Here is a pair of sandals that I was given in fourth grade. So yes, there are still shoes in this present day that don’t get thrown away after a year! To me, this pair of shoes is like my life right now—a mixture of the familiar and the new. Old shoes, new shoes … After I grew into them, I wore them a lot, but by the time I reached high school, these sandals had gotten hard and were falling apart. I think they even molded one year during the rainy season. Thanks to Birkenstock, I sent them in for repairs and they came back looking like new. A New Candidate ... One thing that especially stood out to me as I went through two weeks of orientation with my current mission organization was that beyond the familiar things, I felt like I was hearing everything from a new perspective. In some ways, I do know them pretty well, yet growing up in this organization or being on staff with their short-term programs is quite different from the perspective of becoming a Member for longer-term ministry overseas. Even more so, living as an adult in Taiwan will include very different challenges and cultural implications from what I experienced there as a kid. I am definitely preparing to wear "different shoes" than I have in the past. Time for more repairs ... Sometimes old shoes just need some polishing, and sometimes they need to go back to the shop for some deeper repairs. Perhaps comparing oneself to an old pair of shoes is not the most uplifting thought, yet it can be encouraging if you think about the outcome of God’s handiwork in renewing us because we are valuable to Him, not just cheap and disposable. "Not yet" ... With a lot of thought and prayer, leadership has decided that I need some more time before they can give me a green light to be "Appointed" to move forward as an Member. This means that for now, I focus on strengthening some areas where I need to better understand my own gifting, needs and limitations. Although the process of receiving this news has been disappointing and admittedly confusing, I am at peace that this is a wise decision and will have a valuable outcome. Yet this will also be a longer process where I will need a lot of insight and obedience in what the Lord is showing me. Time schedule ... For now, I hope to begin training my replacement in the Fall, and I plan be on staff here at least until the end of December. Next steps after that will depend on these next few months as I seek growth and prayer and discernment from the Lord. The shoe still fits ... JO Fraser’s biography, Mountain Rain, talks about the value of prayer and shows the real life issues he faced as a single missionary working alone in the mountains. He had very real struggles, and God did not dispose of him either, but continued to teach Him and show His power through him. His experiences still apply to us in our lives today, and a docudrama will be released in September, called Breakthrough. (Go to www.jofraser.org for more info.) May we each continue to see the power of prayer in our daily lives. --- Note: The above entry is from my July prayer letter. I don't generally post my prayer letters on my blog, but I decided to put some of this update out for more of you all to see. If you would like to get my monthly prayer letters, please email me and let me know. The main commitment is to pray when you get the letter, and beyond that, it's more up to the individual. :) | 
