Check out this fun video clip (above) that illustrates the importance of language learning

Jeff just completed a two-week Second Language Acquisition course at the Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) in Union Mills, NC--thank you to our support team for the prayers and funds to make this possible.

It was an invaluable experience that has thoroughly prepared and equipped us to face the challenges of learning Arabic, in part now and full-time when we get to Sudan.

You may be asking yourself, "Well, Jeff took the course--great. What about Heather?"

In short, Heather took a variation of this course as part of her degree at Fuller so she has met this requirement by SIM. Jeff taking this course is his way of catching up with her ;)

To keep this brief, here's a run-down of some of the things Jeff took away from this training:

-a nice, chubby binder full of very practical resources for planning a personalized language and culture learning program

-encouragement and inspiration from other missionaries en route to the ends of the earth

-the chance to act out with friends Cynthia, Darrol, and Kim some of the funner aspects of culture shock and "ego permeability"

-I learned that there's a phonetics alphabet and that there are 700 different sounds we can make (we English speakers only use about 4o of them!)

-that "childlikeness" is the key to effective language acquisition

-that we have a lot to learn :)

As you can see from our Support Level Map Update (above, right), God is "lowering" the funds faster that we can "raise" them. It has been an amazing experience thus far, which makes us that much more excited to see just what He's going to do next.

PRAYER POINTS:

-that God will raise up the remaining partners we need to commit with us to this ministry to the Sudanese for the next 2 years (for now)

-for grace as we get into our Arabic studies

-for our upcoming trip to connect with folks in Florida

Thank you, and be blessed.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16 (ESV)

These words from Scripture continue to be proven true and especially powerful to us as a reminder that we are not our own, that this ministry to the Sudanese is not ours' or our church's or SIM's, but God's. It is His love for us and for the Sudanese that makes this possible. He has made us who we are--in our strengths and weaknesses--and He has shown us quite clearly over the past few years that He wants to use us to glorify Him by serving in Sudan. So when people ask us why we want to go to a place like Sudan we can borrow the words of Paul in replying,

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that...he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)

This past month and a half of our Relationship Development Ministry has been loaded with challenges and many other blessings as we have shared this vision for ministry in Sudan with many of our family and friends in South Carolina, North Carolina, California and everywhere else via this amazing internet. Along with a lot of encouragement we are continually being stretched in our faith to entrust our future to His will. It's difficult in our day and age to trust someone else (let alone someone we have to believe in) for so much, especially when we're so accustomed to figuring everything out for ourselves--to having all our ducks in a row. But in this time of more focused prayer and sharing this vision for service with others we are truly coming to see (with the eyes of faith) what it means to be exactly where He wants us to be.

Our support team is coming along and we are excited. We've recently created a new graphic (as you can see on the right -->
that gives y'all a sense of "where we're at" in the process.

As we continue on this road set before us please keep us in your prayers--that our faith would continue to be strengthened and that more people would be moved to partner with us in this step of faith.
Please also let us know how we can be in prayer with you--since we already are, you may as well give us some specifics ;)

Grace and Peace,

The Ladines

Our first prayer letter is in the hopper and will be out soon!

Please continue to keep us in prayer as we share with people and churches about partnering with us in serving the Sudanese. Thank You!

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Since it's been a while since our last post the following update will be something of an outline in pictures. Enjoy and be blessed!

Before SIMCO training Jeff went out to CA to Nick and Emily Buccola's wedding with his buddy Michael Moore

Before that, we celebrated our 4th anny with a hotair balloon ride over Asheville, NC--thanks to all who made it happen!

With our friends Luke and Tiffany at SIMCO training.

Out to dinner in NC for Mammy's birthday--don't the thinner White's look great!

Heather met up with her friend Rachel to help her drive from The Big Easy to The Big Apple.

To Seattle for a wedding that was postponed :(

Got to spend lots of quality time with friends Jake and Melissa, and Maggie :)

Here we are with our colleagues at the top of historic King's Mountain

It's been an amazing first week here at our SIM Candidate Orientation.

Thanks to those of you who have remembered us here in your prayers--we've had a lot of information coming at us lately and it's easy to get overwhelmed, especially with all the emotions that come along with missionaries sharing their ministry experiences and fellow SIMCOers sharing their testimonies.

Some of the things we've learned this week include:

-the nuts and bolts of putting together a support team

-how, as SIM missionaries, we will be catalysts for our churches to be more missions-minded

-how to tell our story and effectively share God's vision for us with others

-that a key to living in community is to assume people's best intentions

-that flexibility (not physical;) is the key to contentment

-how to build authentic, Christ-like relationships with Muslims

There is one quick exchange I'd like to share with you between one of our colleagues here and his 2 1/2 year old during one of our first worship services.

The father notices his son smiling and waving at someone during the service:

F: Clay, who are you waving to?

C: I'm waving to Jesus, daddy.

F: You're waving to Jesus? Well, where is he?

C: He's right up there peeking from behind the screen smiling at me.

