Introductions, Orientation, and a Baseball Game

Today was the first day of orientation, and it sure was busy! But first, let me back up. After weeks of corresponding online, I finally was able to meet Rebecca, who flew in late last night! What an exciting time of sharing stories and being encouraged of how God has been at work to bring both of us here to Avant to serve in Italy.

Rebecca and Me

The rest of the interns who will be traveling to other parts of the world arrived this morning. We all introduced ourselves and prayed for each other before eating lunch together. After that, we were taken on a tour of the Avant office and met many people. We also learned the history of Avant, which dates back to the late 1800's when a few guys came up with the vision in Abilene, KS. It was interesting to see how Avant has grown and developed since then.

The Interns! (minus one or two)

On a side note, quite a few individuals have told Rebecca and me that a "surprise" awaits us in Italy, and that we will be stretched. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I know I must be flexible and prepared for anything. I would appreciate your prayers for us that we would be flexible and open to whatever lies ahead.

Later this evening, we had a change of pace and headed to a Royals baseball game. This was my first ever. We enjoyed seats in the shade on the first tier, the second row from the back. We watched as the Royals took on the Chicago White Sox. Although they did not fare too well, it was quite the experience. (Unfortunately, the Royals' only home run happened as I was in line for an ice cream sundae.) After the game, we enjoyed the fireworks, spent 35 minutes getting out of traffic, and arrived back at headquarters around 11:15. It has been a busy but exciting first day!