On a lighter note...

We've all heard it a hundred times: If you're going to a different country, don't drink the water.
And when friends come to visit us here in Merida some of the first phrases they learn are, "I'd like bottled water, please." And, "No ice." These are wise decisions, especially for those just passing through...
But I'll tell you what, there's something in me that cannot stand to spend money on bottled water, and after living here all last year and with the past 3 weeks to readjust, I've decided that my system is sufficiently innoculated with whatever 'little friends' are supposed to make me sick. That's it! I'm putting my foot down and refusing to be a pansy about the issue. I am drinking strictly tap water from here on out. Go ahead, get a good mental picture of me holding up my glass of water. (Remember that old Cheers episode with Fraiser running around the bar yelling, "I'm running with scissors!") That should give you a pretty good idea of what I did last night....."I'm drinking tap water!"......please don't picture me running with scissors...I believe in taking risks and all, but puhlease, running with scissors? Now that's dangerous.

The Apartment Situation

(Thanks, Taylor, for the reminder). Yesterday we gave our lawyer, Rosanna, the green light to renew the contracts on the 2 apartments that we had last year. We prayed about it a lot and really feel at peace with the decision to stick it out in this complex for the next year. The landlord of the apartment that Bryon and Sam live in has agreed to some badly needed repairs, which should make their place a better home. Another factor in the decision was the difficulty in finding apartments for rent in this town (let alone in the complex you want to live in, and it's a toss-up as to the condition of any apartment we might happen to find). Also, with classes and full-time ministry on-campus starting on Monday, we were very reluctant to commit to a time-consuming apartment search and move. We're praising the Lord for His provision and excited to be able to pour all of our efforts into working with students and leading the ministry.

A complete team.

Finally, our team feels complete. Claudia and Angye have been here in Merida for a week already. It's amazing the amount of life that these two women bring to the team and to our apartment. So, for me, that makes a grand total of 3 roommates with contagious enthusiasm and laughter. Sometimes I wonder what our neighbors think with all of the laughing that spills out of our doorway and into the hallway. I am so blessed by my roommates! We seemed to connect from the very first moment they stepped off the bus here in Merida (and at 5am that's no small feat!) and things have only gotten better from there.

The roommates: Emily, Angye, Amber, Claudia

Both Angye and Claudia are in the process of raising their financial support. As a team we are trusting the Lord to bring them both to full financial support by October 14th. For Angye that's about $400 in monthly support left to raise, while Claudia needs closer to $700 per month. They'll be raising support both through Venezuelan contacts and friends in the US and spending the majority of their workdays focusing on financial support. Once they are at full support, then they will be joining the rest of the team in daily ministry activities on-campus. Please pray with us for Claudia and Angye's full financial support by October 14th.

This week Bryon and I will begin focusing our planning times on the details of ministry. We'll be making decisions about each team member's responsibilities both on-campus and within the team. We will also continue mapping out the calendar for the year and thinking through how we will work with our student leaders. Our first day of ministry on-campus will be the first day of classes, September 25th. Please pray for continued for continued wisdom on our part, as we make decisions and takes steps of faith with our plans. Pray also that we will make decisions and lead our team in such a way that they are equipped and enthusiastic to dive headfirst into all that God has for the ULA students this year.

Things to pray for

As I mentioned in my previous post, this first week has been busy for us. We've been trying to figure out our living situation for this next year. Currently, we have two apartments, but are trying to decide if this is the best place for us to be, or if we should further pursue an apartment search in a different complex.

• Please pray for wisdom for Bryon and I as we make our housing decisions. Thankfully we have a lawyer-friend from church, Rosanna, who is also helping us tremendously as we look at our options. Please pray that Rosanna will continue to give us wise counsel throughout this process.
• Sam and Amber are in language school this week. For Sam, it's a continuation of the Spanish studies he's already done in the state. For Amber, it's the first time she's had formal language education. Please pray for their learning. Amber is such a communicator and I can tell it's frustrating for her to be so limited by language.
• While those two are in class, Bryon and I spend our days planning and making decisions. Please pray for us as we ask God to show us His plans for our team and our students this year.
• On Sunday our Venezuelan teammates, Angye and Claudia, will arrive! Please pray for them as they continue to raise their financial support. For both of them, this will be their first time away from home and families. Please pray that we will welcome them well and be sensitive to their needs. We are so excited for them to arrive!

Getting here.

It's hard to believe but we've been in Merida for nearly a week now. The days have been full of meetings, decision-making, Spanish classes, introducing Sam and Amber to the city, moving into apartments, and ADVENTURE.
The adventures began before we even left our first airport (Spokane) when we found out that our (carefully planned) travel plans to get here had been turned upside down by tropical storms hovering over Miami. Forced to re-route through Dallas, and extend our travel time by an entire day, we got some great experience in being flexible as a team and some extra bonding time. If an 8 hour layover that begins at 3am doesn't bring out your true colors, few things will.

Dallas Airport (hours 5-13 of our travels). Bryon, Sam, Amber, Me.

Although we were tired and anxious to get to Merida our delays served as great team-building times. The Lord gave us many opportunities to pull together throughout our 48 hours of airports and hotels. Bryon and I took a run across the Seattle airport (hour 3 of the trip) in an attempt to get my purse, which I left on the first plane, before it flew off to its next destination. We found it waiting with the agents at the gate. And while we were running back and forth across the airport, Sam was having a monumental phone conversation with his dad. So after only 3 hours, we had already had plenty of opportunities to rejoice with each other!
Although it took a long time to reach Merida, we arrived in good spirits (still able to stand each other...and even enjoying each other!). We were greeted by a handful of students and community friends at the airport, which made us feel very welcomed and loved, and excited to spend the next year here.