Quiet morning with God.....

For whatever reason I woke up early today. Not sure if I finally got caught up on sleep or if I am starting to feel better or what. More than likely I think God knew I needed some quiet time with him today. I went downstairs, as everyone was still sleeping, and made some coffee. Once I had sipped a few sips I opened my bible to Proverbs, which is where I have been reading lately. Before I did that I just sat for a few moments and listened. Not necessarily to anything around me but rather to God. You see, it was at that point that I finally realized that God wanted me to wake early. Until that point I was a bit perturbed. I wanted to sleep in today. And for once everyone else was quiet and sleeping and I could have. But God had other plans.

So I started thinking about this past week end (Christmas time at 3 houses), recent travels and what was still ahead this week. I also thought about the past year. This past year has been a challenging one spiritually and emotionally for sure. I thought about all the times when I did not get my way or things did not seem to be going the way I wanted them to. Then I paused and pulled out the index card with the first set of verses on it I was attempting to memorize. It is from Proverbs 3:4,5. I have blogged on these before. But for some reason they have not sunk in yet. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding". This entire past year and especially today, I was convinced I was not getting what I wanted. And with that statement, I had missed the point. We were not created for our own desires, but rather for Him. The first line in Rick Warren's book, Purpose Driven Life, says it best. It is not about you (us). It is so easy in this world to lose sight of or Lord and that we were created for His purpose. Especially at Christmas time, when we are bombarded with images of materialism. We are constantly told that we need to get what is ours, do what is best for us and to make the most money. But in reality that is not it at all. So my hope and prayer is that we can truly turn our eyes upon Jesus, that I can turn my eyes upon Jesus and listen to what He has to say.

I pray that as I am on vacation this week and I get refreshed, that I will not only get my rest physically but also Spiritually. I pray that I would Trust in the Lord with all MY heart and lean not on MY own understanding.

Christmas Day

This year Christmas falls on a Sunday. So today we had the opportunity to worship with our church family on Christmas. The service started out  with Tyler, Grace and me lighting the advent candles. It was a cool time to share with them. Then we sang classic Christmas songs and lit our candles. This is something we normally do on Christmas Eve.  However, since Christmas fell on a Sunday our church only had the Christmas morning service.  The sermon today, was geared towards children. All children, 5th grade and under, went on stage as Pastor Dan shared with us about characters of the nativity from the Bible.  We ended the service with communion and prayer.  It was a great time with family and friends, worshipping out God.

As I reflect on this past year, it has been a very challenging year for sure. God has been working in our families life and challenging us to step out in faith and take the next step faithfully, not knowing any more than this step.  As God continues to challenge our family I pray that we live each day for him. So many times it is easy to look down the road and anticipate what is coming. And in these times of anticipation, we sometimes miss what is happening right in front of us each day.  My prayer is that we would not only look forward to what God has for us in the future, but also what he has for us today.

God Bless Everyone and Merry Christmas,

The Bush Family

Operation Christmas Child update

Just wanted to make a quiick note to share that today I got an email telling us where at least on of our shoeboxes went. I learned that today at least one was delivered to the country of Georgia. As I said a quick prayer for this child, I would ask you to continue to pray for this child and the country of Georgia. Pray that the Lord would reach the people of Geogia this year in a supernatural way. Also keep praying for Samaritans's Purse the organization that makes operation Christmas child possible.

In all your ways...

Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

As I was reading Proverbs 3 today I was reminded in these two verses several things. The first was in vs 5 the word lean stuck out to me. The word lean implies faith. You cannot fully lean on anything without having some level of faith. This vs instructs us to trust in the lord and not on ourselves. In this world today all we hear is to believe in ourself and to trust in our own ability. The writer of proverbs, most likely Solomon, implores us to to place our trust on the Lord. This is a struggle for most is as it is our nature to trust ourselves. The second thing that stuck out to me was the word all in vs 6. It does not say in some of your ways or when you fee like acknowledge him, it says in all your ways. In the footnotes of my study bible the commentator instructs us to hand over all parts of our lives to God and his will for our lives. I do not know about you, but for me there are parts of my life that I like to hold onto. I have parts that are hard to let go and lean on an almight God. I struggle with truly seeking His will for these parts of my life rather the. Asking Him to bless what I have already decided. These vs's today were a real reminder that I need to surrender all of my life and trust in God. I am so blessed to have a Heavenly Father that loves me so much and who wants to know me intimately. I pray that my sinful nature will get out of the way and the Lord will have his way in my life today!

