Maligayang Pasko!

Maligayang Pasko!Merry Christmas!

I hope this letter finds everyone still basking in the holiday glow :) Its been awhile since I wrote, and wanted to send out a short letter letting you all know how much I've enjoyed being home in the states the past few months.

I've gotten to visit with family, a reunion in Kansas City, and even my sister in Arizona!

I've been able to enjoy the change of seasons, although the cold hasn't been my favorite :)

I've gotten to participate in the national elections, something I've realized I'm so blessed to be able to do!

I've gotten to dress up and hand out candy to kids at my church's Halloween event (I was a Lego person).

I've gotten to work full time at WalMart in addition to speaking at churches and partnering with people to help raise support for my next trip to the Philippines.

I've gotten to enjoy American holidays like Thanksgiving with my family and share how glad I was to be there with them this year!

I've gotten to hang out with college friends and visit Olivet for Homecoming, where I was able to share with the missionaries who gathered about what home meant to me, and about how excited I am to be connected to the larger body of Christ, and what that means about my home!

I'm looking forward to spending this weekend connecting with family and friends for Christmas, and next week, starting the new year here in the states, although i will be missing the fireworks in the Philippines(possibly the best ever!).

There have been so many things I've been blessed to experience in my short time here, I wish I could go into detail more, but it wouldn't be a short email anymore!

I am thankful for my time here, but eagerly anticipating returning to the Philippines to continue my work in developing training materials to help prepare and equip other to share the good news in new and exciting ways! I am planning on returning to Manila sometime around January 19th-21^st and have raised almost 75% of my total living expense through generous donations by churches and individuals who are excited about what God is doing! If you want to help reach the 100% goal, you can visit http://web.nazarene.org/goto/liz.hollenberg and check it out!

Thank you All for the blessing you are to me, and know that I am so thankful to know you and to have been able to be in the states for this Holiday Season. God has been teaching me a lot about family, and about the concept of home during my stay here and am thankful that He continues to show me new things each day!

Merry Christmas once more, I hope you had lots of fond memories made, and that you took time to remember that "the hopes and fears of all the years were met in THEE tonight!" God truly is an awesome God!

Love Liz

God help us in November... (Barack Obama's positions)

God help us in November... (Barack Obama's positions)

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Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 5:38am

***Originally posted and created by Brad Smith (Olivet Alum.) on Aug. 30th, 2008 @ 5:38 p.m. Thanks for all the comments and support!

I promised a post on WHY I will NOT be voting for Barack Hussein Obama. This post is to provide substance…not just say, “Well, he’s democrat and I am republican.” This will go much deeper than the “abortion” or “gay marriage” arguments many conservatives address, and speak about issues concerning family, terrorism/war, taxation, education, national defense/military, and others. This will hopefully bring insight to more than just the major issues that everyone hears and show Sen. Obama in a way you haven’t seen.

This will include links to provide a back-up to my oppositions, but if you would like to see what different Political Action Committees (PACs) and special interest groups rate Obama in their areas of interest, CHECK THIS LINK:
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=9490

Also, http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama_VoteMatch.htm is a great place to see where you stack up with Obama. You can see where he is, and then take a similar quiz and see where you are next to him.

With help from my older brother Brent (president 2012) here are reasons why I WILL NOT vote for Barack Obama.

************************** ABORTION ***************************

-- Actively supported Infanticide while a member of the Illinois State Senate.

-- For those who do not know what infanticide is, it is the killing of FULLY born infants who survive a failed abortion attempt from a premature, induced labor. Do any of the Olivet students remember a lady who spoke in chapel by the name of Jill Stanek? She was the nurse who witnessed infanticide personally, cradling a live baby for 45 minutes while it died. She showed us the video of her on The O’Reilly Factor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9duXeLahkV4) bringing this unimaginable reality to light.

Kill and Destroy's video on Barack Obama and Infanticide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRpIf2F9NA

-- The Federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) suggests that regardless of the intentions of the mother, once a child makes it out of the birth canal and becomes a viable human being, that baby is protected by the Equal Protection Clause in the US Constitution. On a FEDERAL LEVEL, this bill passed UNANIMOUSLY (98-0). Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and all democrats voted for the BAIPA; even NARAL (National pro-abortion group) went neutral on this bill.

