De Itinere

De Itinere is a Latin phrase meaning "concerning the journey" and served as the theme for New Missionary Orientation, week 2, part I.

With few exceptions, the same group of newly appointed missionaries that gathered at the LCMS International Center back in March regrouped after a six week hiatus for five more days of learning and sharing. There was a noticeable shift in the subject matter: the first half of this week was all about transitioning to and living abroad. Some sample topics:

• Overview of strategies for financial wellness
• Review of policies in the International Worker Manual
• Highlights from a book entitled Preparing for Your Move Abroad
• Summary of our medical insurance benefits
• Introduction to tax considerations that arise as US citizens living outside the US
• Video chat with a therapist from Lutheran Counseling Services of Florida

Although practical and informative, discussions featuring terms like "Foreign Earned Income Exclusion" can only be so thrilling. Preparing for my move abroad has also been omnipresent in my mind for months. It recently began to manifest itself as I entered the visa process and started triage-ing my belongings into keep/store/sell piles. 

One of my favorite sessions, though, was a video chat with Dr. Detlev Schulz, the developer and moderator of the Missionary Formation Certification Program, a five-module online missiology course that we'll all get to go through at some point. I've delve into that more once I find out when I'll be starting the first module. 

Starting yesterday after lunch, we moved into a missionary version of the Doxology wellness retreat. It's offsite, although I'm commuting from home. Speaking of which, it's time to go get ready so I'm not late for Morning Prayer. Look for details of and my reactions to New Missionary Orientation, week 2, part II in a subsequent post. 

Until next time, blessings!