A Year of Thankfulness

So this year, 2019, I made the goal of writing down one thing every day for which I was thankful. I wasn't sure I would keep up with it, but to my great surprise and pleasure, I exceeded my own low expectations. Below, you will find the list of things I was thankful for every day. Some of them I remember context for, while others are now lost to the sands of time. I tried to be very genuine about each thing, and while there are some duplicates, they were always things that pertained to that particular day. I also discovered that my handwriting is quite lacking, as there were a few entries I had to ask others to attempt to translate. There may be a few placeholders when I failed to decipher the scribbles. If you have questions about any, leave the date in a comment; I'll try to fill in my thought process for that given date.

And now, without further ado, my thankfulness diary of 2019.


January 1 - I am thankful for family that puts up with most of my idiosyncracies.
January 2 - I am thankful for people who encourage me to simplify life.
January 3 - I am thankful for Marie Kondo. She is an inspiration.
January 4 - I am thankful for my Assassin's Creed sweater.
January 5 - I am thankful for side jobs that provide additional income.
January 6 - I am thankful for a super productive weekend and somewhat questionable archery.
January 7 - I am thankful for double checking and my OCD.
January 8 - I am thankful for all the single ladies! (All the single ladies!)
January 9 - I am thankful for a good chat with Steve today.
January 10 - I am thankful I got to know Sophie better today.
January 11 - I am thankful for people who update the project progress file correctly.
January 12 - I am thankful for snow I don't have to be out in.
January 13 - I am thankful for Sarah and Ashleigh who are awkward and delightful.
January 14 - I am thankful for a free Chick-fil-a cookie for my birthday.
January 15 - I am thankful for purple pants power!
January 16 - I am thankful for bountiful birthday blessings.
January 17 - I am thankful for hot pink on a dreary day.
January 18 - I am thankful for crafts that require little brain power.
January 19 - I am thankful for meteorologists even when they are horribly wrong.
January 20 - I am thankful for quiet days.
January 21 - I am thankful for technology.
January 22 - I am thankful for dinner invites with friends.
January 23 - I am thankful for the basics (this is as hard as I thought it would be).
January 24 - I am thankful for bad days that end.
January 25 - I am thankful for a job well done.
January 26 - I am thankful for the opportunity to support Esther as she witnessed to Franklin.
January 27 - I am thankful for sample sizes of unhealthy stuff so I can sate the temptation to buy.
January 28 - I am thankful for friendly Indian restaurants and trying new things.
January 29 - I am thankful I got my notes done before opening my email.
January 30 - I am thankful for a reminder of the history of OMS.
January 31 - I am thankful that this month is over.

February 1 - I am thankful for how God works even before we know what is needed.
February 2 - I am thankful for the first day of windows down/heat blasting driving.
February 3 - I am thankful for friends who make boring things like the Super Bowl fun.
February 4 - I am thankful for normal days.
February 5 - I am thankful for Sarah and her trust in me.
February 6 - I am thankful for lunch with friends and National Froyo Day.
February 7 - I am thankful for godly missionaries who don't take advantage of those in their care.
February 8 - I am thankful for Sarah, who listens to me rant.
February 9 - I am thankful for new stores and a challenge to myself.
February 10 - I am thankful for pretty snow and good brakes.
February 11 - I am thankful for well-made tamales.
February 12 - I am thankful for fresh garlic.
February 13 - I am thankful for Steve even when I don't want to talk.
February 14 - I am thankful that being single is not a hardship.
February 15 - I am thankful for the companionship pets provide.
February 16 - I am thankful for dog kennels.
February 17 - I am thankful for service workers who like their jobs and are friendly.
February 18 - I am thankful for measured discussion and a desire to make things better.
February 19 - I am thankful for a warm bed.
February 20 - I am thankful for my new autobiography title: I got reprimanded, but I did it anyway.
February 21 - I am thankful for millennials.
February 22 - I am thankful for new lunch buddies and board games with Ashleigh.
February 23 - I am thankful for not being in a cult.
February 24 - I am thankful for interesting podcasts.
February 25 - I am thankful for wacky high dreams that are just weird.
February 26 - I am thankful for the new millennial lunch.
February 27 - I am thankful for the excellent chapel message from the president of CONIM.
February 28 - I am thankful for life.

