The profile of Me

I was at a friends house tonight and we began discussing personality tests. They had recently taken all of the tests and were talking about their results and the way their personalities matched and clashed. I however, have not taken a personality test since my psychology class in high school (two and a half years ago). I hardly even remembered the scores and was wondering that if the results had changed much. So, when I got home I took the myers briggs test, and the results were so true it amazed me... and yes, I had changed a bit in the last few years. ;-) I figured that there were some of you that had questions about how a live life... and probably have questioned it for a while. I'm also sure that there are some of you struggling to understand me more now then ever. I thought these tests might help you see a little of the "why" questions you may have. Hope you enjoy reading the profile on me!

First, let me explain. I am an ESFP. In the myers briggs, there are four catigories: the Guardian, the Idealist, the Artisan, and the Rationalist. Anything that is a SP is an Artisan and I'm sure the name is self explanitory. However there are four types under that too, the Promoter, the Crafter, the Composer, and last but not least... me, the Performer.

ESFP

Extraverted	Sensing	Feeling	Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
89	12	100	56

"Artisan" Portrait of the "Performer" (ESFP)

Artisans have a natural intelligence in tactics – the ability to quickly perceive a situation, evaluate multiple options, and take action to get the desired result.

Performers have the special ability, even among the Artisans, to delight those around them with their warmth, their good humor, and with their often extraordinary skills in music, comedy, and drama. Whether on the job, with friends, or with their families, Performers are exciting and full of fun, and their great social interest lies in stimulating those around them to take a break from work and worry, to lighten up and enjoy life.

Performers are plentiful, something over ten percent of the population, and this is fortunate, because they bring pleasure to so many of us. Performers are the people for whom it can truly be said "all the world's a stage." Born entertainers, they love the excitement of playing to an audience, and will quickly become the center of attention wherever they are. Performers aren't comfortable being alone, and seek the company of others whenever possible-which they usually find, for they make wonderful playmates. Performers are smooth, talkative, and witty; they always seem to know the latest jokes and stories, and are quick with wisecracks and wordplay-nothing is so serious or sacred that it can't be made fun of. Performers also like to live in the fast lane, and seem up on the latest fashions of dress, food, drink, and music. Lively and uninhibited, Performers are the life of the party, always trying to create in those around them a mood of eat, drink, and be merry.

The Performers' talent for enjoying life is healthy for the most part, though it also makes them more subject to temptations than the other types. Pleasure seems to be an end in itself for them, and variety is the spice of life. And so Performers are open to trying almost anything that promises them a good time, not always giving enough thought to the consequences.

Like the other Artisans, Performers are incurably optimistic - "Always look on the bright side," is their motto - and they will avoid worries and troubles by ignoring them as long as possible. They are also the most generous of all the types, and second only to the Composer Artisans [ISFPs] in kindness. Performers haven't a mean or stingy bone in their body-what's theirs is yours-and they seem to have little idea of saving or conserving. They give what they have to one and all without expectation of reward, just as they love freely, and without expecting anything in return. In so many ways, Performers view life as an eternal cornucopia from which flows an endless supply of pleasures. “Girls just wanna have fun” is a great motto for Artisan women.

When it comes to study habits, performers are social learners. Studying with others helps them concentrate. When they work by themselves, they are the most likely of the Artisans to need to be listening to music. Jill is really good at creating funny poetry using the facts. The more she has fun with the material, the more she remembers.

Unlike Guardians [Who I believe would consider Stacey to be] who protect their study area, Artisans often don't have a particular area at all. They are likely to use their study area as a place to store everything needed, but they are unlikely to spend much time there. Their study area is likely to look very disorganized, but often the Artisan student can find anything within a few seconds.

Artisans are also likely to want to study while texting friends, listening to their ipods, and watching TV. Current research says that this kind of multi-tasking is very unproductive. However, there is a difference between trying to do many different things at one time and using music and physical activity as an aide to help learn. Many Artisans find they can't concentrate in complete silence.

