missionaryMAC

We've reached the time of year where it's the kind of hot that means your thighs stick to the (fabric!) driver's seat of your car if you go anywhere in the afternoon. I haven't been out and about TOO much lately, though, as my focus right now is on planning for September and October events and teams; it's a lot of Excel, Teamwork, and WhatsApp. The first in a nearly two-month-long revolving door of US guests I'm more or less in charge of arrives September 5.  The solution in both instances: just keep swimming.  Every day I check one more thing off a to-do list involving schedules, cash requests, hotel reservations, translations, plane tickets, drivers, caterers, interpreters...you get the idea. But, I've also been to two "pool parties" the past couple weeks! The DR-based mission team observes Dominican holidays, so Tuesday, August 16, el Día de la Restauración (Restoration Day), meant the office was closed. Accordingly, missionary and seminary fr

Somehow this was also the 4th annual Davis family Chopped competition, having started way back in 2019 . As promised after last year , I was in charge of the "mystery basket" ingredients this time. The pressure was on, but I think my choices hit on just the right level of challenging with the potential for deliciousness: Appetizer: turkey bacon, sundried tomatoes, bean sprouts Entrée: smoked pork chops, purple cauliflower, canned pumpkin Dessert: evaporated goat milk, zucchini*, caramel corn Owen and Val had already gone back to school (aka work), so I came over early so the kids and I could outfit each station with a cutting board and knife, wash produce, and arrange the "pantry." We were far more efficient than I thought we'd be and even had time for a few rounds of Boggle. The teams haven't changed and probably never will, so I was Chef Abigail's #2. In round 1, we served our bacon-wrapped sundried tomato and bean sprout "sushi" on a bed o

Somehow, it's August already, meaning LAC's annual regional conference has come and gone. The 1st full week started on...the 1st, so missionaries and guests from 11 countries packed up and headed to our standby resort in Punta Cana, DR, for rest, fellowship, and a deep dive into the theme phrase and title of this post in a mash-up of the three languages represented by our growing team (English, Spanish, and Portuguese), drawn from Acts 13:47: For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” I seem to get more involved in the planning side of things with each passing year, but my main gig was hosting a short-term team of 12 volunteers who made the conference possible by caring for (read: leading bilingual VBS for!) 38 missionary kids so their parents could fully engage with business sessions and Bible studies and even enjoy a kid-free date night. They were beyond capable, which made my

The day after I returned from Higher Things , I moved - Just from my 2nd floor temporary apartment to a 1st floor temporary apartment in the same building, but all of the furniture and housewares from upstairs came with me, hence the title.  While I was in Montana, a crew of seminarians had come and and cleared out everything except my personal effects, so I came "home" to an empty unit. The next morning, I was downstairs by 6:00 am to start cleaning since alas, arranging for someone to do so in advance proved more difficult than anticipated. I had put out a plea for reinforcements around 10, and they showed up right on schedule. I enjoyed watching them carry things I'd forgotten I owned, but there may have been a few overwhelmed tears when the water quit on me and I looked around at the chaos knowing I wouldn't rest until order was restored. A little pizza and beer, a few hugs and words of encouragement, five  botellones  of tap water for cleaning, a shower, and a h