-- Once it passed federally, it was sent to each individual state to be passed as well. EVERY state in the country passed this bill with flying colors except for Illinois. In fact, Obama was the chair of the state committee where the bill was heard. He killed the bill and spoke against it publicly. The BAIPA passed the Illinois legislature immediately after Obama left to go to Washington.

Audio of Obama opposing the BAIPA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypDwNpgIUQc&feature=related

I am anti-abortion but this goes beyond belief, even to those who are pro-abortion.
LINKS:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51121
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59702

-- Fully supports partial-birth abortion.
-- NARAL and Planned Parenthood gave Obama a 100 percent approval rating, and National Right to Life gave him a 0 percent approval rating.

Barack's Abortion Vote Ratings from special interest groups (scroll down slightly).
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=9490

-- He has been on record making statements such as:
"I have two girls, nine years old and six years old. If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

Punished?

********************** FAMILY ISSUES ***************************

-- Would require all public schools to distribute condemns to all sex education students. Of course, here in Indiana, sex ed. is taught in 8th grade to 13 and 14 year olds. If this were to happen, parents of minor children would NOT be allowed to object to their child being given condemns regardless of their personal opinions on the issue without taking a backward stance of removing the child from the class altogether.

-- Would force all states to recognize same-sex marriage. This is important, because the federal government has never been involved in marriage law. Marriage law has always been up to each individual state, so Obama's position isn't just morally objectionable, but it is also an erosion of state's rights. 

-- He has also stated that Jesus endorsed gay unions in his teachings within the Bible. He has been quoted (check link below) as saying that the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Golden Rule, is where he gets that Jesus believes in gay marriage/unions. 
LINK: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080304/obama-uses-jesus-sermon-to-bolster-gay-civil-unions.htm

-- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) gave him an 80 percent approval rating, and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State gave him a 100 percent approval rating. The Secular Coalition gave him a 90.

-- The Family Research Council and the American Family Association both gave him a 0 approval.

************************ WAR/TERRORISM **********************

-- Has been publicly endorsed by the leaders of the terrorist group, Hamas. Hamas has been listed as one of, if not the most, hostile terrorist group in the world. They have killed immeasurable amounts of people in the name of Islamic supremacy and Jihad. They have taken responsibility for these acts as well. If Hamas supports Obama, is it a good idea that we support him?

-- Obama has said he would personally meet with any, and all, heads of state regardless of their position on state sponsored terrorism. In other words, he would pursue diplomatic relationships with Iran, North Korea and Syria to name a few. This would be catastrophic for the US, because:

a) it would damage our long held position of not negotiating with terrorists and/or nations which sponsor terrorism
b) it would embolden our enemies
c) it would damage our relationships with allies such as Israel, England, Australia and the newly formed government in Iraq. 
This is a terrible position that would jeopardize our standing as world leader, and would put us directly in the MIDDLE of all of our enemies and allies.

-- He has received money and attended fund raisers that were sponsored by men and women who have donated money to terrorists groups such as Hamas and Al Queda (check links below).
LINKS:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=62653 (Hamas connection)
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61852 (endorsement)


************************** TAXATION **************************

-- Has pledged to support “International welfare.” While every president has supported other countries with foreign aid, NONE have supported International welfare. This would mean that your federal tax dollars would go to support welfare programs such as medicaid in foreign countries like the Sudan. While this may sound noble at first, it would cost the American government BILLIONS of dollars. 

-- Obama plans to shrink the budget, shrink the federal deficit, yet pay for social programs in other countries!? How will he do that...raising our taxes. Are you ready to have an additional 5 to 10 percent of your money taken out of your paycheck to pay for social programs that will never benefit you?

-- The National Taxpayer's Union gave him an "F" for his ability to keep taxes low.

-- American's for Tax Reform gave him a 15 percent approval rating.

-- Citizens Against Government Waste gave him a 13 percent approval rating.


