We’re now back home and mostly unpacked from our trip to Dallas for PMI2. We had an awesome time meeting up with friends and learning more about the organization. The classes were just what we needed, preparing us for life as full-time missionaries.

The praise and worship times were amazing. I haven’t heard that many people singing that loud in a long time. It’s great to be in room full of people who are singing there hearts out for God.

All day Friday was a Partnership Development workshop. This came at just the right time for us as we are just starting our PD efforts. We heard some great stories and picked up a lot of tips that we will be using over the next few weeks.

Our trip back home went well (although we had to get up at 5AM to catch our flight!) This morning we did a presentation at Discovery Christian Church, which went really well. Tomorrow night we’re off to camp to speak at the Senior High week campfire (should be a good story-telling opportunity).

You can view photos from our trip to PMI2 here.

Today we arrived in Dallas, TX (at the PBT headquarters) for Pioneer Mission Instute (PMI). It’s a week long intensive training that PBT puts on every year. There are two main sets of classes that happen during the day – PMI 1 and PMI 2. PMI 1 is for discovering what PBT is about and how you can be involved. PMI 2 is for preparation for people who are definitely interested in joining PBT or, as in our case, are already recruits.

In addition to the classes, there are main sessions every evening where everyone gets together for a time of praise and worship and for a presentation from each branch of PBT. There are many PBT missionaries who come to Dallas for this week to teach classes, so it’s also a great opportunity to meet people and build relationships. Actually, that’s pretty much what it’s all about.

We went to PMI 1 last year (on our honeymoon, actually), and are back this year for PMI 2. The classes we’ll be taking this week are:

• Translation & the Great Comission
• Transitions: What to do with them?
• Learning to live as good, rich neighbors
• Spiritual Disciplines
• Worldview & dealing with the unseen
• Intro to PBT’s System of Financial Accountability
• Physical Preparation for the Field
• PBT Computer Resources
• Sexuality & God’s Gifts: Celibacy, Marriage, & Family
• Mental Preparation for the Field
• Intro to PBT’s Missionary Care Program
• Translation, Literacy, & Scripture in Use Strategy in Ministry
• Partnership Development (3 parts taking and entire day)

If that seems like a lot, it is! We’ll be in classes five hours a day for the next five days, not including the main sessions and the other extra meetings that we are involved in. We’ll start posting photos soon, but in the meantime, here’s PBT’s PMI promo video: