Hello! I mean Howdy!

I made it to Texas safely!  Now I just have to survive here for a year.  I've never had to deal with poisonous spiders or snakes or scorpions before.  I might faint from fright at the sight of them which will give the little critters ample amounts of time to inject me with their juices.



The plane ride over went super duper fast.  Our plane departed at 7:15 and we arrived just 2 hours later.  We had to wake up at 3:30 because the shuttle to the airport was at 4:30.  Did I mention this was all in the A.M? The shuttle (if you're picturing a train like I did please know that shuttle is a fancy word for 15 passenger van) was actually enjoyable even at that time in the morning because of our driver, Steve.  What a fun guy.  He immediately informed us that he owned 145 crazy hats even crazier than the one he was wearing which was a rainbow mohawk hat.  He then told us his life story beginning with his wife's family's names.  His in-laws had 6 children and their names were as follows: Marlene, Darlene, Carlene, Charlene, Arlene and Cliff.

You never notice how many lakes Minnesota has until you fly.

I've been enjoying time with my family right now.  I got to go to my cousin's basketball practice and I went to his school to eat lunch with him today.  He's a cute kid. 

His little ear turned BRIGHT red and he ducked down to hide his face when we started talking about a certain little lady.  I had my first crush in first grade.  His name was Patrick and he had buck teeth.



I've been hearing how coconut oil is so wonderful for your hair so I decided to try it out.  I'm sure it can work wonders but I think you need to do it correctly.  I did not do it correctly.  I read up on it after I took my shower.  Bad idea.  I read that you should use 2-3 teaspoons of coconut oil per use and shampoo after you let it set. This Ladies and Gentlemen, is where I went wrong.  I really wanted to make my hair soft so I poured some oil into my hands and rubbed it into my hair.  But I did not get the desired effect so I poured it on to my hair.  But at the moment it wasn't soft enough so I dipped my hair in the jar of oil. Needless to say I used too much.

I used so much I could make my hair stand straight up.  Please, don't try this at home.
I hope it comes out by tomorrow when I meet my fellow School of Discipleship class because nothing says "please be my friend" like the most oily hair of my life.  But on the plus side my hair was really soft and managable.

God Bless!

P.S.  Hi Shantelle, I miss you!  I hope you're doing well.  Thanks for reading my blog!!

Official Letter

The following is the letter that I send out to people who may be interested in supporting me through prayer or financially:

In January I am going to be moving to Texas to attend School of Discipleship, a program run by Gospel for Asia, a ministry focused on sharing the Gospel with the most un-reached in the world.

The School of Discipleship Mission Statement is to assist men and women to become devout followers of Christ, and to fulfill the Great Commission by enabling them to know Jesus more fully and intimately through the careful study of God’s Word along with practical teaching and training relevant to each individual, God given calling.

I have been praying about attending this for over a year and I believe God is opening the doors for me to go.  I think this year will have a huge impact on my spiritual life and I am excited to help and learn from a ministry I am very passionate about.  In addition to that, I know I am going to be mentored by godly men and women, make new friends and have an impact on eternity!  How thrilling! 
                                
 During this 11-month program I will be working as a home-team missionary in the GFA headquarters.  For every student that works at Gospel for Asia around 150 national missionaries are able to spread the good news!  I will also be participating in Bible teaching, prayer meetings and street evangelizing.  The program will help me develop a servant’s heart, love for the Lord and a passion for missions.
The cost of this program is $850 a month and this includes housing, food, utilities, books, training and a trip to Asia to see firsthand the work going on.

I would greatly appreciate prayer (and lots of it) and any financial support you would be willing to give towards my time with School of Discipleship.  If you do decide to become a member of my support team (sorry there won’t be any custom t-shirts available), please indicate this on the enclosed card and use the envelope to mail it in.  If you are including a check please make it out to Gospel for Asia.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me!  My number is 320-305-0198.  You can also call Gospel for Asia at 1-800-946-2742 Ext. 3135.
Their website is gfa.org.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!

Rachelle Hasslen

Dear Diary,

Hello!  I am creating a blog to keep people informed about my life while I am at the School of Discipleship program in Texas.  I made a blog quite a few months ago but decided to not use it because of it's name.  Thoughts and Trots of a Blonde Filly.  I thought it was cute but people kept telling me it sounded like someone's woefull tale of having diarrhea in Philadelphia.  No thanks.

I'm going to really try and actually write (type) on a regular basis.  I don't want it to turn out like my diaries:

Dec. 8 2002 Dear Diary, I had a good day, our substitute was cranky. 
April 14 2004 Dear Diary, Wow!  I haven't written in here for a while!  I promise I'll do better!
March 6 2007 Dear Diary, Don't trust my promises.
I could be a writer, no?

Adventure is out there!  Rachelle