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It's Still Early

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[Current location: Davenport, IA] Home service to-date has been an exercise in reminding myself it's a marathon, not a sprint. It's still early, and I can't burn myself out when I'm just getting started.  I barely got out of bed the Monday after the Busiest Weekend Ever  except to go have dinner with friends; Tuesday was wide open, so I surprised my Scrabble Club friends and had dinner with more friends.  Longtime member Sally showed me a Scrabble dictionary she and some of the other mainstays had donated to the Brentwood Library, our meeting place, in memory of a former member who's playing with Jesus now.  You'd think I'd be rested, but I woke up with a tinge of a sore throat and kind of wanting a nap on Wednesday. Instead, I led two chapel services and gave a Lenten dinner presentation.  Object lesson during chapel at Christ Community Lutheran School (Webster campus, where my sister teaches 3rd grade). Talking with some of the staff, I mentioned I'd b

Busiest. Weekend. EVER.

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I had six lists in a note on my phone related to events that took place my first weekend in the US: Bachelorette Party: To Buy Bachelorette Party: To Do Bachelorette Party: To Bring Bridal Shower: To Buy Bridal Shower: To Do Bridal Shower: To Bring Hosting two parties in three days (planned largely from overseas) would be a lot in and of itself. That wasn't all, though. I also... spoke at my home congregation (5 "Ministry Minutes" + a Bible class presentation);  went to a trivia night; and  reunited with the August team I hosted in Jamaica for a game night.   Someone remind me whyyyyyy we had to spring forward an hour, too?!? Needless to say, hang on.  My sister, whose wedding is June 1, requested an escape room and a sleepover for her bachelorette party. I couldn't just leave it at that, though; I wanted there to be something  she didn't know about, so I gave the festivities a Western theme she didn't know about until we got to dinner (BBQ) Friday night.  On

Righteous, Dude!

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Hello from St. Louis! I arrived safely, and forty minutes early , on Wednesday night.  My dad took the day off Thursday and shuttled me first to a dentist appointment, then to Righteous Rides to pick up my wheels for the next 2 months: a beige Dodge Caravan. Righteous Rides literally exists to provide vehicles to missionaries in the US for initial support raising, furlough, medical leave, repatriation, and the like. It's a niche, but a very much needed one. The Righteous Rides fleet is 150 strong with 12 rental locations nationwide, St. Louis being the flagship. The branch is almost all volunteer run; the gentleman who helped me was 81 and clearly passionate about the organization's mission.  What a welcome! No Dominican flag, though :( According to a giant wall map across from the "World Brew" coffee shop (just wait!), I wasn't the first Dominican missionary they've served, but I was the first from Santiago, now proudly marked with a red dot sticker.  The f

Living Green in the Land of Plastic and Styrofoam

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In general, I love living in the Dominican. One of the things I dislike , though, is feeling like a supremely wasteful human being. A small part of me dies every time I toss a receipt, water bottle, or milk carton in the trash. No more! Well, not as much, anyway.  Recycling isn't really a thing here yet, but I can tell the populace's consciousness about caring for the earth, specifically the marine ecosystems that surround us, is rising. Puntos verdes  (dropoff points) are popping up in more and more places.  I told myself when I moved back into my house I'd get some recycle bins and do my part, so I did. Now, I get a little spark of joy every time I toss an IKEA catalog, empty laundry detergent jug, or tin can into the recycling.  White: paper/cardboard Grey: plastic Black: glass, tin, aluminum, and Tetra-Pak cartons The bins were getting full-ish, so one of yesterday's pre-home service prep errands was to a certain branch of a chain supermarket where I knew I could e

The Disciples and the Faithful Women

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Every time I boarded our bus last week, I counted to 12 + 2.  Concordia Theological Seminary Ft. Wayne (CTSFW) students + Erins. Team members + LCMS Short-term Mission staff.  The "disciples" and the "faithful women."  One might say we were even...metaphorically, at least...following Jesus, if our week full of Spreading the Gospel, Planting Lutheran Churches, and Showing Mercy counts for anything? My friend, International Center colleague, and tocaya  Erin arrived in the DR two days after I got back from Peru . Her trip came about at the 11th hour; I can't help that an ideal opportunity to accomplish her goals cropped up mere weeks after her new manager suggested she strengthen the department's connection with missionaries serving internationally.  My last team before home service arrived (into Puerto Plata for the first time EVER) Saturday, but first, brunch.  I made the team dinner, inspired by a gallon Ziploc full of pao de queijo the Milagres family gav