My Cheering Section

[Current location: Lisbon, IA]

I brought one of my biggest fans, my mom, with me to Mission Central. We drove 3 1/2 hours to Kansas City, MO, Friday and the remaining 4 1/2 hours Saturday morning. 

To my great disappointment, Old Missionary Gary had other, more important obligations and couldn't be there; she'll have to come back. Rev. Steve Schulz, however, rolled out the red carpet for us. My favorite anecdote from his brief history of the place was that Gary prayed for enough NOT NORMAL missionary supporters to fill a single file cabinet with donor records. They're currently debating where to put the twenty-ninth. 

The tour (creation theater; Gary's "resurrection spot"; barn) and lunch, were, as per usual, stellar. 

We had hot dish and JELL-O; I've never felt more Lutheran. 

Rachel Krause, whom I'd met once before during a December 2021 conference, shared the day with me and presented first. 

Then it was my turn to share what God is doing in LAC through me with an audience that felt like it was mostly my personal cheering section!

The group that had signed up to come was Lutheran Church of the Ascension, whom I'd hosted in Peru in November.

Faith Lutheran in Warsaw, MO, whom I visited in 2021 but won't be able to this time, pushed through two oil leaks on their overnight roundtrip to see me. 

The Hoyts, whom I'd hosted in Peru in 2020 and 2023, extended their drive home to Chicago from a visit out west to be in the area the same day I was.

(I loved this candid moment of sharing photos and memories from one Peru team to another.)

And finally, the Martins, whom I'd hosted in the DR in January 2022, drove an hour or so from Matt's vicarage congregation in Remsen, IA, to attend - and show off the Shutterfly photobook they'd made. 

The day concluded, as is tradition, with the laying on of hands and a prayer of sending. 

Rev. Schulz wouldn't have heard the end of it from Gary if he'd let Rachel and I leave without a photo shoot with "the boss." You'll find the one with just me in the footer of the digital edition of my newsletter. 

Then: onward through some surprisingly hilly country to Jefferson, IA...

Until next time, blessings in Christ!