Pictured above: The Earth fountain at FPO, photographed by Marlo Salamy (our conference coordinator).
Prayer requests for this week:
-That the Lord would prepare hearts for our upcoming community evangelism
-That I be a good steward of my time here at FPO
-That I form solid, Godly community
Yesterday afternoon, I arrived at the IMB's International Learning Center (ILC) for Field Personnel Orientation (FPO). FPO is the training every IMB missionary heading to the field for 2+ years undergoes. Here, we learn about the International Mission Board as a company and it's policies and procedures, study the Bible, hear testimonies from former missionaries, meet fellow future missionaries and their families, train in evangelism, learn about our affinities, and more. Affinities, by the way, are the groups missionary jobs are categorized in based on similar geographic regions and/or cultures. The 9 affinities are: American Peoples, Central Asian Peoples, Deaf Peoples, East Asian Peoples, European Peoples, North African & Middle Eastern Peoples, South Asian Peoples, South East Asian Peoples, and Sub-Saharan African Peoples (my affinity).
Being around like-minded individuals entering similar phases of life is quite refreshing. I'm living with a single female returning to Brazil, a single female going to Congo, a single female and a couple heading to Guinea, and a family of 6 moving to Senegal. Most of these individuals will also be learning French from square one. Around campus I've met people heading to various parts of the globe, and hearing the diverse types of jobs fascinates me.
In addition to the previously mentioned activities, FPO is a time of transition. We'll be doing church differently, leaving campus a limited number of times, and having a rigorous schedule. It will be challenging and I will make mistakes (In fact, I accidentally deleted the original version of this post), but I know God is going to bless this time to prepare us all for the tasks ahead.
I likely won't post much during FPO, but I *plan on making biweekly updates and occasional miscellaneous posts after I move to the field. Some fall off the wagon with monthly updates...but I do want to keep you all in the know! These posts will be casually written, though may change in structure over time. Also, I mean what it says at the bottom of this site. If you ever have questions about what I'm doing, want to chat a bit, or have prayer requests, please submit a form below and I'll get back to you when I'm able. I care about my friends and family in the states (and elsewhere), and want to return their much-appreciated prayers.
God bless you all!
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