March 1 - I am thankful for well-trained dogs.
March 2 - I am thankful for friends who also kind of drive me crazy.
March 3 - I am thankful for flexible schedules.
March 4 - I am thankful for random song interludes from Sarah.
March 5 - I am thankful for godly men who live lives in service.
March 6 - I am thankful for the B.U.S.
March 7 - I am thankful for for people who love Marvel as much as I do and for Addie's friendship.
March 8 - I am thankful for drugs.
March 9 - I am thankful for the first spring rain.
March 10 - I am thankful for a relatively easy transition to a ridiculous construct of idiocy.
March 11 - I am thankful for the zig-a-zig-ah.
March 12 - I am thankful for people who navigate awkward situations better than I.
March 13 - I am thankful for freedom.
March 14 - I am thankful for pie!
March 15 - I am thankful for quiet days.
March 16 - I am thankful for fresh samosas.
March 17 - I am thankful I live close enough to Lexi to go home at night.
March 18 - I am thankful for life.
March 19 - I am thankful I get to go home.
March 20 - I am thankful for pulled pork.
March 21 - I am thankful for lemon poppyseed muffins.
March 22 - I am thankful Spanish is done!
March 23 - I am thankful for visits from my parents.
March 24 - I am thankful for little deviations from routine that don't freak me out.
March 25 - I am thankful for fajitas.
March 26 - I am thankful for the opportunity to get to know coworkers better at lunch and for a new kukri!
March 27 - I am thankful for the history of OMS.
March 28 - I am thankful for warm days and a successful name change at Chick-fil-a.
March 29 - I am thankful for payday.
March 30 - I am thankful I keep boots in my car.
March 31 - I am thankful for productive days.

April 1 - I am thankful I'm nobody's fool.
April 2 - I am thankful for "Endgame" tickets.
April 3 - I am thankful for people who curb my petty nature.
April 4 - I am thankful for days when I can walk outside.
April 5 - I am thankful for the onset of Spring!
April 6 - I am thankful for good friends and a wonderful family.
April 7 - I am thankful Sarah joined me in speaking at the church.
April 8 - I am thankful for the occasional cheeseburger.
April 9 - I am thankful for new dance moves!
April 10 - I am thankful that Steve asks random questions.
April 11 - I am thankful the roof hasn't caved in yet.
April 12 - I am thankful for Ashleigh and Susan.
April 13 - I am thankful for medical professionals.
April 14 - I am thankful for relaxing yet productive days.
April 15 - I am thankful I don't speak Japanese.
April 16 - I am thankful for a soft, warm bed.
April 17 - I am thankful for Easter eggs.
April 18 - I am thankful for "they have tortillas now?!"
April 19 - I am thankful for Jesus.
April 20 - I am thankful for Mama.
April 21 - I am thankful for the gift of salvation.
April 22 - I am thankful for new people.
April 23 - I am thankful for heartburn medicine.
April 24 - I am thankful for my minions and good friends.
April 25 - I am thankful for Marvel and the Avengers!
April 26 - I am thankful for craft night with Lori.
April 27 - I am thankful I had the foresight to buy another ticket.
April 28 - I am thankful for alternate laundry options.
April 29 - I am thankful for peace and quiet.
April 30 - I am thankful I can finally start training Trista.

