Before I start I have a confession... Corey and I forgot to start The Journey on time. Sorry!!! I know... we're supposed to be your fearless leaders, but hey... here's a good reminder that we're not perfect! But! We didn't let our mistake stop us! Nope... we picked it up and got started and have caught up to where we should be now!!! All that to say, if you're struggling getting started, it's okay! We did too! Just push through the hard part of beginning!

So... now that I've caught up and completed week I... I have really enjoyed it! I think God has some great things to teach me through this. The two things that God really highlighted to me are first, the quote on page 18 about surrender. I have to confess that I really like to get my own way. But Richard Foster got it exactly right... my need to have my way is a bondage... freedom is being able to surrender. I feel like that's going to be really important as we come together as a team - sometimes we'll get our way, sometimes we won't! We'll find freedom in being content in either scenario. I'm praying God really sinks that into my heart...

The other thing that really stuck out to me... and this is kind of funny to me... is the Culture Crossing "What Do You Value?" I've been praying a lot about the culture shock we will encounter in Ireland. You can read a lot about entering different cultures and how the different food, different clothes, and different language are going to put you into a state of shock. In Ireland, we will have different food... but not that different. The clothes may not be what you wear... but they aren't that different. And though the accent is different... the language is the same. But you know what? We are still entering a different culture and we will still experience culture shock. This section on values really reminded me of that. Irish people don't necessarily have the same values as North Americans. As I'm  reading through these sections on Culture Crossing, I'm remembering that we still need to be prepared to minister in a different culture... despite the fact that it won't be shockingly different.

So what's stuck out to you? What is God teaching you right now? Which part of Week I has impacted you? If nothing yet, that's okay! Let's just share what God is up to!