Ministry Journey

OK friends, here is the full report from our experience last week in Colorado at Greater Europe Mission’s Candidate Orientation…

In case anyone is new this week to my “mixed use” blog (personal and business), you might want to first read my view of “missions.”

With the kids in the safe hands of many people – our neighbor Julian, the grandparents, and friends the Dixeys – for the week, Fred and I left early Friday morning, the 22nd and arrived with no trouble in Colorado. My amazing friend Janessa picked us up at the airport (and later drove us back), let us stay with her all week, shared her food and her car. So thankful for all these tangible helps from so many wonderful people! 🙂

One of the first sessions Friday evening was a time of sharing what had led us all to this point in our journeys with Jesus and where we thought it all might be headed next. It was really incredible to see how the stories of everyone aiming to go to London wove together in such incredible ways. Here were seven total strangers, all brought to the same place at the same time, with common yet unique stories and a shared heartbeat to see people all over the world have the opportunity to discover and know the real Jesus – not the Jesus so often horribly misrepresented by the media and misguided churches or individual Christians. It’s honestly hard for me to even call myself a “Christian” in some ways because of how that term is so marred and misunderstood. These days, I more often think of myself as a simple follower of Jesus. At any rate, it was really neat to see how bonds of friendship were being formed right off the bat. Really, only God could have orchestrated the “chance” meetings in the room that night. 🙂

Saturday’s biggest event was our interview with a Member Care counselor, who, it turned out, Fred already knew from his short-term service trip with GEM (Greater Europe Mission) back in 1998. Yet another beautiful orchestration by God. This was basically a time for them to assess our spiritual, emotional, and marital health and was really, really good. We know that God has done much healing in our lives over the years, but that there is always more to learn, work through, and grow into. Rick (the counselor) recommended we do some more counseling to make sure we’ve really worked through some stuff prior to adding the huge stress of a cross-cultural move away from all the supports we’ve ever known here at home. We see counseling as a great thing and highly recommend it – not at all a negative thing as so commonly stereotyped – so we’re really looking forward to this step in the journey to see how God will use it to grow us both individually, as a couple, and as a family.

Saturday night we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant called HuHot – a Mongolian BBQ, very cool – and got to meet the President of GEM and his wife. We were so impressed by the genuine love, humility, passion, and vision of both Henry and Celia and are honored to by under their leadership as part of the GEM family.

Sunday brought some really major events. In the morning, we had a session on spiritual warfare – addressing the realities of challenges and persecutions that can come when one steps out to share God’s hope, peace, forgiveness, and love with the world. The day was cut short because of a huge blizzard coming in, and we decided to stay, with another candidate couple, at the home of one of the GEM staff couples right near headquarters, instead of driving all the half hour back to Janessa’s house in Colorado Springs. Shortly after arriving and settling in for the day of snow, our friends the Bogeses, candidates to serve in Germany, received a call that their home back in Virginia had burned to the ground that morning – while we were in the session on spiritual warfare no less. It was humbling, sobering, and yet incredibly encouraging and an honor to be with them in that moment. To see their faith in response to this news was so beautiful.

Monday’s big event was our interview with the Personnel Committee. This was also really great. It was so encouraging to see how they had so carefully and prayerfully gone over our applications and histories and had such wisdom and discernment from the Lord on how to guide us. The meeting had its share of emotions – as any deep discussion may – but it was so, so good. I could really write a whole separate post on this one meeting – and probably should at some point when I have time! 🙂

Monday night we had dinner in separate men and women groups, which was lovely. It was a great time of sharing and growing in our friendships.

Tuesday morning was “the big” day all us candidates had been waiting for all week – the official word as to whether we were accepted to serve with GEM or not. We met with a personnel committee member and got the word that we were appointed to serve with GEM, with the exact location and project still TBD. They also gave us some great next steps, both requirements and recommendations, and sent us off with hugs to celebrate with the other candidates. 🙂

Tuesday also gave us the chance to meet with Bryan Doyle, the UK field leader, and Paul Unsworth, the founding pastor of Kahaila in London. It was wonderful to meet them and get a little better idea of their vision for the UK and some of their current endeavors. Since it’s at least 18 months before we’d actually move, it was decided that we’d be aiming for London, but that the exact roles would be determined closer to our actual arrival in country. We’ll be keeping in close touch over the coming months as things unfold.

Wednesday wrapped up CO with a lovely commissioning service for all the candidates with all the GEM family from Headquarters. It was a great time of worship and fellowship and “good-byes” – or rather, “talk to you soon”s.

