NEW SITE!

I did it. I pulled the trigger and bought myself a domain. 

Head to jessica.hollopeter.com to read new blog posts and experience the awesome. 

(Honestly, I don't really know what I'm doing, so if you see any glaring errors, please let me know.)

The Weekly Wrap-Up: June 17-21, 2024

Does anyone know anything about Squarespace? I think that might be my best option for a new website. Let me know.

It's Missionary Council week! That means tons of people, most of whom I never actually see until the picnic (which is tonight). The vibe is definitely different in the building, though, so I mostly just try to stay out of the way. 

This year, they had a lot of things they needed volunteers for. Airport runs, kid wrangling, and performance art were my three. I did a half day of kid duty on Tuesday and played more ping pong than I have in all previous years of my life. Those kids are rotten cheaters, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. :D Then on Thursday, we did a demonstration of various ways of welcoming new missionaries to a field. I was the desperate, all-about-me style. I had fun playing the part, especially because it is not my style at all. I would more likely be the introverted wallflower waving awkwardly in the corner. But it's nice to do a little acting now and then.

In between these duties, I was continuing with my art swaps. Every time I go through the English books, I find more and more things to fix. I have no idea how long it will take to do all nine art sets, but I'll be shocked if I finish before the end of the year. It needs to be done, though, so we can actually start doing other languages and projects. 

I'm still recovering from the news last week. Basically, two of our leadership positions were eliminated. I'm still trying to work out what that means for the rest of us. I know the landscape of missions is changing, and we're trying to keep up. But I also think we shouldn't be too focused on what everyone else is doing at the expense of what is working for our organization. It's not like this is new territory for the Church, but it's still a challenge to navigate. 

I'm also looking for some new funding partners and opportunities, so if you think of someone I should connect with, please let me know. 

Stay cool. Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: June 10-14, 2024

I think Blogger may have run its course. 

Not my blog itself; I fully intend to keep updating. But this is definitely not a site that is well supported anymore, and I get my posts deleted when I try to link it anywhere. So I'm going to start looking at putting together my own website. What kinds of things would you want to see on the site? Obviously the blog would be front and center, but what else could I do there? Let me know in the comments.

Let's get to this week. 

It did not start well. And I can't really talk about why. 

I know. It's annoying. But I honestly can't. I only mention it because it colored a lot of my moods and actions this week. As with most things, we persevere and move on. But if I seem down, that's why.

I published a Portuguese volume this week. We're up to volume 6 in this language for the village church planting curriculum. I also ran A/V for the staff briefing on Wednesday. We had a meeting planning a fun event happening next week, so you'll hear more about it then. I also caught up on some cyber security training. Finally, I wrote my next prayer letter. I hope you will find it interesting. 

I'll keep you updated about what I decide for the website. I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: June 3-7, 2024

Ey up!

I hope it has been a good week for you. I started the week with a compressed nerve in my hip, which was quite painful. Fortunately, the pressure decreased throughout the week, so I'm thankful for that. 

The rest of the week, I've been working on art swaps for templates. I even made a video! (Not a great one, mind. But it should give you some idea.)

Frankly, I need this weekend for R&R. I am very tired. And I feel so behind on everything. 

It'll be fine.

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: May 27-31, 2024

Ey up!

Quiet week, eh?

I'm not going to get bogged down in politics on here. That's not what this blog is for. All I will say is that we have entered dangerous territory where lawfare is de rigueur, and that should terrify us all. 

In the mission world, I can't say it's much better. If you haven't heard, a young missionary couple was murdered in Haiti along with the director of the local mission. OMS no longer has missionaries in Haiti, but we do have national partners and relationships that have lasted for decades. What is happening in Haiti is heartbreaking and infuriating. It does not bring glory to God in any way. I am praying that God works through the violence and upheaval to raise up strong, godly leaders who stand against such activities. 

I almost forgot that I was actually out last week. I organize an annual community garage sale for the folks who live here on campus, so I was doing that last week. It's amazing how much stuff accumulates in such a short time. 

This week, I was fully back to it with art swaps for the templates. I was going to change each individual set of files until V reminded me that I can just swap out the art. It's not fool proof, but it does save a lot of time. Right now I'm working on Art F. (Usually, I would say F Art, but that makes things awkward. So Art F it is.)

I'm also working on my funding. I should honestly probably talk about it more on here, but it's my least favorite part of being a missionary. Yet it's so vital to what I do! We all need to make a living. Mine just happens to be dependent on people graciously supporting me with funds. I'm working to meet new people and make new connections so I can raise my salary to match inflation and maybe even start travelling to fields again. If you would like to start giving, you can visit www.onemissionsociety.org/give/JessicaHollopeter to learn more. If you know someone who should hear more about my ministry with Train & Multiply, please leave a comment or email me with some info. 

I am going to a Fiber Festival and a Strawberry Festival this weekend. I hope you have some great experiences as well.

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: May 13-17, 2024

Ey up!

I have missed you, my friends! There's a line in the seminal 1992 film "Newsies." The characters are discussing their fear of entering the borough of Brooklyn, and Boots says, "I spent a month there one night." (I think the phrase actually showed up on Seinfeld first, but it could also be a reference to a W. C. Fields quote. Anyway.)

That's how time has worked the last few weeks. I was never quite sure what day it was or where I should be or what I should be doing. 

My Aunt's funeral was last week. My dad did the graveside service. It's always so hard to feel like you have to distill someone's life into a short period of time. There's just no way to do someone justice. I'm still working out my own feelings and how my life has irrevocably altered now. I'm sure it will take time to understand all the ways things have changed. 

Thank you for the many messages of support. I have appreciated them, and I know my Uncle has been feeling the prayer support. 

I'm back to work this week. I finally finished the English U template review. Our grand total? ::insertdrumroll:: 243 paragraph changes! This is mostly style fixes, though I did change entire booklet layouts a couple of times. So now we migrate these changes to the rest of our English art sets. Times! (just times, not necessarily fun times)

I do not anticipate the next few weeks to be any less crazy than the last few. I shall endeavor to provide you with quality information and entertainment as I am able. I hope you have profitable and restful weekends. 

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: April 29 - May 3, 2024

I am sad today. 

I have been sad for a few weeks, actually. In my last post, I mentioned that there was some family news. That was three weeks ago. In that time, the family member in question (my Aunt) deteriorated rapidly and passed on Wednesday, May 1. This was completely unexpected and such a shock. That seems really trite and cliche to say, but I don't know how else to describe it. My family has rallied around one another and around my Uncle, but I'm always conscious of the fact that this doesn't go away after the funeral. Life will be different from this point forward. There will always be an absence. 

My consolation right now is the fact that my Aunt and I shared a faith in Jesus. I am confident that I will see her again. But I still miss her.

And in the real world, work goes on. Last week, we had our church multiplication conference. I was busy running tech and being a gopher for the event. I think it went well. There were some hiccups on the audio/visual end, but I don't think most people noticed, which is the goal. From what I heard, we had a good response to the event, so I'll take it as a win. 

I have been trying to catch back up this week. We haven't had many projects come in, but I'm still working on templates. There should be some new languages starting soon, so we have to prep for those. 

Next week, I will be out most of the week for the funeral. I hope to be a support to my family, so I will ask you to pray for me in that role. Pray for my Uncle as he learns to navigate this new life. Pray for my cousin as he figures out what life looks like without his mom. 

Know that I love you.

Call your family.