May 1 - I am thankful there is a God of the universe.
May 2 - I am thankful for my DSLR.
May 3 - I am thankful for technology, even when it is crazy slow.
May 4 - I am thankful for birthday surprises.
May 5 - I am thankful for easy articles.
May 6 - I am thankful for artichokes even if I don't know how to eat them.
May 7 - I am thankful for rude people who make decisions easier for me.
May 8 - I am thankful my computer didn't shut down again.
May 9 - I am thankful for cute clothes.
May 10 - I am thankful for opportunities to unload.
May 11 - I am thankful for Nathan and Stephanie.
May 12 - I am thankful for my superhero Mom.
May 13 - I am thankful for sleep.
May 14 - I am thankful for good friends and hard work.
May 15 - I am thankful for a God who cares about people who are complete tools.
May 16 - I am thankful for thunderstorms.
May 17 - I am thankful for garage sales.
May 18 - I am thankful for my status as Supreme Overlord.
May 19 - I am thankful for sleep.
May 20 - I am thankful for Marvel Mondays.
May 21 - I am thankful for soft, warm wraps.
May 22 - I am thankful for people who express vulnerability better than I.
May 23 - I am thankful for sweet dogs.
May 24 - I am thankful for my story.
May 25 - I am thankful for air conditioning.
May 26 - I am thankful for no rain.
May 27 - I am thankful for all who made the choice to serve.
May 28 - I am thankful for time to be introverted.
May 29 - I am thankful for clean desks.
May 30 - I am thankful for new water heaters.
May 31 - I am thankful for the end to long short weeks.

June 1 - I am thankful for beautiful and productive days.
June 2 - I am thankful for warm cookies.
June 3 - I am thankful for Jeremy Renner.
June 4 - I am thankful for walking buddies.
June 5 - I am thankful Steve lets me swear.
June 6 - I am thankful for busy, thought-free days.
June 7 - I am thankful for free Target stuff.
June 8 - I am thankful for gorgeous days.
June 9 - I am thankful for lists when packing.
June 10 - I am thankful for Chris Evans' acting skills.
June 11 - I am thankful for smooth flights and first class seating.
June 12 - I am thankful for lessons of the past.
June 13 - I am thankful for mountains and valleys.
June 14 - I am thankful for sunshine.
June 15 - I am thankful for beautiful homes and good garage sales.
June 16 - I am thankful for my dad and time with family.
June 17 - I am thankful for clear skies and beautiful scenery.
June 18 - I am thankful for safe travels and my own bed.
June 19 - I am thankful for new cats!
June 20 - I am thankful for prayer letters that flow.
June 21 - I am thankful for decent diet food.
June 22 - I am thankful for people with common interests.
June 23 - I am thankful for time management.
June 24 - I am thankful for the Marvel Monday crew.
June 25 - I am thankful for road trips with Sarah.
June 26 - I am thankful for surprise baseball games.
June 27 - I am thankful for sturdy chairs.
June 28 - I am thankful for extra cash and Lilly.
June 29 - I am thankful for not dying of heat stroke at the 5K or the wedding.
June 30 - I am thankful for furniture that is easy to put together.

July 1 - I am thankful for excellent friends who tell poop stories to make others laugh.
July 2 - I am thankful for new computers.
July 3 - I am thankful for a free (with opinion) lunch.
July 4 - I am thankful I live in a free country.
July 5 - I am thankful for opportunities to get to know Gloria more.
July 6 - I am thankful for the time I had with Noor.
July 7 - I am thankful for pool days.
July 8 - I am thankful for the Marvel crew.
July 9 - I am thankful for a cheap-ish utility bill.
July 10 - I am thankful for air conditioning.
July 11 - I am thankful for dual screens.
July 12 - I am thankful for beautiful weather.
July 13 - I am thankful for beautiful animals.
July 14 - I am thankful for relaxing days.
July 15 - I am thankful that Sarah is back.
July 16 - I am thankful for rain even when it keeps me from baseball games.
July 17 - I am thankful for Marvel nights at the Christners.
July 18 - I am thankful for French transfiles.
July 19 - I am thankful for nights on my own.
July 20 - I am thankful for cat harnesses.
July 21 - I am thankful for time management.
July 22 - I am thankful for sharp objects.
July 23 - I am thankful for fresh veggies in abundance.
July 24 - I am thankful for long walks outside.
July 25 - I am thankful for pet owners returning home.
July 26 - I am thankful for Google sync, even if they do become Skynet.
July 27 - I am thankful for new antique stores providing new knives.
July 28 - I am thankful for pools and sunscreen.
July 29 - I am thankful for rain and umbrellas.
July 30 - I am thankful for crunchy leaves.
July 31 - I am thankful for spurts of productivity in the morning.

