And so it begins...

I am currently sitting in a hallway of the church we are residing in this week during orientation-- trying my hardest to get an internet signal. It's only Tuesday (day two in all of these 27 months to come) and I am already seeing the amazing power of God at work! The people I have met that will also be traveling to Peru are some of the most special and uniquely created individuals ever. Their passions for serving and willingness to answer God's call are constant encouragement for me.

I am finding already that it will be very hard to update this blog to the full extent that I wish I could. I have only been here for two days, and already there are SO many things I want to share with you all-- to let you know what we are doing, and how God is preparing us for the road ahead. This is my small attempt at that...

We watched a video last night to close out the day's discussions. To view part of it, copy the link below and paste it into your web address box:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpl4

This video talks about exactly how great our God is, and it literally brought me to tears. It was sooo humbling to see that we are so uniquely created, and it was very encouraging to know that there was THAT much though put into ME... little, old me.

We have been discussing safety as we travel, preparing our hearts and minds for service, planning how to make it work even when we feel like giving up or without strength. It's not overwhelming... but I think that in and of itself is an affirmation that I am supposed to be here. Because this is a lot of info. But it's good info! I need to be hearing it all.

This morning everyone met as a group and prayed over many different things surrounding people in our group and their families, the cities we are serving in or will be soon, as well as other things. It was so encouraging to join hands and stand in the name of the Lord and declare all these things for Him and His glory-- to trust Him completely with these things and lift them up to Him, knowing that He is going to take them! ... I am not a stranger to prayer. I pray a lot. But... this was definitely an incredible experience-- one of many to continue.

After morning discussions and lunch, the group split off into two and either went to the beach or hiking. I went hiking, of course. Look for my pictures on facebook (once I figure out how to post them) because the scenery was amazing and totally credited God's creativity :)

All for now...