The Weekly Wrap-Up: July 1-5, 2019

Hello, my lovelies!

Not much to report this week, I'm afraid. I've been busy setting up my new computer! Yay! I always forget how idiosyncratic I make my machines until I'm starting over from scratch. But we're getting there! And the best news is that this puppy hasn't shut down unexpectedly on me once. So I'll take some mild inconvenience.

The rest of the short week (no work yesterday, let freedom ring) has been devoted to organizing projects and tracking down which translators need a little encouragement to send us more files. At this rate, I'm going to run out of work for my team to do. (Probably not, but they are quite efficient.)

I'm also still absorbing info from the meetings in June. I only know some of it so far, but it's churning away in my brain. I might share, I might now. Some of it has the potential to bring big changes to OMS. We'll see.

Today, I'm pretty much on my own. There were 23 people in the building this morning - for comparison, we usually have upwards of 70. I guess everyone wanted to do a little extra celebrating. Fair play to them. I just did another head count, and we're down to 14. I'm the only one in my hallway again. That means I don't have to tailor my music to everyone's preferences. Or decibel comfort level.

That really is pretty much it. You should be getting my prayer letter soon. I shared it in Monday morning devos this week. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Light some fireworks for me.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: June 24-28, 2019

Been a while since we've done one of these, eh? And what a week to start back up on.

So, first off, vacation was great, thanks! Not very restful, but they rarely are. It definitely broke up the routine, though, so we'll count that as a win. As a token of how much I love you, here's a small taste of what I got to see when I was in Wyoming.

You should absolutely be jealous.

So, this week. Wow. Monday was pretty straightforward. I was still getting back into the swing of things after returning last week, so lots of email and chatting with my people to figure out who needed what. 

On Tuesday, Sarah and I took a trip to the north side of Indy to the Apple store. We finally got back the laptop that had been used by a former production specialist in Ukraine, but it had some issues, so we took it in for service. It was a nice day, and I appreciated the unusual chance to work in the sunshine. 

Of course, having the laptop back meant that we needed to do some reconfiguring of equipment in the office. We originally planned to send the laptop to Trista since she's been using a very slow remote connection to our backup computer, but my own computer issues prompted ECC to invest in a new one. So, we're doing a bit of a juggling act while we work out what computer needs what information. My office looks like a knock-off Apple dealer right now. I need to set up and configure each computer in sequence so that we always have something that is working and so that Trista can keep doing what she does so well. 

Probably more information than you needed. But seriously, I'm running out of desk space.

(Not work related, but sort of is because I went with work people, my friend got free tickets to a baseball game Wednesday night, so guess who got to see the local team lose?)

On Thursday, we had a women's event. It coincided with the Board meetings (did I mention there are Board meetings this week? Board meetings meant two chapels for whatever reason. They really don't want me to get anything done around here.) It was a dessert thing at The Nest, which is a really nice wedding reception venue place in Greenwood. Don't ask me why it was there. I just know that I was asked to take pictures at the event, and I felt very much like a wedding photographer.

I stood on that chair for 10 minutes.

Today has been mostly me trying to catch up again. We have three new languages coming down the pipeline, so I need to get computers set up and get everything back in order. I don't anticipate it happening quickly.

Tomorrow, I have a 5K in the morning and a wedding in the afternoon.

So, you know... Nothing strenuous.

...

...

I may take Monday off.

Why You Shouldn't Have a Threesome

I received a stark reminder of something this week.

It's something I don't necessarily think about a lot. Something I suppose I take for granted or just assume to be the way of things for everyone. When I do think about it, I just shrug and say "Well, duh." It's so obvious.

But this week, I actually stopped and gave it some Serious Thought. Is it actually obvious? Or is it one of those things that, in theory, seems straightforward, but in practice is actually pretty much ignored?

I'll stop being cryptic now and just lay it out.

My relationship with Jesus involves exactly two people: me and Jesus.

I know. Duh.

But I think we've become really comfortable inviting other people into it. I think our relationship with Jesus can very easily become filtered through other things.

What things, you ask?

Our church.

Our denomination.

Our pastor.

Our spiritual mentor.

Our ministry.

Our Christian non-profit/sending agency/organization.

Our school.

Our politics.

There are more. Take your pick. I feel like this list is enough to tick most of you off, though.

What does this look like in practice? Try a few of these on for size.

"I go to church every Sunday and attend small group there. We're always attending the fun events they have, and the kids just love the activities there. We've made some amazing friends at our church, and I just don't know what I'd do without them."