Artisan roommates can be lots of fun because they add spontaneity and immediacy to life. They really dislike boredom so are often very active people who love to experience the variety that life has to offer.

Artisans vary in so many ways that it is hard to predict them—and that’s the way they like it. Some can be incredibly messy, and then go on a neatness kick. Others get rowdy to blow off steam, and then settle down for a very serious streak. Artisans can get highly emotional, then chillingly rational. So it is best to take them as they are and enjoy the ride.

Performers love the social life and are best friends or good buddies. They believe that life should be a party and need this positive spark in their life. In fact, if they aren’t allowed to have some fun, they find it more and more difficult to settle down to study.

Famous examples of the Artisan Performer would be: Elizabeth Taylor, John Goodman, Marylin Monroe, Judy Garland, Magic Johnson, Pablo Picasso, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Elvis Presley, and Leonard Bernstein, Dale Evans, Gracie Allen, Bob Hope, Eva Gabor, Willard Scott, Goldie Hawn, Kyle Petty, Arsenio Hall, Mary Lou Retton, Kathy Lee Gifford, Steve Irwin, Woody Harrelson (Cheers), and Tim Allens character as Tim "The Toolman" Taylor (Home Improvement).

So there you have it. Me as a Performer! I'm sure that some of that was nothing you didn't know but I hope now that you know that it's not abnormal for my personality type to be the way I am... and whats funny is that we love our personality, even if it gets us into trouble sometimes. (Although I know that's no excuse for things...)

I also wanted to give you a a few more tests results... maybe this will help understand me even MORE! lol... I hope this helps too.

I hope that most of you have heard of the five love languages. I have been a fan of them for a while and think that there is a lot that can be told about a person based on their results. Especially as Christians I think it's important to know each other's love languages so that we know how to show each other we care. I have made it a point to find out from most of my close friends their results and that comes in handy quite often. Here's my results.

The highest score possible is a 12, the lowest is a zero. (Usually the scores aren't as evenly scored as mine was... lol)

Score	Love Language
6	Words of Affirmation
9	Quality Time
0	Receiving of Gifts
3	Acts of Service
12	Physical Touch

Your strongest love language is Physical touch. You feel loved the most by something as simple as a hug or a pat on the shoulder. You hardly ever have problems with physical space and are very quickly taken as warm and friendly because of the welcoming touch or hug you may give to someone.
Signs of the Physical Touch love language: When sitting in a group, they tend to be very close to those on either side of them and will usually touch them when talking, such as resting a hand on their knee or on their arm. For girls, this takes a whole new definition. When watching a movie, you will usually find them "cuddling" with others, whether male or female. These are also the types to hold hands with their other girl friends while walking or shopping. They tend to like the presents of others who are strongly matched in physical touch as they too will show their love in the same way. Those that get to know them will soon become very aware of their need for physical touch, as they will very easily show it.
Your second strongest is Quality time. You take it very seriously and close to heart when people spend time with you. You like for people to try to understand you and to do something as simple as make eye contact often. Quality time is usually hand in hand with Physical touch and the two aren't far from each other.

And quickly, one last test result: the Fruits of the spirit.

1: Love
2: Joy
3: Kindness
4: Goodness
5: Gentleness
6: Patience
7: Peace
8: Self-Control
9: Faithfulness

Ok, that's all for now. I hope this gives you a glimpse into the life of me and helps you understand all about me, although I know that some of you never will :-)

God Speaks through Wise Men

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jer. 29:11

I know that this verse is, in context, Jeremiah speaking to the survivors of the group exiled from Jerusalem by King "Neb." He talks of how God will bring them back to Jerusalem after a time in Babylon. He tells the people of their mistakes and comforts them with God's saving grace by explaining that it's all in his plans. However so many people take it out of context and apply it to their lives, without knowing the true meaning of the verse. I don't believe it's wrong to do this, as long as we know where it came from. God said it, knowing and meaning for it to reach us when we need it most. But I still hesitate every time this verse comes to mind. As it crept into my thoughts today, I found myself doing this very thing.