Operation Christmas Child

Today, as I dropped the kids off at AWANA, I also dropped off their shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  This program is really cool to participate in as a family.  The general premise is that you take an old shoe box and fill it with things for a child and it gets shipped across the world and delivered to a child who otherwise would not get a present this Christmas.  The items that go in the box are a combination of necessities and luxuries. 

We participate in this program each year for several reasons. The first reason is to try to instill in our children that it is better to give than receive.  In a world were we are constantly bombarded by advertisements that tell us we need something new, it is great to give to someone else. The second reason is that we can do this as a family. Every member can take part in one way or another.  The third reason is that along with these shoe boxes, children are being told about Jesus and more importantly are being shown the love of Jesus.  We pray for those children that will get our boxes and we also track where the boxes go and also pray for that county. 

If you have never done this before please consider getting involved. Go to this link, http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ and read more about it and see how you can get involved.

Where does the time go?

It is hard to believe it has been nearly a month since our last post! These past few weeks have been busy to say the least.  We have celebrated birthdays for 3 or our family members (Esther, Gary and Tyler) which has consumed much of our time.  But in the midst of the business of life the Lord is working.  We have received feedback from many of those we sent support letters too!  We are so blessed to have so many people praying for us! We have heard from so many people encouraging us and letting us know they were praying. This has been such a blessing to us. It seems every time the Devil tried to get us down we received an encouraging note or phone call.  The Lord is using these encouraging correspondances to lift us up and let us know He is in control and through God all things are possible.

We have been reminded so many times through devotions, sermons, worship music and many other ways this past month that God has a plan for our lives.  More importantly that he is in control of it all and will provide what we need to fulfill His plan.  I was reminded of a quote I heard a while back that is so true.  God does not call the equipped, He equips those that he calls.  It is so easy to lose sight of this fact, We live in a world where we are judged and valued by what we can do, or our abilities.  What is so cool about being a Christian is that we are not judged by what we did, are doing or will do. Rather we are judged by an almighty God by what Jesus Christ did for us!  And as Pastor Dan would say, "If that does  not light your fire, your wood is wet."  So over the next few weeks as we prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, remember that Jesus Christ died for you and wants nothing more than for you to get to know Him better and to follow His will for your life.

Faithfully serving Him,
Bush Family (Gary)

Thankful

We received a call today from a friend who just received our support letter. She was just calling to let us know she was praying for us and wanted to let us know how exciting our news was. Heather called me and left me a message recapping the conversation. When I listened to this message I was just so thankful for our friends support. This message came at a time that I had been feeling down. It is just awesome that God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. We serve a God that is so big yet cares about needs. What a mighty God we serve !

Our first newsletter!

We finally got our first family newsletter mailed this week. After much time and editing, it has been released on the masses. Our prayer is that God will use this letter to bring supporters by our side to cover us in prayer. Also if it be the Lord's will, we pray that those receiving this letter will be led by the spirit to consider supporting us financially. What ever the Lord brings our way we know that if his hand is not in it, we are laboring in vein. And no matter what he calls us too, he will equip us with what ever is needed to follow his will. It will not always be easy, in fact if we are in his will it might be really hard, but we know we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Please continued to pray for our family as God unveils his plan for us. Thanks in advance for your prayers and support!

People we are praying for....

I would like to share a few things about people we are praying for so you can pray too!  Micah and Kara Mills are missionaries to Uganda from our home church, Grace Community Church.  They are truly a blessing to many.  Here is a snip-it of their recent blog pos.

"Though I know that many people around this globe live in such hostile, unsafe environments, my thoughts are not often turned to their situation. Recently however, that has hit much closer to home. The world is unstable, full of strife and calamity, full of evil and hatred, full of persecution. My heart has been turned in compassion towards husbands who are separated from their wives and children, sons or daughters who are imprisoned or killed at the hands of their fathers, mothers, sisters or brothers, and my heart weeps.

Far too often, I am concerned with the petty things in my life — what will I make for dinner, or how frustrated I am that the laundry isn’t dry…again, or the pesky ants that think my kitchen is their hotel — instead of things of eternal value. Far too often I am more concerned with my temporal and earthly safety and comfort rather than focusing on the One who can provide eternal peace and safety that is beyond comprehension."