Then off to the airport we went to return home. We were so thankful to get glowing reports about the kids from all who cared for them while we were gone – and a little saddened by the grouchies coming out of them our first day home. Transitions – part of life. One day at a time. I think we’re almost back into a “normal” routine here, though it’s definitely changed in light of the fact that we are taking steps to move across the pond in the next 18-24 months or so… While we all have our mixed feelings, the overall sense is one of excitement and eager anticipation for what God will do along this crazy journey of following Him anywhere He leads.

If you’re not on our email list specifically for our family’s journey into overseas ministry, and would like to be, click here.

Anyone newer to my blog may not yet know that it’s what I call a “mixed use” blog. I don’t think that’s an official term, but it’s what I call it. 🙂 It’s a place where I share both personal news or stories and information or articles related to my work in the natural and organic field and the home business field.

As such, I have a rather diverse audience – and I love that. Friends, family, new online friends from all over the place – and everyone from all sorts of different backgrounds and perspectives. Again, love that. And you’re always welcome to read what you want, and delete what you don’t. 🙂

This is a personal post. There are two pretty major things going on in my family this year. One, as you may know, is our anticipation of baby #5 in June and our decision to take the home birth journey this time around.

The other is the strong possibility of an overseas move in the next year or two.

For a while now, my hubby has been praying for an open door into more full-time or more formal ministry, and for years now we have both had a desire to serve overseas at some point in our journey through life together. You may recall that our trip to Ukraine last summer was both a “scouting trip” for possible future service and, in the end, a closed door. Shortly after the trip, we began poking around online to see what other opportunities there might be “out there.” We searched the website for Greater Europe Mission (GEM), with whom Fred did his Holland/Austria trip back in 1998, and found that there were a few options that appeared to be a potential fit. And so we began the application process to see if there might be an open door. A few weeks ago, we received our official invitation to become candidates for overseas service with GEM.

For all my dear readers who would not consider yourselves Christian in any way, a little bit of clarification might be in order, as I find many times there are some strong misunderstandings out there surrounding the word “missions.” And it’s totally understandable WHY these misconceptions are so prevalent. The past two thousand years, including people’s every day experiences right now, are riddled with horrid stories of misguided “Christians” carrying out their version of “evangelism” using force, coercion, manipulation, anger, hate, and violence…

I am certain that Jesus Himself weeps deeply over these stories, with great sorrow over how badly people have misunderstood His heart and plan.

And to be perfectly raw and honest, my own dark side rises up in these ways from time to time – most often nowadays when I’m frustrated with my kids over something or another. But each time it does come out, I’m quickly aware of a strong conviction in my heart to ask God to forgive and change me and to apologize to my kids for my wrong attitudes, words, and actions.

Following Jesus is not about somehow thinking you’re better than others or perfect and trying to force others to be “perfect” or “like you.” It’s about being honest and real about one’s own brokenness and wrong doings, confessing those things in grace-filled, loving humility to God and to each other, accepting His sacrificial payment for our sin (another commonly misunderstood and abused word – basically the icky bad stuff we all, if we’re honest, wrestle with in our hearts in various ways) so that we can be set free from the power of our own inner darkness, trusting and seeking Him daily in every area of our lives, and allowing God to work through us to create a world where honesty, humility, compassion, forgiveness, self-sacrificing love for everyone (including enemies), peace, and restoration reign as we all become more like Jesus in these heart-level ways – even if we may all look VERY different in so many outward ways (culture, vocation, personalities, passions, and more).

Thus, “missions” is NOT about forcing anyone to believe anything. It is about living out one’s faith in authentic, genuine, loving, and respectful ways, thereby giving people the opportunity to know and understand who Jesus really was and is – rather than what the media or often misguided church cultures have portrayed Him to be – and letting each person with whom we may interact make his/her own decisions. Ideally, this would happen in the context of real relationships and loving community all over the world.

But in some places in the world, it is very difficult to find the real Jesus represented anywhere. Thus He asks some people to go and be His hands and feet to other parts of the world where His hope for every kind of suffering is not so widely available. And to make a very long (18 year) story short, at this point in our journey, we feel a strong desire to leave our home in the land of “the American Dream” for the sake of sharing with others what we have found to be a far, far greater vision.

We’re eager to see what lies in store and how it will all come together logistically. So many pieces needing to come together still, but we’re sure it’ll all work out somehow. God is always amazing in his artistry and timing. Already, He has woven together so many pieces of the story in some pretty neat ways… As just one example, 10 years ago, we had no kids and thought we’d go and teach in an overseas school somewhere. Now, we have 4 (5 soon) kids, and our skills, passions, and interests “just happen” to have been changed to align so well with some particular needs to which we’re possibly being led… For Fred, it’s the arts, poetry readings, coffee house ministry type things, and for me it’s ethically run, socially and environmentally responsible business. It’s amazing to see how His timing has worked in all these things over the years, so we have no doubt He will continue to work out all the remaining logistics along the journey.

One day at a time. 🙂