Hello friends!
Okay, so I know it's been over a month since my last update, but I wanted to wait until I got back from General Council so that I could tell you all about it! I feel like I have so much to share that I don't know where to start. But I want to keep this relatively short so that you don't fall asleep and fall over and hurt yourself or something!
May 7-9 was the College of Prayer at church. It seems so long ago! I'm not sure what to say about that besides, just like the last one, it was amazing. This time the topic was Breaking Free to Your Destiny. It was on deliverance and finding freedom in Christ. It was a great week and God really met me there.
Between the College of Prayer and Council there were no other "big events" but several fun, little things. I got my birthday present a bit early and have been having so much fun with that. I got a nice camera and I have been doing lots of photography and making prints and cards. I will be selling them at Discover Downsville Day the end of August if anyone wants to come check them out!
Then came Council May 28-31. Council was amazing! I grew up in the C&MA and have heard about General Council and especially the Parade of Nations for a long time. I have always wanted to go and this year it finally happened! I was able to go with three other gals from my church and we had a blast! We drove down to Louisville, KY (the city that A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Alliance, once pastored in), stayed in a very nice hotel (and got a great deal on it), and went to lots of meetings and services! Some of the highlights:
My birthday! May 29th was my birthday and the girls surprised me with cupcakes and cards. It was a great day and fun to be at Council, celebrating my 28th year of life!
Candidate Forum. On Friday morning those of us who are in the process of heading overseas got together. That was a good time of connecting with people and hearing about where God is working.
Partnership Lunch and Seminar. Many of us from Menomonie went to this because of our partnership with Mongolia. It was a preview of the Partnership trainings the Alliance will have regionally in the US. There will be one in Appleton, WI in October for those of you in the area!
Partnership DVD. Yes, I may be a star one day!! Pastor Tom and I were chosen to do a professional recording for a DVD on Partnerships. We went to this room and were interviewed about our church's partnership with Mongolia. If they end up using it, our 30 minutes of talking will be edited down to about 3 minutes and it will be shown at the various Partnership trainings around the country. It was kind of fun to do, but also really embarrassing. I really hate video cameras. I don't know how I got myself talked into doing that!
Commissioning Service. Sunday morning all of the new International Workers that are going out this summer were commissioned. It was really neat. They walked through this door and were greeted on the other side by veteran workers. They walked into the audience, people gathered around them, and they were prayed for. It was such a special time. It was great watching my friend Kristen go through this and to be able to pray with her.
Commissioning Service. Sunday morning all of the new International Workers that are going out this summer were commissioned. It was really neat. They walked through this door and were greeted on the other side by veteran workers. They walked into the audience, people gathered around them, and they were prayed for. It was such a special time. It was great watching my friend Kristen go through this and to be able to pray with her.
Parade of Nations! This is by far the thing I was the most excited about. At the end of Council, after the Commissioning Service, all of the international workers came to the front. They were dressed in traditional clothing from the countries where they are serving. They carried flags with them as they led the rest of us out of Council. It was so exciting!
I had a lot of expectations going into Council and I am very happy to report that I wasn't disappointed at all! It was just as wonderful as I thought it would be :-)
Another highlight that I didn't mention above was further direction for my future. I was able to meet with my Candidate Director and one of the Vice President's for International Ministry to talk about my future. I can't really talk about that on the blog, but I was able to get some direction clarification. I am getting really excited about my future and the steps that will take me there!
Okay, I know, I know, this did get long. Hopefully you are still awake and not on the floor with a lump on your head from hitting your desk on the way down! Thank you for reading this, supporting me, loving me and being such a blessing!
P.S. (If you want to see all of the pictures I took at Council they are posted on Facebook. Don't have Facebook? You can still see them by clicking on these links: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113999&id=726289807&l=a2322ce365