******************* NATIONAL DEFENSE/MILITARY ******************

-- Has pledged to save money by slowing the development of “combat technology.” This would hurt the country in numerous ways. First, this would diminish the ability for military engineers to develop assets such as the Stealth bomber, which is virtually undetectable via radar, or Abrahms tanks which save numerous American lives in war scenarios. Luckily, former presidents and Congresses have seen the benefit in investing nationally in “combat technology,” because it saves the lives of American Soldiers. 

-- Secondly, this would hurt the economy. The American government pays billions of dollars to American companies, such as Boeing, to help develop this life-saving military technology. This would lead to far less tax money being collected by government, which would mean that in order to collect the same amount of revenue federally, national taxes would have to be increased.

-- Has also committed to REMOVING the ALREADY INSTALLED US Military Missile Defense Shield. The American government has committed a lot of money to this critical program, and Obama has said he would remove it completely. The Strategic Missile Initiative consists of GPS satellites, which can detect if any missile capable of inflicting harm on American soil has been launched anywhere in the world. If this happens, the satellite tracks the missiles coordinates and sends a signal to a computer, which then launches an Anti-Ballistic missile. The ABM then destroys the incoming missile in midair away from any land, thus nearly eliminating the possibility of casualties. His reason behind doing this is to show that the U.S. is not assuming an attack. This would make our enemies less angry with us…? Right.

(HOW IS THAT A GOOD IDEA!?)

-- With that said, The Center for Security Policy gave him a 21 percent approval rating!


************************** OTHER *************************

-- Supports amnesty for illegal aliens... He doesn't want to create a path to citizenship like McCain, rather allow ALL people who live in America illegally to continue to live here with no serious consequence or change in lifestyle.

-- Supports decriminalizing marijuana use...not just for medical purposes, but for recreational use as well.

-- Also, opposes enforcing many existing “3 strikes laws” and drug laws.


IN CLOSING:

These aren't merely thoughts...it is FACTUAL information! Even outside his unbelievable stance on abortion and infanticide, this man has twisted political views. Yet, when he speaks around his views and answers questions to make something awful sound magnificent we say, “Wow, that Barack is a great speaker…I THINK I LIKE HIM!” How can we as, first, Christians but also as Americans, vote for such a man to run this country for four years? If you know me well, you will know that I am not a big McCain fan. However, he did get a true (in my mind) republican running mate in Palin. Many conservatives do not like McCain, but Barack Obama is the reason why I will, without hesitation, visit the polls this November and cast my vote for McCain & Palin. 

You CAN'T ignore facts and voting records. But hey, take if from Barack Obama himself… his political views sound great with his voice inflection…

How to Support Liz

PRAYER!

Thats my number one support means, God knows everything that has happened and will happen in my ministry and is an endless source of strength and encouragement. It helps me so much to know that people are praying for me and bringing me and my ministry work before Him!

Financially!
Once my contact is fully in place you can send checks to the general treasurer of the church of the Nazarene. Until then (probably a month) you can send checks to my parents who are acting as my touch point in the states. (i love them bunches)
Their address is
407 S. Henry
Eureka Il. 61530

I hope you will take a moment and pray about how God wants to use you in his work, bless you for being a good steward of his talents and remember you are part of what i do here, part of the global team! Thank you in advance for everything, God is truly awesome.

Hello friends!

It's been a month or so since my last email, so much has happened in that time that I am excited to share with you! Before I do that I would first like to thank you all so much for supporting me through prayers and other means. Your part of the team here in the Philippines, and through the work I do at the Communication Center, a part of a global team that is reaching so many people for Christ! With out you, I wouldn't be able to be here, doing what I am doing and experiencing so much! Now on to the updates!

One really cool experience was the retreat for work, all the staff and their families were able to go up the road and on a ferry to a beach where we spent a 4 day weekend getting sunburned, learning to snorkel (i wasn't learning...i was teaching! J ) and enjoying fellowshipping together outside of work. It was great for me to see the families of the people I work with and get to connect with them, it forced me to practice more of my Tagalog and that was blessing! Ever since that trip I have been trying to incorporate more and more tagalong into my everyday routine, completely substituting words at time so that they become natural. It's been fun! Simple things that you can say would be the greetings, "Magandang Umaga (good morning)" "Magandang Hapon (good afternoon)" and "Magandang Gabi (good evening)".

