Countdown: 75 Days...

...until I leave for here.

I intend to post on this blog as frequently as possible, especially while I am in
Ethiopia, so that you may be adequately updated on my "adventures abroad". For now; however, I will simply post a portion of my support letter in order to
enlighten you on what this endeavor is all about.

Dear Friends and Family,

Believe it or not, I am practically finished with my senior year at Cedarville University! I have learned so much about how to become an excellent elementary teacher in addition to how I can efficiently incorporate Biblical truth into my future classroom. I have continued to mature not only in academics, but spiritually as well. In addition to all of this, Cedarville University is also the place where I developed a relationship with my future spouse. On June 27th, 2009 I am going to marry David Grudda, a missionary kid from Africa. Our relationship alongside my recent mission’s trip to Spain has helped me to realize the importance of the great commission in Matthew, and Dave and I both see the potential for long-term missions in our future. I am at a slight disadvantage, however, because David grew up in Africa…and I did not. While I am being educated well on how to teach in the urban schools in Ohio, the schools in Africa are going to be very different and I know it will be hard to adjust. For this reason, among others, I felt that God was leading me to do my student teaching abroad.

I have been granted the incredible opportunity by Cedarville University and the Missions Involvement Services Department (MIS) to minister in the country of Ethiopia through my spring semester of student teaching. I will be leaving in January to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where I will be teaching a first grade classroom at Bingham Academy for 12 weeks. There are roughly 280 students from over 20 different countries who attend Bingham Academy; therefore, I am clearly going to be teaching in a very diverse classroom. Yet, there is so much more to this ministry opportunity. Addis Ababa is the largest and most diverse city in the Horn of Africa. Because this city is such a significant region of Africa (it is even nicknamed “the African capital”), there is a wide range of both ethnic groups and religions represented in the area. I believe that being in this type of area is going to benefit me greatly because it will certainly help me to understand what to expect when I enter full-time missions in Africa. Further, the experience will give me the opportunity to preach God’s word to those who need it.

I ask that you please pray faithfully as I embark on this endeavor. In particular, I have a few requests for you to keep in mind:

• That my preparation for the trip will go smoothly
• For the teachers currently ministering at Bingham Academy—that their ministry will be blessed
• For safety while I am in Ethiopia
• That God will give me the strength that I need as I begin to adjust to the new culture and distance
• That God will provide all of the monetary support I need (approximately $5,000)
• That my teaching and ministry to the students and to the people of Addis Ababa will be effective
• For my fiancé and I as we cope with being apart for so long

Nicole Normandeau
-Matthew 28:19-20-

p.s. --just for kicks, this blog goes by the official time in Addis Ababa [it is not Tuesday...and I did not write this post at 2:43am]