January/Training/Leaving Update

Hello friends! A lot has gone on since my last update. January was a month full of training! I had an amazing week in Orlando for Young Life's All Staff Conference. It only happens once every 4 years and there were 4,000 people there! It was amazing to see where YL has come in just 4 years...it was also great to see friends and meet my whole team from Heidelberg. They are great and I am really looking forward to working with them.

After All Staff we drove across the state to Crystal River for two weeks of New Staff Training. There were 200 of us going through the 2 intensive seminary courses. It was a lot of work but it was also fun. I was sent home with a lot of homework to finish before April 30th.

I am finally on my way to Germany on Monday, Feb. 4th! This is really exciting and also a little scary! :-) As soon as I get to Heidelberg I have tons of stuff to do!! We have middle school club that night and middle school camp in 2 weeks!

I have my new PO box address in Germany, mailing rates are the same as within the U.S.:
Laura Livingston
CMR 119 Box 1959
APO AE 09102

Also, I have had a few questions about where to send support checks. The address below is the address that all checks should be sent to:
Send a check, made payable to Young Life to:
P.O. Box 2920
Colorado Springs, CO 80901-9832
Please put acct. X9119 in the memo line.
(or if you are interested in auto pay please go to www.younglife.org )

For all of my prayer warriors I do have a few prayer requests:
1.) That I will have a meaningful time with my family and friends as I am wrapping up everything and getting ready to leave.
2.) That I will have a safe flight over to Germany
3.) That my car will sell, that I can find a place to live in Heidelberg, that I can find a reliable and inexpensive car in Heidelberg.
4.) For Escape, the middle school camp that will be happening in 2 weeks.
5.) For my family as we go through some transitions.

As always, thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. You have blessed me beyond belief. Please know that I am praying for you as well! His- Laura

Almost that time

Hi friends!

I hope that your holidays were wonderful. I had a great time with my family.

Only 2 1/2 more days until I'm off to Orlando for training and conferences! Then it's back home for a week before I'm Germany bound on Feb. 4th.

It's a very strange feeling I'm going through right now. I am very excited to be going, but I'm also very sad about leaving.

My small group threw a party for me tonight. (It was my last night with them.) It is so hard to think about finding a group this great all over again.

I think I am talking from a place of stress and sleeplessness. My final training book has been read and my paper was written today. That means I am one step closer to being gone!

Your continued prayers are so greatly appreciated right now. If you would like specific ways you can be praying for me, here they are:

• I desperately need to sell my vehicle before I leave. I can not afford to make payments on it while I am gone.
• That a place for me to live would become available in Germany in the next couple of weeks. As of right now I will be staying with my regional director and his family until I can find a place.
• That I can find a reliable and reasonably priced vehicle quickly when I arrive in Germany.
• That all of the boxes I have sent that are being held in the Post Office in Germany will be safe when I arrive to claim them.
• That I can tie up all the lose ends here and make time to be here mentally for my friends and especially my family.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. Even though I am a jumble of emotions right now I still know that the Creator of the Universe is in control and if He takes care of the lilies and the sparrows He will take care of me!

I pray that you will be blessed in the New Year and thank God for you!

Laura

Leiderhosen and Bratwurst, oh my!

Guten Tag!

Wie geht es Ihnen?

Or in other words...Hello! How are you?

Incase my amazing German skills weren't a big enough clue, I'll let the cat out of the bag....It's official, I'm moving to Germany! Heidelberg, Germany to be exact. Home of the United State Army, IMCOM- Europe and V Corps.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a week of intense Cross Cultural Orientation in Colorado with 20 of my fellow international missionaries. It was an amazing week of old friends, new friends and information overload! While I was there I had the honor of being taken out to dinner by the Director of MCYM, his wife and my new Regional Director. It was so great to hear about all of the amazing things that are happening in Club Beyond in Europe (and some pretty funny things as well.)

After two confirmation calls from Germany yesterday it's all set that I will be moving to Germany on February 5th after 3 weeks of Conferences and New Staff Training in Orlando.

The one snag in my plan is that I still need to raise about $14,000. I know that we serve a big God who is never caught off guard and who knows everything...even when we don't. Please pray with me that the rest of this funding comes in so that I can get started with this amazing ministry.

As always your prayers and generous support are humbling and so greatfully appreciated. I literally could not do this important work without you. Thank you for being a part of His Kingdom story!

Danke and Tschüs (Thank you and see you later!)

September Update

Hello everyone! I can't believe it is September already! I wanted to give all of you a quick update. I currently have almost half of my support commited, which is very exciting and which also means I still have a long way to go! As some of you know I spoke with my direct contact person at the MCYM office about 2 weeks ago and they want me in Europe in January! Your continued prayers and support are greatly appreciated and so encouraging. This has been a long process but God has been doing amazing things. He constantly surprises me (even though I know nothing should surprise me with God!) :-)

I have received a couple of questions about the giving process....just to recap there are 3 easy ways to give:
1.) Fill out the Electronic Funds Transfer form for automatic monthly payments. I believe that most of you have received this form...if you would like another please let me know and I would be happy to send one.
2.) Go to www.younglife.org to enroll in automatic online giving. (Look for the online giving icon on the left of the page.) OR click on the "Online Giving" link on this page to be taken directly there.
3.) Send a check, made payable to Young Life to:
P.O. Box 2920
Colorado Springs, CO 80901-9832
Please put acct. X9119 in the memo line.

Again, thank you so much for your continued prayers. You have no idea how much you have given me strength and encouragement these past couple of months. Have a wonderful September and I will give you another update soon!!
Laura