And here we are!

Well I'm all moved in. Its so weird. Even with everything all set up now, it still feels like I'm in a weird dream or a book I read a long time ago.

Update: Time in Ohio with Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma was wonderful- so much fun. Laughed a lot, cried a little, and heard SO many amazing stories of ways God had been faithful when each of them went through language school here. They also told me lots of horror stories so I would be good and excited to come :P

Friday I said good-bye and drove the last ten hours down to the Missioary Training Center(MTC). Once I had navigated my car all the way down the hill to the bottom of the gravel maze, I forgot where I was supposed to go. But as God's amazingness would have it, the first lady I walked up to ask for help was the lady I needed to find! So she took me to my apartment, and she and Marianne, my roommate, helped me bring everything in. Then we went on a tour of the MTC- good gracious, the whole things is a bit of a maze with all the construction. Eventually we finished, and then Ronda (the lady who found me) invited us both over for dinner.

Marianne had done a LOT of work on the apartment by the time I got here- she very much has an artist's eye, and it looks very nice. The mattresses are comfy, the closet is huge (or at least it looks huge to me), I get awesome cellphone signal, and the mattress is comfortable far beyond anything I could ever have hoped for! Some of you who have followed a bit of the issues with my back/neck can give praise with me for what an amazing blessing that is!

When Grandma told me the size of the house, I thought she was joking. She wasn't. Thank goodness I didn't bring my big comfy chair- it would never have fit :P. But there's much less cleaning this way- and I hate cleaning. I was more dissapointed that the apartments don't have showers- instead there is a public shower. Public shower's are one of my all time least favorite things. But as public showers go, these are very nice- probably the best set up for them I've seen, and at least there's a toilet in each house! And its good practice for going to a tribe where there likely won't be any plumbing at all.

I met the other girls in my building yesterday- Marianne and I share 101, Rachel and Suzie share 102 and Promise and Michelle share 103. They all seem very nice- I think we'll have fun together. I keep wanting to call the building a longhouse because it kind of reminds me of Mom's stories about the long houses in Indonesia, but I was informed that this building is called the "Ghetto". But I think Long house is better (except its not longer than any of the other student housing units up here.)

My favorite thing so far though is definately the lake. It is so gentle-peaceful. I was sitting by it this morning and it reminded me that God can give peace even when I'm more than a little overwhelmed by everything that just happened/is going on/is about to start. And then God reminded me that He is the point of it all. Not becoming Wild Wilderness Woman or the next Mary Slessor or even rescuing poor tribes locked in darkness, the point is Him.That is the point no matter where or I am or what I'm doing or whether or not I have shower. Knowing, loving and obeying Him with everything I am until the very last time I breathe.