August 1 - I am thankful for opportunities to voice my opinion.
August 2 - I am thankful for adequate women's healthcare.
August 3 - I am thankful for lazy days.
August 4 - I am thankful for sleep when I get it.
August 5 - I am thankful for understanding friends.
August 6 - I am thankful for health care. No, really. Grr.
August 7 - I am thankful for beautiful soundtracks.
August 8 - I am thankful for a wonderful mother.
August 9 - I am thankful for people willing to buy other people's junk.
August 10 - I am thankful for Goodwill taking the rest of my junk.
August 11 - I am thankful for fair food.
August 12 - I am thankful for an overly thorough filing system.
August 13 - I am thankful for speed shutters on cameras.
August 14 - I am thankful for random questions about zombies.
August 15 - I am thankful for thoughtful friends.
August 16 - I am thankful for a new office arrangement.
August 17 - I am thankful for pouring rain.
August 18 - I am thankful for my side hustle.
August 19 - I am thankful for guacamole and chips.
August 20 - I am thankful for new songs to sing.
August 21 - I am thankful for final say before publishing.
August 22 - I am thankful for a low impact job.
August 23 - I am thankful for Ashleigh's friendship.
August 24 - I am thankful for fun board games and overpriced snacks.
August 25 - I am thankful for overcoming the tyranny of the alarm.
August 26 - I am thankful for other people's pets.
August 27 - I am thankful for breezy, blustery days.
August 28 - I am thankful for Marvel taking over 1/3 of my life.
August 29 - I am thankful for a good night's sleep.
August 30 - I am thankful for convenient fast food joints.
August 31 - I am thankful for clear, concise instructions.

September 1 - I am thankful for good food and fellowship.
September 2 - I am thankful for my parents.
September 3 - I am thankful for fun and thoughtful cards.
September 4 - I am thankful for people who respect privacy.
September 5 - I am thankful for chickpeas and feta cheese.
September 6 - I am thankful for modern medicine.
September 7 - I am thankful for modern plumbing.
September 8 - I am thankful for Trista's safe travels.
September 9 - I am thankful for hot nights and cool apartments.
September 10 - I am thankful for adorable rescue dogs who let me pet them.
September 11 - I am thankful for those who do not forget.
September 12 - I am thankful for safe nighttime travels.
September 13 - I am thankful for a flexible schedule.
September 14 - I am thankful for old homes that have been beautifully restored.
September 15 - I am thankful for people who serve their community.
September 16 - I am thankful for the variety of available food.
September 17 - I am thankful for days to work in the dark.
September 18 - I am thankful for beautiful Fall weather.
September 19 - I am thankful for Sarah's safe return.
September 20 - I am thankful for craft nights with the girls.
September 21 - I am thankful for productive days.
September 22 - I am thankful for cute dresses and honey sesame chicken.
September 23 - I am thankful for friendlier kitties.
September 24 - I am thankful for the honesty that comes with long service.
September 25 - I am thankful for yummy kale recipes.
September 26 - I am thankful for safety on evening walks.
September 27 - I am thankful for cheaper Panera for lunch.
September 28 - I am thankful for slow days with no obligations.
September 29 - I am thankful for modern (free) medicine.
September 30 - I am thankful for safety to go walking in the dark.

October 1 - I am thankful for normal, average days.
October 2 - I am thankful for fun discussions about dessert.
October 3 - I am thankful for Oreo ice cream cake from Esther.
October 4 - I am thankful for new flags in front of the building.
October 5 - I am thankful for a good turnout at the festival.
October 6 - I am thankful for soft, rainy days.
October 7 - I am thankful for inexpensive pizza.
October 8 - I am thankful I can usually work at my own pace.
October 9 - I am thankful for cuddly kitties.
October 10 - I am thankful for fun online videos.
October 11 - I am thankful for no broken bones.
October 12 - I am thankful for antibiotics.
October 13 - I am thankful that I get sick on days when nothing is planned.
October 14 - I am thankful for new glasses. Again.
October 15 - I am thankful for unexpectedly nice days.
October 16 - I am thankful for new holiday decorations.
October 17 - I am thankful for Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadsticks.
October 18 - I am thankful for the new hyperfixation in "Downton Abbey."
October 19 - I am thankful to live in the time of food delivery.
October 20 - I am thankful I can control my claustrophobia.
October 21 - I am thankful for crisp, cold nights for walking.
October 22 - I am thankful for campfires.
October 23 - I am thankful for pajama-themed wedding discussions.
October 24 - I am thankful I occasionally make wise financial decisions.
October 25 - I am thankful for completed projects.
October 26 - I am thankful for minimal injury in helping the Christners move.
October 27 - I am thankful for good fanfiction.
October 28 - I am thankful for my Mama.
October 29 - I am thankful for abundant food.
October 30 - I am thankful for guilt-free potatoes.
October 31 - I am thankful to meet new kitties.

