missionaryMAC

Good morning from Omaha! I was supposed to fly out this morning, but the best alternative after severe weather in Chicago wreaked havoc on my travel plans was to keep the same itinerary but push it back a day. I'm thankful for a wonderful host home and that I don't have  to be back for anything, and struck by the irony of regularly flying all over the region and not being able to get home from the Midwest!  Having just wrapped up FORO #2 for the month, here's a look at FORO #1, the DRLM September  FORO. I'm trying to be better about referring to FOROs by month and not Fall/Spring since, as one of my esteemed colleagues so keenly pointed out, seasons aren't universal when your work spans hemispheres. And let's be honest: there's no such thing as fall in the Dominican.  Sometimes, I feel like Friday's cultural excursion is just a backdrop for the meaningful and enjoyable conversations that happen on the bus, while waiting for people in the bathr...

Sunday was the highlight of this past weekend's DRLM FORO, and really, a highlight of my nearly 14 months here and the DRLM's nearly 14 years here: the ordination of Yban Navarro as the third Dominican national pastor. Ordinations are momentous even in the US, in a church body in which thousands of men hold the Office of the Holy Ministry. The magnitude of such occasions is off the charts in a mission outpost where adding one to the ranks represents a 50% increase. The day did not disappoint. Over 200 saints from all five Dominican congregations, joined by FORO partners from Arizona to Ontario, packed into Iglesia Luterana Cordero de Dios, which was beyond prepared thanks to the meticulous planning of Rev. Sergio Fritzler and the concerted efforts of numerous dedicated members. Candidate Yban and all the pastors processing into the sanctuary, led by Guatemalan seminarian Luis as crucifer.  Yban's public examination, performed by Regional Director Rev. Ted Krey...

If you're reading this, there's officially a Lutheran school in Kingston, Jamaica! Parade Gardens Lutheran School (PGLS), so named because it meets inside Parade Gardens Community Center for the time being, started classes on Monday, September 2, but Area Facilitator Rev. Charles St-Onge led students, faculty, staff, and community leaders in a dedication service this morning.  Thanks to a few key generous donors, Lutheran Ministries in Jamaica rescued PGLS from the brink of having to close its doors. Church members at both nearby Faith Lutheran Church, including principal Sandra Buchanan, and St. Andrew Lutheran Church are ecstatic, since churches and schools go hand in hand in Jamaica. Rev. Obot Ite, too, is eager to serve as chaplain; Lutheran education is in his blood. Future short-term team projects will represent a blend of continued Ministry Centre renovations and PGLS support, beginning next month as part of the crew from St. John's Lutheran Church in Grand H...

I've been in hardcore planning mode of late. Come Thanksgiving, two FOROs that I have a significant role in (the DR and Jamaica), on-field orientation for three new missionaries, a presentation on the long-term impact of short-term teams at the Beautiful Feet Mission Conference , and short-term teams in Jamaica and Peru will all be in the rear-view mirror. Good thing I'm squeezing a vacation in there, too! Not your average vacation, either: I'm staying on in Peru for an extra week after the aforementioned short-term team to do a 4-day/3-night (NO phone, NO computer!) trek to Machu Picchu. I'm not sure when doing this became the number one thing on my bucket list, but to say I'm excited would be an understatement.  Besides booking the trek itself, I've also checked off flights from Lima to Cusco, a hostel in Cusco, and hiking shoes. That last one was a doozy. I'm a pretty low maintenance person and can get everything I need and most things I want in t...

A year later...I have an office! Apparently this is typical so I'm not offended, although it is nice to have a private, AIR CONDITIONED space with fewer distractions than my overstuffed chair, hammock, couch, or kitchen table. I'm sure I'll continue to make it my own, but there's one less blank wall as of today so I decided it was ready for its close-up.  It's on the second floor of the "green office," the corner lot just across Calle Principal  from my house and the "yellow office." The two buildings used to be segregated by national (green) and regional (yellow) staff, but we've done away with those distinctions in practice and are trying to amend how we refer to them, as well. While much of the DR team indeed works out of the green office, I'm joined by Lourdes, the distance instructor from LAC's in-house language institute, Regional Life Coordinator Jamielynn ...and Skittles the cat! The 2nd desk will become Courtney Z...

