Leaving On A Jet Plane...

This will be the last post I write from the States because tomorrow morning I am leaving for England!  The day has finally arrived!!!  I am so ready to begin the next part of this experience, actually being in Birmingham!  Even though I am arriving much later than I wanted to, and with all of the delays, unknowns, and frustrations of the past five weeks, I trust that I am arriving exactly when I need to.  I am not the only person in this story; the friends and family I’ve spent time with while I’ve been in Virginia, the people I will encounter while I travel, and the Canvas team and students in Birmingham are all a part of this as well.  The timing isn’t all about me, but I am glad it is time for me to get there!

For those of you interested in travel details, my flight schedule is as follows:

Depart from Roanoke, Virginia at 10:16am
Arrive in Chicago at 11:15am
...7 hour layover...
Depart Chicago at  6:05pm
Arrive in Brussels at 9:20am (That's actually just an 8 hour and 15 minute flight)
...2 hour layover...
Depart Brussels at 11:20am
Arrive in Birmingham at 11:40am
(I'll actually be in the air for an hour and 20 minutes between Brussels and Birmingham, more time change stuff going on there)

I covet your prayers over the next few days, and here are some specific ways you can be praying:

Travel – For safety in the air, that there won’t be any cancellations or major delays, and that all of my luggage will arrive with me!

Adjustment – Not only will I be tired after 24+ hours of traveling, but there is a five hour time difference, so I will be dealing with jet lag too.  Please pray that my body will adjust quickly and that I will have a smooth transition into English life.

I enjoy traveling, and I am obviously excited about getting settled in England, but I don’t want to get so caught up in everything that I’m not in tune to the Spirit.  Please pray that I will be aware of those around me and all of the things the Lord might want to teach me even in these first few days. 

I will make a post again within a day or so of arriving to let you know how it all went.  For all of you who have partnered financially, prayed, and offered words of encouragement, thank you!!!  I really can’t say it enough!

Christmas Jars

Where did all this money come from?  Head over to the England Edition to find out!

College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture: A Book Report

There's a new post over on the England Edition, about a great book I had to read before I can leave for Birmingham.

Things I'm Learning Lately

There's a new post over on the England Edition, check it out!

An Unexpected Blessing

Goodness, it's been a while!  And this isn't even a normal post for this blog, it's just to let you know there's also a new post up over on the England Edition, and it explains the picture below!

Lucky Number Seven

There's a new post over on the England Edition!

Things I've Learned Lately

What lesson did my busted coffee mug teach me?  Head over to the England Edition to find out!

England Updates

Earlier in the week I made two new posts on my England Edition blog that I forgot to put links to.  One is about a recent trip to Georgia Tech and the other is about a fundraiser I had.  Head over to the England Edition to check them out!

Keep Calm and Eat BBQ

Check out the England Edition to learn about my upcoming fundraiser!

This Is Hard

Want to know what me and this cat have in common?  Check out the England Edition to find out.

My DIY Celebration Banner

Here are all the details of how I made this cute pennant banner to celebrate my ministry partners.

Do you remember back in the summer when I showed a picture of all these vintage pillow cases?

Well they were the inspiration for the banner.  My partner development teacher told our class that we should find a way to celebrate along this journey.  I immediately thought of making a pennant banner, with each pennant representing a new partner.  At first I thought I'd use scrapbook paper, but then I realized I could use the cloth from old pillow cases.  I'd been seeing vintage pillow cases everywhere and wanted a reason to buy some.  Now I had a reason!

My first step (besides buying the pillow cases) was to make a template for the pennant.  I used a piece of card stock and made a triangle that was 6' across the top and 8' on the sides.  Then I cut open the pillow cases so that they were large, flat sheets.  I traced the triangles onto the fabric in a row, alternating the direction they were facing   This way when it came time to cut them out, all of the sides would be shared, equaling less cuts.

The cutting was the most frustrating and time consuming part of the project.  I used pinking shears, and I don't know if it's because they were old or because the fabric was old and flimsy, or both, but they were very difficult to cut out.

Before I started writing the names on them I made a few trial runs on a scrap triangle.  I tried different handwritings and placements on the pennant until I found what I liked.  I should also note that I bought a special pen for this.  I needed one that wouldn't bleed, and I was afraid a Sharpie might do that.  This pen is designed for writing on fabrics and I got it at Michael's for $2.99.  It worked great except for one of the fabrics that was really thin and flimsy.

Once I had all the pennants ready to go I attached some clear Command strips onto the wall and tied the twine to them.  Then I clipped them up using mini clothespins that I also got at Michael's, a 50 count bag for $2.99.

