Hey everybody!! So im about finished with week 3. We finished our First Aid training today. I was very proud of my self because I did well on all the tests we had. We also got to sew up a pig yesterday and amputate its foot. It was awesome!! But then again pretty disgusting! but I did well with all the stitching. So last time I wrote on here I told you the following day would be the hardest....so let me tell you about that day. It was called Exodus the end of ground school (wich is the physically hardest 2 weeks) so we start off going up to the boys house in are uniforms, then we are blind folded and put in the back of a pick up truck. Scott was riding with us and all the sudden he starts yelling to someone "Sir! this is private property! YOU NEED TO LEAVE" then we here some more yelling and then Scott says"Sir put your weapon away SIR!" then they throw fire crackers at us the whole time im thinking well since were still blind folded this has got to be an act but then again Scott was very convinsing. So when they through the fire crackers at us Scott starts yelling at us to jump off the truck and take are blind folds off. He says for us to run in the woods as fast as we can! so we start bookin it through the woods while there still throwing fire crackers at us there coming from everywhere they must have had a million people in those woods throwing them at us! Ok..Well a million is a exageration but at least 15! So then we get to this creek and they scream to us to get in and get down and to move. So in are boots and uniforms and back packs we all get in and have to army crawl about a mile in this creek! It sucked! they were still throwing fire crackers at us and these thing would be landing on us and it really made your adrenaline kick in because it really felt like the reall thing. Then they were throwing gas bombs at us where if you went in the gas you couldnt see or breathe! So we would have to go under when the gas bombs where thrown at us. then we get to the end and were all exhausted already everyones elbows are cut up from arm crawling and are legs are soo tired! but we hop out then have to lay down and cover are heads while there still throwing these things at us and there also shooting airsoft guns at us which by the way really hurts when your wet and there right next to you shooting! But anyways so then the shooting and fire crackers and the gas bombs all stop we get up and start making are way back to the guys house. and that was challenge 1! then we had to go into the woods and chop down a tree then chop the tree in half then we had to carry this thing the rest of the night. So after we chop the tree down we then go to a bridge where we are told where about to repell off of it. But instead of being roped to a tree or a very sturdy object we had to tie are self to eachother. So I got second and tie a knot around the guys with me and I quickly repell off the bridge. We had a time limit. after we all came down he had to walk through the creek into this huge mud mountain called the Guatemalan Mud Slide and we had to climb up it. That was pretty hard but we all did it. Oh and by the way Im just with the Sudan team going through all this. which is all 4 girls and 3 of the guys. So then we see we have to climb a rope ladder up this tree where there is a rope about 20 feet up going across to another tree. We had to walk on the rope and hold on to the rope above you while the whole time the thing is shaking and wobbling. Im not gonna lie to you my hands were starting to sweat when I saw that thing! I really didnt want to do it. So then it gets my turn and Russ comes and says were out of time go to the field! and im like PRAISE THE LORD!! so then we hike on up to the field where we had to carry 2 girls above are shoulders like a board for about half a mile. then they would yell to us "FALL IN" which means where ever you are what ever your doing run as fast as you can to the person who calls fall in. So they would call it then someone on the other side of the field would call it as soon as we got there someone on the other side of the field would call it and again and again and im worn out!! then we have the cross ceremony where they advocates wash are feet and we get a medal cross for completeing ground school. But I have to say through the whole Exodus my favorite part was when I or someone else felt like they couldnt go on anymore someone in the group would start saying bible verses or start praying for courage and strength for us. it was so awesome to see how everyone is so close already and cares about eachother and no one would let anyone here quit! This week has been all first aid training and we still have PT everyother day which im kinds glad I feel we worked so hard these last 2 weeks I didnt want to go back to know physical activities but thats not what im thinking when im doing PT like today for example we get up at 6 and im saying all kinds of stupid thing pretty my delirious from lack of sleep. and we had to run a while and do lunges all the way up a hill and had to hold on to this beam while someone held are feet and we had to do dips. Then of course theres are normal 100 pushups and flutter kicks and all that fun stuff. But right now I have free time and the guys are cookin us dinner tonight so im excited...and kinda worried about that. But we will see how the guys do. This next week we start Arabic and Survival training. I cant wait to show sir Charles that I know how to fight off a bear! haha :) anyways love you guys and miss everyone!!!! Cant wait to see everybody when I come back in October for a week! Keep me in your prayers and your all in mine!!
God Bless!!

