I'm Moving to Portugal!

Hello there everybody!

I've decided to go ahead a set up a blog (in addition to the many other ways to contact me...really all these websites are ridiculous!), so that you can follow me on my journey as I move to Portugal.

I am officially the new 7th and 8th grade teacher at the International Christian School of Cascais, in Cascais, Portugal. (http://www.icsc.pt/) Cascais is a small fishing town, about 30 km outside of busy Lisbon. The school is very tiny--less than 100 kids k-12. For that reason, they've joined classes together, which is how I've ended up teaching both 7th and 8th grades.

The school is operated by the International Christian Church of Cascais--a church that seems to be both very family oriented and sincere in their mission to reach the youth of the local community. I'm very excited about the opportunity to serve with the school there, and have already been in contact with some of the other teachers. They have all assured me of the amazing ministry opportunities that await me as I begin to teach this fall.

Many of you know that I graduated from Evangel University, in Springfield, MO, in December of 2006. Since then, I've been all over the place--trying to figure out what I wanted to do and what God wanted to do through me. I've tried everything--from moving to California to applying for internship after internship. And nothing worked out the way I had hoped! I honestly believe that God was preparing me for this specific task--this opportunity to reach out to the children in Cascais.

This will be first year teaching, which will be an interesting enough experience on its own. But to do it in Portugal will be even more interesting! That's why I've created this blog. I'd love to have your support as I begin this adventure. Your prayers and encouragement mean so much to me, especially as I move across the ocean all by myself!

Now that I've made my decision to go to Portugal, the next task is to raise support. My position does pay a small salary, but not nearly enough for me to live on. It's absolutely considered a ministry and a missionary position, and for that reason, I must raise a budget to make it all work. I have a little less than 2 months to raise about $8000. This money will go towards my living expenses in Portugal, my plane ticket there, and the school loan payments that I cannot default on while I am gone.

If you'd like to partner with me in terms of monetary support, at the bottom of this page you will find a button that says "donate through paypal." PayPal is a secure means by which to donate, and will not reveal your information to anyone. I will receive your donations directly, with the exception of a small fee which will go to PayPal for their services.

In addition to monetary support, I also beg for your prayers. This is a huge thing for me--moving across the world all alone. You all know me, I'm a big homebody! I know I'll be homesick, but my desire to travel and be a part of this ministry is so much greater than my fear. So, please, keep me in your prayers.

Keep checking in on my blog--I'll be featuring updates and as I move, many interesting stories I'm sure! I'll make sure to post many pictures as well! The address is http://www.ariellauren.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all your support!

Love,
Ariel