Sorry for the long delay.
The biggest bit of news concerning the trip is that I was officially invited to attend United World Mission's Candidate Assessment and Orientation (CAO)! This is the next step in being appointed as a missionary through UWM. I bought my plane ticket to Charlotte and will be there for a week where I will undergo assessment (where they get to know me better and I get to know more about them) through testimonies and various interviews (yikes!) and then, assuming I'm appointed, I'll go through UWM orientation and support raising training. They sent me a book to read for "homework" called Funding Your Ministry by Scott Morton. I'm only a few chapters in, but it's already challenged the way that I'm looking at support raising. That's an area that I definitely think I'll be growing in over the next few months. And though it makes me anxious to think about, I'm also really excited to see God provide. I know that He will but of course it's always difficult to give up control of something like that.
I also registered for my Pre-Field Orientation (PFO) which will be in NY a few weeks after CAO. They required a few psychological assessments as well which were the same as two I'd already taken. It was actually pretty funny because you'd think that would make it easier, but all it really did was make me second guess myself. I'd be sitting there thinking "Is this what I put on the other one? Are they going to compare them to each other?" PFO was one of the things I was the least excited about when I began this whole thing and now I'm really excited for it! I think it's going to be a great time of learning and figuring some school stuff out, not to mention I'll get to meet a few of the other teachers who will be at ICSB with me!
In case you were interested in what exactly PFO is, here's the website: https://www.acsi.org/Educators/TCKPFO/tabid/601/Default.aspx
It's crazy that it's already May 14! I essentially have 2 weeks of life as I know it left and then everything will go crazy! I'm not going to lie and say that it's not a little scary. Sometimes this whole thing feels so unreal and I can't get my mind to wrap itself around the possibility (reality?) that I will be living in another country in a mere 3 months! In spite of that though, I am soooooo excited to go!!!! I can't wait to see what God has in store! I'm excited about seeing what He's doing in Budapest and how He's going to use me and also about how my relationship with Him is going to grow as a result of it.
The only time I feel any kind of sadness about leaving comes after I spend time with my family and close friends. Wesley turned 3 last week and I was brought to tears a couple of times that day just because I hate the thought of leaving him. Similarly, Tiffany graduated this past weekend and I got to spend a great weekend hanging out with her and my parents and my grandparents and I just hate the thought that I'm going to miss out on things like that for the next few years.
Thank goodness for Skype and e-mail!
Also, thanks to an amazing suggestion from my friend Brad D'Anna, this blog has now been named "The Hungary Games" - get it? Like the Hunger Games. :) I thought it was funny!
Hope you're all doing well! Please be praying as I keep working out the logistics of getting over there and as I prepare for my week at CAO.
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