November 1 - I am thankful for yummy popcorn.
November 2 - I am thankful for craft fairs and dad gifts.
November 3 - I am thankful for an extra hour of sleep.
November 4 - I am thankful for mall food.
November 5 - I am thankful for minimal soreness after physical labor.
November 6 - I am thankful for Steve's calming influence.
November 7 - I am thankful for good bbq.
November 8 - I am thankful for progress on lists.
November 9 - I am thankful for packing lists.
November 10 - I am thankful for unexpected visits from family.
November 11 - I am thankful for our veterans.
November 12 - I am thankful for team lunches at Red Sun.
November 13 - I am thankful for amazingly supportive parents.
November 14 - I am thankful for safe travels and breathing exercises.
November 15 - I am thankful for adorable tour guides, couscous tabbouleh, and za'atar fries.
November 16 - I am thankful for hot(!) fire dancers and Elvis Presley.
November 17 - I am thankful for men and women willing to sacrifice for their country.
November 18 - I am thankful for sea breezes and afternoon rain.
November 19 - I am thankful for paved roads and black sand.
November 20 - I am thankful for sunset cruises and blue ocean.
November 21 - I am thankful for not dying in the ocean.
November 22 - I am thankful for the incredible diversity of marine life.
November 23 - I am thankful for people on planes who do not throw up or open smelly cheese.
November 24 - I am thankful for never being a waitress.
November 25 - I am thankful for nice days for a walk.
November 26 - I am thankful for family traditions and fewer stink bugs.
November 27 - I am thankful for unexpected finds at discount prices.
November 28 - I am thankful for shrimp dip and family shenanigans.
November 29 - I am thankful for good doggos and hot tubs.
November 30 - I am thankful for Casa salad and Chinese buffets.

December 1 - I am thankful for people who have good discretion.
December 2 - I am thankful for warm clothes on cold nights.
December 3 - I am thankful for productive days.
December 4 - I am thankful for staff lunches.
December 5 - I am thankful for wardrobe loopholes.
December 6 - I am thankful for free time at retreats.
December 7 - I am thankful for a successful retreat.
December 8 - I am thankful for warm December days.
December 9 - I am thankful that office Christmas parties end.
December 10 - I am thankful for completed Christmas letters.
December 11 - I am thankful for Esther's girls' night in.
December 12 - I am thankful for flexible schedules and flashlights.
December 13 - I am thankful for dumb old movies.
December 14 - I am thankful for the people who supported me in my time of illness.
December 15 - I am thankful for the freedom to do very little and just rest and recuperate.
December 16 - I am thankful for understanding coworkers.
December 17 - I am thankful for a flexible work environment.
December 18 - I am thankful for new drugs.
December 19 - I am thankful for the lovely and talented McFalls.
December 20 - I am thankful for blueberry donut holes.
December 21 - I am thankful for short cuts around last-minute Christmas shoppers.
December 22 - I am thankful all of my wrapping is done!
December 23 - I am thankful for sunshine.
December 24 - I am thankful for pretty lights.
December 25 - I am thankful for the gift of Jesus and for family.
December 26 - I am thankful for post-Christmas sales.
December 27 - I am thankful for the good kind of naps.
December 28 - I am thankful for all the food my parents left from Christmas.
December 29 - I am thankful for different takes on old stories.
December 30 - I am thankful for warm clothing.
December 31 - I am thankful for all the possibility that a new year represents.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: December 16-20, 2019

It's been interesting to walk around the office each day. All week, there are fewer and fewer people in the building. One of the biggest adjustments after 22 years of living on a school schedule is that there is no summer break, no extended Winter break, no Spring break - none of that. If you want time off, you have to plan for it, and you have a limited amount. Due to my trip to Wyoming in June and then my trip to Hawaii in November, I am a bit low on vacation time. Thus, I have been in the office all week, and I will be in next week, at least on Monday. Not sure about Friday, yet.

