Merry Christmas!

I got home on Thursday and since then I have:

• picked up and taken Grandma back to the airport


• spent time with the crazy Christmas shoppers at the Tulsa mall, so I can buy 2 years worth of some essentials


• hung out with Jennifer and Amanda


• spoke at my home group


• cried while speaking at my home group, cause they have really been a family for me that last 20 years.


• Had Sam & Ellas Pizza


• played with my dog, Oscar


• played 42 with Grandma and family


• laughed lots!

One of the best times we had was teaching Grandma how to play Wii. She really did enjoy it. I thought I would share some laughs with you, too. So, here is Grandma playing Wii. (Before you laugh to hard, do you think your Grandma could do this? We have taught both my Mema and Grandma how to play!)

*The sound is not that great, so make sure to turn up your volume.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and enjoy your time with your family and friends as much as I am! May it be full of laughs!

"I'll be home for Christmas..."

"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together" African proverb. Thank you for going along with me on this adventure. I know that I could not go far without you.


This week has been good (if you could not tell by my previous post). We got "kicked in the behind" about important things that we honestly needed to be reminded of. We had a finance speaker about the finances of the company, and I am pretty sure that there was only one other person in the whole auditorium as interested as I. And I can only wait to share with you more about what I learned on Saturday.


This week concludes training and I head home on Thursday. So, as the song goes, "I'll be home for Christmas." Wow, I can hardly believe that Christmas is already here. Reflecting this week, I realized that it was this time last year that I began the application process. And trying to decide if this was really what I was supposed to do after college. I am thankful that I did step out on faith. I have learned alot this year. I know that I will learn even more this next year. It will be full of some high, highs, and some low lows, but "I can do hard things," especially knowing everyone is supporting me at home. Thank you all. I would not be here, or go nearly as far without you all!

I know it is still early but I want to miss you all a Merry Christmas. I'll be home for Christmas, so let's get together and celebrate!

Saturday School

I am still processing and in awe of our speaker today! (yes, we had class on Saturday) When was the last time that you had a speaker so good that you intentionally did not tell him that class ended at 3:00, when he thought 5:00, even on a Saturday? He spoke earlier this week and did not give us our hourly break and went past 5:00, but no one cared at all. Today's session was optional, but even on our last Saturday here, there were over 100 of us that did not sleep in, but came to hear him. Are you intrigued yet?

You will have to ask me about what he taught that was so good. And he showed me how to share it too, so remind me when I see you and I will share it with you.

I can't think of much else right now, so I will have to just make a new post later.

Thank you Kids!

First, I need to give a shout out to all the kids that sent me cards this week! Thank you to all the girls in Oklahoma and the kids in Texas. It made my day each day this week, and of course I had to share them with my friends here. All the kids from Texas wrote on their cards that they were from Texas, they must start working on them when they are really young!

This has been a long week, so I needed those extra cards. We had training through Saturday, although today was just in the morning and we went out for ethnic food together for lunch. This week has been specific to the area of the world we will be going. Most of it has all been about security, which is not a fun topic, but now I should be prepared for just about anything. Also, I worked on a strategy plan for my first year, which at first seemed Boring (note the capital B), just more paperwork. But it was really nice to take the time and think, focus, and ask yourself where you want to be at the end of the year, and what you want to see that has happened. I guess I will be making LOTS of New Year's Resolutions this year!

Looking forward, I will be here less than two more weeks. I found out that my overseas arrival has been delayed for almost a week-which is not a big deal, but it gives me more time at home, so if you are in the area, call me so we can do something, or you can call my mom as I found out some of you have already done. It is kinda nice having a "social secretary." just kidding! Hope you had a good week. Thank you for remembering me and checking in!

Thanksgiving Travels

What a week! For Thanksgiving, a group of us were invited over to a friends house on the coast. It was nice to get a change of scenery; we saw the ocean, a harbor that was sending coal to Japan, and lots of cranes. It was also nice to get to hang out with people, while not having to work. Of course the food was good, and it was good to meet my friend's family.

Friday, we all loaded charter buses and headed to DC. We spent several hours there trying to meet internationals. I got to go to an ethnic restaurant that served the type of foods I will eat overseas. We took time to walk around the embassies of several countries where many of us will be working. I definitely felt like a small town Okie girl in DC! Just getting through Union Station seemed like an international city to me! We did not have time for any of the tourist sites, so it felt surreal to see the Washington Memorial from the bus. Now I can at least say that I have been to my capitol city. I did feel a little weird before, in that every other country I have been to I had been to their capitol city, but had not been to mine yet.

Give Thanks

I have to confess that Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the sweets, decorations, parties, The Christmas Story, Christmas movies, giving and receiving gifts, the whole bit. Ironically though, I think this is going to be a really good Thanksgiving.

Training has reminded me how much I really do have to be thankful for. Even though I will not spend this Thanksgiving with family, I think I will definitely be more in the Thanksgiving mindset this year. I would like to share my thankful list with you. Please share what you are thankful for by commenting on the blog. (Just click comment link below, type what you are thankful for, and if you don't have a google account, select anonymous.)

I am thankful for:

(in no particular order)
Clean water, that I do not have to boil or treat to drink
That all my food, clothes, and shelter needs have been met
That I have a job, especially one that pays my bills
Internet
Dark Chocolate

Chick flicks
My family

Time spent playing with my family

Laughter
My p. partners

All the technological help from my brother
The really cool place that I will move to in January
That I can carry the Word as I travel
That I don’t have to change my appearance or the clothes I normally wear in my new culture
Your support

Airplanes, so I can travel fast

(still working on being thankful for airports)
Wonderful Friends!
That all my needs are met by the only one who can meet all my needs, before I even know what they are!
The Orientation experience

Lunches at Red Lobster with mom!
My personal relationship with Him

Hope

My dad's lap

Y O U

Who are you and who am I?

This week, we spent on anthropology, worldviews, and finally who we were as individuals. I learned a lot about the people I will be working with and how they think and process information and their environment. There really is a reason why they do what they do, even if it seems weird at first to us Westerns!

We all took the Myers-Briggs test and I am an ISTJ, as I predicted, although I am not extreme in any area. This stands for Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging (as opposed to extrovert, intuition, feeling, perceiving). This means I am responsible, dependable, practical, realistic (I get that from mom), and objective and logical, calm, orderly, prefer facts over ideas, detailed, accurate, and an organizer (agendas-though I get from dad!). I can relate to the president of the company--if I get something done today that was not on my list, I have to write it on the list so that I can mark it off! They had a list off all the prayers for the people of the different categories, and mine is "Lord, help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 11:41:23 AM EST." LOL :)

So, I am learning who I am and who the people are that I will be working with all so that we can communicate and work together better. One tip I got today was to take advantage of the first 2 weeks I am in country to make mistakes and be the tourist, the people are more lenient in the beginning. In the past, I think I have been too afraid that I would do something offensive in new cultures, so I was afraid to do much. But now I know that my first week I need to do everything! That way I can get all my mistakes over with, or at least several while the people are more forgiving! So, I need to overcome my introversion and DIVE IN!