Sorry I'm not good at this y'all. Hopefully I'll get better over time.
So the ball is rolling on the Brazil trip. It will be June 8-23 - with us leaving on the 8th and getting back the morning of the 23rd. I cannot express how EXCITED I am about getting to go back to Brazil for a third time... and I hope there will be many more trips, and hopefully a move to the depths of the Amazon. I love Africa... but for some reason, my heart really sticks in the Amazon jungle... but honestly, who knows where I'll really wind up!! I'm working on getting letters sent out - if you'd like to donate online, please go to http://www.grouprev.com/braziltrip2014 to donate. All donations go to me thru the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - and all donations are tax deductible. :) You will receive a receipt in the mail for tax purposes. Just make SURE you click on MY NAME on the drop menu that asks where you heard about this opportunity. If you don't, I won't benefit!
I've started preparations for the trip! Instead of my usual trunks... I'll be living out of a backpack for 2 weeks. While some people might gasp at this... the more rugged it gets, the more excited I get. ;) There's a camping trip coming up for prep for this trip - at a camp in KY, and we'll be hiking about 10 miles. Pray that we all have the strength to do this!! I'm starting to do training for the trip (which I should've started months ago) walking a mile or two a day, and gradually increasing. Most of you know much I hate exercise... but being in shape seems to be pretty important. Also... it'll give me a jump on my training for the journeyman program...
Which reminds me... I've begun the process of applying to be a journeyman through the IMB. Its a program grads do thru the IMB that keeps them on the field for about 2 years. The application process usually takes around a year to complete. This is sort of... the trial run, if you will, to being a career missionary. I'm super excited to be doing this, pray for wisdom and guidance as I run though each and every part of the interview process.
Also pray for our missions department/team at Bethany. We're starting to engage the community. I'm hoping at some point though, we'll be able to advance beyond just evangelizing to a neighbor and move on to the cross cultural aspect of Louisville. There are over 100 different international unreached people groups or UPGs that live in the city, and about half of those are unengaged unreached people groups or UUPGs (meaning they're less than 2% evangelical Christian and no one is currently reaching out to them). In most cases, as Americans, we are unable to go to their home countries. This may be the ONLY way they ever hear... and if, say, one of them goes back to their home country, the Gospel could be spread there. It's important to reach the nations at our doorstep as well as traveling to unknown worlds. Louisville is a refugee city. There are Southern Baptist churches that have turned into mosques... less than 5 miles away from my church, and less than 10 miles away from Southern Seminary. There are so many people right here in this city that we should be reaching out to. I just pray Bethany's eyes are opened to their lost co-worker... and the lost cross-cultural community around them.
I'm trying to get involved with the cross-cultural community via friendship international and maybe Refuge. (we'll see!)
Classes have been okay. Work has taken up most of my time, and with all the weather changes, I've been out quite a bit due to sinus infections... >.> I started the semester with three classes, and I'm down to 2 classes - both of those classes being missions classes. (The one I dropped was Philosophy. Yuck.)
I hope I find y'all well. Please be praying for the ministry here! Let me know if I can pray for y'all in any way.
Thanks!
Em