The reality of leaving this December is slowly catching up with me. The "to do" lists are piling high, and along with that is the competing short time I have here at home with the people I love. I have been juggling writing letters and essays, doing paperwork, and packing up my so short 21 years here in America along with the desire to live all the adventures out I can with the people I enjoy most before I leave. The lack of time vs the load of preparation is beginning to eat away at my human desire to be completely in control at all times. So today, when talking to my father, a man that I cherish more then he realizes, I broke down. He then proceeded to tell me things that I knew all too well, however needed very much to hear them. They all lead me back to thinking of Jer. 29:11. Thank you, Dad.

But as I began to think more deeply about the meaning and the context of this verse, I began to smile at the irony of God. Jeremiah talks of the people being banished from the place God had originally called them. God then took them to a place where He could teach them the specific lessons they needed to learn and challenged them in order to further their spiritual growth. Then Jeremiah tells them of God's great plans for their future and how it's more amazing then they could have ever imagined. "God sees the big picture" as my father told me today. He's right... and even we can't understand how true that is.

So there I sat. Completely in awe of God, wanting to laugh at Him for not showing me sooner, that this is very similar to the road I have been down. Though I was not "banished," I believe I have taken a detour from the road I was to be on simply to teach me a lesson. I have grown so much in the last year... two years... or even three to realize all that has changed, but I do know that if it wasn't for this "banishment," I would not be about to leap into the future that is before me.

However, that thinking brought me back to the present. Instead of thinking of all that God has done in my life in the past, I was forced to focus on the future... and the preparations that lay in the present. Once again, I began to feel overloaded. Although now I knew that this was all in God's greater plan for me and He had more control over it then I could even comprehend, I still felt stressed. How do I balance all that needs to get done and all that there is to do in the limited time ahead?

I quickly wanted to forget these thoughts and chose to put all this aside temporarily. So I began to distract myself with opening my email. Here I found an email that hadn't been read all day. I didn't recognize the name but I opened it anyway. I suddenly was frozen with anticipation. It was the youth director from Keynsham, who other then our one interview, I have not had much contact with. He was offering to answer some of my questions, knowing that this can be a confusing, crazy time. I knew exactly what he was talking about... But then I got to the end of the email and he said something that threw my whole day for a loop. He was talking about how excited the leaders were to have me join their team and then...

"I can also assure you that the young people are also incredibly excited - I hope this encourages you."

Suddenly, I had no more nerves, no more questioning, no more thoughts of irony or stress. Instead I wanted nothing more then for the days to fly into fast forward. At that moment, I knew exactly where I needed to be. It was like gravity pulling me forward, knowing I had no more strength to keep going myself. My thoughts from the day ran through my head. There's too much to do. I'll never get done. God is in control, just keep telling yourself that. God knows the bigger picture. He's taken you this far, just imagine what's ahead. But look at the reality. Why am I even going? Are you really ready for this? And in one second, they were gone. This one sentince told me exactly why I was going... and yes, I am ready. The answers were all there: God's plan from Jeremiah 29, my own father's words, and finally, Dan's encouraging email. It was the call I felt in my life to teenagers. I would follow that call anywhere. God has set me apart so that I may go in His name. I dedicated my life to serving Him, so this is where he has called me. I said "Take me Lord." And now here I go...

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"
-Matt 16:24

Finally!!!

Ok, I know that it has been forever! However, I still don't have time for a full update! I'm hoping to sit down and write the details of my life soon! I tend to get my every minute filled up quickly these days ;-) I guess that happens when you only have a month or so left in this country!

I had my interview today with the church in Keynsham, England. It went really well! I have been praying about the different things I was looking for in a church, such as a strong leadership, driven teens, positive and effective ministry, a strong emphasis on outreach, and a good music and drama program. I also knew I didn't want a very large church, however I wasn't particularly picky about that, lol. I knew this was a lot to pray for but then again, God can do anything, right?

