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Showing posts from April, 2020

A Win

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Today marked a major corona win!  In light of the changes that COVID-19 has brought to our world, the Short-term Coordinator workgroup put our heads together to come up with virtual service opportunities and voila, the English conversation partner project - pairing stateside volunteers with English language learners via Zoom - was born!  Its progression from idea to brainstorming meeting to recruitment to implementation was an exciting, much needed whirlwind, largely due to an overwhelming response rate. The plea was put out to roughly 300 short-term team alumni, members of cancelled teams, and CUS students, resulting in 82 yeses. EIGHTY-TWO! I know from having worked in marketing that that's an  insane response rate for any kind of email campaign! Puerto Rico is one of the fields piloting the project, along with the Czech Republic and Russia. The PR team took the reins of tonight's orientation, but Courtney & I sat in to observe, listen, and learn in the ho

O Lord, throughout These Forty Days

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In the story of Noah and the Flood, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai prior to receiving the Ten Commandments. The twelve spies scouted out the land of Canaan for 40 days. Goliath taunted the Israelites for 40 days before David stepped forward to face him. Ezekiel laid on his right side for 40 days to symbolize the 40 years that Judah would be under siege. Jonah warned the Ninevites that the city would be overthrown in 40 days if they refused to repent. Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days. And given that today is day 41, I've made it through 40 days of sheltering in place. I noticed the sign below on a recent walk. It reads: #We'llgetthroughthisvirustogether #Stayhome." We will be through Thursday for sure. I'm cautiously optimistic that the curve is flattening and restrictions will begin to loosen, but the DR's state of emergency was extended through May 25, so I'm prepared for a f

Together in Spirit [Week]

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It's the last day of spirit week in LAC. Yep, just like the days leading up to those pep rallies in grade school and high school: a different dress-up prompt each day, with photos shared throughout the day on our regional WhatsApp group and PRIZES! I'm in the running for a special drawing tonight after participating all 5 days: Monday: Sports Day. GO CARDS! (It was too hot to wear my Cardinals scarf, fuzzy  socks, and scarf or snuggle up with my Cardinals blanket).  Tuesday: Twin Day. Rest in Christ. Repeat.  Wednesday: Marvel/Disney/book Character Day. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work we go! Thursday: Mismatch Day. Hmmmmm, does this go together? And today, Friday: Decade Day. Because I don't have access to the closet in my parents' basement to recreate these gems from almost exactly 7 years ago... ...who's with me for some Richard Simmons?  I was blown away by the creativity and enthusiasm of my colleagues. I'm sure th

Bring It On, Month 2

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It sounds like something from the Old Testament: On the third day of the second month... Yes, we are on day 34 of sheltering in place by my count. Time has become a blur. All of sudden it's possible to reference something that happened ____ weeks  ago, yet still during this season of lockdown. Even my phone now reminds me that I'm to "QUEDATEENCASA" (STAYHOME). The DR's 5 pm curfew was extended through April 30. Summer arrived mid-pandemic, so pre-curfew walks aren't as much of a fixture as they once were. Morning runs and walks, thus, have become even more  of a fixture. Professed night owl Danelle has started coming with me so frequently that we don't even have to rehash where to meet and what time anymore.  There is open debate about whether masks are required for said activities. A local news source reported and the embassy confirmed that they're required in "public spaces." Would YOU call the street a public space? I erred

Jesus Still Rose

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My pre-curfew walk yesterday featured two (welcome!) interruptions from fellow missionaries (I still made it home at 4:52 pm...eight minutes to spare!) - first bearing fresh flowers as a thank-you for technical assistance with MailChimp and then a hand-drawn missionary kid masterpiece with these words at the top: "He is alive."  And He is. Churches may have been closed, but the tomb is open. Egg hunts, Easter breakfasts, and family gatherings may have been cancelled, but Easter was not . Rather, we will celebrate it corporately as a Church for the next 50 days until Pentecost and then in our hearts daily as we live in the hope of the promised final resurrection when  "He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."  (Revelation 21:4) In a world that looks much different than it did a few weeks ago, we can be certain that sin,

The Store

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It's go time, people!  When living abroad as a foreign missionary, it's perfectly acceptable to consider grocery shopping your accomplishment for the day. During a pandemic...I've got to be covered productivity-wise for at least a week. Yesterday, I braved my first store run since we began sheltering in place more than three weeks ago. (Yes, the mask was mandatory, and yes, that's a  CPH VBS buff , as is my headband.) I  could  have gone a bit longer, but I was down to considering a bowl of chili a serving of vegetables, which is probably actually true; it has bell pepper, corn, and butternut squash in it! I went to Nacional, where I normally do my shopping. Evidently I wasn't the only one who had the idea to get there early, shortly after senior hour (7-8 am) ended. The entrance is on the far left of the  photo below. The line extends the length of the facade and then off to the right outside the frame... ...and down the stairs. It moved

Picking up the Pieces

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Puzzle #1 ✔  I promised a photo sequence in my last post , so here goes:  Sunday, 3:51 pm Sunday, 8:12 pm Monday, 9:32 pm Tuesday, 5:31 pm Tuesday, 8:06 pm Before the big reveal, can I just say that I've been looking at too many maps like this recently? Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering   I like this one much better! This morning, 10:48 am! I think I need a harder puzzle! (If you're wondering, the missing piece (the flag of Belgium) is lost and gone forever, along with its cousin, a second missing piece.) Until next time, blessings!

Having a Tropical Palm Sunday

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Forget printable palm branches; I'd been scouting out the neighborhood for a week to find the ideal variety! I ushered in Holy Week with a triple header of Palm Sunday worship opportunities.  1. A pre-recorded service from my home church in St. Louis. The sermon was all about Jesus as our Champion. We even sang A Mighty Fortress !  Hosanna  (Hebrew for "save us"), then, is not only a cry for rescue from sin but also a jubilant exclamation of praise for the One whose triumph over sin, death, and the devil we will celebrate next week.  2. A live Zoom service with my brothers and sisters from La Misión Luterana del Perú. What a delight to see some of the families I visited with a February short-term team on the screen! 3. A live house church service I joined via WhatsApp video. I forgot to take a screenshot this week! My palm branch lives on (I threw last year's out this morning)... ....as long as Freddy leaves it alone. Does he think I can&