missionaryMAC

I asked my friend and fellow missionary Dana the title question last week in response to an Instagram ad for a guided tour of Santiago's main cemetery, sponsored by a local funeral home. Clearly, she didn't think so, and while I wonder about my Instagram algorithm, this isn't the first time I've purposefully gone walking in a cemetery, either.  Before I go on, I must say the outing was exceptionally well organized. After scoring a rockstar spot and heeding the parking guy's directive that I " lockear " my car (as if I wouldn't have...), we meandered through an impressively large crowd milling about. The organizers were underneath a pop-up tent registering people by name (though they didn't seem concerned about us) and handing out brochures, bottled water, and headsets so even those at the back could hear the guide.  We browsed a wall of crypts near the entrance while we waited for the "4:00" tour to start at maybe  4:30.  I tried followi

Fall 2024 was quiet as far as short-term teams  in the DR, but that doesn't mean we haven't had any short-term volunteers . Quite the opposite, in fact: September & October saw two visitors that technically fell under my purview, each participating in a type of service specifically designed for individuals in their situations.  The Rev. David Mommens, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Melrose, MN, joined us for five weeks as the guinea pig for Expanding the Spanish Footprint , an immersive Spanish experience for pastors and seminary students . The name is the goal: equip candidates to effectively preach the saving Gospel to Spanish-speakers in their communities. Melrose is teeny (pop. 3,598) but made up of at least 25% Hispanics, and neither of the other two churches (Catholic and Pentecostal, respectively) is doing anything to evangelize them.  David stayed in a mission apartment in the heart of the same neighborhood as the Santiago-based missionary team (and ma

How was Belize, you ask? Wet.  I learned of Nadine thanks to a prayer request on the LAC Facebook page while working at a coffee shop with Karina and tracking the arrival of a four-man team from Trinity Lutheran Church in Houston, TX. Turns out "94L" had become a tropical storm* and was making a beeline directly for us. Even 3.8 inches of rain last Saturday didn't stop  us from Belize-in' , though - just forced us to "pivot!" (which went on to become a catchphrase in conversation the rest of the weekend) several times.  Pivot! Trapped on the bunkhouse porch due to a freak downpour, Rev. Herb Burch shared a brief history of Camp Concordia. Later, we had a "light" (ha!) meal together with the Burches and fellow missionary Danelle 's parents, visiting from OR. Aside from experiencing Camp life, completing a 1/2 day work project, and doing some intentional planning for a larger team from Trinity that's angling to revamp the Little Lambs Presch

My current team arrived yesterday (Friday), minutes before a sudden deluge struck any doubt from our minds that we're in for it today on account of Tropical Storm Nadine.  Thursday, therefore, was shopping day: stocking the Camp Concordia kitchen with the makings of a complete breakfast. With just four team members that are splitting their time between camp and the team leader's vacation home, I could have easily knocked out my entire list at the "supermarket." Instead, I did it the culturally sensitive way, a dress rehearsal for when I'll have larger and more frequent groups. I shopped like a Belizean.  Stop #1: Farmer's Trading Center Non-perishable staples, non-food items, imported goods I had some help from Rev. Benjamin & Karina's 3 yr. old son. Stop #2: Western Dairies Yogurt Stop #3: Sunrise Market & Bakery Meat Stop #4: Country Foods Eggs (pit stop to help a turtle to safety!) Stop #5: Belmopan's biweekly open-air market  [yesterday] Pr

It's been a celebratory last week in Santiago: we installed TWO new missionary pastors. Both were already ordained, but at regular Divine Services on Wednesday and Sunday (yesterday), respectively, they were officially placed into their roles as shepherds of particular congregations. For both, this step signals the beginning of a transition from on-field orientation to day-to-day ministry.  1. Rev. Roberto Weber, Iglesia Luterana el Buen Pastor, Palmar Arriba I brought MK Ryan (age 10) with me since his dad was part of the service and had to be there early. He picked out a seat in the 2nd row so we could see everything up close. The service was lovely - featuring choirs of a) seminarians and b) ladies from the church - but SO hot. Roberto was directly in front of me and sweating bullets; twice I passed him Kleenex from the travel pack in my purse. Something tells me the new pastor might revisit a long since tabled conversation about A/C. In the spirit of true immersion, Rev. David