Richmond, Virgina (Take 1)

Doug and I arrived here this afternoon on the first shuttle. There has been one more shuttle arrive and there will be two more tonight at 9pm. There are 90 candidates that are here for interviews this week. We are all excited to be at this phase in the process. It's been a long journey for a lot of us, and it is really neat to hear the stories of everyone about how they got here.

The dining hall is decorated with flags from hundreds of countries and there is traditional clothing from different countries framed and hanging on the walls. This picture is for my children. These are all the cereals that they can choose from every morning (even the sugary ones that we only buy for a treat).



There is a large globe fountain outside the library and computer lab,


and the International Learning Center facility is divided up by continent names. Doug and I are staying in the Americas. We walk past the dorms in Africa to eat in the dining hall, which is north of Asia. It sounds confusing, but the point I was trying to make, is that everywhere you go, you are reminded the world is so much larger than you.

There is a large map on the wall in one building and the pictures of all the missionaries that are here for their eight weeks of training are put on the map over the country where they will be serving. They are covering the globe. It's amazing. And that is just this semester's group. I love that we are a part of this process of taking the message of Jesus Christ all over God's globe.

As a side note, for all of you who are filling out references for Doug and I, I hit a little bit of a snag. The stamp prices changed today, so I have hunted through two airports looking for 2 cent stamps. I realized that not only do my envelopes need them, the self-addressed stamped envelope from the IMB is 2 cents short, as well. I think I've found a place to get stamps, but it won't be until tomorrow morning. Hopefully you will get the reference forms soon.

Our day ends at 8pm tomorrow, but I'll try to write if I can.