"I really believe in the precepts of our denomination. They've done a great job of laying out what we believe and how it should impact our lives. They have a great plan for the future, and they are keeping us on the right path."

"My pastor has been such a good friend to us. I love his teaching, and his messages are just so on point! He always seems to just say that one thing that gets me through the week."

"I had an amazing conversation with my mentor the other day. Our book study has been so timely for everything going on right now, and my mentor has been really encouraging."

"This ministry is growing like you wouldn't believe! So many people are coming to know Jesus, and I am so blessed to be able to help them. We're probably going to expand our outreach programs and start some new churches in the villages."

"This organization is doing great things in the community. I really appreciate how they give so many opportunities to get involved. Did you see their story of impact the other day? Incredible!"

"I'm just learning so much in my Bible class. And really, how Christianity is interwoven in history is amazing. I read Ephesians in the original Greek and have a deeper understanding of Paul's mindset."

"Governor So-and-So is going to do great things for this country. He believes in God, and I think God has ordained him for such a time as this. The Party is behind him all the way."

If your relationship with Jesus is defined by or filtered through any of these things, you are in for a fall.

Because All.

Of.

These.

Things.

Fail.

Church - "I don't like the singing. The programs have become really stale. I don't like it since the Johnsons moved away. The kids are too old/young/rambunctious."

Denomination - "I don't agree with that interpretation of the rules. We need to be more relevant/stick to tradition. The foreign contingent of the denomination isn't doing things the way they're supposed to."

Pastor - "I can't believe he said that/wore jeans/embezzled funds/had an affair/raped a child."

Mentor - "They said something the other day that made me uncomfortable. They were too busy to meet me. I discovered they watch porn."

Ministry - "We just aren't growing anymore. We decided to stop telling people about Jesus because it makes people uncomfortable. I haven't seen my kids in three months."

Organization - "There are some really sketchy things in their past. They had to leave that country for unspecified reasons. They spend money on unimportant things."

School - "We spent three hours arguing about where an article goes in this sentence. It changes everything!"

Politics - "The government lied. My candidate lied. The Party lied. None of them have my best interests in mind."

Any of that sound familiar? You mad yet?

Look, I'm not denouncing any of these people or places or organizations. All of those statements up there about how much these things can help people are positive. We're supposed to go to church. We're supposed to engage in discipleship with others. They can be excellent tools to help us grow in our faith. But they aren't integral to the process.

My relationship with Jesus involves exactly two people: me and Jesus.

Jesus is the only constant in that equation. He's not going to fail, He's not going to change, He's not going to alter the dynamics. He's definitely not going to invite anyone else in.

That's all us. We're human. We're fallible. We're incredibly fickle. If we start making our relationship with Jesus dependent on someone or something else's actions, we're doomed. I hear about it every day. People fall away from the faith because the person or thing they made responsible for that faith failed them.

I can readily admit that I've struggled with this. For a very long time, my faith was not my own. I had faith because my parents did. I had faith because my church was good to me. I had faith because I went to a Christian school. I had faith because it was a logical progression of my upbringing. But the moment that foundation started to shake, I was in trouble. I had very little faith of my own to serve as an anchor. My faith was not solely contingent on my relationship with Jesus. It took me a long while to decide whether or not Jesus was worth pursuing solely on His merits. 

I can't even say I'm totally there, yet. It's a very subtle and seductive temptation to start putting faith in something else. You don't even realize you're doing it until that thing collapses from underneath you, and if you aren't careful, you can lose your faith right along with it. I've seen it again and again, especially lately. I'm attuned to it. Everything going on with the Southern Baptists, New Tribes, United Methodists... These are all man-made organizations. They are going to disappoint you because they are full of flawed people who have a tendency to prioritize themselves or a myriad of other things over their relationship with Jesus Christ.

You wanna get more personal with this? Okay. Let's get more personal about this.

I am a missionary with One Mission Society. OMS has a long and varied history. I believe they have good intentions and wonderful people and leaders who are dedicated to following Jesus. I think many of its ministries are doing important things, and I think OMS is making an impact around the world.

None of these are reasons I work for OMS. I work for OMS because this is where God has called me. If God hadn't called me here, I don't know that I would still be working here. OMS has its fair share of problems. They have always had problems. Sometimes those problems have been minor and fairly easily (and quietly) corrected. Sometimes those problems are systemic and incredibly messy and may or may not be public.

I don't usually talk about them here. Mostly because they don't need to be talked about. They are internal issues, and gossip is a sin. It's damaging to the Body of Christ. But you better believe that if I think something is being covered up, I will absolutely tell whatever authority needs to know, and if it gets ignored then, I'll probably go to World Magazine because I respect them and I think they'd be fair.