Another aspect of this retreat that was really cool to me was that I was asked to lead devotions one of the nights. I don't generally jump at these chances, but usually enjoy them in the end, this was a great example. I spoke about our relationship with God…that keeping it up to date and vibrant is the most important thing we can do TODAY. So many times people dwell in the past or have a goal for their relationship with God they wish they could achieve, but we often find ourselves left dreaming about it because we don't pursue that desire. We broke up into groups and had a time of sharing about our relationship with God TODAY and it was really awesome to hear from two of the moms that I work with about their struggles and their encouragement and desire to prioritize TODAY with God.

Another cool thing that has happened is that WMC-AP (world mission communication- Asia pacific) got together and made a short film as a team building project and submitted it to a film festival in California! WE didn't win any awards, but were nominated in three categories! This was a huge honor for us, since there were over 80 other groups that participated. I am going to try to put up the trailer at least or the film on my website and work something out later so you can see it all! We are now working on plans to turn our short film into a ministry outreach tool here in the Philippines, we can always reuse things!! The story is a allegory of the Christian's walk and struggle with following the idea of salvation by works, or salvation by grace…a topic that is so important here.

some quick prayer requests:

please pray for missionary's traveling this summer... we are getting ready to say goodbye to several missionary families as they go to the states to get their children ready for college, speak at churches and visit loved ones for a few months.

pray for me as i continue to work on several developing projects that i am really excited about and could be reat tools in reaching people not only in the Asia pacific area, but globally!

pray for me also as i pray about my future and what God's will is for my life!

Well I want to keep this short so you don't feel overwhelmed, I'll probably have another update out in a few weeks, this is a pretty intense time for me here as I am coming up on 8 months being here and looking towards my future. Thank you all for reading, praying and supporting me, I can't do it without you!

Happy Easter...Jesus is alive and so am I!

happy easter everyone!

Easter! Most of you are celebrating today as I write this, eggs are being hidden and pastel colors abound. Hopefully many Easter plays happened and the message of the empty tomb was spread! Easter in the Philippines is a big event, more so than I had thought before. Given the dominance of the Catholic Church I expected it to be a big holiday, but was overwhelmed. Holy week is filled with activities to remind the faithful of the suffering of Christ. On Thursday they have something called the Alay Lakad which translates to the “Offering walk” and literally millions of people walk along 4 main roads to converge on an area just up the road from the campus. All along the way are the Stations of the Cross and the final destination is an Old Catholic church which has mass going every hour. The people walk this as a sacrifice to share in the suffering of God, and most believe that by doing this their sins will be forgive for the past year and they can start fresh. The Filipino we walked with told us that most people have a “wish” or prayer request that they say at the start and that if they finish the walk, go to mass and stay in the area till dawn then God must grant their request. Another missionary, a guy from work/church and I all went on the walk to experience what it was like. I left my hour at 10pm, and didn’t get back until 6am the next day…it was a long night of walking and talking with people to try and understand their motivation. Friday Manila turns into a ghost town. The most superstitious believe that God is dead on Friday and Saturday so if you die then God won’t be there to take you to heaven, so you stay home and wait for Easter. Easter Sunday is a celebration; our church had a 5am sunrise service and shared in a breakfast of rolls, hard boiled eggs and coffee to close the three hour service. Later all the missionaries gathered to eat and celebrate at one of the houses, it was nice to just hang out with them all.

What stood out to me about Easter was the fixation so many have on the passion story up to the crucifixion. From long walks, to reenacting the crucification, all the attention is held on the cross and very few look beyond to the empty grave and the true center of Easter. A religion based on works was never God’s intent, (He died so we wouldn't have to!) and time and again this past week I have seen and heard of people’s efforts to complete tasks or experience great pain in order to earn their salvation. This makes me incredibly sad. In John 3:16, the most famous bible verse, it states that who ever BELIEVES in Christ will no die but have eternal life with God. This simple statement is looked over and ignored by so many during this week, and then through out the rest of the year…in some readings I found a paper by Martin Luther who put it so plainly…the moment we start to rely on works, we are saying that everything Christ did was pointless and not relevant t our lives. The point of Easter is to celebrate that event, not discredit it.

hello....my name is Liz...

hello my name is liz....and this is a glimpse inside me.
according to http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html my personality is only found in 1% of the worlds populations..... que "One is the lonliest number....."

