Furlough Season

 I have much to praise the Lord for this year and much to apologize to you all for in not sharing it sooner. I didn’t understand then --and I’m still trying to fully understand now-- what was going on in the spiritual realm concerning this ministry (and my life in general) to be in so much chaos.

Believe me when I say this year has been a strange one.

Despite all the odd twists and turns my path has taken me, the Lord has walked beside me all of the way, supernaturally protecting me when I tried to run headlong into briars and pits.

I have learned so much and am finally thankful for this potholed, muddy, disaster of a road. For not only was God with me but he also sent me encouragers (so I wouldn’t turn back), prophets (so I would be warned what lay ahead), and companions (so I wouldn’t lose heart). Lord, thank you!

Now this odd road is leading me back to the States on furlough. It has been two years since I have been able to return. It feels longer though and I miss you all very much.

I don’t have a rigid itinerary right now. But I do plan on spending time with family first, then doing some intense missions training/debriefing. After that, I hope to travel and catch up with you (i.e. you super-cool, awesome people).

However, as I travel to see family I am reminded of how many of you live near them and wanted to reach out to you for a visit as well. So below is a loose outline of where I’ll be and when. If you live near any of these locations and would like to catch up, please message me so we can set something up.

Schedule:

November

• Nov 21 - 28: I’ll be in Dallas, TX. I’m spending Thanksgiving with friends and family but have time to catch up for coffee/lunch if any of you are free.

• Nov 29 - Dec 2: I’ll be in Milwaukee, WI. I’m visiting family but hope friends in the area can reach out for a hug.

December

• Dec 3rd onward: I’ll start my journey in Colorado (mostly Durango area), then travel south on I-15 through Utah, Arizona, Nevada, etc. Eventually I’ll head north to Northern California and possibly Oregon as well. I have TONS of friends and family to see along the way. Please let me know if you want me to drop in for a hug, coffee, or... or you know a hug. 

January

• Jan 2 - 6: Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Murrietta Springs, CA. For those who are in Southern California and want to catch up, I’d be thrilled to spend time with you and ask that you come see me during missions week!

• Jan 8 - 13: Missions Training International seminar in Colorado Springs, CO. I’ve been trying to get into this debriefing program for years but it never worked out until now. If you live in the area and want to catch up, please let me know so I can make appropriate travel arrangements. I’d love to spend time with you.

• Rest of January: I’ll be bouncing around from church to church in Las Vegas and Mesquite, NV. I also hope to speak at churches in Southern Utah region and Phoenix, AZ area. As the time gets a bit closer, I’ll try and send out a calendar so people can join in on speaking dates and fellowship meetings.

January - February

• I’m available for 6 weeks to speak at churches, home fellowships, youth groups, and Sunday school meetings. I don’t have exact dates yet of where I’ll be sharing but hope to arrange it soon so those of you in these areas can come and hang out.

How you can help:

• If you would like to host a fellowship potluck, please let me know. It’s a wonderful way to catch up and meet new friends.

• If you know of anyone who has a car I can use for 2 months (January and February) in the Utah-Nevada-Arizona area starting January 1st, 2017 please let me know.

• As you can see, I’ll be traveling a lot. Please pray for supernatural rest in the midst of this busy-than-normal season of ministry.

I cannot wait to see you all! I’m so excited and grateful for this furlough season. Please do not hesitate to reach out and let me know you want to spend time together!

Catching Up!

 

In my efforts to catch everyone up on the last few months--yet somehow not bore you with the minutia of my life-- let me just say, this summer has been busy!

When I landed that first day in Pennsylvania --exhausted yet thrilled to be attending my first Midwifery Today conference-- it felt a bit like a dream.

There I was at 2:30 am, trying not to wake my room-mates with my rustling, but no longer able to sleep. The jet lag was still at full force. The desk clerk in the lobby was kind enough to fill me with high-octane coffee while I grappled with the never ending changes about me.

Plush carpets, down comforters, and a neurotically stubborn room-mate who insisted that 79 degrees was WAY too hot to bare, made for a cold (but remarkably comfortable) first week back in the States.

The Midwifery conference classes were insightful --as most were taught by highly skilled midwives and doctors around the globe. I relished the joy of being around other birth-geeks and frankly was on cloud nine.

But like all good things must do, the conference ended. And I returned to the great state of Nevada to be with my church family again.

Time flew by in a blur of hugs, kisses, and manic catching-up time. There was two years worth of chatting to do in a little less than two weeks!