I love the finished product!  The names are written small enough that they don't overpower the pennants.  It brightened up that blank wall and is a great visual reminder of all the wonderful people people partnering with me on this journey.  And that's what I wanted, something that was simple enough that it would look like a decoration while still having a purpose behind it.

Celebration Banner

Check out the England Edition blog to learn about this fun new decoration in my room!

The Grand Total

Click here to find out how much money was raised at Ashley and I's Barberitos fundraiser!

#BarbsforBritian

My Barberitos fundraiser was last night, read all about it!

#BarbsforBritian

Keep Calm and Eat A Burrito

Keep Calm and Eat A Burrito

Rejection Is Like Chicken

Wondering what in the world that title means?  Well, you'll have to check out my latest post on the England Edition to find out!

Rejection Is Like Chicken

I never use stock photos, but it's a picture of a chicken. Wearing shoes. It was too perfect to pass up.

Globalscope Training

New post on the England Edition about my trip to Indianapolis!

Globalscope Training

Things I've Learned Lately

Post #2 is up on the England Edition blog, check it out!

Things I've Learned Lately

England Edition

Time for some changes folks!  I now have a second blog, A Tale of Two Feet: England Edition, where from here on out I'll be blogging about all things England/Globalscope/Canvas related!  I encourage you to go ahead and subscribe to that blog as well, but I'll be linking to the new blog for a while so you won't miss out on anything.  Head on over and check it out!

A Tale of Two Feet: England Edition

What's Happening

This post is LOOONNNGG overdue.  In fact write "What's Happening" post has been written on the top of every To Do list I've written for the past month and a half.  I'm not kidding.  And I write a lot of To Do lists.  So for all of you wondering what exactly I'm doing these days or where I'm living, here ya go...

I knew that I wanted to only work part-time while I raised support, so that I could have lots of time to devote to support raising.  But if I was just working part-time I couldn't afford to keep living on my own, and even having a roommate again would still be stretching it financially.  So I made it known to my church that was looking for a place to live, expense free, and a wonderful, generous family responded and said that they would love for me to come live with them.  There are six kids, ranging in age from 5 weeks to almost 9, so there are always lots of things going on, and lots of noise, but I hardly notice anymore.  They're really good kids, and so funny!  I've been writing down some of the funny things they say and could probably publish a book by the time I leave.  I've been here for about 5 weeks now, but it feels like much longer; in a good way!  Right from the beginning I felt comfortable and this is definitely home now.

When I started thinking about living with family it was important for me to be able to give back in some way; I didn't want to feel like I was mooching off of people's generosity.  And I am so thankful that that has been the case.  Less than a week after I moved in baby number 6 was born, so I was able to help out a lot during those first few weeks.  With another set of hands, life for the other five kids really didn't change much, and that's important.  Even though things have gotten into a routine again, I'm definitely still helping out.  A few days a week I'll watch the kids so Melissa can run errands or go into work for a few hours, and I help with general crowd control when I can.  I really am so thankful that this has been a beneficial thing for all of us involved.

Not only have I been blessed with a great family to live with, but I've been blessed with a great part-time job too.  I'm a server at The Firehouse restaurant, which is a local BBQ restaurant.  It's a really neat place; the restaurant is actually in the old Johnson City fire station, which has obviously been restored and remodeled, and there's even an old fire engine in the lobby.  The owners are an amazing Christian couple and that is definitely reflected in the way the restaurant is run.  It's a great environment and everyone really works as a team to get things done.  Something about greeting people and serving BBQ is making my southern accent a little bit stronger though.  I can really hear it at times.  I've been told that they're going to love my southern accent as much as I'll love they're English accents.  That should make having conversations with people really fun!

If you remember, I said I wanted to only work part-time so I could commit several hours a week to support raising, and that's what I've been doing.  Each day I'm making phone calls, updating databases, keeping in touch via email with my team at the CMF office, meeting with people, and sending letters and thank you cards.  I'm trying to do as much of my support raising  as possible through face to face visits, and so I've even been doing some traveling to accomplish that.  This has all been a bit more time consuming than I originally thought, so I am so thankful that I am able to work only part-time.  And support raising is going really well!  I'm pleased with the start I'm off to financially, and I've just really enjoyed sharing with people.

So that is the condensed version of what's happening in my life recently.  I'm either watching kids, working, or working on support raising.  It keeps me busy, but I know that I have been incredibly blessed by the Lord and very thankful for all that is happening!