Introverted iNtuiting Feeling Judging

by Marina Margaret Heiss

INFJs are distinguished by both their complexity of character and the unusual range and depth of their talents. Strongly humanitarian in outlook, INFJs tend to be idealists, and because of their J preference for closure and completion, they are generally "doers" as well as dreamers. This rare combination of vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes to which so many of them seem to be drawn.

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent "givers." As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood -- particularly by those who have little experience with this rare type.

Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs, which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly by the dominance of the introverted N function).

This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations. More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this complex type. For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-war" between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate their deepest and most convoluted feelings.

Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) and religious leadership. Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall, INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of "hard logic", and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences. However, the significant minority of INFJs who do pursue studies and careers in the latter areas tend to be as successful as their T counterparts, as it is *iNtuition* -- the dominant function for the INFJ type -- which governs the ability to understand abstract theory and implement it creatively.

In their own way, INFJs are just as much "systems builders" as are INTJs; the difference lies in that most INFJ "systems" are founded on human beings and human values, rather than information and technology. Their systems may for these reasons be conceptually "blurrier" than analogous NT ones, harder to measure in strict numerical terms, and easier to take for granted -- yet it is these same underlying reasons which make the resulting contributions to society so vital and profound.

http://typelogic.com/infj.html

revelations in the dark

So this last week/ weekend held some really big revelations for me. As I was sitting in the dark on Saturday(another story) I started looking over my life currently and trying to figure out where I stand with God, His plan and my desires. I’m the first to admit that I have a hard time listening to God’s will, both in the aspect of hearing it, and then in obeying that will. I don’t look like it on the outside, but I have some serious control issues sometimes. I like to know what is going on, I like to be in charge of things you know?

Moving to the Philippines to work at WMC (world mission communications) was such a God thing. I know he wanted me here, it was very clear. I started planning and emailing praying that this would become a reality. God did his part and things started flying together in only a God way.

I need to take a moment to explain a bit about myself so you understand my motivation in the coming parts. My family is pretty intellectual and supportive of Academia. In fact is one of those families where not going to school really isn’t an option we were raised to consider. I remember hearing about people who choose not to go to college for the first time and being so shocked! So if given an opportunity for more learning I have always jumped at it. I love school, love reading new things, discussions, and essays… all that stuff. Now some of my roommates and friends in college will point out that I skipped my fair share, and maybe a few more than that in my day, but hey… it didn’t mean I didn’t love being in class… just at that moment in my life I loved the inside of my eyeballs or the conversation I was having more.

So knowing my predisposition for throwing myself into educational situation the fact that WMC shares a campus with Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary was an awesome bonus for me. I figured I could just throw in a master’s degree while I was there to fill up some time and keep me in the educational world a bit longer. I started looking at the school and applying in early spring I think. There were some draw backs, the first semester started the day before some of my best friends were getting married so I had to push back my anticipated enrollment to the second semester and thus working at WMC was pushed back as well till August. Getting all my papers and everything went fairly well… three trips an almost lost Birth certificate (thank you awesome ladies of office max who keep lost papers) and some money later I had all my documents…. All needed for my student visa application that I would fill out here in the Philippines.

So I moved here and started working….loving it totally and completely. Yes I admit I was thrown in the deep end at first, but it was a learning experience and awesome. I met missionaries, national and students who became good friends and felt at home. Its amazing how God can prepare a place for you so well and prepare you so well without you ever being aware. It would be interesting though it he told you “hey when you are learning this little tid bit it will help you in X situations 30 years from now” eh… I guess it would take away a bit of the mystery and one step at a time method he likes to employ so much.