You can see that the Lord is at work in their ministry and life!  To read the entire blog entry click here.

Another group we pray for is Vision Beyond Borders.  This organization works to take the gospel to people all over the earth.  As mentioned in previous blog entries, we partner with them in flannel graph ministry.  But we also pray for them and get their regular newsletter.  In the most recent update the lead story was about the how Moses and Aaron were called to be a part of God's plan to free His people.  While it was God's power and mercy that freed His people from Egypt, He gave Moses and Aaron the tools they needed to be a part of this awesome work!  The point being when God calls us, He will provide all we need if we will just rest in Him and look to Him for support.  Click here to read their entire newsletter.

Thank you in advance for joining us in prayer for these two ministry partners!

Courageous

Yesterday I got to attend the movie Courageous with my Father.  This movie is put on by the same producers as did the movie Fire Proof and several others.  The movie was particularly about Men and their roles as Fathers and heads of the home. It was a very strong statement about what the bible has to say about the Father's role and the importance of it.  The movie is about a group of men (primarily police officers) who are all at different places in their Chrisitian walk and lives.  Because of a tragedy, one Dad completely reexamines his role as Dad and head of his home.  Over the remainder of the movie, these men work at becoming better Dad's and leaders. They face trials and are tested in many ways.

The movie was really good.  It had many elements of a good movie such as humor, drama, and good christian morals to name a few.  It was also very neat to be spending this time with my Dad.  It was cool to think back over my life and realize the impact he has had on me.  I am also so thankful that he has been committed to following the Lord and setting such a good example for me. I am also hopeful that I can do half as good as he did.

It was also very cool to see a nearly packed theatre.  I also read that the movie has already grossed more than it cost.  This is a good thing and should ensure they produce another positive movie. In this day and age it is great that there is a company making positive Christian movies.

Who reads the direction?

This question is often asked of me as an IT worker.  So many times with computer issues, whether software questions or setting up a new server, the answer a user is looking for is in the most obvious place, the direcitons/manual.  If we would just take the time to read the directions/manual we would be able to answer our own questions. Isn't that true with our Christian walk as well?

I was reading the 4th book put out by Willow Creek Church entitled 'Move'.  This series of books are based on the results of an extensive survey of 1000 churches across America (which started with Willow Creek Church) that was given to the attenders of these churches.  The survey was about all things church. The ultimate goal was to see what helped people grow spiritually and how the church was doing with helping the attenders spiritual walk.  In the first chapter of this book the author's made the statement that the best help for any Christian, no matter if they are a new convert or a life long believer, in growing spiritually was reading and meditating on God's word.  So in essence, reading God's directions for us.

This idea is not new to me, but at the same time hit me hard.  During my 3 year stint as Elder at Grace Community Church the question "How can we help our congregation grow spiritually?" is asked at every Elder meeting.  And we come up with different ideas and programs that can help. They do link back to getting people in the word!  Then we take time to pray for our congregation and ask God help us  assist his congregation in looking to him for their needs.  Now just reading the directions is not always enough. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that our lives and hearts are changed.  That is what is so hard at times as an Elder is that in the end it is by God's grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit, that brings people closer to him.  Not by anything we do.

Ephesians 2:8-9

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast

So many times in life, when I have a tough decision or am not sure what to do, I try to lean on my own strength and understanding. When in reality, I should get into God's word (bible) and get on my knees to seek the Lord's will and ask for his strength to guide me.  I need to stop and read the directions.

Uganda 2012 First Meeting

Today we had our first meeting for those interested in going on the short term missions trip to Uganda in July 2012. It was a great first meeting as we had 10 adults and 3 children show interest in going.  It was a good time to discuss concerns, general plans and our hopes for the trip. We plan to go in July for 2 to 3 weeks. In the coming weeks we hope to nail down exact dates, possible departure cities and approximate costs.

Our desire as a family is to have our entire family go to Uganda in July.  This is something we feel a strong prompting from God.  We have a great connection with Micah and Kara (missionaries from Grace Community Church to Uganda) and cannot wait till we server along side them in July. We are praying fervently for the Lord's provision so we can all go. Please pray for us as we begin this journey.

