I have been reflecting some on this idea of discipleship as reception, given my own walk and given the future potential of living as a follower of Jesus overseas these are some of the thoughts that have come to mind in the process. It seems that from the beginning of this walk, we are born into this notion of receiving, because we receive grace, so that we can enter into this journey. The walk of faith is born in, continued on, and sustained by grace. But this entails receiving it. I find this… Continue

Hello,

I have now been in Africa for one full month! wow. It's weird living here and already being so adjusted to life as in the culture and just looking back and seeing how scared I was of going into town and not knowing anything. Now I still don't know much but all it's like all this comfort I had at home just kinda melts away after you havent had it in a while. I no longer think "O man…

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Last Friday we went on a driving tour through town during the Muslim’s time of prayer. Within the town of Bouake’ we drove past about five different mosques and the sides of the road were filled with people walking, usually carrying a mat under their arm. We stopped for a bit to watch them as they prayed, but what stood out to me were all the children among the crowds of people also participating. Some were more interested in us as we drove by, but some carried themselves with a sureness and… Continue

The big question right now as we are pretty much settled into our routine is what about Thanksgiving?!?! Well, as we are settling into life in Africa (which really isn't as tough as all that here on campus), we are also gearing up for a missions conference and Thanksgiving. We are hosting 10 missionaries from all around the Ivory Coast here on campus so that they can have their business meeting and we (Journey Corps people) can schmooze with them and ask questions. This is a great chance for…

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Hey there friendos. SO I got some stories about what I've been up to.

So alot of my time is spent in training and French class during the day. And French homework as well. Going to classes with Bachari training us on how identify a problems in villages that need to be fixed and how to go about doing that. Also just culture learning how to behave. Yeah pretty long days. But our…

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Last Saturday a few of us went to a small swimming pool to relax. We goofed off in the water and sat around and talked, but it did not feel like Africa. It was a great time to refill emotionally and

bond with each other in a more relaxed setting, but on the way home things did

not feel right. The majority of the

conflict arose from stopping on the way home to visit one of the workers on

campus I have helping and getting to know, Safiou. We pulled up…

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Today I think was the best day I've had since the journeyers arrived. Although I am over tired today and have had great days in the past, a few little things made today shine. I got to meet with a French couple and one of their workers who want to learn English and we worked out a deal where I can eat her amazing French cooking (a rarity in Africa) in exchange for doing some English with them every week. Its hotel / restaurant / bar / pool vocab, so nothing too grand or exciting, but it is… Continue

What do you love about 'community'?

I love that Nema just came over for some milk powder during lunch.

I love that Angelika invites me over for dinner while I'm helping her chop veggies.

I love that we all partook of the last cup of starbucks last night by the rock quarry.

I love that we sung at the top of our lungs 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' on top of the car while being molested by branches.

I love that in the middle…

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So first week in Africa. It's really hard for me to describe this last week. I guess information overload. In like ALL ways possible. There has been SO much to do and SO much to learn it's important that I keep on reminding myself that I shouldn't doubt God's power and what he can use me for here no matter where I end up. Basically I feel like a sponge trying to soak up as much information as possible.…

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Personality types are quite prevalant in the business world so that we can best understand how to manipulate each other in a way that makes everyone feel comfortable. But some of the things we talked about today made some sense to me in that I saw myself reflected in the adjectives describing the people types, and yet I ended more confused about my 'type' than when I started.

For a brief definition of the DISC personalities, picture a circle cut in four quarters. The top half…

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You probably noticed that after my massive blogs on the first week, I barely did anything on here! I was very busy with the preparations on campus for the journeyers, then going down to Abidjan to get them. Oh, and of course trying to adjust to the pace and rhythm of life here! This month has been very good in terms of my cultural adjustment. I am enjoying the campus, the town, and very much the journeyers. I am excited that they are finally here and I can teach them French! There are a few…

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I have now been in Cote d’Ivoire for a week, although it feels like I have been here much longer. This disparity keeps making itself evident when I am learning

French. It feels as though I should be

fluent, yet it is difficult to obtain comprehension beyond a greeting and

simple preplanned conversation. I just

had to laugh (afterwards) as I tried to ask for a bucket to wash with: my hands

were moving all around trying to help in some way convey…

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I have now been in Cote d’Ivoire for a week, although it feels like I have been here much longer. This disparity keeps making itself evident when I am learning

French. It feels as though I should be

fluent, yet it is difficult to obtain comprehension beyond a greeting and

simple preplanned conversation. I just

had to laugh (afterwards) as I tried to ask for a bucket to wash with: my hands

were moving all around trying to help in…

Continue

This weekend made our dreams come true: La Côte d’Ivoire’s first round of elections happened, the leadership team’s Journeyers arrived, and my French class is off to a good start.

As you can see from these photo (R-holding a youngster at church, L-purchasing staples from a boutique), I am starting to melt into the culture here. I know my way around…

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Ok... I Don't know how to begin but here it goes!!

After like two days of flying from Denver to Brussels then finally Abijan we drive through the city and spend the night at some sort of school for pastors. Then early in the morning we back up and make the 5 hour drive to Bouake.…

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Okay, it has been a little busy since leaving Colorado and I have not sat down to write a blog nor had internet to post it, so this will be posted retroactively. . It is

hard for me to translate all the things I want to tell you about my experience

in Africa thus far, but I will try to make it as coherent has possible.

Travel Summary:…

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Well, we tried it once and it seemed to work – now you can bless me with packages! Send them to me, c/o Jess Sveen at WorldVenture. She will send them over with whoever is coming out next. They are trying to have a WorldVenture representative here every 6-8 weeks – that’s faster than mailing a package! The next one comes out in December (right before Christmas), so start thinking about it now …

But what to send, you say? The keys to keep in mind are that selection here is limited. For… Continue