First, though, remember when I said I was looking forward to a weekend without people? Well, I got it, but not in a way I really wanted. I woke up at 5:30 on Saturday morning and proceeded to be sick for the next 16 hours. Really sick. The disgusting kind of sick.

Sorry. I'll refrain from describing any more.

Suffice to say, it was an unpleasant weekend. And it took a while to recover, though because I am a masochist, I was actually in the office every day. Mostly away from other people, thank you very much. I try not to share my germs. (Also, the new medication I was on gave me some incredibly horrible side effects. That did not help my recovery. But now I have new ones, so that's good.)

Anyway, sob story aside, I was able to get some stuff done this week. I finally got all of my Christmas letters and supporter gifts out, which took a huge weight off my mind. I hope I do a good job of keeping people involved and informed in this ministry. It's important to me that people know that their contributions are appreciated and stewarded well.

I finally got Castilian off the ground this week! It feels like we've been doing Spanish booklets for as long as we've been working on Train & Multiply itself, and we kinda have. You may recall that we have two versions of Spanish already, but we needed one that catered more to a European audience than a Latin American one. It's important that people feel a familiarity with materials and don't get distracted by language or images that don't fit into their context. We want as few obstacles to sharing the Gospel as possible. So it's nice to be able to start work on Castilian.

We're also moving forward with publishing more English sets. We did African and Universal art first since those are being used in the Village Church Planting volumes, but now we can get started on the European (Art F) version. For many years, this was our standard English set, so it'll be nice to get that back into circulation.

In the meantime, though, it IS actually Christmas next week, and my team is taking some well-deserved time off. I figure I can tie up the rest of the loose ends on Monday and then enjoy the season.

Adeste the heck out of those fideles, ya hear?

Merry Christmas!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: December 2-13, 2019

Is anyone else tired of December, yet? Christmas is supposed to be this magical time of year full of peace and joy and love and togetherness.

I could do with a bit less togetherness.

It's possible I'm slightly bitter that I'm back in Indiana and not still in Hawaii.

Maybe.

But still, a lot has already happened this month, and there's a whole week yet before Christmas.

(Speaking of Hawaii, you probably saw most of the pics I posted if we're friends on Facebook. If not, I do plan to do something on here about the trip, but knowing me, it'll happen next July, so don't sit around waiting for that. But it was an excellent trip. Just what I needed.)

Okay, so upon arriving back in Greenwood on December 1, I jumped back into things with both feet. I was in the office a few days, mostly sloughing through email and figuring out what had been done in my absence. My team was great, though. They did a superb job of completing projects.

Sarah and I also had to do some last minute retreat planning. We'd fortunately done most of it before I left, but there are always those small details that need looking after. We headed out for that on Thursday, and we were at McCormick's Creek State Park until Saturday. Sarah and I did four sessions on the languages of workplace appreciation. I'm pleased to say that we had some excellent dialogue, and everyone seemed to have a good time. (Side note: I got bit by something or a lot of somethings last weekend. Possibly when I was out walking in the woods. I hope not when I was in bed. But its itchy and annoying. Sorry for the TMI.)

On Monday, we had our office Christmas party. We do a lunch now, and then most people get to take the rest of the day off. I say most people because ECC always has a week of planning/budgeting meetings after the retreat. I don't have anything to do with those meetings, but I did stay for a while to work on my Christmas letter and cards (some are in the mail, some will be soon). I also managed to publish a group of French this week and process a proof of three booklets needed for the VCP project, which has its second iteration due next Monday.

On Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment, at which I got some new meds. They are not going well so far, so you can be praying for that, please.

On Wednesday night, a group of OMS girls hung out with Esther Fetherlin, the president's wife. Some of us also stayed the night. We watched a truly horrendous film on Netflix that had talking cats. It was great.