It hasn't come to that, obviously. But if I had come here with the expectation that they could be my spiritual home (which I kind of did at first), I would have been (and have already been) sorely disappointed.

But I'm still here. Because this is where Jesus wants me, and this is where I think I can still do some good. But my faith is in Jesus. Not OMS. Your faith, as a financial supporter of my ministry, needs to be in Jesus. Don't put it in me. I will disappoint you. I probably already have. And don't put your faith in OMS to use your money appropriately (though I think you can, and I also think any donor to anything should do their due diligence in demanding to know how their money is used). I'm not asking people to support me. I'm asking people to ask God what they should do with their money, and I'm trusting God to make funds available to keep me doing what He's asked me to do. (I don't know how this turned into a funding post.)

Did I lose you on this rabbit trail? It's very likely. I just want to reiterate my point, and if it's the only thing you remember from this extremely long rant, I'll consider my job done.

My relationship with Jesus involves exactly two people: me and Jesus.

Your relationship with Jesus involves exactly two people: you and Jesus.

You can trust people to be people. You can trust God to be God.

Which of those sounds like a better option?

The Weekly Wrap-Up: June 3-7, 2019

Here's how every week needs to break down in order to get everything done:

30 hours for admin and maintenance.
25 hours for booklet creation and proofing.
10 hours for meetings about stuff I do and do not need to know.
5 hours for training.
5 hours for emails and phone calls.

Notice I'm not including anything for breaks, meals, mental health, physical health, chapel, prayer, or fellowship.

So I'm feeling a bit of strain. This week has been another crazy one. You can tell people are getting ready for all of the guests and field missionaries and the Board. I'm not saying we're all feeling the pressure, but I've seen a few chickens with suspiciously short necks.

This week I've been focused mainly on Mongolian. Veronica was able to figure out why my files were doing weird things, so I was able to basically start over again on the first group. I'm enjoying working with a new language, but I wasn't kidding about it being a long language. I'm having to get creative about fitting everything in, but in some cases, I've had to add pages. It's not my favorite thing to do, but sometimes it's necessary for readability.

Trista is doing really well with learning all the new stuff! Plus, she asks good questions, so she makes my job easier. It's a pleasure to have someone helping the team!

We also had orientation this week, which of course means History of Christianity. I tried to sprinkle a few more tidbits into the timeline to give some context to the wider world. It’s such a short time to cover such a huge topic. But I always enjoy it.

I gave a little teaser last week about something new coming up. We actually have at least three new books coming to Train & Multiply! As our partners have used the booklets, we've noticed certain topics that could be expanded or are just missing. Two of the booklets were created at the request of our Village Church Planting team. I haven't talked about them much because they use a different method (obviously), but they are rewriting the curriculum and incorporating some T&M elements. We thought those booklets sounded like a good idea, so we're adding them to what we offer. I've been editing one of them this week, trying to make it look and sound more like what we already have. We need to keep the information and formatting consistent, especially since we already referenced one of the books (yes, before we wrote it - call it motivation to actually get it done).

Yesterday was probably the craziest day. I had a meeting from 8-9, another from 9-10:30, I helped Sarah pick up lunch from 11:15-11:45, lunch with interns sponsored by ECC from 12-1:30, and then I could actually sit down and do some work on booklets.

So yeah. Crazy week.

Which is why this is the perfect time to take a little break.

This has actually been planned for a few months. We've been wanting to visit my sister in Wyoming pretty much since she moved there. Now that they have a permanent residence, we can do that. My parents drove out this week, and I'm going to fly to meet them on Tuesday. I won't be back in Indiana until the 18th, and I won't be back in the office until later on the 19th.

Please pray for the trip, the flights, the drive back, and then the biopsy that I immediately come back to on the morning of the 19th.

See you on the flip side.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: May 28-31, 2019

Why is it that four-day weeks always feel longer than five-day weeks?

Seriously. This week felt crazy long.

But it was a productive week, so that's a fair trade, right?

Yes, I am very pleased to announce that the last six groups of Hakha Chin have been published, which means the entire language is done, and I never have to see those files again! (Until edition 5.) It's been a long haul, but I know the files look good and will be used to bring more people to Jesus in Myanmar and wherever Chin people reside.

Finishing that allowed me to start a brand new language: Mongolian! This is quite an interesting language. It's all Cyrillic, so you'd think it was Russian at first glance. But it's curvier than Russian. And longer.

So much longer.