Right! This church is exactly what I was looking for. And after out talk today, I've realized that they were really interested in me too! They said that they would contact me in the next couple of days... so I was expecting to have to wait at least a day or so...

But when I got home this afternoon, I got an email from John. He works with the local churches in Keynsham.

"Dear Shelley,

That was an excellent use of the webcam!! We were very, very encouraged with our meeting and believe you have a lot to offer to what the Lord is doing here.

I have contacted Kyle and he will be sending a contract form to us to complete and when ICY have agreed it they will send you a copy to look at.

Be assured of our prayers for you - please pray for us as we speak to the Church Council on Tuesday evening to agree the way forward.

Have a good w/e.

Blessings,

John"

I'm not sure if this gives a for sure "Yes." It sounds like there are a few more people to ok it before being permanent, but it certainly sounds close! I'll keep you all updated as soon as I know more!

New information!!!

So I know it's been a long time! and I have much to write about when I get time to do so... however I wanted to drop a quick note for you all to see... I just got home from work (culvers... before heading to the church) and I found this email...

"Shelly,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say that there is a church outside of bath that has looked at your application and is keen to talk with you. They will be emailing or calling you in the next couple of days to set up a skype chat. This is more of an informal interview but a way basically for them to get to know you more and for you to get to know more about them. It is quite exciting and we are praying that you will be able to be placed with a church in the next month or so.

if you have any questions please drop me an email.

kyle"

Praise God!!!

I'll fill you in on the details later!

Ohio Travels!

Well, our Ohio excursion is complete! It was a great trip! taking it with Grandma and Stacey was a great idea... and Grandma loved the "road trip" feel. I'll give you a short overview of the weekend and try to explain a little about the interview. It all flew by so fast... but it got me really excited about everything!

We left Illinois around 7:45 Saturday morning, the drove went well and we only stopped a few times for breaks. The drive was fun... however the scenery wasn't very exciting until we got into the southern part of Indiana where there are more trees. We arrived in Piqua, IN around 4:30 and checked into the hotel. It was earlier then we expected so we headed over to eat dinner at one of my favorite restaurants: Bob Evans. Stacey and Grandma had never been and they thoroughly enjoyed it!

After the wonderful dinner, we went back to the hotel and spend the evening relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. Stacey and Grandma headed downstairs to venture out into the mall that the hotel was connected to. The hotel was in a perfect area, connected to a mall, surrounded by food and close to the interstate.

It wasn't until 9:30 when I finally heard from Colin. He was really excited to meet me and invited us to church with him the next day. Stacey didn't want to leave the dog, so Grandma and I went instead.

When we met them in the morning downstairs (we were staying in the same hotel so we met in the lobby for the hotels breakfast), they were just as I expected them to be. They were absolutely the sweetest people I have met. Colin and his wife, Melissa were in Ohio meeting with a man named Randall, who was planning on moving to Africa to join them with ICY as the executive director of the Africa branch. After breakfast, we met Randall, piled into their cars and headed off to church... which was very exciting. His church is the growing process. They were having a ground breaking ceremony that afternoon for their new building. However, the church service was really good! After church, we headed back to the hotel and met up with Stacey, and her and Grandma went to lunch while I had my interview with Colin and Melissa.

The interview was amazing! At first, we just talked... they answered a few more of my questions and told me some things that I didn't know or thought to ask questions about. Then Colin turned on the camera... and made a video interview of me to send to the others in the UK. He then was going to email it to them and they were going to put a packet together and send it out to the churches. He said that with the churches having my info, I could hear anything starting tomorrow... wow. He also told me that I will for sure know whether or not I'm going in January by the end of october, or the middle of november at the latest... so please be praying about the church placement.

Then when Stacey and Grandma got back, we left and headed home. It made for a great trip! Even the ride home was smooth! We only got detoured one time because of the closed road but the gps that we borrowed from Shannon and Josh helped a lot! Stacey wants one now. And Grandma sure enjoyed the whole trip! Even the long drive!




