An afternoon with Z

Zariah and I had a great day a few days ago, with beautiful weather, BBQ lunch, iced coffee, and pumpkin carving. My other mentee went out of town at the last minute with her family, so it was just the two of us. It's hard to believe that this is my third school year with her. She's a sweetheart with a hard life, but has a great attitude about it. When I first started with her, she was beginning to improve with her academics because of the help of FHL, her school, and her other mentor- but she really struggled with reading. Now, reading is one of her favorite things to do, and it's so much fun to see her and Brianna arguing over who gets to read next when we're all reading together. She's also doing really well academically and can't stand getting below a B, which is remarkable considering her living conditions and that she gets zero help with schoolwork at home. She's also really growing spiritually, which is exciting to see. As we were sitting on the porch carving pumpkins, out of nowhere she burst out with, "I can only imagine," and she knew most of it. It was a super sweet moment to just sit there and listen to this sweet girl singing about what it's going to be like to be with Jesus.

BBQ! She really likes this BBQ restaurant, so it's become our special place to go

Checking out our handiwork in the dark

PTM

Oct. 7th-11th was the Pastors to Missionaries' Conference sponsored by Barnabas International. This year there were seven of us there from IM, the largest number yet! As always, the conference was encouraging and a great place to learn, network, and be better equipped in the ministry of helping missionaries thrive.

The IM contingent

The theme of this year's conference was "Overflow," and as always, the main speaker and worship leader were challenging and a great encouragement to my heart and soul. There are great workshops to chose from and this year's choices were no exception:

*Caring for Business as Mission Workers – Their Needs and the Opportunities
*Parents of Missionaries: An Overlooked Part of the Team
*Because of God’s Love, Suffering Produces Endurance, Character and Hope
*Healthy Influence in the World of Member Care
*Mind the Gaps: Engaging the Church in Missionary Care
*Blind Spots and Worldview Assumptions in Cross-Cultural Member Care
*Mentoring a Millennial – Mentoring for Life
*Same Sex Attraction: What Missionary Caregivers Need to Know
*Changing Seasons: Providing Care over the Missionary Life Cycle
*Soul Care
*Debriefing through Collage, Parts 1 & 2: A Different Approach to Presenting One’s Story 
*Women in Missions    
*Coaching: Drawing Hope from Rivers of Living Water
*Bringing Hope to Ministry Marriages        
*Outsourcing your Services – Ways to Expand your Ministry and Increase your Income
  

Depending on which workshops you chose, you had time for 4-5. I went to 3, but one of them was in two longer parts over the course of two days. I attended "Women in Missions," "Blind Spots and Worldview Assumptions in Cross-Cultural Member Care," and "Debriefing through Collage, Parts 1 &2: A Different Approach to Presenting One's Story.

My favorite workshop was the one on Debriefing Through Collage. I've never been a big fan of Collage work, but I loved this workshop! I wish I could explain the whole process in writing, but I think it's probably something you just have to experience for yourself. I absolutely love having this new tool in my Member Care toolbox and will be excited when I get to use it. The above picture is my collage about my Grandmother, who passed away on Sept. 16th.

At one of the evening sessions with some of the other IM'ers

And a Fall photo from the last morning there(Black Mountain, NC)

13.1

Well, I did it. 13.1 miles. And I ran the entire way, and kept to my pace goal of an under 11 minute mile. I was calm mentally the whole time, and other than my joints feeling very achy the last 2-3 miles, I felt really good. Good enough, that I'm seriously considering doing another 1/2 Marathon Nov. 15th to see if I can easily pick up my pace by 30-45 seconds per mile. I know, I know- I'm a little touched in the head. :-D

Pre-race

I ran past my parents' house 2x- at miles 2 & 9

Mile 9- still feeling good

Finally!

It's over! I did it! 2 hrs., 24 min. & 10 seconds of constant running

My cheerleaders(otherwise known as parents)