I think this might vie for the record, actually. I didn't think it was possible after Tagalog. But I'll know more after I get through them. Which is impossible right now, because the other thing I'm good at is finding weird problems that have no visible solution. Such as an entire design element disappearing without warning and no rhyme or reason known. So I'm taking the opportunity to update you lovely people while I wait to find out what I/the program did and how to resolve it.

My other project for this week has been cleaning out my desk. No, I'm not leaving or moving. But my desk was beginning to look like an archeological expedition. So I took some time to make it a little nicer. It's totally a coincidence that I'm doing it right before the Board comes for meetings. (It actually is. Lord knows it's not in my nature to make nice for authority. Seriously. We've had extensive talks about it.)

We heard from the interns in chapel this week. We have five with us this summer. None in ECC, but I do see them every now and then on my rambles. Speaking of:

This was the BUS today. Have I talked about the BUS yet? It's a fairly recent thing. A few of us noticed that we were sitting a bit too long at our desks without some kind of physical activity. So we take it upon ourselves to go for a walk twice a day. Sometimes through the building. Sometimes we do a lap outside. Sometimes the BUS is me and I am the BUS. Sometimes it's eight people. You never know. But it's a good thing. We see people we don't normally see, we get a little exercise in, and we foster inter-departmental cooperation. Or something.

Here's another fun tidbit.

So for months now, I've been getting stuff like this in the office mail. And you're thinking, sure, why not? She's team leader now. Except I've only ever made that announcement internally and to you guys. It's not on LinkedIn. It's not on the website. I don't know how else stuff like this gets out. But someone, somewhere, knows my job description changed. Except they don't really. Because for whatever reason, they think I'm in HR. Or Marketing. I get a ton of this. And it's not going to everyone like a blanket mailing. No. This is just for me. Training Specialist. (Not my title.)

Also, if you look closely at that photo, there is a small spoiler for a future something coming to T&M. So you can chew on that for a bit.

I think that's it for me. I'm gonna go enjoy my new water heater (oh yeah, it sprang a leak last weekend when I wasn't here - downstairs is TRASHED) and sleep for a bajillion years.

Peace.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: May 20-24, 2019

This has been a weird week.

Though, I feel like I start a lot of my posts with that. So maybe it's been a normal week, and the weeks I previously considered normal are actually the abnormal ones.

Maybe I haven't gotten enough sleep.

Whichever it is, every day this week, I've forgotten what day it actually was and attributed to it another name. Multiple times. I think I actually cried once when I woke up and realized it was only Wednesday.

But it is now Friday, and I have a three-day weekend ahead of me! Glory hallelujah.

The Hakha Chin saga continues. I calculated earlier this week that about 75% of my job is now administrative tasks - managing file systems, assigning projects, checking projects, and creating templates for new projects. I miss actually working on booklets, but this work is just as important to keep everything running smoothly. I feel like I'm understanding more of the entire process now, too, which is definitely an improvement.

But, boy, is it ever mentally taxing.

Plus, my computer is having fits again. That got old real fast.

Apropos of nothing, here's my favorite quote heard around the office this week:

"Keep your clothes on, and everything will be fine."

Sometimes I don't know where I work, anymore.

On a more responsible note, I want to talk a little bit about chapel this week. The speaker was our head of Information Services. Honestly, we don't see George much around the office. He's got his head buried in computers and code and all that fun stuff most of the time. But he had some really great stuff to say on Wednesday. I'll try to sum up and paraphrase it as I heard and understood it.

We all have a story. If we're believers, then we have a testimony. It's the story of how and when Jesus opened our eyes to the Truth of who He is and what He does for us. It's something personal and unique to every follower of Christ.

But sometimes it gets co-opted by other people. Sometimes we feel like we don't have as good a testimony as other people. Sometimes we judge other people because of what we hear in their testimony. All of these things and more happen a lot. And it's dumb. Every testimony is amazing because it's the story of how someone didn't know Jesus, but then they did, and EVERYTHING CHANGED. We're going to live forever with Jesus - that's what we should be celebrating.

I understand those who think their testimony isn't as dramatic or inspiring as others'. I felt that way for a long time. I was four when I asked Jesus into my heart, and I was in seventh grade when I decided that I wanted that to be a serious commitment. I hadn't lived a lot of life. It certainly wasn't a hard life. There were no drugs, no prisons, no unexpected children or expected children or near-death experiences (children). There was just my stupid brain and its inability to accept nice things.

