Good News!

It looks like the additional health information request will not delay the processing of my application! I was definitely hoping this would be true, but I also realize that everything will happen in God's timing. Of the 4 additional things they requested, one item has now reached them. Two of the other ones are in process with my doctor now, and the final one is an updated report from my eye doctor. Since my annual checkup is in a couple of weeks, I thought I might as well wait until them and get a copy of that one instead of last year's information.

Anyway, the good news is that I seem to still be on schedule! Right now my IMB Consultant, Andy, is reviewing applications. This is about a 5 week process. Early in December, they will mail out invitations to those with whom they want to continue the application process at the interview & selection conference January 20-23, 2009. (If you are curious about the conference, click here to read about it on the IMB website.)

Health Information Request

Yesterday I received another request regarding the health aspect of my IMB application. I have to go to a doctor for a couple of things and send a report from that visit, as well as from a recent visit. I also have to request a report from my eye doctor. These reports often take a couple of weeks to process, but I am hoping that they won't put me past the deadline for this round of candidates. I need to make these things happen quickly, but working around school will delay things a bit.

IT IS FINISHED!

Yesterday I managed to get past some technical difficulties and submitted the final section of my IMB application. Definitely an exciting moment! I do still need to respond to a request for more information on one aspect of the health questionnaire, but other than that, I've done all I can do. It is out of my hands. Of course, I like to think that it always has been out of my hands, because I am much better off if things are in God's hands. There is something about being at the end of the part of the process in which I can physically participate that is a relief but yet also a little nerve-wracking. Because it was such a big process and is important to me, there is a part of me that wants to be actively involved in doing everything I can to make it happen. I guess the key words in that sentence are "I Can." The truth is that there is nothing that I can do; it truly is in God's hands.

Our Wednesday night discipleship training course continues to be intense but extremely beneficial. Please pray that God will help me devote more time to the homework and to applying what I am learning this week. It is so easy to let being "busy" distract me from giving it the focus it deserves.

BTW: This is a great week for birthdays! Two of my very dear friends are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy Birthday, Courtney and Paula! I love you both!

I Inspire Them to Pray . . .

Today I had a group of Advanced Multimedia students revise a team project. After they showed me their final video, I sat down to write comments and assign a grade. As I did, the 6 of them formed a circle, held hands, and prayed aloud for me! It was impossible for me NOT to laugh as I heard sentences like, "Please help Ms. McCully to be generous as she grades our project." I must say, as objective as I try to be when grading, it never hurts to have a smile on your face while you decide a grade on a subjective, creative project! How can I help but love teaching when I work with such a fun, creative group of kids? People often ask if teenagers drive me crazy, but it is actually the other way around. They keep me sane through all of the paperwork, administrative issues, etc.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me through my students. Please help me remember to never take them for granted, and help me to recognize the opportunities You give me to point them toward You.

Discipleship Class

Wednesday night I attended the first night of a 10-week discipleship class. I was pretty overwhelmed by the fast-paced, intense nature of the class, but it definitely gave me a lot to think and pray about. The goal of the course, as I understand it, is to be prepared to disciple other believers. In addition to the class each Wednesday night, homework is provided for further study and application.

Today I submitted my health questionnaire and statement of Christian beliefs, so that's 2 more check marks on the list! Submitting the health questionnaire was a huge step for me because of the weight loss issue and also the enormity of the questionnaire.

Slow Progress

Today I am mailing my transcripts and "passport-type" photos, so I can check 2 things off the list! I'm finding it next to impossible to gather specific health-related information from, say, 7 years ago, so I may have to just write something like, "details not available" on a couple of questions.

It's been a crazy week for me, and it has gone by so fast that when I got dressed this morning I thought I was dressing for a Thursday. So, I missed my chance to wear jeans on Friday. :) Some of you know that I had a little scare Tuesday morning and had to take a sick day. I went to a doctor Wednesday, and they sent out some blood for testing. The results today were that all the tests they ran came out normal. Good news, but still leaves me without answers. I guess that is often true with health care; we don't always know what causes things.

This afternoon my student who dropped out last year came back! I've stayed in touch with her and been a support to her in every way I could, and I knew she was planning to come back sometime soon. I can't tell you how excited I was to see her walk through the door! She's one of those people that I really believe God brought into my life for a purpose, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to be there for her; to pray for her, to support her, to teach her, etc. It won't be easy for her, but I think she can still graduate with her class this year.

New Blog

I originally intended to start this blog a couple of weeks ago when the new school year started for me, but I encountered several reasons to delay this initial posting. The title of the blog was chosen to reflect my ultimate desire; to always be on mission for God, wherever I am.

I have begun to enlist prayer supporters for my journey with the IMB. These are people who are willing to covenant to pray with and for me in every aspect of my application, exploration, and potentially eventual service through the IMB. A covenant is a solemn, two-way agreement. One aspect of my end of the agreement is to keep my prayer supporters updated. This blog seems like the most logical way for me to do that. So, I will be inviting each person who covenants to pray for me to begin checking this blog.

As most of you know, I went through the initial phase of the application process several months ago and have been working on losing weight since then. This summer the IMB changed their requirements. That fact, combined with the amount of weight I have lost so far, has finally brought me within the acceptable limits. So, I am now on the big Phase 3 of the application. This phase has several components:

1. An enormous online health questionnaire. Depending on what answer you click, sometimes additional questions suddenly appear. I have made a lot of progress on this, but I have reached several detailed questions which will require me to do some digging into medical records that I don't personally possess.

2. Church recommendation form. This has been completed and submitted.

3. Statement of Christian beliefs. This contains about 10 essay questions. I've written a rough draft but need to go through and revise before submitting.

4. Autobiography (8 pages). I also have a rough draft of this completed but need to revise. The instructions for this include so many specific points which must be addressed that it is a bit challenging.

5. Publicity/Life Sketch. Again, rough draft is completed.

6. Transcript. Ready to be mailed.

7. Reference List. I've already sent in my list of people from whom I have requested references.

8. References. I was given 8 very specific categories and had to find one person in each category who was willing to serve as a reference and complete a 3 page form. I found those 8 people, and I think about half of them have already submitted their reference forms. :)

9. Two 2x2 passport-type photos (not actually for passport). On my to-do list to get these taken.

10. Background/credit check. I've already submitted my consent to this.

Please pray for me as I complete these items and as I continue to work on my weight. Also pray for the wonderful people who are serving as my references and for the IMB personnel who will be handling my application materials. Finally, I would appreciate prayer for my students and my interaction with them. As excited as I am about the possibilities for serving through the IMB in the future, I am also trying to stay focused on being "on mission" here where I am now; in my classroom, with my students . . . .