The weather phenomenon (what exactly  is a "post-tropical cyclone?") bearing my name may have vanished from the NHC's radar , but I was spinning in circles and running at the speed of hurricane force winds all last week being the hostess with the mostest. Joining short-term volunteer Krista Hahn and the couple at the helm of LeadaChild was Krista Kafer, a member of the Benevolence Committee at a CO congregation that supports the Church's work in LAC through me. She affectionately became "Krista #2" so as not to cause confusion. Although we had never met, I readily agreed to introduce her to my life and ministry when my point person within the congregation promised me she wasn't weird (she's not)! "Very cool lady actually," he wrote; I heartily agree. In between church activities, exploring Santiago and surrounding areas, Bananagrams and double solitaire marathons, and SEVEN trips to the airport in the span of a week, we chatted nonstop...

I mentioned that short-term volunteer Krista Hahn is an amateur cake decorator. Cake, then, was an obvious contribution for her to make to last night's welcome BBQ for five of the six incoming seminary students (one is still in the throes of visa paperwork). Her unassuming "How should we decorate the round one?" turned into five colors of icing and... ...Luther's rose! We used a cool sprinkle technique on the sheet cake. Here, I'm tracing the letters in the Spanish word for "Welcome!" before piping over them with alternating red and blue icing.  Needless to say, they were a hit.  Ways you can pray for the guests of honor who'll begin their pastoral formation on Tuesday:  thanksgiving for the safe arrival of the five new students who are already in-country; for expedited processing of the one remaining student's visa paperwork;  for all new students as they transition and get settled in the DR in the coming week...

Among a slew of visitors in Santiago this week is Dr. Phil! Not THAT Dr. Phil, Dr. Phil Frusti, Director of LeadaChild , a LCMS RSO based in the Kansas City area whose mission is to share the love of Jesus with children around the world through Christian education. At the invitation of Regional Director Ted Krey, Dr. Phil and his wife Cassandra made an unprecedented visit to the Dominican Republic. He led a 2-day workshop for our Lutheran school teachers and chaplains Thursday and Friday, and today is the second day of a workshop for incoming seminary students. I had the distinct pleasure of interpreting for him Thursday, Friday, and yesterday mornings. He's clearly worked with an interpreter before and made my job easy, although having done a midnight airport run on Wednesday night, I was thankful for afternoon reinforcements on Thursday! Both groups practiced creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking with a team building activity:  who can build the tallest [...

Not pictured: the rolled up fleece blanket topped with a sprig of purple orchids that was on the chair when I walked into  the dentist's office yesterday. I went to the dentist here in February, to a place that came highly recommended. I was satisfied but not blown away. Shortly before the  regional conference , I mentioned offhand to fellow missionary Jana that I needed to make a six-month checkup appointment. She started raving about a place she'd gone, Dental Cibao Spa, but honestly, she could have stopped when she said they had the aforementioned blankets in case you got cold. I was sold. My appointment was yesterday and did not disappoint. From the ample natural lighting to the soothing music to the Vaseline they rubbed on my lips - twice - to the moist, perfumed towelette they laid across my nose and upper lip, I felt pampered the whole time. Getting my teeth deep cleaned was a bonus. Krista  came with me and loved geeking out over each new tool &...

Join me in welcoming Krista Hahn to the DR! Krista is a short-term volunteer who'll be sharing her gifts with the Regional Team for the next three weeks (and  blogging  about her experiences!). She's a wife, mom, amateur cake decorator, and dental hygienist by trade that runs a non-profit safety net dental clinic in rural Kansas. Here, she'll wear many hats: accounting, communications, consulting, development, community health evangelism, and more.  Krista represents a growing part of my job: identifying, recruiting, placing, and overseeing not just teams of people that stay for a week, but individuals with specific skillsets that commit for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. My random thought in the shower this morning, though, was that she really is here as part of a team; her family, church family, pastor, coworkers, and others make up the rest. Check the LCMS website for more opportunities like this one around the region! Yesterday, Krista's ...

I was privileged to spend the past week in Punta Cana with my fellow LAC missionaries and their families. You guessed it - our annual regional conference! We united around the theme "Rest in Christ" and the words of Exodus 33:14: My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Our times of worship, keynote Bible study, women's activities, and more spoke to one of my greatest struggles on the field: rest (as I blog at 10:30 pm...). Together, we unpacked God resting from His work of creation, Sabbath rest, renewing and "rest"oring our whole selves, the eternal rest with Christ that awaits us, and respecting our teammates' days of rest. If THIS doesn't look like the start of a restful week, I don't know what does.  Each year, we bring together a short-term team to provide childcare for our ~50 missionary kids. Some of the volunteers were friends or family members of missionaries, others were connected to FORO congregations, and s...