When I returned home from PDX training last night, the one thing I craved above anything else was bologna. So, what did I do? I made myself a sandwich, of course. But when a vegetarian, like myself, makes such an unexpected and irrational move, one is forced to think something along the lines of, “What in the world happened to me this past week??”

   In a nutshell, TOO MUCH happened; from hours of extremely informal lectures that made our brains feel about ready to explode, to team-bonding that has already built lifelong friendships. PDX was a phenomenal experience. Coming into it, I prayed that God would allow the week to flow smoothly, that friends would be made easily, and that the team would gain the encouragement needed to complete the often “dreaded task” of support raising. I saw those prayers being answered daily. GOD IS GOOD!!

   Our first day revolved around bonding, and I acquired some priceless information about the other team members, examples including: Eric likes to wear a fluffy, purple bathrobe, and Haylei is as big of a ‘Nacho Libre’ fan as I am….like I said, priceless. Anyway, being ourselves was no chore and I fell in love with the team by the second day. That’s one answered prayer.

   As far as encouragement goes, I’ve never been more ready to raise support in my life! Dave Sherman is a super cool dude, and even though my brain still hurts (Scratch that. My brain is absolutely dead.), he made PDX interesting with his sense of humor and with the fact that he kept the class moving 100% of the time. I learned the real value behind raising support. As the French poet, Antoine de Saint wrote, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” Our job isn’t to just raise the money and go, but to share our vision and the passion that God has placed in each of our hearts for the people of Cote d’Ivoire, Africa. Lighting that spark in our partners’ lives is dependent upon us. God can use us and our stories to impact their lives. When He puts it on their hearts to partner with us and this ministry, we gain the opportunity to watch their faith grow, and visa versa. It’s so much more exciting to talk about the desire to serve Christ, rather than the subject of money anyway. Praise the Lord if I can impact even one person in such a positive way as this!

   I am beyond psyched to see what God is going to do in our lives within the next four months, and over the course of the next year. A subject that often seemed to randomly arise out of our conversations was how God brought us together. He used our brokenness, tragedies, joys, and all to bring us to this point where we are at today. It’s been His plan all along! What an incredible thought….we are a team that God Himself has put together for a bigger purpose than we ever would have had in mind. This summer, though we may be miles apart, let’s allow God to bring us even closer by motivating and encouraging one another. May your faith grow deeper and your love for Him sweeter with each struggle and success. God is there, He’s listening, and He’ll be with us every step of the way. I love you all!!

PS. Shasta Feltman, we missed you like crazy! CAN’T WAIT to meet you!! :)