missionaryMAC

After presenting at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Williamsburg, VA, on Sunday, June 24, I unexpectedly found myself with four and a half days to fill on my own. Until Rev. Bill Harmon learned the situation , that is. As he introduced me at each of KoG's three services, he invited members to host me for meals, take me sightseeing, etc.; they willingly answered the call. I helped with VBS in the mornings, and my afternoons and evenings were all but boring. I felt so surrounded by Christian love & "southern hospitality!" Here's a peek at some of what occupied my time. Colonial Williamsburg: I elected not to purchase an admission ticket, but I did wander the historic area on Sunday afternoon and saw KoG member Lindsey in the Fifes & Drums March. The whole group is made up of high school students! Governor's Palace I was a crew leader for five "Red Pelicans." Together, we had fun being "Shipwrecked" but rescued by Jesus...

I was going  to do a series of thermometer-style "Green Light Gauge" posts, tracking my progress toward the funding target required for deployment (75% of the average of FY1 & FY2). The problem with that is I've already been green lighted! It's estimated that Career Missionaries will take 6-9 months to reach the mark. By the grace of God, it took me just 3 1/2 months. So. Lutheran question. What does this mean? 1. I can apply for my visa. Thankfully, I had the foresight to bring all of the necessary documentation with me on my current trip, so it'll go out around 5 pm tonight from Williamsburg, VA, and arrive at the Dominican Consulate in Chicago by 3 pm tomorrow. 2. I can buy a plane ticket. What does this NOT mean? 1. I HAVE a plane ticket. I'm still targeting late July or early August (in time for the LAC regional retreat, beginning August 6), but I do not yet have a deployment date. 2. I'm going to stop support raising. If you tak...

I'm supposed to be on a 13 hour road trip right now. So why is this my view? Simply put, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8) I'm presenting at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Williamsburg, VA, tomorrow - home to my friend Marie, her husband Philip, and my 1-year old godson. My beautiful plan was to hitch a ride home with them today (they're from MO and have been visiting family for most of June), do my thing tomorrow, and spend a few days soaking up some early American history. Enter those thoughts and ways that aren't ours. Marie's grandpa is, it appears, close to being called home by his Heavenly Father, so they're not going anywhere for the time being. One last minute plane ticket later, here I sit in the Atlanta airport en route to Richmond where an equally last minute rental car awaits. I'm still staying at Marie and Philip's apartment, but it's unlikely that I'...

In addition to piling, purging, and packing , I could add a 4th "P" to what I've been up to in these few weeks without really being on the road: planning. Although I have a trip starting this weekend that will take me to Williamsburg, VA, and Cullman, AL, most of my energies have been focused on the loop in the Google Maps screenshot below. It all starts July 7 and involves three one-way flights and a rental car that I'm picking up at the airport in Cleveland and returning in Denver. (Speaking of which, has anyone else never heard of "drop fees"?!?) It seemed a little bit scattered initially but eventually came together like I knew it would; I'm just waiting to hear back on some lodging inquiries for the IA/NE legs. Two items of note: Ignore the bubble that says "67 h" since air travel will cut down on that significantly! The 4,468 mile part should be more or less accurate, although... I had to fudge my actual  itinerary when Google told ...

I made a repeat trip to Perry County today! I was at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, MO, in April, but this time it was Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, MO, that had extended me an invitation to be the speaker for their Joint Mission Festival. It was "Joint" because Trinity did not hold services this morning; members were encouraged to attend Concordia. The reverse takes place in the fall. I left around 6 am and arrived in plenty of time for 8 am Bible Class, which was held in the sanctuary, built in 1874 and featuring the original altar furnishings. Worship followed at 9 am. The fact that I'm a woman created a ~ unique ~ situation. Had the speaker been a missionary pastor, he would have preached the sermon. Unable to involve me in that way, the pastor prepared a beautiful service replete with Scripture readings, prayers, and hymns from the "MISSION AND WITNESS" portion of LSB* and then gave me 15-20 min to speak after  the Benediction. I used that ...

