Heading North

Tomorrow morning I leave for training in Cremona, Canada. I'll be staying at River's Edge Camp and will be attending COPE training (Cultural Orientation for Personal Effectiveness). Many of you know that my degree from ASU is in Multilingual/Multicultural Elementary Education, so I really think this training will be right up my alley. I love to talk about the impact of culture on our relationships! I'm pretty excited for the next two weeks.

The past few days have provided a mixture of excitement, nervousness, bittersweet goodbyes, and of course, packing challenges! I'm a notorious over-packer, so I've had to rearrange, reevaluate, and repack my suitcases several times. But as of tonight, they are all packed and all of them meet the weight requirements! Let's hope the airport scale agrees with mine! I've been able to say goodbye to many dear friends and family this week. Of course those goodbyes are hard, but they are bittersweet and everyone has been so encouraging.

God has so faithfully provided new friends who have already been able to help me prepare for life in Monte Plata. Through facebook and email, I've been able to connect with several Kids Alive missionaries who are currently serving in the Dominican Republic. They've provided incredible insight and advice and I am so thankful for their help. I am anxious to meet my new friends in person!

I mentioned in my most recent update email that I covet your prayers for safety while in Canada. There is a small gap of just a few days during which my international insurance will still be in the processing stage while I'm in Canada. Please pray that the Enemy does not take advantage of that time! Also pray for new learning, new growth, and new relationships as the other missionaries and I study and prepare together.

Communication will be limited while I'm at training but please feel free to email me whenever you find the time! I also wanted to share that a family friend has graciously added my information to a website called My Missionary On-Line where you can read about missionaries all over the world serving with various organizations. You can find my information by clicking here.

For the last time from the good ol' USA,
Kristin