Settling In

We are learning many things already and classes have not even officially began. First, Thomas broke the law. Just in Oregon a day and a half and he pumped his own gas. It is against the law in Oregon to pump your own gas! But some things are the same. There is a Walmart just minutes away and yes we have already spent some time and money there.

Thankfully, unlike the all day rain yesterday, today there were only a few scattered showers. The girls being able to spend most of the day outside helped preserve the little sanity I have left.
We went to a Vineyard church this morning along with some others from the base. It is much like our beloved Cornerstone. Annalise did miss worshipping in the front row with her pal Noah and this church didn't have cookies after service or Mrs. Emmerth to spoil her. The Maxwells really know how to make a first impression...one of the girls accidently set off the fire alarm!

This afternoon we had a meeting about the Children of Destiny program the girls will be attending. We are really excited about what our girls will be doing. They will be going to school with children from Brazil, Canada, Korea, and Latvia. As most of the Korean children do not speak English there is a translator. Before long, all the girls will be speaking some Korean. Annalise is already imitating what she hears her Korean friends say. The girls will be learning the same principles as Thomas and I. They will also be ministering in the local park and a nursing home as well as daily service around the base.

Tonight we all met for some mandatory fun. We did several fun activities to get to know each other. During one, all the Korean students were told they could only speak English. The rest of us could only speak Korean. For those who have joined us for Cross Cultural Orientation, you know the type of activities we did. But as they were all new, we have plenty of fun to share with you when given the opportunity. The night ended with a challenge to go to the extreme. This meant a trip down the zip line! Climb a tree to a platform 30 feet above ground and then zip 800 feet down the hill hanging from a cable. For those who may not know, I am extremely frightened of heights. Yet, I am determined to allow God to stretch me and teach me whatever He desires so up I climbed. Actually I really did well climbing up. I have learned from previous experiences the importance of not looking down. I even did great jumping off the platform. I did not enjoy the incredibly fast ride across campus however! But I did it and cameras were ready to capture my bravery. But you'll have to take my word for it as the person working my camera didn't operate the camera properly. I'll have to do it again, but not too soon! Thomas followed me, but it was not a challenge for him.

Lisa