::¡Viva Mexico!::

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." ::C.T. Stud::

I'm back! It has been far too long. As my time is running out on this Saturday, I'd like to quickly ask for your prayers for our Mexico City trip. It is time for us to GO! God did not command us to sit still and only study His Word; He gave us a clear command to go out into all the world and make disciples. On Thursday, all of the AIMers will be doing just that by heading down to Mexico City.

Mexico City is the third largest city in the world with people who need Jesus just as much as I do. We will be there a week after traveling nearly 30 hours (each way) on a bus. It will be tiring, exhausting, amazing, exciting, new, encouraging, difficult and a true adventure, but I pray that most importantly God will be glorified in everything we do. I hope you will pray along with me. There is great power in praying to the Maker of the Universe. God is good!

With all that God has given to me,
-ej

::Надейся на Господа::

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
::Corrie Ten Boom::

This is a cartoon written by some of the AIMers, and I found this one quite funny. :) You'll probably have to click on it to make it big enough to read.

 Property of AIM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION from the AIMER HUB BLOG

We are in the unknown time. Some of the AIMers have an idea of where they are going for the field, others have no idea, but all of us know that there are many unknown variables. Where will my field be? With who will I be going? What will it be like? Will I get along with the coordinators? From where will my support come?

Isn't it wonderful to know that we have a God who already knows the answer to all these questions? He's a BIG God, and yet cares even for little me and you!

Next time you have doubts about the future and the unknown, just know that you can trust God. We don't need to worry when He's in charge!

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' " Jeremiah 29:11-13

-ej

::I'm a Survivor::

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
::Paul in 1 Timothy 4:12::

We have had a somewhat stressful time these last few weeks as we have sorting teams and choosing fields. As of two nights ago, we have a "potential" Ukraine team of 2 guys/2 girls! I'm really really excited about the 4 of us working together, but we shall have to wait to see if anything changes. The official announcement of teams will be in the beginning of December, but it is possible for changes to be made after that. However, I really hope it stays the 4 of us :).

Ukraine is my first choice field, and my top choice for girl is also wanting to go to Ukraine! After getting to know the missionary a little and hearing about the work and possibilities in Kharkov, I have felt a calling to go there. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I feel God may already be preparing me for Ukraine.

Last night was the Sunset youth girls' retreat! It was the second all-night girls' retreat I've had in nearly a week at the same place. There was cookie-decorating, karaoke, necklace crafts, games, food, a lesson, and even some sleep. The theme was 1 Timothy 4:12, which is always a good verse for young people to hear.

During karaoke, one of the songs sung was "I'm a Survivor" by Destiny's Child and I noticed a line I had never heard before:
"I'm not gonna compromise my Christianity (I'm better than that)"

I've heard that song many many times before, but next time I might sing it with a new attitude. I'm a survivor. And no matter what happens, bad or good, I'm not gonna compromise my Christianity.

-ej

::Hiding Place::

"Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed." 

::William Saroyan::

I apologize for taking a week off of blogging. I have been fighting off sickness as well as having some preoccupations for my time. My sister has been ill and had her gallbladder removed this past Tuesday in Arkansas. She is still recovering from the surgery, but is doing much better! Also on Tuesday, I had the honor of speaking in Ladies' chapel at Sunset. I really enjoyed the opportunity, and it was so encouraging to hear responses from everyone.

Our last field presentation was on Monday. Wednesday night after church, we actually filled out our lists for top fields and our "dream team"! It's really exciting to be working on teams now. For the next week, we can move our names around into different fields on a board in a AIM room. We will start forming our own teams that way, until we reach a stand-still and the director's will have the final say on teams. Please be in prayer for this whole process and for all of the AIMers to give any worry to God.

We had a AIM girls' lock-in last night, which was a lot of fun! We discussed the different stages of relationship with Jesus. Tomorrow we have a cook-out in Hart, and I'm not even sure of my own plans for the evening!

For the rest of this post, I thought I would share some pictures from our Paducah/Harding trip!

  on the Paducah church bus

flowers at my host home in Missouri

"To behold the beauty of the Lord" Psalm 27:4

Pinocchio statue in St. Louis' City Garden

the St. Louis arch

morning devo in Paducah

climbing in the garden of the gods in Illinois:

"In the secret place of His tent He will hide me... 

...He will lift me up on a rock" Psalm 27:5b

-ej

::The Grand Canyon State::

"The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise." ::Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra::

We had a mission field presentation on Tuesday for Phoenix, Arizona. This is one of our 3 domestic fields. I co-led a spring break mission trip in 2009 to Chandler (a suburb of Phoenix) from Harding University. It was one of THE best weeks of my life, with wonderful friends, and great memories. We hosted a VBS and door-knocked around a poorer suburb of Chandler. It was wonderful to see it all come together and all of the desire the kids had to learn about Jesus.

Having been to Phoenix, I had an idea of the mission work needed there. The AIM team will live and work downtown. They will do a lot of inner-city work, as well as work with the college students going to school in downtown Phoenix. It may not be a "foreign" field, but working with the poorest neighborhood in the 5th largest city in the US is a challenge of its own.

So many times we overlook the mission field here in our back yard. Phoenix needs the Gospel just as much as South Africa; California, my home, needs the Gospel as does Lubbock, Texas. Just as Kris and Pat, the AIM Directors remind us, we already on the mission field. The mission is for every Christian; everywhere we go there are people who need God. So let's -you and me- go tell them!

-ej

::Ciao!::

"Europeans, like some Americans, drive on the right side of the road, except in England, where they drive on both sides of the road; Italy, where they drive on the sidewalk; and France, where if necessary they will follow you right into the hotel lobby." ::Dave Barry::

We had our first mission field presentation last Thursday! It was for Prato, Italy. A field presentation is given by the missionaries in that place and details the work and life there. We will have a presentation from each location where AIM teams can be sent next spring. Missionaries typically come to present or send someone in their stead; if that is not possibly, we use skype (video phone calls)! They begin now and run through the end of October. November will be when we will form teams, and they will be finalized in December.

For Prato, Italy, we watched a youtube video the AIMers in Prato right now put together and then skyped the missionaries (and AIMers). Prato is a really neat place, and I definitely could picture myself there. However, I think I could say that about everywhere in the world! Prato is the second most culturally diverse city in Europe and close to the size of Lubbock. Italy is a difficult place to do mission work, because the people are not as receptive to Christianity. It is evangelism based on relationships. The church is very united throughout Italy, although small. The missionaries are wonderful, and very welcoming.

It is really exciting to begin hearing about places I could be in less than a year! I do have a number of fields at the top of my list, but I've kept my mind fairly open to most of the fields. There are a couple reasons for this: I don't want to be disappointed if I don't get my "first choice", I want to decide based on the mission work and missionaries there, and the team choice comes before field. If I wind up in a country I love but with people I don't work well with, I won't be able to be as effective in the mission work. It involves lots of prayer :). God already knows where I'll be in a year, and that's enough for me.

If you would also continue to pray for me and all of the AIMers as we continue to grow in faith through God's grace and in friendship with one another.

-ej