Hello from my new home..

I'm here!!!

It is so good to sit here and write this to all you wonderful friends. It's been a long time coming.
The travel here was long and exhausting, but was well worth it once I stepped off the bus and saw such welcoming faces. I have settled into my room as much as one can in an afternoon and am looking forward to making it more like home in the coming weeks. I am so blessed to have a corner room with two big windows and amazing views.

I'd be lying if I said that writing this didn't make me a little bit homesick. It's strange sitting here knowing that everyone reading this is so far away and that these are stories and experiences that I won't be able to share in person for a while. With that being said, I am truly happy to be here and am looking forward to jumping into things... and jumping quickly considering we have started classes today and will have an assignment due and exam next week. Yikes!

Life here is very different and I am certainly having moments of culture shock. I am very thankful for the gas station/cafe around the corner from the clinic that has wi-fi, aircon, and yummy treats. We went there for our first 'class' this morning and ended up staying well after we were done. We may have enjoyed some french fries in that time too ;) Needless to say, it's making the transition much easier.

I had high hopes of getting over jet-lag in one day and considering my random travel schedule I thought it might work... however, at 4:30am I was wide awake and being serenaded by a little gecko outside my window. It made for a good time to catch up with some friends since it was a normal time in lovely Canada.

The next few days will be filled with more class time, homework, hopefully a birth observation, an outreach to a nearby village on Saturday, and church at another nearby village on Sunday. I so look forward to settling in more each day and truly making this my home for the next two years.

Time for some reading and homework!

Much love,
Alex


Prayer requests:

*Health and protection over all the moms and babies that come into the clinic.

*Safety as we travel to the villages this weekend.

*In order to meet certain needs as they arise, as well as continue to save for upcoming clinic fees, I am praying for provision in the way of monthly support. If this is something you are interested in, please contact me.

Happy to be back near mountains... I can look out the window and almost pretend it's BC! :)

My travels so far..

Thought it might be about time for a quick update :)

It has been a very full, wonderful week since leaving Kamloops(not that I don't miss all you great people there!). There are days that I wake up and can't believe I am in the time that I have been planning for so long.

This past Saturday the first year students of Newlife gathered just outside of Portland for a couple days of orientation. It was so fun to get to know everyone! We had a relaxing time of hiking, seeing the ocean(or skipping it for Costco instead), relaxing by a pool, and eating a lot of delicious food. It was a much needed time of rest after the very busy lead-up to leaving that most of us had experienced.
Edolbina(the other student that I will be with in Tabuk) and I clicked right away and it already feels like I have known her for ages. It's going to be an exciting and hilarious couple years with her and her husband Andrew. I am so thankful that I will already have a friend there.
The other students are all wonderful in their own right and I had such a blast with them. It was hard to send them off at the airport knowing it will be months before I see most of them, but I am so excited to walk through this with them from afar.

I am now happily spending a week and a bit in my hometown of Sault Ste Marie. It's always a joy to come 'home'. I'm thankful that I can be here to spend time with my friends, family, and to celebrate my sisters wedding before heading overseas. After this, I will be going to St. Catharines to spend time with some wonderful people there and then flying to the Philippines on Aug 25th.

My next post will probably be from my new home in Tabuk, so until then, be blessed!

Kamloops friends - I miss you a ton! Please visit RedBeard LOTS for me.. someone needs to drink my share of coffee ;)

Much love,
Alex

 - Prayer requests -
*That traveling would go smoothly when I head overseas
*For the students already there - that they would settle in well and stay in good health

NISM class of 2015 (minus a few) hiking on the Oregon coast.

The Tabuk Crew! 

Myself, Edolbina, and her husband Andrew.