WOW!!! soo let me just start with...this has been the craziest 2 weeks of my life! Im sorry I havent posted but we dont have internet! I had to walk to a library. So where do I start to catch you up?!...Well lets see... The first day I arrived we went to bed at about 11:00, then was awaken abruptly at 4:00am with pots and pans, then there was alot of yelling and screaming to get ready I was kinds of out of it and didnt know what was going on. They pulled me out of bed and made me do push-ups for taking so long then we had march outside with whatever we had on at that point. Then the boys arrived ther were woken up by fireworks in there room! We had to learn marching formations first and once we got that down we did a rediculous amount of physical activities people were throwing up, dieing of thirst, or couldnt walk anymore. It was crazy! we were running, sprinting, lifting rocks as weights, flutter kicks, atleast 100 push-ups, a whole lot of sit ups, and jogging with really heavy rocks. After about 2 hours of that we got to eat 2 peices of bread and a apple for breakfast. At this point im thinking oh no! What have I gotten into! we got to shower up then had to meet at this lake and tie a rope in the air and hang upside down and pull our self across without falling in. We all had rope burns and horrible bruises from it. We then went to campus and ate sardeens with the scales and eyes still on them and condensed milk for lunch. doesnt that sound delicious! I dont really remeber the rest because it feels like a year ago. we get up so early and go to bes so late. every day we do the same physical training as we did on the first day...but everyday gets a little harder. We've been rock climbing, walked in underground sewer tunnels that were darker then I though anything could ever be. We werent aloud to use a flash light or evern talk we just had to feel the walls to get around. Then Scott started saying how what were doing is sharing the gospel so other may hear and live. He said if they dont know christ they will be in this forever darkness. To experience the darkness we were in close your eyes then cover them with you hands. Imagine that for 2 hours and could stop walking or couldnt talk. It was soo awesome though! We have also gone to campus at the seminary and helped people out. One thing about Fusion is you never stop going inless your sleeping for the few hours we get everynight! We also have guard duty which means we sit in the woods and watch for people to steal are flag. If they get it we get smoked! but thats 2 hours thats taken from the 4 hours we had to sleep. We also are working witha church thats all immigrants from the countrie we will be going to. None of them speak very well english and its soo awesome to be there because we go though these horrible hard things but when im at that church I realize these are the people im doing it for. They wouldnt be at that church, saved if it wasnt for missions and that makes everything we do worth it!! Seeing there love for God and we all pray togethet in diffrent languages and I dont have to know what there saying, I feel what there saying in how passionate they are. It really motivates you to see how God transformed these lives and uses us to do so! How awesome!! Lets see what else do I have to tell?...well we have been camping in the woods this past week and eaten road kill for meals! wever had to start are own fires and use the grass as a bathroom! my feet have been killing me because we dont sit down inless were sleeping. Thats it! Thats the only time! Sometime I feel like I cant make another step but the Lord is always there pulling me through! Last night we were all exahausted and they said "How about we watch a movie tonight!" We were soo excited! But of course theres a catch to it!! we get into Fondas apartment (Fusion founders assistant and organizes everything we do) so we get in and its 96 degrees!! were like whats going on! Then they set up a video camera, told us to get pen and paper and said that we have 4 movies to watch and we have to take notes and if we fall asleep we will get smoked! So at this point were realzing that we wont be done with these movies till 2:30am then have guard duty till 6:00am do basically we wont sleep tonight..and let me remind you we couldnt hold are heads up even at this point!! So they leave us in there and put on these 1960 sci fi movies! the most boring movies you could think of! Everyone was falling asleep across the floor! it was horrible!! but luckily after they said we didnt have guard duty and we could sleep at Fondas so we all passed out! this morning we had PT for a really long time and had to carry these 500 pound logs on are shoulders and thrown them, and do bench presses with them! It was horrible! but well Im about to go do another PT...Thanks everyone for there prayers!! I love you guys and miss everyone!!! Continue to pray for me tomorrow is supposed to be the hardest day yet!! God Bless!!

Fusion 08

Beginning August 10th...I will be leaving for Kansas City, Missouri for a IMB sponsored program called Fusion. Fusion is a 9 month program starting with the first 4 months of training. Training will include intense physical training...such as hiking, sky diving, rock climbing, running, rope courses. It will also include some class room work at the Midwestern Baptist seminary. My classes will be a foreign language where I'll be learning ARABIC!! Pray for me in that class! That's gonna be crazy! I'll also be learning things like First-Aid and how to survive in the wilderness in diffrent terrains. I'm gonna be learning alot of discipline...more then I ever would want to! But then again I know I should. I'll be home for Fall Break in October and for Thanksgiving and Christmas. After my Christmas break I will then journey on to Darfur, Africa with a team of about 4 members from the Fusion program. There I will be working at a refugee camp for 5 months. I ask you to please pray for me as well as Darfur Africa where genocide is taking place. Thank you all!