Good day despite unprovoked attack!

This week we are studying personal and interpersonal development, in other words ... Who am I and Who are you? So I think it goes without saying that today has definitely been a time of learning for me. During the lunch time hour I had a meeting with one of the chaplains, just to discuss how everything is going. Let's just say (without going into details) it was very good for me to get some long enclosed feelings out and vent some frustrations. It was an awesome time, I wish I could have a meeting like that once a week. This is what I learned though. Every day we should say this little five second prayer ... Dear Lord, allow me to see myself through your eyes today - Amen. Do you realize the way He sees you and me? We are perfect and so dazzling beautiful (or handsome c:). You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous; how well I know it. - Psalm 139:13-14 Another way to use the word knit is to say to carefully and lovingly form or piece together. God carefully and lovingly made you just the way you are because He wants you to be unique. He knows you have freckles, short legs or big curly hair ... He made you that way. I encourage you to pray this prayer with me every day. Maybe we can all begin to realize how beautifully and intricately unique God has made us all.
In other news Texas has really mean wasps! I had encounter numero dos with these evil flying insects today. In Georgia if you avoid them they won't bother you. Well today I'm sitting in my chair and suddenly one is buzzing around my head. I tried to stay still I really did, but eventually I had to get away. That's when it attacked, haha. It then proceeded to dodge two men trying to apprehend/kill this horrible insect, but sadly it got away to attack another day. So the score is Kari  0 / Evil Texas wasps 2 (I was stung the first week also).

Today I went swimming

I did go swimming today, but there was so much more than that. Today we had the water portion of our basic safety training. Water practical ... what does that mean? Basically we learned what to do if the ship is in trouble or sinking. This includes how to jump from the ship, how to throw a life ring, how to climb into the life raft and best of all how to put on a water survival suit. This is also know as a gumby suit, look at the picture to find out why! Yes, it is basically one big red plastic suit. Think of the men on the TV show Deadliest Catch, you know how they have to put special gear on if they go in the water. Even though we will be in the warm climate of West Africa, we still need to be prepared. Best of all when you get in the water, the suit fills with some of the water. Now imagine climbing into a life raft from the water with about twenty pounds of water in the suit with you. Not easy at all, let's just say that I got a workout today. Overall conclusion today is ... I had fun!

Very similar indeed!

I don't have any pictures of me in the suit (at least not yet, you never know what will show up)

Rain, lightning and a toasty fire ...

Despite being delayed by rain, thunder and lightning the fire training went on today and we all survived! We had to put out two gas fires with extinguishers then the big one ...  a wood burning fire in a metal container. To extinguish this one we had to use a large fireman's hose (which is quite heavy). I'm told that the container reached a high temperature of 400 degrees F. How many people can say they were in a room like that and survived??? It was pretty toasty but the suit does an amazing job. Now off to conquer the written test!

25 seconds ... Oh yeah!!

Today we started our basic safety training, we reviewed firefighting today! I never knew there was so much to learn. I mean who knew that fires spread by convection, conduction and radiation (I guess firefighters know haha). We tried on our suits and oxygen masks. They even timed us. We had a one minute time limit to get the O2 tank and mask on. I did it in 25 seconds! I wasn't close to the fastest though, everyone did very well. That part was fun but I'm not looking forward to fighting an actual fire tomorrow. More to come on that tomorrow!!

My roommate Kelly & I are geared up!

Everything is bigger in Texas

Even the churches. I attended Green Acres Baptist Church this morning. It has the largest congregation in America. What is the congregation? Oh just 17 thousand of your closest friends and family. It basically took up the whole block with two sanctuaries, parking decks and student centers.

There is more

So I have had a kind of weird day, just dealing with some personal issues that I really need to sort out. All morning I have been praying that God will bring me out of my "funk" and make me the happy, smiley person I usually am. Every Thursday at lunch time the International Operations Center (IOC) has a community meeting which is basically a staff meeting that we must attend. With each of these meetings there is of course a devotional and prayers. One of today's scriptures was Jeremiah 29:11, which some of you may know is one of my favorites. I use it often and have really leaned on it for the past couple years. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11 But what I have lacked to do is realize that there is more. If you read on it says: Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:12-13. This in itself is an answered prayer. God does have mighty plans for me and has already put these plans into motion, but He also knew that with these plans old hurts and troubles would arise. I pray to Him and He listens ... He listens! He cares so much for me that when I am having a bad day, he  listens to my rambling and whining. How great is our Father?

Baptizo

Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. -Matthew 28:19. The Greek word for baptism, baptizo means to dip or saturate. So therefore we are to saturate people, communities and nations in the name of the Trinity. Think back to the day of your baptism. It was a special day wasn't it? It may have been a long time ago, maybe you were a child or like me maybe it has only been a few years. You went in that baptismal pool one person and emerged "a new improved version". But think about it, are you saturated with the Lord and are you saturating others around you?? This is what I learned today. Am I saturating others? The honest answer is I don't know if I am, so this is something that I am going to set out to do. Will you join me? Let us all exemplify the character of God. Go out and be compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and forgiving. Maybe together we can make a difference is someone's life!

Another activity we had in class was to write a Psalm to God. I encourage you to do the same, it really does open your eyes to how God has blessed you. I realized how God has impacted me and been there in the transformation from the person I used to be. This is my Psalm:

God is so good. Throughout my life you have always been there...

When I was sad and all alone ... you were there holding my hand,

When I was sad and depressed ... you lifted my head,

When I was confused and did not know where to walk ... you led the way,

When I felt abandoned by others ... you stood by me,

When I was lost in this world ... you rescued me and called me your own.

You are my Father, my Most High King, my Bridegroom and my Friend. The love you have for me is more numerous than the stars and the sands by the sea. It is unimaginable. This Lord, is why you are so good.