week 1 & 2 of training

i can already tell updating is going to be much more challenging than i'd initially thought! as i fell asleep last night (at 8:30...yes, 8:30 - i was EXHAUSTED!) i thought to myself, "i really need to write a week 1 update." soon after, though, i realized it's almost the end of week 2!!! time is absolutely flying!!

right now our days are packed FULL of sessions from 8-4 or later (one night i was in meetings until 10:30)! typical morning sessions consist of our studying through the book of acts - looking more in-depth at the rise of church "plants" in the new testament. afternoon sessions typically deal more with logistical/administrative stuff. after dinner many of us usually spend a few hours in the library checking emails & other things off of our massive to-do lists. on top of all of that we meet regularly with a small group, a group of others also serving in our region, our stateside supervisors, our ministry teams here at training as well as our accountability partners. oh, did i mention we had homework, paperwork & reading assignments, too? i'm only slightly overwhelmed.

after church sunday am

sunday morning we had our first "house church" experience with our small groups. they're trying to acclimate us with the way things will be overseas in every area of life; church is just one of the many, many things that will be drastically different. we've got to get used to kids...[& animals?] running around without it hindering our ability to worship. my particular group consists of 11 people - ranging from 3-57 years old. with 2 young kids running around, it is definitely quite the change. let's just say, we were very grateful for stickers this week. they kept them somewhat occupied! & we all were COVERED after a few hours!

vball

we had our required timed mile-run saturday morning. yes, i said required. the goal is to have an improved time by the end of the 8 weeks when we will run it again. moms jogged with strollers & the two older ladies walked arm-in-arm. one 77 year old lady finished in 21 minutes!! i was impressed!! it's actually pretty incredible to see ~200 people, all completely overwhelmed, but making time throughout the week & holding one another accountable to exercise & stay not only spiritually, but physically, healthy! rest assured, though, we are having fun! somehow we've made time for a volleyball tournament & several trips to wal-mart! we're all in this together!