Half-way

We are officially at the half-way point of FPO and over the weekend, I was definitely feeling it. Over the last few days, I've really been anxious and ready to get to Africa. I've enjoyed the time here in Virginia at FPO but sitting in sessions all day, although the information is great, can be draining and my ADD doesn't help matters. Thankfully, God has blessed me with some incredible friends here to sympathize with and to encourage when I have my down moments. I'm so grateful for that (thanks, Tank).

Tomorrow, Tom Elliff, a vice president with the IMB, will be here conducting sessions on doctrine. I'm especially excited about Tom being here as his brother, Bill, is my pastor at The Summit Church in Maumelle, Ark. When I first began the application process with the IMB, Bill got me in touch with Tom, who served several years in Zimbabwe. Tom and I emailed each other a few times throughout the process as I was discerning God's call to serve through the IMB and specifically in Africa. I'm looking forward to meeting Tom and hoping that Elliff humor and wit will show up.

Tonight at dinner, I got to visit with this sweet lady from Missouri named Luella who is here at ILC with a team from her church, prayer walking the campus all week, praying for each one of us. She is 80 years old and still active in missions! She and her husband served an ISC term with the IMB in Taipei, Taiwan, from 2001 - 2003. Luella shared with us that her husband was a pastor and she was a school teacher. They promised the Lord when He was ready for them to retire, they would commit the rest of their lives to serve as volunteer missionaries and she is definitely keeping her promise! She and her team are not finished with their mission once they leave here. They're going up to colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown to prayer walk that historic area of our country. What a blessing Luella and her team is to us! By the way, during our visit we discovered that I'm staying in the same apartment (22C) here at ILC that Luella and her husband lived in back in 2001 when they went through FPO!

So six weeks from this moment, I'll be on an 18-hour plane ride to Johannesburg, South Africa. It's getting so close and I get more excited every day! I know these next few weeks will fly by, I just pray I'll enjoy every second of it and not just count down the day until I'm off to Jo'burg. God is good...