My testimony has evolved over the years. I talk more about the ongoing process now than the initial event. But it's just as undramatic as it always was. And that's just fine. Angels rejoiced just as much when I followed Christ as they do when anyone else does. And I don't want anyone else's story. I don't want anyone else's life. I'm equipped to handle my own with Christ's help.

But let's talk about everyone else now. Because here's the only assumption that should be made about other people's lives: they need Jesus. We know this because Jesus said He's the only way to heaven, and God doesn't want anyone to perish. So, everyone needs Jesus.

It's up to them, though, to decide why. How often do you look at someone and assume you know at least part of their story because of how they are dressed or what they are doing or where they live? Maybe you're right. But if you use that as the starting point for why they need Jesus, you probably won't get the response you wanted. People know they are broken. Everyone is broken in some way. But don't assume you know where that brokenness is. Because the thing that would be a defect in your own life may just be life to them. It's all they know. It's like the family that doesn't know they are poor until someone tells them so.

I don't think I'm explaining this well. I've been thinking about this a lot, and it's lining up with other thoughts I've had, mainly about how we shouldn't blame our current situation on past events. Things happen. But it's our response to those things that determines how those things impact us. Don't let someone else tell you how something should impact you. You have a choice. There are things that happened in my life that are sad or bad or however else someone might define them. Some people would look at those things and decide that they know something about me and why I am the way I am or assume that they had a certain effect. But to me, they were just life. I responded to some of those things in a positive way. I responded to others in a negative way. Those responses had more to do with how those events made an impact on my future than the events themselves.

Mostly, I'm just asking you to take a step back and think before you assume where someone's brokenness lies. Jesus is the only one who can fix those spaces anyway.

...


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Have a good weekend?

The Weekly Wrap-Up: April 29-May 17, 2019

"Are you aware that you didn't do a blog post last week?"

Yes. Yes, I am.

"Are you aware that you also didn't do one the week before last?"

Uh... I got out of the habit?

My sincerest apologies. Truly. I can't even give you a good excuse. A mediocre one, maybe. But considering I was actually in the office alone for the majority of the week before last, and then mostly alone last week, I really should have had better time management and cranked something out.

Alas.

Here's my mediocre excuse: during the time I usually write a blog post, I was actually training our new production specialist. So there's that.

Seriously, though. Time management.

I am actually trying. We're ramping up into the crazy season at OMS. Summer is always people people people, and while I may not have a lot to do with everyone coming in, I do interact with the regular HQ folks who are now distracted by all of the interns and field missionaries and new missionary candidates. It's a delicate balance. I want to be respectful of their responsibilities, but I also want to give them a chance to breathe for a bit.

Two weeks ago, of course, was the CMF seminar. That's why I was the only one in the office most of the week. All of our church multiplication facilitators come to Greenwood to learn about new methods and give reports and have a nice time of fellowship. I did hang out there a bit, but it was mostly good to get some solid quiet time to crank out booklets.

So, the big story lately is my new production specialist. Her name is Trista, and yes, we roomed together in college. I think it helps that we know each other pretty well. She's used to me being a bit scatter-brained, and I know she can handle what I throw at her. I'm trying not to throw too much at once, but I think by now you know that this process is a behemoth. It's so interconnected and dependent on every part of the process going smoothly. It's hard to know where to start sometimes. But we're making good progress.

I'm also still being trained myself. T&M is a bit like an onion. There are always more layers to it, and while I've gotten close to the core, there are always more things to learn. Veronica and I have been working on how to actually create a project mostly from scratch. It's incredibly technical, so I won't try to explain (unless you ask), but I find it very interesting, and I think it is giving me a more rounded view of T&M. Just don't ask me to create a right-to-left language yet.

Meanwhile, I'm also managing the rest of the team and trying to figure out which projects are priority. Plus, I've personally worked on Japanese, Hindi, and Haitian Creole in the last few weeks, AND I'm trying to get the last six groups of Hakha Chin published. Still. Plus, we had our campus work day on Tuesday. I cleaned out some super gross fridges, sanitized door handles, and steam-cleaned the floor in the fellowship hall. (Long-time readers might remember my history with that floor. No bruises this time.) Then on Wednesday, I got to sing in chapel again. We did a fun new song that I will link to below.

Not slacking, then, obviously. I just don't have a new routine down, yet. But I hope this post gives you some hope that I haven't abandoned you, nor do I intend to.

I love you 3000.

This turkey had been in the freezer for waaaaay too long. Bon voyage.

That's Hannah in the picture with me. She's one of our new admin assistants in T&M.

 You can see the clean strip in the middle. I switched sides on the steamer cloth about halfway through. The floor was gross.

As promised, the song: