tr-tr-tr-training!

it's been over a full week of training and less than a week to go!! here's a few highlights and lessons that have been getting me going through this 100+ degree desertified weather!

• my team! meet my family away from home (first picture- clockwise): jodi, shannon, joelle, rachael, jonathan, laura, and aaron (second picture- a quick snapshot of the blue sky platypi during our team olympics!
  

• we had our first and probably last guacamole lesson planning party in a lovely hotel room :)

• i'll be honest. i've been spoiled by far living in a hotel the past week and a half- with A/C, elevators, comfy beds and pillows, housekeeping and awesome waiters, gourmet meals, pretty much everything opposite of china! but in the easy and hard times.. blessed be his name! here's a lovely picture of one of our meals and dessert ;)
  

• been to some of the longest meetings of my life but each are filled with necessary things to prepare us for china.. team building, cross cultural experiences, teaching/lesson planning, foundations in the word.. here are some quotes that i want to share with ya'll that have challenged and encouraged me and i hope will do the same for you-
  

"i have one passion- it is He and He alone"

"thicken your skin without hardening your heart"

"the path that we fear the most might be the path that we will enjoy the father most deeply"

"gladly bear the scars for him"

"if you will take care of the things that are dear to him, then he will take care of the things that are dear to you"

thanks for reading these random updates and keeping me in your thoughts- i so appreciate them!! :)... in less than a week i will be in the motherland!!! how am i feeling?? ajsdlfj;adslkfj!! (which means: excited, anxious, scared, thrilled, hopeful, fearful... yep, pretty much the same feelings from before haha)