School started in November and stress kicked in. now everyone gets stressed out about school, tough classes, lots of papers all that good stuff we love. But I wasn’t getting stressed about that aspect of it. The whole idea of school was stressing me out. Like a piece of clothing that doesn’t fit and you have to keep making all sorts of adjustments all day long till you get so frustrated with it that you make a special trip home just to change. I kept finding myself annoyed at it, the work wasn’t hard, the load wasn’t to much… it just kept getting in the way of the reason I moved here. I keep trying to explain to people that I didn’t come here to be a student. I came to be a volunteer missionary, who happened to take classes while she was here. This distinction has never really been defined here, and mostly I am a student when introduced. That annoys me. I want to stand on a table and yell really loudly, “I DON”T CARE ABOUT BEING A STUDENT! IT’S A SIDE JOB!” however, I don’t think many people would understand and the ones who did might look at me strange, ask if I was sick then laugh and go about their day. So I keep saying it softly when the issue comes up.

So as I was sitting in the dark this weekend, it hit me. (not the dark…the revelation) I am not supposed to be in school. The decision to go to seminary while I was here was my choice; I just lopped it in with God’s plan and said, hey, that will look good on those applications. Maybe it will help me in the long run, at least that’s the logical perspective, but If its not God’s will what right do I have to soldier through and try to make it work. If we are out of God’s will it’s a horrible place to be… a struggle every step. That’s what I have been feeling since school started. Something wasn’t right and it was making things harder.

I looked back over the whole process of getting here… all the hard parts revolved around the school aspect…the extra money… the papers… the delays…. Maybe those were signs I kept missing… because just coming and working for WMC was the easy part…everything fit into place perfectly.

So I stated praying… because as I explained before… I am kind of an education lover, if I go very long without something to stretch my brain I start getting jittery.. like a drug addict in rehab. The idea that I WASN’T supposed to be in school is not my comfort zone… its totally alien. I can’t count the times I have encouraged others to stay in school, get more school, go back to school… all that good stuff….and here God was telling me “hey...what are you doing in school? You crazy nut” (God and I are good friends…we like to use pet names like that...thus sometimes when I am praying I will start laughing or just smiling cause he really rocks with the names)

I talked with the dean of students, one of the missionary couples I hang out with and another missionary lady who rocks….they are all praying for me. If you are reading this pray for me too…

See, some people might be thinking, oh so you’ll just withdraw from school… no biggie. Well normally, no, its not that big a deal… but this situation is tricky. My housing in the Philippines is campus housing…so no school… no housing….which I could move back to the Methodist campsite, but then I would be paying rent again...which I don’t have because i threw all my money I have been saving for coming here into school (which interestingly enough, if I hadn’t done that I would still be fine on the money aspect.) I would also have t start paying my student loans again in 6 months because of not being in school…. Which means I would need an income… kind of hard when you aren’t allowed to work for money as a volunteer missionary. So I would need money to pay for rent, pay student loans(even if I got them lessoned for being in a 3^rd world country and a missionary they are still a lot when you have almost nothing to start with)

So my only hope is that if I can still withdraw, they can refund some of my money...and let me live on campus the rest of the semester. That will give me more time to figure out what’s going on and what God is planning next. He has been talking to me about some possibilities… but I have no idea if I want to pursue them lol. (See…control issues) The idea of being an RD back at Olivet has been something in the back of my mind since senior year…. One of the contenders to coming here…. I know I would love interacting with girls at that level...being able to influence them and build some relationships. It would allow me to still do some work for WMC I think, but it also feels like stopping place. I don’t see where it would lead…. And that bothers me. If its God’s will than awesome, lead on! I would love every moment. I actually emailed the guy at Olivet today to let him know I was praying about the opportunity. Shoot… I don’t know if they are even hiring this year or if they have the positions filled… no clue…. Just felt like I should email him today. I know some of my friends would be thrilled… well all my American friends at least.

I just really want to know what my next step is.. I want God’s desires to be my desires, I don’t want to just throw myself in or out of a situation because it feels like that’s what I should do. I want to know. I want to have peace about the situation again... because I don’t have peace about school right now.

So once again…. If you’re reading this, take half a minute and say a prayer for me will you? thanks.