Chicago!

We have officially decided what we are going to be doing for school next year; Christopher will be finishing his last year of his bachelor's degree at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I am graduating in May so I will be working while he is in school. What made us finally settle on this decision was the fact that I got a job at Moody Radio as a Marketing Assistant. I went through a process of interviews via phone and Skype over the last few weeks, but had not heard anything back yet. Monday the 16th was the last day to tell the married student housing whether we were coming or not. My plan was to call Moody Radio and ask about the job, however when I went to call them, they called me! If I am being honest, I started crying when they told me that they would like to extend the offer. I did not think that I was going to get the job and had mentally started preparing myself to stay in Spokane. I was genuinely sad that I got the job. But now, as we start the preparations for moving, I am becoming more and more excited. 

We are planning on driving across the country in mid August just after our internship. My job starts August 20th. I will be doing a much more specialized job than the job that I am currently working. Working as a server in a retirement home has been a (mostly) great experience, but almost anyone who can speak and smile could do my job. This job at Moody Radio should be a little bit more specialized. I am not sure exactly what I will be doing, but they seemed very interested in my Photography and Social Media skills (never thought my knowledge of Facebook would help me get a job). They also asked me to send them a sample of my writing. With all these clues, I am hoping that I will be promoting Moody Radio at events, helping with Social Media, taking some pictures, and possibly writing for the website. However, this is all just speculation. I am eager to learn more about my job and get started. I put in my three weeks notice to my current job and I don't think I have been that happy for quite a while. It definitely makes the hard days of work more bearable knowing that this is the last few days I have to deal with it. 

A few things that we would really like prayer for:

-Money: this year will be very tight and we need wisdom on how to best handle it.

-Emotional comfort: We are moving away from the church and the friend group that we have built here in Spokane. We are going to need a lot of comfort that only God can provide.

-New Friendships: Along with emotional comfort, we are praying that God will help us meet new friends who will impact us and that we will be able to impact.

-Safety in Travel: Oregon to Chicago is going to be quite a drive, please pray that our car holds up and that we arrive in Chicago safely. 

Thank you for your support and prayers! 

Alaska Internship

This summer, Christopher and I will be completing our internship (required for our degrees) in Alaska. At the moment we do not have very many details figured out, but here is what we do know:

-We will be spending a week in Soldotna for training at the beginning

-The dates are June 25th-August 13th

-We will be attending CYIA in Oregon June 16th-22nd

-We will be traveling around a lot, flying to many towns

-We will probably be either teaching seminars for teens and adults or...

-Chaperoning/mentoring teens as they teach 5-Day Clubs

-It will cost about $7,000 for the whole trip ($2400 - travel to/from Alaska and $4200 - ministry/travel/food in Alaska)

We would greatly appreciate your participation in this adventure. We are very excited for this opportunity and ask that you would pray for us and, if you feel lead, consider supporting us financially. We have started a fundraiser through PayPal; we are also accepting personal checks or cash. 

We would also love to have a few people who would commit to regularly praying for us during this time. We know that this summer is going to be exciting and challenging at the same time. Pray that God would strengthen our marriage through this experience and that both of us would grow closer together and closer to God. 

Evangelical Missiological Society

Last weekend was a very exciting one that has made me think more about what I want to do to further my education. 

Friday I debuted the song that I wrote, Alone, at our school's Hebrew House Show (talent show). It was terrifying. The performance itself was not terrifying, but opening up to the whole school about my past. I put myself out there to be criticized. However, I have only received positive feedback and I am very happy that I could share this song to inspire people.

Saturday I presented a paper at the Evangelical Missiological Society (EMS) Northwest meeting in Portland. My paper was on Ethnodoxogy in East and Central Africa. If you feel like reading a 4,500 word paper (about 9 single spaced pages), then you can do so here. 

The presentation was approximately an hour long. It was a very great experience. Even though it was one of the most tiring and stressful things I have done, it was so worth it. I learned so much from the process and from hearing everyone else's papers.

My goal is to start writing regularly again. This summer, Christopher and I are going to Alaska for an internship. There are still a lot of details that we are working out, so more information next week.