I finally made it home from Columbia, MO, a little big ago, after a two hour drive turned into an almost three hour drive; an accident meant bumper-to-bumper traffic for 5 miles or so. That's the first real incident I've encountered in all my driving, though, so this is me quitting my whining and praying that all involved are OK! I was there to present at Campus Lutheran Church, another that I got to know during my Ysleta years. We bonded while knee-deep in concrete in March 2011! I was going to customize my PowerPoint with some photos from their week until I realized this one has been included from the get-go on the slide where I talk about past professional experience; three of the four kids with me belong to the pastor! I could have easily left early this morning, but I seized the opportunity to spend last night with "Grandma T." She actually belongs to my best friend, but we adopted each other my freshman year of college when she and her late husband...

My June newsletter is out! Please read, enjoy, post, & share.  Click on the image below to access a PDF.  OR Click  here  for the web version. Click "Subscribe" (upper left) to be added to my email distribution list. Until next time, blessings!

I'm in the middle of a few weeks of "calm before the storm," aka almost a month on the road starting the last week in June. The life of a pre-deployed missionary is never boring, though, and these days I don't even have to leave my house to keep busy piling, purging, and packing. I've been mentally triage-ing my belongings - sell, bring, and store - for months, but have begun in earnest now. Here's a glimpse into my system. This pile grows a little bit everyday; anything I'm not emotionally attached to is getting sold. I'll be moving in with my parents the last week of July and setting my house up for a giant moving sale. Watch for more details in mid-July if you're in the St. Louis area.  I've been focusing on drawers, closets, etc. one at a time so as not to overwhelm myself. This is the result of emptying my shredder 3x while cleaning out my desk. Needless to say, my trash and recycle bins have been fuller than normal lately.  ...

These first two and a half months of full-time missionary service have been nothing if not a learning experience. I've gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in a short amount of time; I even learned a new word ! That's right, this Scrabble nut had never heard the term " apostille " until a few weeks ago. Before I saw it in print, I couldn't even picture how it might be spelled.  Turns out, it's a noun defined by the Merriam-Webster Law Dictionary as "a document used in international law that is issued by a government in accordance with the Hague Convention and that certifies that another document has been signed by a notary public."  Huh? Exactly.  I've come to understand that basically, it's an additional level of certification for official documents that validates them abroad. Enter my present situation. I'm in the throes of applying for a business (read: multiple entry) visa. After relocating to the DR, that will be conve...

This past Sunday, I presented during Bible class at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gallatin, TN...from my desk at my house in St. Louis...using Skype! It was the FIRST time I shared the story of what God has called me to do in the Dominican Republic without being physically present somewhere. The pastor and I had done a test run earlier in the week, so there were no snafus. I was able to share my screen so they could see my slides and everything.  I don't think much of my enthusiasm was lost on them: one of the questions I got was "Where do you get your energy from?" I admittedly don't embrace technology as much as some of my Millennial peers, but I'm certainly thankful for the many ways to connect virtually in this day and age.  I appreciated the folks at Trinity allowing me to be with them in such a way. My nephew's SECOND birthday party was Sunday afternoon; given that my time in the states is dwindling, it was important to me to celebrate the occas...

Picking up where my last post left off... Stop #2: Immanuel Lutheran School in Hamilton, OH (chapel) My connection was Anna, the CPH intern who stayed with me last summer; she's currently teacher aiding there but plans to go to pastry school in Denver in the fall! It was Immanuel's last chapel of the school year and doubled as a retirement celebration for the beloved band director, Mr. Williams. He unnecessarily but graciously apologized for overshadowing me when he took the microphone to say a few words at the end. I had about an hour to kill before lunch, which the school secretary had invited me to stay for, so I sat in on Anna's first grade class. Among other things, they reviewed vocabulary words for an upcoming quiz. One of the words was "inspire," and the teacher, Mrs. Francisco, used me as an example 😊 The school's end-of-year talent show took place while I was in town. I had another engagement that night but was able to sit in...