Operation Christmas Child

The last couple of years we have taken part in Operation Christmas Child (see previous post for further details).  Obviously we have a heart for children, and this is a tangible way we can lead our children to serve others like them, but also to learn thankfulness.  Heather keeps her eye out all year long for excellent deals on school supplies toys, and toiletries, and we go shopping together to fill in what we don't have and choose toys.  This will be the only gift most of these children will get not only at Christmas, but all year.  This year we joined forces with our good friends Connie and Tom Troyer, and Maryjane Troyer to help assemble shoe boxes.  Tom and Connie have been doing this for years and have a literal stockpile of items to give and they are generous enough to share so we combine what we have and pack!  We do two boxes, they generally do 6+.   This year the entire family took part.  Gary and Tom helped wrap shoeboxes an also filled a box each. Maryjane, Connie, Heather, Tyler, Grace and Esther all helped fill boxes. It was a great time to remember others that are not as fortunate as we are and do not normally get anything for Christmas.  In a small and tangible way we can share the Love of Jesus with children all over the world.  Below are some pictures of our time together.

Gary, Grace, Tom and Tyler wrapping boxes.

Heather and Grace displaying their box.

Grace with her box she packed.

Tyler and Heather with Tyler's box

Heather and Grace packing a box.

Connie packing a box.

Boxes for Iraq and Shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child

This past week we heard, through my Dad, about an opportunity to send some boxes of goodies to soldiers in Iraq who do not normally get packages.  So tomorrow we are going shopping with Dad to get items for these boxes.  This will be a great chance to instill in the kids the importance of giving and sacrificing for others.  Also a great way to show our thanks for the soldiers service in Iraq.

We have also begun accumulating items for the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  This program is  run by Samaritan's Purse (click here to learn more about Operation Christmas Child).  This program every year provides christmas shoe boxes to children across the world that would not hear about Jesus Christ any other way.  Last year 8 Million children received a box.  What a blessing!  We will be working with our good friends Connie and Tom to assemble some boxes this year.  Stay tuned for pictures of this fun event.

These are two exciting events our family is taking part in in an effort to share Jesus with others.  I encourage you to consider doing a shoebox this year with Samaritans Purse.  Click here for more information.

Uganda 2012

This past week I met with Pastor Dan from Grace Community Church (our home church) and discussed the possibility of taking a group from Grace Community Church to visit Micah and Kara Mills in Uganda.  It was a great time discussing the possibilities for next year.  We decided to begin the process of planning to go to Uganda in July of 2012.  We will be having our first meeting on Sunday September 18th right after church to gauge interest. Yesterday I emailed Micah to get the ball moving and he was excited.

As a family we are hoping to all go on this trip.  That is right, all 5 of us.  We are really feeling like God wants us to go and I am a firm believer he will provide.  please start praying for us and the future team members as even at this moment I know the devil is beginning to try to sabotage this trip. Whenever the Lord moves, the devil is there to cause issues.  I pray that those whom the Lord is calling will be able to step out in faith and answer the Lord's call.  I cannot wait to see the hand of the Lord move and lead this trip.

Faithfully following him,

Gary

Vision beyond borders

A little over two months ago we started our first Flannel Graph cutting project for Vision Beyond Borders. Here is the blog entry we did on Day 1 of this project.

"As a family we have been wanting to do more service projects and have also been looking for a way to help out missions organizations. Through a friend we got connected with an organization calledVision Beyond Borders. One project in particular really stuck out to us, Flannel Graphs. Follow this link to learn more about it: Flannel Graphs. For those of you who do not know, flannel graphs are flannel backgrounds with figures and other shapes made out of flannel cut out. You then use the people and the backgrounds to tell a bible story. We have volunteered to cut out our first set and mail it back to them. This set will then be sent to a missionary somewhere in the world for them to use in their ministry. This graph set is given to them free of charge. We are partnering with them by giving our time to cut out flannel graph sets. I hope to post regular entries so you can follow our progress. If you are interested in helping, there are three main ways you can help.

1. You can pray. These flannel graphs can be a powerful tool to spread the stories of the bible to people around the world. It is true that a picture is worth a 1000 words and visuals definitely help tell the stories of the bible.
2. You can volunteer and help cut out flannel graph sets. To get started go tohttp://www.visionbeyondborders.org and click on the Contact Us link and they will get back to you.
3. You can donate to cover the cost of the materials for the flannel graphs. To do this you can go tohttp://www.visionbeyondborders.org and click on the Contact Us link and they will let you know how to donate.
Thank you for reading this and check back for regular updates!
Joyfully Serving Christ, The Bush Family"

Well this week we completed cutting out an entire flannel graph set.  It took countless hours but was really neat to do.  Today I emailed the organization to get the address to mail back the completed set too and received a neat response.  Below is small segment from this email.


