Spider Monkeys and Kitties

Hi friends and family!

        It's your friend or family member, Tina!  I've been hanging out in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the last couple of weeks frolicking in meadows with Jesus and taming kitties with the Holy Spirit.  Only kidding. Well actually it's somewhat true, I do like being in meadows talking to Jesus and kitties do roam our apartment complex, but that's besides the point.

       When I first got down here I spent many long strategic hours plotting how to make my little way back to the land of cornfields and rainbows, but luckily I stuck it out because Tulsa and me roll like peanut butter and jelly now.  I feel extremely grateful that I am able to learn the things I do during my classes.  Some of my favorites are Authority of the Believer, Foundations of Faith,and Transformed Living. I've never known myself to be the kind of girl sitting on the edge of her seating staring wide eyed at the teacher scribbling down notes like a secretary on steroids but Bible School has made me so.  

       Something that I can't say I've been on the edge of my seat for has been ministry.  I have learned that I am the kind of person who doesn't like to do things until/unless I feel like I'm really good at that thing.  During our first couple of weeks we did team building activities and one of those activities was to cliff dive 40 feet into this Lake by Tulsa.  Every part of me did not want to jump off this jagged piece of rock into the distant, looming, glossy water of death, but then they were counting "3" and I was running "2" oh, and then I was hesitating "1!!" and there I was, cascading through the air, flaying my legs like an overgrown spider monkey.  That is how I feel about every day.  "Oh Tina, you've never prayed for strangers before?  Here's a line of 25 people who are waiting for you to pray for them. Go get them girl!"  Hallelujah to Jesus that they were a group who were limited in their understanding of English. I have to say though, that even though my prayers were awkward, and didn't really make any sense and probably actually broke every rule in the English language, the people genuinely smiled at me and appreciated it.  Something weird happened to me when I saw those smiles, I felt a surge of love for these people that I honestly can say I've never felt for complete strangers before.  At the end of the day, I looked back very grateful at that cliff that I had been pushed off.

     I have oh so many more stories I could go into, but I think I'm going to leave it here for now.  All your support and prayers have been more of a blessing than I can explain. I love you all very much!

   -Tina