7 day countdown...

It's official! I really am going to Greece. In ONE WEEK! I leave Jan 6.

This week's challenge is to pack all my worldly possessions into 2 bags, soak up time with my family and mentally prep for the adventure ahead. Hmmm, I'll be busy this week.

Also, I just read this book by David Batstone....



So good. Great explanation of slavery in our time. Did you know that more slaves are in bondage today than were bartered in four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade?? (That's from page 6....but all the other pages are informative too. :) I'm ashamed I didn't know that. It seems trafficking is a well kept secret underground. People are sold as prostitutes, kidnapped as child soldiers, and trapped as laborers under lock and key. Seriously, something needs to be done. I'll go to Greece and investigate...

I have the book sitting near a giant poinsettia for seasonal effect. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas with your families!

Watch for my next post...from ATHENS!

decisions, decisions...

After a minor crisis of indecision, I have decided to go to Greece the 1^st wk of January in lieu of November. And the much-prayed-over-reasons go like this….

1. Finalizing support....(super close).

2. The Nea Zoi team will be gone much of December.

3. It's one of the last harvests I'll get to participate in, as my Dad will retire someday....(I assume that's how it works....?)

4. I've lived away from home for 10 years and am enjoying this fall with fam in the wide open Idaho spaces.

Thanks for your patience, Friends, as I tie up loose ends and get ready to set sail in 2010. In the meantime, ministry is still happening in Athens! Please pray with me for Ava, an older Russian madame, who opened up to the Nea Zoi team more than she ever had about her loneliness, desperation, and fear. The hope is that she can be connected with a Russian speaking group in Athens for friendship and more.

Meanwhile, down on the farm….

"...as with the gladness of harvest..." Is 9

hello chicago

I am in Elgin, Illinois at ITeams this week for my missionary training....I'm officially a "MIT"! It's been a productive week learning about some things to expect in the field, how to deal with team conflict, and basics like how we get our paychecks, etc.

I'm humbled by the brave young people that I'm at the table with this week. I'm the only one committing to just one little, wimpy year....the rest have signed on for the long haul! Two girls are headed to Uganda, one as a nurse and the other as a social worker to do discipleship and abstinence training. Two couples are going back to Quito, Ecuador where they all happened to grow up as missionary kids. And then there's one very fearless new friend headed to the Middle East to a country I can't even mention for security reasons! ... Indefinitely!

Wow. Really? The Middle East. That's amazing.

Praise God for their willingness and obedience! And thank Him for casting His vision their way! They caught it and now want to share His love with the whole world...even the most difficult areas!

Here are some crummy facts relevant to my post in Athens we've discussed...
- 1 million kids a year become involved in prostitution
- 200 million kids are child laborers

But we're not always in the classroom....we did manage to find the DQ...priorities! ;)

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth." Ps 115

parties & packing

Thank you to each of you that came to the Farewell Fundraiser at Jim's last week! It was such a GIANT encouragement to have old and new friends come along side me with cheers, prayer and support! What a blessing to have the body of Christ rally behind the things God is up to! And it was nice to see people one more time before I drove East in the Uhaul...I will really miss you Seattle!



Thanks to your generous gifts I'm very close to my $1950/mo goal. I can almost say "Athens, here I come!" But meanwhile, I'm unpacking in Idaho and doing homework for the training that starts Sept. 12 in Elgin, Illinois. Task #1 is to find the book "Foreign to Familiar" about cross-cultural living, read it, and write a paper on it. If only I could remember which box it's in...

Thank you for visiting my new blog! This site is under construction...stay tuned for my latest updates about my journey to Athens!