We were, just this month, able to deliver 10 duffel bags of those cut-out flannels to our contact.  It is through your efforts that we’re able to distribute them.  Thank you!

It was neat to hear that these flannel graphs are making a difference to missionaries and organizations on the ground.  As we get ready to send this back the Vision Beyond Borders it is our prayer that this Flannel Graph set helps bring to life the stories of the bible and helps missionaries make a difference for Jesus.

Serving Christ,

The Bush Family

Lightsys

Over the past 9 months I have been getting to know Greg and Dorinda Beeley.  Greg Beeley, along with Tim Young are co-founders of Lightsys. Lightsys is a Technolgy Missions organization that provides all sorts of technology consulting services for missionary organizations for no cost.  Greg and Dorinda (Greg's wife) also connect also like to help those seeking ways to serve the Lord in technology missions get connected.  I contacted Lightsys with hopes to get connected. Greg and Dorinda conversed with me (via Skype, email and phone calls) and got to know me and my heart towards missions and came along side of Heather and I through prayer.

One thing Lightsys does is the have something called LAN. The Lightsys Assiciates Network is a way for technology professionals to apply to be a member of LAN.  I filled out an application, including references, which Greg and Dorinda reviewed. In August I learned I had been approved as a LAN member. This will provide opportunities for short term trips.  I have learned of two in November and Next March that I hope to go on.  I am thankful for people like Greg and Dorinda who not only follow the Lord's calling in Missions and help those like me get connected.

To read more about Lightsys visit their website at http://lightsys.org.

ICCM Day 4

So as ICCM comes to a close (well actually one more half day) I am contemplating many things.  One thing I am and have been contemplating is in regards to missions.  I feel a strong call towards a full time missions but no specific direction. What does that mean?  There are several possible thoughts. One is that God is placing a passion for missions on my heart but is saying not yet.  That is a real possibility. Another possibility is that the oppurtunity or open door is just around the corner.  I am not sure what it means but what I am sure of this passion and seeking the Lord's will in this matter has most certainly brought me closer to Him.  Especially during my time here at ICCM.  I have certainly had my ups and downs over the past 18 months but especially the past 6 months have been trying.  I have had trials at work that usually spilled over to home.  But over the past 4 days I have received both confirmation for missions, but perhaps more importantly a peace in the not knowing.  I feel at peace that God is working in me and preparing me for something.  But what has been really cool is this peace has also spilled over into answering the what, when and where for my passion for missions.  While I do not know the what, when and where, I am ok with that.  I have gotten to know some really awesome people at Lightsys and have currently applied to be a member of their LAN (Lightsys Associate Network) and am letting the Lord lead from there. Because of my passion I have been convicted that I am not doing my part to be ready for when the specifics come.  Two ways I intend to intentionally do my part are in applying to renew my passport and to work to pay down debt as fast as possible.  I have meant to apply to renew my passport for nearly 3 months but whatever reason have not.  Also while we have worked to pay off debt as a family I certainly can do more.  I believe this was one way the devil has been attacking me.  The second way was definitely through work.  There has been a lot of stress at work and I have been responding negatively for sure to it.  I have allowed it to fester like cancer and eat away at my attitude.  See, no matter if God opens doors to missions tomorrow or 3 years from now He has me at Marlington today. And as a believer it is my mission to do the best I can and to show others Christ's love through where I am at. I can still have a passion for missions and be working towards that, but perhaps the doors are not open yet because God still has more for me to learn where I am at.  The ultimate goal should be to draw closer to Him and seek to serve him with all I am, were I am at.  It is my prayer that the passion He has given me, and my love for Him, will be evident to others.  Life on this earth is too short, and I only have but one chance to reach those I come in contact with for God's kingdom.  I pray that I get out of the way and let God lead so I can run after him.

