seven on sunday

A quick list of things from our training in Virginia:

1. We have been here since Monday. Each day we all attend class. The boys go to separate classrooms with wonderful teachers. They are adjusting well and seem to enjoy their time away from us! We are grateful for their teachers, Mrs. Becky and Mrs. Brenda, and we pray for them daily as they guide our sweet boys!

2. Our living situation is somewhat similar to dorm life. We share a quad (house) with four others. Each quad has a general living area that is shared, but there are four living spaces that break off of each corner. All living spaces have a small kitchen with a dining area, a laundry closet, a bathroom, and two or three bedrooms depending on the size of your family! Ours has two bedrooms, and we are enjoying it. I think it might even be larger than our apartment that we just moved out of! The boys are so happy to have a family of five living across from us, and they have taken to their children… especially the oldest, Noah! It’s pure torture getting them to leave him each night

3. Each adult is required to serve on a mission team while living here. I chose to be a part of the mail team! Each day I have to sort mail and put it in the appropriate boxes. I have to say that I enjoy being a “mail lady!” Jason is on the “facilities team.” His job is pretty easy. Lucky for him, our training is in the Spring/Summer. If we were here in the winter, his job requirement would be to shovel snow off of all the sidewalks each day!

4. Another requirement is physical activity (30 minutes four times a week). We each had to run a timed mile this weekend. At the end of our training, we will be timed again and must show improvement! My lungs are just recovering from the torture I put them through! Not to worry… I left LOTS of room for improvement!

5. On Sundays, we meet together as a quad for “house church.” As a lifetime member of a traditional Baptist church, this was a different experience for our family. There was no sermon, not instrumentalist, and most of all, not childcare! But I have to say… the boys were perfect! They sat quietly and listened. Max even swayed a little to the music! It was neat for us to worship God in a different way… He is the same no matter where you choose to meet Him!

6. After church, a few people from our group went out for Indian food. This was another first for our family! I was unaware that food could be so spicy--- and we got the “not-so-spicy” version! My favorite thing was the naan- an Indian flatbread. Among many things, we also ate chicken, an okra dish, an incredibly hot spinach dish, and I even tried lamb! I left full, so that’s a good sign!

7. Tonight we attended a “mapping ceremony.” It was a neat event. Everyone in training attended and had an opportunity to introduce themselves or their family. Then we were given a picture of ourselves and placed them on a map where we would be serving. The speaker compared it to the Sower throwing His seeds out on the soil of the Earth. It was so neat to see more than 40 families and singles cover the other side of the globe with hope, love, and message of Christ. Please pray for our family as well as the other individuals that are with us in Virginia that God will prepare the harvest!