Retirement……LOVE IT!

I have made a big decision in the last week. I have decided to go on a mission trip with our church group to Belarus. Our church has taken a couple of trips to Belarus, so our leaders know all the requirements, restrictions, etc. I will be part of a team going into Minsk to teach Conversational English.

The course is free to the Belarussians who want to learn how to speak English. It does not involve grammar rules or sentence structure. We will teach them how to pronounce words correctly and how to say something in English the way we would say it when just conversing with friends. Therefore, ANYONE can do this kind of teaching — all you have to be able to do is speak English! I just hope they don’t pick up my southeast Missourian accent!

We will be going in January, and it will be VERY cold there. Since I seem to be REALLY hot all the time now days, I’m sure I will be just fine! We will be holding the classes and staying in a seminary. Our accommodations will be dormitory-style and all our meals will be provided by the church. We will be teaching four two hour classes each day for five days.

Our group will be leaving January 24 (the day after my birthday) and returning in the wee hours on February 3. As I said earlier, it will be VERY cold there. It will also be the time of year when they only have about 7 hours of daylight. I have a request: I ask that you keep me and the whole team in your prayers. Please pray for us as we prepare to go on this trip, that God will give us traveling mercies, and to prepare our hearts and minds to show the light of His son to all people with whom we come in contact. Also, please pray for our physical stamina with such long work day schedules and that each of us will stay healthy throughout the trip. Pray that He will multiply our skills while we teach English to these people, as they view being able to speak English as a way to better their lives and their future. Please pray that as each of us “share” (give our testimony) our story of how our “friend” (Jesus Christ) has helped us in our lives that those who hear will have a desire in their hearts to know more about our God.

I can’t wait to return and share my experience with you. Rest assured, there will be lots of pictures!