What a blessing to be loved on so well by so many! I absolutely LOVE my church!

However, there is good reason that furlough is referred to as whir-lough by most missionaries. Tornadoes would cause less emotional havoc! (Okay... maybe not. But it’s got to be close!)

After Nevada, my travels took me far --farther than I expected.

In the last few months, I road-tripped out to central and southern California; I rushed off to Utah for a wedding; I trekked to New Mexico to catch up with old friends and make new ones; I flew off to Washington state to soak up some much needed time with friends (but missed out on seeing several others); And then, just as I finished my time in Washington and was planning on another road trip through Oregon, California, and Idaho... my tooth decided to take my mouth hostage by inflicting massive amounts of pain and torture.

I had to capitulate.

This sent me on an emergency visit to Mexico (as I was not about to pay $3000.00 dollars for a root canal in the States!). 

While I was there God moved in so many wonderful ways. My tooth was fixed in record time (and at a fraction of the price), my Mexican citizenship paperwork finally came through, and my Mexican family had a delightful reunion. I was able to see so many people that I haven’t seen in ages... all at the same time!

What a blessing!

Plus, my mother and her husband are church planting in Mexico (in her home town). It was such a beautiful blessing to see how God has built His church over the last few years.

I’m in awe. Truly.

After my stay at my mom’s, God sent me even more south to Oaxaca, Mexico to meet missionary friends working among the indigenes tribes in the mountains and at a birthing clinic in the city.

However the 36 hour bus ride there (coupled with my previous 2 month mad-furlough-dash) left me fried. I needed time to sit and pray and that is exactly what they gave me! I spent the first week resting, praying, eating, and hiding out in a mountain top retreat next to a lake.

What a tremendous blessing!

By the second week, I felt new again so I joined my missionary friends in doing ministry stuff (teaching midwifery classes, assisting at the birthing clinic, and teaching emergency birthing classes in the mountains). My hosts were delightful --to say the least! And I thoroughly fell in love with Oaxaca (pronounced: WA-hock-A for those who (like me) are unfamiliar with the word).

(Plus, I have many funny Mexican stories to tell... those will come shortly.)

Now I’m back in Vegas, preparing to head out to Mozambique in less than two weeks. Each day, I’m more excited about this opportunity than the one before. I do not know yet what God might have me do next... but I am confident that it will be great --for our God is GREAT!

• Please be in prayer with me as I prepare for Mozambique and my upcoming travels (they are long, extended, and a bit hectic).

• Pray for closed doors if I’m not to walk through them (for I’m too stupid to know otherwise!).

• Pray for favor with the government and missionary staff in Mozambique (if I’m to start a work there). 

• I only want to know His will --pray that this season of silence would end.

To hear is to obey.

Mini-Devo:
“And Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant hears” ~ 1 Sam 3:10 NKJV

Oh that I might be like Samuel, “Speak Lord for your servant hears”!

Did you know that the word ‘hears’ in this passage is ‘Qal’ and is an active participle of the verb. It can be translated; to hear, listen to, or obey.

Are you actively hearing, listening, and obeying? I hope so. It is my prayer. May it be yours as well.

Home?

For those of you who think I've fallen off the edge of the earth... be reassured. I'm alive and well. I'm currently soaking up two years worth of hugs in my old stomping grounds of Mesquite, Nevada.

It's good to be back in the States, but I honestly can't call it "Home". I laugh to myself when someone asks how it feels to finally be "home".

Home?

I'm baffled by the question, really. I tend to hesitate a bit before answering, almost as if I don't trust myself to speak. 

"Home? Here? Oh, you mean how does it feel to be back in the States?" I clarify.

They nod excitedly, often expecting me to tell them all the wonderful things I missed.
But I can't lie. I've missed nothing. Nothing that the States has to offer... except my family and friends.

Usually, I answer their question with a smile and say, "I'm so happy to see you again. I missed you. Being with you feels like home!"

It's the truth. I no longer feel at home in America. My friends and family are what draw me here. America can keep its cushy couches, air conditioned cars, and fancy fandangled coffee makers. I can happily do without.

Yes. I'm American by birth, but my citizenship is in heaven. My passport may say USA... but I still find Sudanese sand in my shoes.

Even as I write these words, I'm reminded that my lack of connection is just another symptom of my reverse-culture shock.

I confess, it's much worse this time.

Please pray that I'm able to enjoy my time in the States, and reconnect with what really matters --family and friends. Thanks.