Kansas City, and NTS!

Pre-course module homework has been finished, bags have been packed, and tearful goodbyes have been said to family and friends in Washington. After a 30ish hour roadtrip, I have reached Kansas City. Cross-cultural orientation, 365M orientation, and a time of fellowship and sharing with other 365M students have been some of the activities of this weekend. I am getting quite excited to go to Bulgaria soon!!
 
Classes have started, and I am looking forward to all I get to learn these next two weeks. These days will be packed full of information; I have class for about 8 hours every day! So much to learn. =D

 

Please keep me in your prayers. Here are a few specific prayer requests:

• health
• visa processing to go quickly and smoothly so that I receive my visa before my September 4th departure date
• generous people who want to join with me in financial support of my ministry
• strength during these two weeks of intensive course modules
• rest

Feel free to leave me any comments below. I like to hear from people : )

May you all have a wonderful day and feel the love of God today!

Mid-July already??

It's gonna take a while before I get used to blogging... :) so be patient with me please!

I'll be home with my family for exactly one month more until I leave for Kansas City.
During this next month, I have to get my visa and buy plane tickets for Bulgaria, read 1,500+ pages for grad school homework/studying, write papers, teach 45 hours of swim lessons, lifeguard for about the same amount, spend time with family and friends, pack for Bulgaria, and raise a few more thousand dollars (I need at least half the total amount before I leave). At first glance, it seems like a lot to do in a month. However, God promises to be with me all the time and take care of me. Remember Matthew 6:34? "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I just need to live each day at a time, trusting God through it all. It's not an easy lesson to learn, and God has to remind me every day to trust in God and not in myself. It's great how has God used different people to encourage me and remind me of this.

On a different note, my boyfriend is in Peru right now! He's on a short-term missions trip helping construct a church as part of his senior engineering project at NNU. I miss him, but I'm glad he's serving God with his gifts. : )

As always, feel free to drop me a note to encourage me or just to say hi! :)

Next step of my journey: 365M Bulgaria

Starting in September, I will be living in Bulgaria for nine months as a seminary student, a missionary, and a servant of God. I'll be a student with Nazarene Theological Seminary's 365M program, which places students in cross-cultural settings with mentors as they learn from experience how to minister cross-culturally. As such, I'll also be a volunteer missionary with Church of the Nazarene's Mission Corps during my nine months in Bulgaria. I'm excited to see how God will continue to lead me as I keep following God.

I'm looking for people who will partner with me as I serve God. Pray for me, encourage me, and support me financially.

check out my website!

web.nazarene.org/goto/Holston.365M_Bulgaria

A bit about me

"Teach me your way, O LORD,
   and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
   that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
   I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me."
Psalm 86:11-13a

I'm starting this blog so people can see how God is working in and through my life as I live for God. God's called me to cross-cultural ministry, and I am following God and trusting God to lead me the whole way. It's not easy, but God promises to strengthen us. Psalm 86 is a prayer of mine as I'm following God.