
• sleepless?
• not to be traded for the world?

Maybe you haven't...but I have...pretty much 2 1/2 weeks of it...I am exhausted! 2 1/2 more weeks to go...but oh how I will miss the friendships that I will be leaving behind. I am awed and amazed at how God so quickly forms us into spiritual families that seemed like they have been cultivating for years when in reality they are just days and weeks old. To all of those new and now very dear friends of mine, you know who you are, I love you lots and thank you for walking this road alongside me...I couldn't do it without you!

What Will YOU Do With $5??

If someone handed you $5 what would you do with it?
- Buy a cup of coffee?
- Get a few extra tacos from Taco Bell?
- Save it? Spend it?

Did you know that if each person on my mailing list committed to giving an extra $5 a month to the ministry in Uganda, I would go from being 83% funded to 100% funded on my monthly expenses!!

With $5 a month from YOU, we could…
- Get curriculum to 5,000 Ugandan kids
- Help rescue babies from the streets of Kampala
- Get orphans adopted into loving homes all around the world
- Bring the “Father” to the fatherless
- Transform a society with Christ’s Love!

I need YOUR help! I am leaving in 25 days and need more financial sponsors! If you are not yet giving, please consider committing to $5 a month now! Sign up online at:

www.nmsi.org/donate.aspx
“reoccurring payment” for Helena Pira

MTI Lessons from the Week

MTI has been full of value topics and discussions. The days are centered around things that we as humans deal with each day but don't always have time to dive into and really examine just because of our crazy schedules and agendas. MTI (Mission Training International) seeks to do this...help us examine our lives...see what it is that controls us...see where we need to change...see where we need to continue to grow.

That said, this was a changing week. Full of some hard topics...Rather than tell you about them with words, I figured I would just share some of the videos we watched during our class sessions. They will make you ponder, they will make you think, they will make you contemplate your life, and hopefully they will draw you closer to our Savior and Lord.



Topic 1 (Beginning of the Week): Dealing with Adversity





Topic 2 (Mid-Week): Stress and Conflict





Topic 3 (End of the Week): A Time for Silence and Solitude

My Schedule

Here it is...just in case you wanted to know :)

June 26, 2009 - PILAT/SPICE Training Ends
June 26, 2009 - Arrive in Los Angeles at 6:24pm
July 1, 2009 - Leave Los Angeles at 4:45pm
July 3, 2009 - Arrive in Entebbe Uganda - 2:45pm
July 6, 2009 - New Hope Uganda Institute Training Starts
Nov 20, 2009 - New Hope Uganda Institute Training Ends
Nov 21, 2009 - Move to Ggaba, Uganda to work with ARMs