Clay looks back towards the front and resumes smiling and waving. Taken aback, the father now asks him:

F: Well, what is Jesus wearing?

C: He's got a yellow shirt on and he's smiling at me.

What an awesome reminder of God's presence in our midst, and that it's through child-like vision that God chooses to reveal Himself to us.

Needless to say, we have all had a new perspective on worship since they shared this with us.

Please continue to pray that we maintain our focus on the present while planning for the future, and that our marriage continues to strengthen as we learn about what it means to live and serve in a difficult place like Sudan.

Thank you, and may the Lord bless you for your support.

Or, SIMCO, starts for us this week at the SIM headquarters in the Charlotte area. We will be living in community here for the next three weeks with all kinds of people from all over who are looking to serve the church in some capacity in some part of the world.

We would like to use this blog to keep y'all updated on our progress here as we learn more about SIM and about serving with them in Sudan.

If you share our belief in the power of prayer we would ask that you would join us, especially these next three weeks, in praying that God will guide us through this process and that we will learn more and more what it means to trust Him in everything.

Thanks for joining us on this journey!

By South Carolina standards we've had a fairly wet and cool spring thus far. I for one believe it is a test of our gratitude since no matter how much rain we get now it's only a matter of time before it's too hot and we're doing everything we can to stay cool.

The pollen was incredible this year, dusting everything yellow--another reason to be grateful for the rain--free carwash ;)

And the flowers are glorious, a wonderful reminder that winter is just another season and that God brings new life through the old. Just when the cold and bitterness of winter and the harsh realities of life and death seem to have drained us of hope, in breaks the newness of spring that reminds us of life's beauty, of God's goodness toward us not because of who we are but in spite of who we are--it points to a man who sacrificed his life in order that he might live again, and that our believing him would allow us to live in this hope of new life through death.

I continue to learn and struggle with just what it means to live and walk "by faith, and not by sight"; what it means to live in a relationship of faith with God not as though he has expectations of me or a bunch of rules for me to follow (since he knows who I am and the kind of decisions I make); and what it means to say that God loves us exactly as we are, and too much to let us stay that way.

As we who live by faith celebrate the seemingly impossible reality of Jesus' resurrection let us remember and rejoice in the hope that we have in him; let us not be turned aside by the expectations of others but let us take up the challenge of pursuing a relationship with God that shapes us into people who really trust him, even more than we trust ourselves.

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Since we've turned this blog update into a two-monther (looking back on April and looking towards May) we'll now sum things up with the highlights:

Katie likes pink cupcakes

~We celebrated Easter weekend down in sunny Florida with Heather's family where we enjoyed a delicious taste of summer-like weather

~We survived as substitute parents for our friends' 5 kids up in the Chicago area for a week: yes it was challenging, but also a lot of fun

Abby (one of the 5) putting a new spin on homework:

~we completed our Financial Peace course and are making substantial progress on organizing our finances: just about to wrap up "Baby Step 3"--woo-hoo! (look into the program at http://www.daveramsey.com)

~we're looking forward to an Atlanta visit sometime this month to catch up with friends Michael Moore and the Bachmans (as they are preparing for a move to Asia)

~Don't forget Mother's Day! (May 10th)

February brought us many blessings and fun memories, and March is off to an agreeable start.

-Jeff got a part-time job as an after-school counselor at a local YMCA!
-We're still working through our Financial Peace course and we're learning A LOT about being good stewards of what little we have
-We've read some really interesting books through which we continue to be challenged and sharpened
-Jeff had a guy weekend reunion of sorts with buddies Michael Moore and Jon Dephouse in the ATL for some catching up and some Intervention (a crazy new reality show that sucked us in)--we also recommend "Slumdog Millionaire" as an excellent flick

Furthermore...


Heather had a ladies reunion out at Big Bear in CA where she enjoyed some overdue fellowship and lots of yummy food.



We celebrated Jeff's 3oth with our favorite little people.



"Ko" was our house guest for 3 nights as he passed through Lexington on his bicycle journey up the East Coast from FL. We were blessed to host him on this leg of his adventure, and to have a third person to keep Jack from beating Jeff too badly at Monopoly.



The first week of March started with freezing weather and a snow day for the schools, and ended with a weekend in the high 70s. Needless to say we took advantage of the awesome springish weather by joining the Stacey's for a dam walk ;) and a picnic on Lake Murray.

As far as our pursuit of serving in Sudan we feel that God is leading us to go with the agency Serving in Mission (SIM), though we will not be official candidates until we go through a 3 week orientation process in July. We will then (hopefully) be accepted and look to begin more preparations, including fundraising. So far, we have been doing some counseling, reading recommended books, and sharing what we know about SIM and God's vision for us as it continues to unfold.

Thanks for keeping up with us, and we certainly appreciate any updates from y'all.

Please pray for the church around the world, especially in Sudan where the president of the country has reacted to being issued an arrest warrant by kicking 13 relief agencies out of Darfur--as if they didn't have it bad enough already.
Please also pray for more part-time work or a full-time position for Jeff.