Anyway, if anyone has any questions, just let me know! There was so much more to explain about the interview and if you still have any questions about the program, I may be able to answer them now!

All the way to Ohio?

Oh wow! Things have been so busy!!! I feel like a have so much to say and so little time... but let me just update you on this weekend.

Stacey, Grandma, and I are taking off on a weekend trip to Ohio. Colin (from the UK) is going to be in the Dayton area and that is the closest he'll be to me while visiting the US. I wasn't planning on going that far for this interview but know that it is important for them to meet me in person. I hope to fill you all in on the details after our meeting. Things should be much more finalized after that (or at least I hope!)

That's all for now... I'll explain more after the weekend!

Finally! Another Update!

Ok! Finally I have more information to pass along to you! there's a lot of it so please bare with me if you want to know!

Preparation
-Stacey and I had some interest this weekend from a lady about my cat. However, we didn't hear from her after the initial phone call so we're not sure what is happening now...
-I have two friends interested in my car. Both of which know they wont get it until I leave and fine with this agreement. I feel pretty confident that my car will be in good hands.
-I have begun gong through all that is in storage in Grandma's basement. It's a bigger job then I thought it would be... I'm glad I started early!
-Pat Noble and I talked on Thursday. She is having surgery in the month of january and is worried that my leaving will put her behind more then she already will be. We both decided that if I began training someone now (she already has someone in mind) then the both of us plus Pat will have her not only caught up but ahead enough for her to take some time off for her surgery. I should begin training my replacement soon!

Fund Raising
-Last Sunday, while at the ministry fair, I stopped by the missions board table. Sandra and Tom Matthews were there and were very interested when I told them about my plans. In the beginning I didn't think about going to the missions board to help with funds, but they both seemed very eager to help. Then on Thursday, at choir, Sandra told me that the missions board, even though it is for an academic program would be happy to help. Also that I should send out support letters. I'm not really sure which road to take, considering that I had decided against this but they seem to think because it is a missions related program that it is still acceptable. Any feedback on this one?


Emails!!!

First of all, I sent an email to Colin and Darin asking a few major questions... however the most important one was responded to this morning... regarding how to handle health insurance while overseas :-/

Hi Shelley,
Darin here again. I think you have a variety of people responding to your
questions, so I hope you are getting the ones answered that you are really
wondering about. If time goes by and you find one of us hasn't picked up on
a question, feel free to ask again!

So far, I think the only question you have raised that has been left
unanswered is the health insurance one.

The short answer is that if you receive a UK Visa, which you will have to
have in order to gain entry to the country, then you are eligible for free
health care under the NHS (National Health Service).
So when you come, you register for a GP (General Practitioner...aka family
dr) and that is the first person you go to see when you get sick, etc, etc.
Usually you have to pay about $12 for a prescription, but other than that,
the visit is free. If you need any treatment, that as well is covered under
the NHS scheme.

So the upsides of socialized medicine are readily apparent! Apart from the
downside of living with 17% sales tax among lots of other taxes...some
people do carry private health insurance in addition to the free care they
receive. This is because at times people have to go on long waiting lists
for 'non-emergency' procedures. So if you needed a knee replacement or back
treatment or something, you could wait months. My wife and I have been here
5 years and have been more than happy with the NHS. I would say unless you
have some extensive medical history, I wouldn't even consider carrying
private insurance.

If however, you want to look into this more, I can dig up some more
information for you on this. We had a colleague who carried insurance from
the US that covered her over her...VERY expensive, though.

Hope this helps!
- darin

ps- Our plans are to be in the US from 2 October to 5 November. We're up in New York state and Ohio for the first week, and we'd be keen to connect then if possible.


This is great! I have been worrying about the health inssurance ever since I started thinking about it and I also finally got the dates to when they'll be in the US. Now we can set up our appointment and get things ready for the next step!