Then today, we had an ECC ladies get-together at the Dragon's house. We had a nice brunch and then made some crafty things.

So yes, I enjoyed the togetherness. But I will also enjoy this weekend during which I will see as few people as possible.

No offense.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: November 4-8, 2019

2.5 days left in the office, then nothing until December.

I'm super excited.

Like, you have no idea.

I need a vacation.

so. very. badly.

But we're not there, yet. Much work was done this week. Mostly on the retreat, actually. We have to be ready to go three days after I get back, so the more we finish now, the better the experience. I'm actually really excited about the retreat. We have a good theme, some fun activities planned, and important truths to uncover. We just have to pull it all together. Fortunately, my partner in crime is very experienced in these things. ;)

On Tuesday, of course, we had to change things up a little. We call it a Work Day, but honestly, we do work every day. I heard a few decent alternatives to the name, but we'll just call it a "Work We Don't Normally Do But Have Been Press-Ganged Into Doing Because We Have A Small Maintenance Team And A Lot Of Trees" Day. Yes, I spent most of the day raking leaves.

I slept really well that night. In my bed. Not on the table. But it was close. 

On Thursday, we had a big meeting with the T&M Management Committee. Yes, we have a management committee. It has to do with the long and varied history of Train & Multiply. Anyway, Brian has been in Africa this week, so I gave the update on what we've been doing. I think it went well. 

Next week, I'm going to spend two days making sure people can survive without me, and then I'm going to forget about everything except sun and sand. 

Try not to miss me too much.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: October 28 - November 1, 2019

Oh, the drama! Between scripts not running as they should and questions of when documents are due, it's been quite the week. I stayed out of some of it, but this VCP project is really taking its toll. We're close to being done (at least with the first volume - there are SEVEN MORE in FIVE LANGUAGES), but I have violated almost every principle I have regarding producing T&M in order to get there. We're publishing French booklets that haven't even been looked at by native French speakers. It's giving me the heeby-jeebies. But hey, we all do what we must, right?

Otherwise, it's been a decent week, though I haven't much cared for the weather. Retreat planning continues, and I constantly have to remind myself that it's supposed to be a time of relaxation instead of a time for me to act out whatever sadistic fantasies I've had about anti-team building. (I'm mostly kidding.) We still haven't mapped out the actual sessions, though, and I'm feeling mild anxiety about that.

Guys, I have one more week in the office until December.

One.
Week.

God help us all.

We had a lunch & learn this week that I found quite interesting. I heard two things (one was actually in chapel) that are somewhat related, but they have given me a lot of food for though. The first was from John Piper - he said Christians can be one of three things: a goer, a sender, or disobedient. You can always count on Piper to distill everything down to a few well-chosen words. But then I also learned that only 2% of the people who are called to organizational missions actually end up serving. That's pretty staggering. And I can definitely tell. We're hurting for people at OMS. And we've had several begin the process only to back out later.

I don't know about you, but I think I need to ponder this more. I can't just learn something like that and not think about how to fix it.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: October 21-25, 2019

I really feared I had spoken too soon when I said I'd probably finish English B and U this week. We had a project for the VCP volumes that needed to be done quickly, so I set English aside for a bit and copy/pasted French translations into the interactive adult learning lessons. That probably won't make much sense to you, but suffice to say, it was a tedious manual process that absolutely had to be done, so we buckled down and did it. After that, though, I officially ran out of projects for my production team to do. I've assigned some housekeeping things that have fallen by the wayside for now, but until our translators and proofreaders start sending in more work, I'm at a bit of a loss. Loathe as I am to take work home with me, I'm going to have to think about this on the weekend.

Anyway, I did end up finishing B and U except for the new booklets with universal art. I'm hoping to deploy everything next week, and then we'll likely have more art sets to publish. I'm hoping to keep everything as consistent as possible, so the quicker I can get to them, the fresher everything will be in my mind.

The big thing this week is the President's Gathering in Florida. I mention it because it means many people are out of the office, so it's another quiet week. We also had prayer for it on Wednesday - it's the big push for development projects before the end of the year. Sarah and I have been jokingly volunteering to go all summer, but alas, we are not needed. At least I'm getting my sunshine in a few weeks. Sarah will have to suffer a little while longer.

