Hello from Canada!

Guess what? I'm in Canada!! Okay, so I guess I spoiled that with my blog post title. I'm so thankful to be able to say that I've successfully arrived on campus at the New Tribes Mission missionary training center in Durham, Ontario. For the next 16 months, this is where I'll train and prepare take the gospel, make disciples, and help plant a church among people who not only haven't heard the gospel, but have never had access to it in their language!

I arrived at the NTM training center on Monday, August 22 at 8 pm. The immigration and visa process at the Canadian border took a little bit longer than I had hoped but praise God, there were no problems and I even had a cheerful immigration officer who processed my paperwork. :) I had the blessing of caravanning from Ohio to Ontario with some dear friends and a fellow student (more about that and other recent blessings in my upcoming post).

My s10 pick-up truck was packed to the brim with all of my stuff, including a desk and recliner, so having extra hands to unload was a huge blessing as well!

The past few days I have been settling in, meeting staff, getting to know the campus, setting up my apartment, and completing other tasks like opening a Canadian bank account and running to Wal-Mart for some food essentials....oh, and learning to watch my speed in kilometers and tell the temperature in Celsius (Let's just say that the metric system was covered way too long ago in school!).

I'll be rooming with another female student for the entire program, and we both are overjoyed at the amount of space we have in our apartment. It was a great surprise! Some of you have asked if I'll be living in rustic, primitive conditions! Well, I'm guessing the pictures of my apartment below answer that question for you.

However, the jungle living part of the training will come later next summer, so stay tuned! (Click here for a sneak preview of the type of stove/oven I'll be building and cooking on during that part of the training).

The rest of this week, students will continue to arrive each day. What a unique and exciting opportunity to get to spend the next 16 months training, bonding, and growing with a group of  12 individuals who have a shared passion for the glory of God among all people groups, and a calling to be a part of taking the gospel to the unreached people groups in the remotest parts of the world!

I'm so ready to start this training! On Monday, we will begin orientation, and the following week we begin our classes. This semester, my classes include focuses on cross cultural learning and communication, mission field healthcare, team dynamics, and how to teach the Bible chronologically. I get to learn from individuals who have all been on the mission field for years serving on church planting teams, so their experience, insight, and wisdom will be invaluable! Every day, I'm amazed and humbled that God has led me to be involved in this work. What a joy and privilege!

Please Pray for:
1. Monthly financial partners (I'm currently at 29.5% of my total support)
2. Wisdom and guidance as I choose a church within the next month
3. Understanding, knowledge retention, and a teachable heart as I begin the training
4. God's work in the hearts of the unreached people group with whom I'll live in the future

Note: I'd love to hear from you! If you want to send a letter or package to me while I'm in Canada, here's my mailing address:
Autumn Arp
313363 Hwy 6 S
Box 707
Durham, ON N0G 1R0
Canada

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.