We're on fire! Literally!

Hey all,
We just got back from our retreat which was amazing and fun, we got there Saturday and spent the night, leaving after lunch on Sunday. We got there around 11:30am had lunch which we had packed the night before and then set up our room which was a covered wagon!


The retreat was at a ranch set up by our staff and allowed by a very generous ranch owner that frequently gives both the opportunity to spend time on his property and financially to the Titus project.

After eating I got some much needed girl time with the other girls on Titus and Jeff and the boys went off to shoot some bows and arrows.



When they came back we went in search of the horses we heard were there and we found them! There were three of them and they were so sweet. The one I am petting tried to nibble on my hand.



As you can see, we had some fun with the skins from the animals that our host had taken down.


It was a great time and we were so thankful to have a day of rest after the crazy first week of Titus. That is until Saturday night when we started getting calls from the base about a fire which is right above the base in Lakeside, MT. Below are the pictures taken from our base, as you can see the fire is very close and for a while they were not sure if they would have to evacuate the whole town. They are working hard to ensure the safety of the people in the town. Please pray for their safety as well as for the safety of the people whose homes are near the fire.


We spent a better part of the night praying and worshiping, coming back to the base today we found that However now they have been able to beat back the fire 20%. However there is still a danger. Below are more pictures and a link that talks more about it.

Some highlights of this week are that we have to prepare a 20 minute sermon this week, which is due on Friday, write a research paper and Jeff is going to lead worship for the SBS on Wednesday.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. We love you guys.

Becky

http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=11205497

Day three, four and five

As I write this I am trying to hurry as we are in class right now, don't worry, we are on break.
How can I describe how busy this week has been? It's like trying to prepare for a dinner for 25 in two hours, it might be possible, but you feel like you are trying to accomplish the impossible.
We have had lectures everyday, we are reading two books simultaneously, going through three booklets on teaching, journal-ing and preparing our teaching of the inductive method which was supposed to be 45 minutes long. Needless to say we have a lot on our plates right now. :) We have been lucky enough to have our staff plan a trip to a ranch this weekend! They want to make sure that through all the stuff we have going on during the week that we have time to relax, even though it is recommended that we bring our books to read.

Ahhhh! It's Friday and we have successfully completed our first teaching! Both of us did a great job apparently, but I have a few minor things to improve upon before I am perfect. ;) But it is nice to know that the potential is there.

There are eight people on our team including us, one other married couple, one guy, two girls and our leader Kerry. The details are still in the process of being worked out but we should know shortly where we are going, and what we will be teaching.

With love,
Becky

First day of Titus

Well what a long day we found ourselves in today! Today was the first day of all the base schools and to start it all off we gathered together as a whole base to greet one another, worship and fellowship through eating. Worship was amazing and made all the stress of fund-raising seem to melt away. It was a time to let go of all the worries and to just praise him for what he has done and for what he will do among us and through us.
We still have approx. $2100 to raise before we go to Nepal but we know that he will provide everything we need through whatever means necessary. The finances coupled with my little (by little I mean huge) fear of teaching has had me in a frenzy for at least a month now. However, today for the first time I have been able to breathe freely knowing that there is no way I can do this on my own. Weird I know but realizing that my fears and trepidations make his faithfulness stand out so much more clearly when he comes through, which he always does. I love Him!
Class was good, we heard a lecture on the heart of a teacher, learned the history and passion of Titus, prayed for each other and got a quick overview of what to expect.
If you have read my previous blog you will see that I needed to see the doctor about some thyroid issues. This I was able to do today, they are running some tests to see what it is so your continued prayers would be appreciated. One of the things I had forgotten about Montana is that everyone is so friendly and welcoming. All the nurses were so nice, wanting to know what we did and where we were going. One of them, Paula, was an universalist (the belief that all roads lead to heaven) but considers herself a Christian. She was super nice and we talked about it for a little and she gave us her e-mail so that we could update her with our outreach! I would encourage you to pray for her as you read this.

With love,
Becky

First day in Montana

Well, today was here and gone sooner than I had expected. We woke up at 11am after getting in to the base sometime around 12am, already there were people knocking on our door to see us. It was so nice to see dear and familiar faces right after waking up.
It was a very difficult time leaving our family and friends this time, having only been home a short time we did not get to see many of you and did not get to spend enough one on one time with everyone. Even with those of you we saw it was not enough! We really appreciate all the love and support we were shown while we were home.
Even so God was so good to us that we were able to be with many that we love as we came back to continue our training before going to Taiwan. It makes it much easier to do as God asks when he is so faithful to give us what we need and desire. We both felt that even though we are far from home, He is still with us, and he will continue to surround us with people to love and to be loved by.
This next week is a busy one, we will have lectures both every morning as well as some afternoon classes, read a book, prepare a teaching on the inductive method and teach it by the end of the week. As being a part of the Montana base we will also have a welcome time tomorrow morning, have base intersession and community worship, also we will have intersession and worship with the new SBS.
We are so excited to see God work and move through us. We hope to be an encouragement to the new students who are at this base even though we will only be here a short time (three weeks).
On a side note, I (Becky) have been having problems with my energy among some things and will have to go in and see a doctor since it may be an under-active thyroid. It's not a huge deal but we would appreciate your prayers on this.
God bless you!

Becky