3weeks

So I went to the nose doctor today. She asked me a couple questions, and then told me to go to this other place to get a bacteria test from the inside of my nose. Then I mentioned that I'd be going to Kiev next week (I'm going for the University of the Nations Workshop) and she was like...

"NO! Don't go!!" I asked why. "Because a power-plant exploded in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) last night and there's radiation!!!"

That was really calming news. But I just tried not to think about it. I'm sure it really did happen (I found a couple things on the internet too), but I'm not sure to what extent. She said Russia was trying to cover up the facts. To be honest, in the back of my mind I wonder if some Russian intelligence spy will read this blog entry because I wrote "Russia" and "power-plant exploded" TWICE. But I really hope it's not too serious of an explosion/leak/problem. I have friends in that city!!!

So, I left that doctor's office and went to this other place where they do "bacteriophage". Something like that. I'll get the results on the 3rd.

I've started packing for Holland / the apartment move that will happen while I'm in Holland. Two things that really amaze me. One: I've been packing for probably a combined total of 10 hours and I feel like I haven't even made a dent in it all. How is that possible??!?! Two: It's really strange how the 2 bags that I brought with me to Georgia for the first time I came to stay in 2006, somehow multiplied to like 10 bags + a desk + a bookshelf+ a million other household things. Seriously. How does that happen??!?!

Also, I have to say I'm feeling the most tested with faith in finances now than I ever have been in my entire life. I'm supposed to leave in 3 weeks. I don't have a plane ticket. I do have $900 pledged. I don't have money to pay my last months rent or the rent for when I'm gone. I don't have money for the school fees. I do have some money saved for my conference registration fee in Kiev... that's good. I can't say that all this lack of money really bothers me so much, I'm so just going about my business preparing for everything, but every once in a while I think and I laugh at myself a little bit. Like, "Jenni... are you crazy? You're preparing to go and you have no money to pay for it?" But then I think that there must be some way and I'm certain I'll see a miracle. Side note: I don't want to say that this is all an excuse for financial irresponsibility. That's not what I'm plugging at all. I just happen to be in a situation where I didn't have a lot of time to plan and I'm riding the waves. But planning is good, and if you can do it especially with money things-- I definitely recommend it!

Just so you know.

Well, I'm going to try to tidy up the mess just a little bit so I can sleep for now. :-)

short

My nose is bad again... so I'm going to go to a new nose-doctor tomorrow and will hopefully find an answer for my chronically congested/infected nose.

I've spent the evening packing (practice-packing) for Holland. Which is funny because I don't even have a plane ticket yet, and I'm supposed to leave in like 3 weeks...!

Also, before I go to Holland, I have to pack up my room so its ready to be moved while I'm away. So, because of it all my room is a complete disaster and I don't have the strength now to tidy it up.

Transition and waiting times are so hard. Seriously.

But they lead to great things.

some BIG news!

I’m going to The Netherlands to receive more training within YWAM! I’ll be attending a 3-month training called, Bible Core Course (BCC). I can say that this is a very different course than I had expected to take… but I believe it’s what God wants for me now!

Why This School? I was on outreach in Rene, and we had just had a staff meeting. We were just sharing with each other our feelings and what had been on our minds, and I shared that I was really wanting to hear from God about my future after this DTS. I’d been looking into YWAM counseling training schools and specifically at one in India… but I just didn’t have complete peace about it, and neither did my base leaders. So, I asked my fellow outreach staff to pray for me that God would just really show me the best direction to go after DTS. They prayed and then just a couple days later, I received a text message from one of my base leaders. She had been searching for opportunities for future training and found a Bible Core Course in the Netherlands… I thought about it and the more I thought the more that I saw that it would really be the most helpful step for me now in ministry. To have a more firm understanding of God’s word and for me to know better how to study the Bible in my personal times with God! So that is how this was all “born”.

What is a Bible Core Course? “The BCC is a 12-week course that will introduce you to the inductive approach of Bible study. The inductive approach means that you let the Bible speak for itself. You practice this by learning to observe what the Bible text actually says, by skills of interpretation and by applying the Word of God to your life. During the 3 months you will read the entire Bible and study in depth at least 14 Bible books, from different forms of literature. The teachings will often be combined with workshops to involve you as an active part of the teachings. There is a lot of variety in the workshops, like drawing, drama, music or group activity. In this way you will be equipped with many tools for integrating the Word into your life.” (www.ywam.nl/heidebeek/bcc/en/)

The course will start on September 23rd and I will return to Tbilisi after the course finishes on December 18th, to continue my ministry with YWAM Tbilisi. I still feel a calling to be in Georgia working with DTS and other ministries-- and even while I’m in The Netherlands at the YWAM Heidebeek base, I’m still considered YWAM Tbilisi staff and will have to do my best to represent our little country and base in a good and true way! :-)

What This Has to Do With You…? -- I NEED YOUR HELP!
The fee for this course is about $ 2850. The airfare is about $ 600. Also, I will still need to rent an apartment in Tbilisi while I’m gone, and that will be about $900. And plus, for travel expenses and for living in The Netherlands (renting a bike-- I hear it will be my main form of transportation!, buying books for school, purchasing health insurance which is required in the Netherlands, etc.) So, Im looking for a total of about $5000 + continued monthly support. I know that this is a lot of money to ask for, especially in our time of “economic-crisis”-- but all I can do is ask you and trust God that He will make it happen! After all, I wasn’t even thinking about this until He brought it up. :-)

Leave me a comment with your email address included if you'd like to help out financially, and I will send you the information you need!

I... I'm...

I'm up late, researching information about The Netherlands.

I ate "Asian Fast Food" last night-- in Georgia, that's next to a miracle.

I bought Second-Hand clothes today, but that's not unusual.

I'm incredibly tired, but filled with excitement for the days to come.

I wish there were more hours in the day and more fire in my heart to be motivated, to do all the things that need to/should be done.

I'm also slightly frustrated that Western Union will not make a Bank-to-Bank transfer from my American account to an account in The Netherlands... WHY???

I'm also wishing that tomorrow was not Saturday, because I'd be able to find answers to a lot of my questions sooner.

I like the fact that it's not super hot this summer, but thinking that it would be nice to have not super hot minus the rain.

I'm wanting to find an emotional balance (instead of being thrown to one side by the excitement of upcoming travels & adventures... then thrown to the other by the question of what to do and how to live my life in the ordinary today).

I'm also wanting to find fulfillment, contentment, peace and wisdom-- from having conversation with my Creator.

I'm also also wanting to be more sure of who I really am and what I really mean and what I really love and value.

I told myself that I'd go to bed by 10:00pm because I was feeling bad, then I began to feel better + started researching some information and then changed my bedtime to 12:00am... so I think I will head in that direction to show myself at least a bit of respect.

pictures

Our 9 person outreach team in Khikhani

"Helping" the neighbors chop wood ("helping"... just long enough to take a photo. I don't seem to have good wood chopping skills...)

Kissing a baby turtle

Helping a grandma prepare wool for a blanket

This grandma is almost a century old

Milking a cow (but I really don't have good cow-milking skills)

Modern transportation

In Rene, at the local village church

In Gori at the kids camp, with my group of girls (that I led in Georgian)