Saturday, August 1, 2009

Trekking to Tupelo


I am bound for Uganda...via Tupelo!

I received a "green light" this week from Global Outreach International with an official invitation to their Missionary Orientation Training (MOT), Oct. 5-9 in Tupelo, Miss. This is a required training for anyone wanting to serve with Global for longer than three months.

My good friend Amanda Taylor (who is now in Uganda) went to this same training last October and seemed to really enjoy it. I am looking forward to it as well. I also enjoy visiting new places and have never before been to Mississippi. I don't know much about Tupelo, except that it is where Global is based, as well as the American Family Association (http://www.afa.net/), a really good organization.

Well, with help from Wikipedia, here are some other interesting facts about Tupelo (that I am sure you simply cannot live without).

~ Tupelo is the seventh largest city in Mississippi. It is the largest city and the county seat in Lee County. Population is about 36,200. It is in the upper northeast corner of the state.

~ It is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. (See photo above.)

~ "The town was originally named Gum Pond prior to the American Civil War, supposedly due to the high number of tupelo trees, locally known as blackgum, that grow in the area." - Wikipedia

~ "One of the largest automobile museums in North America, the Tupelo Automobile Museum opened on December 7, 2002, Pearl Harbor Day, and was designated the official State of Mississippi automobile museum in the spring of 2003. The museum is home to more than 150 rare automobiles, all of which were the personal collection of WTVA founder Frank K. Spain." - Wikipedia

~ Tupelo's nickname is "All-America City."

Okay, well that was just for fun, though there will be a quiz later. Just kidding. : )

On a more serious note, I would appreciate your continued prayers as I continue moving forward. I know there is a lot to do and I can get bogged down in details. Yet, I know God will continue to guide me a step at a time.




3 comments:

  1. I loved the details about the city, but I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce it...TOOpeloe...tuhpEEloe...TUHpelah. Too many vowels, I guess. ;-)

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  2. Mississippi..that should be nice and hot! Mrs. Martin just went there a few months ago. Like Utah, not a place I would purposely go, but there are bound to be exciting things there!

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  3. Thanks, gals, for the comments!
    Mikaela, it's funny you should ask about the pronounciation because after I had made the post, I thought I should have added how to say Tupelo. Your first guess was right. : )
    Yah, Lauren, I hope Mississippi has cooled down a bit by the time I arrive in October, but we shall see. : ) Mississippi has never really been a place I have longed to see, but I like going to new places and at least I can add it to the list of the states I have visited. : ) Thank you, too, for becoming a "follower." : )
    I appreciate you both!

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