I've sent my application!!

Wow - God has been continuing to take me on an exciting journey as I have been seeking his will for my life. He has been guiding me specifically around missions over the next couple of years. Thanks for praying for me over the past couple of months as I have been seeking God for direction. I feel that God is leading me to go to Mexico with International Teams to do a two-year mission placement. I have really valued those who have given me encouraging words on my journey and have listened and prayed with me. It's really good to have others who can encourage me when things are confusing and tough decisions have to be made.

So, what's been happening? I'm almost half-way through doing Advanced Perspectives and I'm continuing to learn lots and be challenged about communicating the gospel cross-culturally. I have been learning some great principals and tools about understanding culture, understanding God's word and contextualising the message for effective communication. I've also been having some great conversations with people about where I'm at and my ideas and plans about going back to Mexico and through these things doors are opening for me to return there. I sent off my application to International Teams last week to be accepted as a first-term, 2 year team missionary. That was a big step in my journey and I heard from Janice at IT that they were really excited to get my application!

In a couple of weeks, I'm heading off to Sydney for my first training module with International Teams from 15-28 April. This course introduces International Teams in a bit more depth, talks about aspects of serving as a missionary and equips me for the next step of going longer-term. I'm excited to join with other people who will be going out with IT to serve also - it's going to be great! There are three more training modules that I am required to complete before I leave for the field:

• Maximum Impact Language Learning (June);
• Partnership Development (July); and
  
• Transition Training for living and working in another culture (January 08).

In terms of timeframes, I am currently looking at completing these training courses this year whilst continuing to work at KPMG until close to the end of the year, then completing my final training and heading out around February or March next year as God enables and provides. I'm open to God's leading and guiding on this, but that's what currently seems best. A particular challenge in the short-term will be getting the time off work in June and July (13 working days) for training as I won't have enough annual leave left after taking 2 weeks off for the first training module. This will mean that I have to request unpaid leave from work. I am really praying about this process because I want to make my transition from KPMG work to mission work a really effective witness to those in my workplace.

Specific prayer points:

• Discipleship and growth - I want to be close to God, growing and walking in His way
• Finalising the International Teams application process - I've got to do a couple of other things and tests to complete my application process
• Logistics and training - that God would open doors for me to complete the required training and that this training would really prepare me in the ways God wants for me. Also for getting the time off that I need to do the training
  
• Time management - I'm a really busy person and need to take the time to prepare, communicate with IT and missionaries on the field, prepare things and balance work and life etc.
• Continued peace and guidance - Just to be really listening to God and obediently following

Thanks for taking the time to catch up on where I'm at with my journey of stepping out where I believe God is leading me. I'd love to catch up with you and chat further as there's lots more detail than I can put into an email. I have made a blog to capture some of these things and I hope to try and update it from time to time so if you're interested, check out http://philonajourney.blogspot.com.

Finally, I was just reading from 1 John chapter 4 in my bible tonight and wanted to encourage you with these words (I've put in The Message version):

(verses 7-10) My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

Que Dios te bendiga!

Phil