ICCM Day 3

Today started with great fellowship at Breakfast and continued with great praise and worship through song. It was a great mix of some older songs, Come Thou Fount and ones I had not heard before like One Pure and Holy Passion. It was a great time of getting to worship my Lord and also have some truely emoutional moments. For some reason this morning the power behind the words truely touched my heart. The line from Come Thou Fount that really hit me was as follows:

Oh to grace how great a debtor

Daily i'm constraint to be!

It just hit me how much I need Jesus and how far from him I get at times. It all came to fruition with the last song, One Pure and Holy Passion. Dorinda from Lightsys shared that her passion is to help reach others with the gospel and the first 2 linea of the verse at first seemed to enforce that:

Give me one pure and holy passion

Give me one magnificent obsession

But when you complete the verse and go into the chorus it really hits home what our pure and hold passion should be:

To know and follow hard after you

To grow as your dicsiple in your truth

This world is empty, pale, and poor

Compared to knowing you, my Lord

Lead me on and I will run after you

Lead me on and I will run after you

It really hit me hard. Even in my persuit to seek God at times I try to 'help' him with how I think I can best help him. I firmly believe, especially after this conference, that I am called to missions and so is my family. In my struggles to know the what, when and where I have tried to 'help' God figure it out. But as the chorus says To know and follow hard after you, to grow as a disciple in your truth and finally Lead me on and I will run after you. I must completely surrender first of all where I am. I may be unhappy at times but I must surrender it to him. I must also surrender where I may be in the future. God knows where he wants me and where I will be and what I will do. I do not know and the beauty is I do not need to know. All I need to be is ready to 'run after Him' when he 'Leads me on...".

As I close I will quote the last verse of Come Thou Fount as it says it well:

Oh to grace how great a debtor

Daily i'm constraint to be!

Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander Lord i feel it

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart

Oh take and seal it.

Seal it for thy courts above.

Praise God! 

ICCM Day 2

Today was a very good day. The Lord is definitely cementing in my heart the call to missions technology.  I have met so many good people and created the beginnings of what I believe will be some great relationships. I firmly believe the Lord is leading me to missions or to work with a missions organization. The with whom, what and where is still yet to be decided. But the great part is that God knows and is in control. I am looking forward to a great time of worship and fellowship tomorrow. I cannot wait to hear what God has for me tomorrow.

ICCM Day 1

Today was quite the whirlwind of emotions to say the least. I woke up this morning ready to embark on a new adventure. But for the first time in a really long time I was heading out on my own. It was really emotional and difficult to leave my family today. I broke down and could not speak. My wonderful wife lead our family before the Lord in prayer and I finished it up and I was ready to go. I spent the next 5+ hours making my way to Taylor University and when I arrived, I was welcomed by a smiling face. Once I settled in the dorm I went down to the lobby to mingle. I immediately connected with several people and started 'talking shop'. But the difference between this time and every other time was the people I talked to were excited about what they were doing. Most times when I talk shop with people, it includes stories about people that are trying to say the least. It was neat to talk to people who were excited about what they were doing.

I then went to dinner. The gentlemen at my table had a wide range of experience. One guy works with a church planting organization. Many of the people are in hard to reach areas. Another is a developer, and another is a Tech Director for a Christian school in Africa. It was neat to hear what the Lord is doing in their lives.

Then it was time for some worship and introductions. We sang two songs (Everlasting God and Mighty to Save) and jumped into introductions. I found it neat that there is several people like myself who are searching for where they can fit in and get connected. I also got some faces to catch up with later this week to make connections. I did get to formally meet Greg and Dorinda from lightsys.

At this point we all headed back to the dorm and began socializing. Then we had a fire drill. It was like being back in college. It was commical. I got some good pics of campus security and the fire engine that arrived. I went back in and talked to some more people and also spent some time trying to figure out the game Epidemic. Once I started drifting off to sleep I decided to head back to the room and go to sleep. It was a great first day and am looking forward to tomorrow.

ICCM

I will be attending my first ICCM conference this coming weekend in Indiana. I am looking forward to making some connections and growing closer to the Lord. The conference is about International Conference for Computing in Missions. It should be a great time of learning and worshiping God. My biggest request is for God to reveal his plan to me (even just a little bit). I am feeling strongly called to missions but am awaiting for further direction from God. I know he will make his will evident to me and prepare me for what ever He has for me and my family.

New Blog

I am creating this blog as a way to share our heart for missions an hopefully future trips. I want to keep this separate from our family blog as that is more personal in nature.  Please check back for future updates.