Another network building trip is in the books as of Friday night. I made a total of five stops in two states: OH and IN. Checking a new state off my list! Stop #1: Bethlehem Lutheran Church & School in Fairborn, OH (presentation during Bible class on Sunday; school chapel on Monday) It was my first school chapel, but I think it went over really well! I risked opening up the floor to questions at the end and was not disappointed. Here's some of the things the students wanted to know: How many planes does it take to get there? How long will you be there? What does your cat look like?  How did you decide to become a missionary? Monday also happened to be my dad's birthday, so I recorded the entire student body singing "Happy Birthday" and sent him the video! A former CPH coworker and her husband, Sarah & Fred, were kind enough to let me stay with them for the first half of my trip. We had fun exploring: Free hats at the Dayton Dragons ...

My May newsletter is out! Please read, enjoy, post, & share.  Click on the image below to access a PDF.  OR Click  here  for the web version. Click "Subscribe" (upper left) to be added to my email distribution list. Until next time, blessings!

As of last Thursday, I've completed my circuit of circuit and tri-circuit meetings (that I've been invited to as of this writing, anyway): four in MO and one in IL. Last week I attended two, at:  Hope Lutheran Church in St. Louis, MO (I WALKED from my house but had never been there before!) Child of God Lutheran Church in St. Peters, MO I've seen a handful of direct results come from these in addition to procuring some leads, but mostly I see circuit meetings as an opportunity to efficiently get my name out there and plant seeds that may bear fruit at some point in the future. Many thanks to each of the circuit visitors that allowed me to interrupt their regularly scheduled agendas on moderately short notice! The pastor who invited me to the one in IL referred to it as a "winkel" numerous times as we went back & forth regarding the details. My curiosity finally got the best of me and I HAD to ask what on earth he was talking about! After consultin...

My weekend jaunt to Chicagoland exemplifies one of the pivotal aspects of my role as Volunteer Coordinator: relationship building.  The focal point of my short but sweet time in the Windy City was St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mt. Prospect, IL. My relationship with St. Paul began in 2009 , when I worked with an inter-generational mission team of theirs in my role as Servant Event Coordinator for Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso, TX. I did the same with subsequent St. Paul groups in 2010 and 2011 .  Despite - or because of? - the fact that she's a Cubs fan, I especially bonded with one of the team members who came in 2010 and 2011, bringing one or both of her kids each time. I've since met her husband and stayed with them numerous times when in Chicago for whatever reason; they've done likewise since their son is now a student at St. Louis University and their son-in-law, at Concordia Seminary! I treasure their unmerited kindness and hospitality, as well as their a...

Thus begins the Doxology, a stirring hymn of praise to our Triune God, often sung at the conclusion of a worship service or other gathering of good LCMS Lutherans.  Used here, though, Doxology refers to a retreat originally designed for pastors that has since been adapted for pre-deployment missionaries and incorporated into week 2 of New Missionary Orientation. On Wednesday of last week, my "class" of eight transitioned from the LCMS International Center to the Marianist Retreat & Conference Center, where we benefited from 2 1/2 days of worship, fellowship, and training co-led by a Christian psychologist and a pastor. We also enjoyed the musical stylings of a cantor I could have listened to all day and the attentiveness and gentle spirit of an independent chaplain.  (Before I go on, funny story: we were sharing the retreat center with another group...who happened to be on a silent retreat! We couldn't talk as we went through the buffet line for meals and had...

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 b...

My second presentation of the weekend was Sunday morning at Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston, MO, in (or near, depending who you ask) the "bootheel." It was a last minute invitation I received at Thursday's tri-circuit meeting . (Is all this talk about tri-circuit meetings making me sound like a broken record?) When the pastor found out I was going to be down that general direction on Saturday and was still available on Sunday, he snatched me up before anyone else could. I was given the opportunity to share my presentation during Bible class before worship and to address the congregation briefly after the service. The pastor then invited me to join him in shaking hands with everyone as they exited the sanctuary. Since I was having company over that night and couldn't stick around for throwed rolls at Lambert's , I was sent on my way back to St. Louis with many kind reassurances, pledges of prayerful support, and inklings that some monetary gifts may be h...