The preparation for this opportunity was three months, although I really think God has been preparing me for several years. The month of January has been extremely busy as I tried to pack six months worth of stuff into only TWO suitcases... pretty impressive for a girl, well at least for this girl! I have been looking forward to this new journey since October and the time has now come for me to depart on this new chapter in my life.
On January 14, I flew from Charlotte to Colorado Springs for one week of orientation where I joined 21 other interns and six new staff members from around the country who will be serving either in India, Uganda, Egypt, Costa Rica or Colorado. Orientation is designed for one week of spiritual training in preparation for the next six months. What a humbling experience it has been to meet others who have all been called by God into the mission field. As interns, we are all here for the same purpose- to use our design skills, to go into the world serving impoverished communities, and sharing the Gospel of Christ.
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| The Hideaway, Colorado Springs |
Orientation was held at a Christian retreat called The Hideaway in Colorado Springs. We moved non-stop every day and got barely enough rest between each day! We spent one week learning more on what the Bible says about God's heart for the nations, studying different cultures, team-building, and learning more of designing in the developing world.
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| "Do Not Sit on the Dam" |
We were able to get away from The Hideaway for a few afternoons and do some hiking through Castlewood Canyon and Palmer Lake Reservoir. As we were hiking back down, a falling boulder hit the foot of one of our interns. He had to be carried by other men in our group for the next two miles back to the car where we took him straight to the hospital. He was ok and was back with us within a few hours.
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| Enjoying God's creation at Lake Reservoir. (I am pictured in the bottom left corner) |
Another afternoon we went rock climbing at an indoor sports gym, which was another team and trust-building activity. This was my first experience on a rock wall and our assignment was to be blindfolded and have someone on the ground talking us through the climb to the top. Safety harnesses were used but a great lesson was learned on having faith in the person who can see the big picture while you are working hard to make it just a bit further.
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| Climbing and trusting while blindfolded |
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| Made it to the top, thanks to Ryan's guidance! |
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| These are the lovely people I will be working with in Costa Rica! Brad Esther, Kevin and me. |
Much of my time has been getting to know the other interns, especially the ones I will be working with in Costa Rica. In addition, this week has really been about digging deep to find out more about the person God made me to be.
VIDEO- Friday morning was spent at EMI's headquarters where we started the day in worship.
After several months of raising support and one week of orientation in preparation for the next six months, I cannot be more excited to finally arrive in Costa Rica! I praise God for all my financial and prayer supporters during this time. Please continue to pray for all EMI interns as we are literally dispersed throughout the world on January 22 as God has prepared the way for us to show Christ's love to all people! Please know that you are on this journey with me and I thank God for you every day!
-Allison
I'm with you:) What a neat vicarious experience you've provided! Is your blog background Costa Rica? If so, it's breathtaking, just like your experience I'm sure:)
ReplyDeleteHope you get to post often. This was fun to read.
God bless you,
marlene