I haven't kept up with the wider world, but I know there have been several to-dos of late. I may dip my toe in the water at a later date, but it hardly seems safe to do so now.

Finally, please keep praying for the retreat planning. We're getting closer to knowing what we'll be doing, but I always forget just how much goes into this. It's rather exhausting.

I think that's it. Have a pleasant weekend, everyone. 

The Weekly Wrap-Up: October 14-18, 2019

And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust!

Yes, that does in fact mean that another group of English B and U have been published. Just one more to go! It's been interesting and helpful seeing all of the booklets together again in a relatively short amount of time. I see them quite often when working on other languages, of course, but I'm usually focused on the other language rather than remembering what the English says. We have some good stuff to offer! Who knew?

It's been another one of those weird weeks with lots of random stuff going on. I was able to finish the master files of the two new booklets, so those will be published along with the rest. I did two different surveys this week for work-related things - one on the new website for OMS and one Sarah and I wrote for the upcoming retreat. Planning for that is going well, with the usual hiccups here and there. I also finalized my prayer letter, which should be rolling out to you shortly.

On Wednesday, we had prayer rally. One of our prayer times was spent praying for one personal, one ministry, and one global prayer request. I asked for prayer over the trip we're taking (so close! see below), the VCP project, and the many political upheavals taking place around the world. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of even glancing at the news these days. It's important to stay informed, but it's incredibly depressing to see all of the terrible things happening around the world.

Anyway.

Like I said, we're approaching my departure date. Can you guess from the photo how many days are left? (Also, take note of the new item on my shelf, courtesy of Pat after her trip to Africa!)

Keep warm, everyone!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: October 7-11, 2019

So, how did the International Festival go?

By all accounts, I'd say it actually went really well! We had about 700 people there, we didn't run out of food, and I think pretty much all of the attendees had fun in some way. We had bounce houses, food trucks, a photo booth, international games, a dunk tank (more on that later), and probably a bunch of other things I knew nothing about.

Many months ago, when this was being planned, I signed up to work two shifts. I signed up to help with setup from 9-11, and then I signed up to help with games from 1:30-4. The event was scheduled for 11-4. I also recruited my parents to help out in the morning because they are lovely people.

In reality, we showed up for setup at 7, which was good because there was no way to get everything ready in two hours. You try inflating four (maybe) bounce houses, put out tables, set up tents and signs and games, etc. in two hours. I bounced around for a while on various projects until my parents and I got placed in charge of the dunk tank. It arrived at 9, and if you're ever in charge of a dunk tank, two hours is not enough time to fill it using just a hose. Also, you'll be stuck with cold water. So we carted hot water from the kitchen to the tank five or six times.

And then we just kinda never left. I didn't want to leave my parents alone with the dunk tank (especially when they didn't know the people who would be in it - not me, never, no way no how). So I stayed. And then I stayed some more, because we didn't have anyone else to cover it for the afternoon shift.

I'm sure the games were nice.

Anyway, I did leave at 4, because by then, I couldn't really move anymore. I cuddled a cat and then made her sit on the floor because her eight-pound body was leaving bruises on my legs. (Probably not, but it felt like it.) So it was good. And look! I made the paper!

I could have been holding a bull all afternoon. No, thanks. Sarah did a great job.

Anyway, we theoretically had flex time we could have taken this week, but because I'm a good employee, I did not take any. Also, we have a huge project we're trying to make headway on with T&M, so it was not a good time for it.

We're getting there! 65 and 66 are just about done, and the next step is to start assembling volumes. These will have several booklets and other VCP curriculum all in one file that can be printed and bound. I think we'll end up with four volumes for each language - English, French, Swahili, Chichewa, and Amharic. But most of that is a long way down the road. For now, I need to make sure the new booklets are as good as they can get.

But I'm also still doing U and B books. One more group was published this week! I even managed to change all of the back pages and republish previous groups.

Let's see, random stuff from this week... I think our staff briefing was the briefest brief that ever briefed. We were there less than 40 minutes! It's unheard of, truly. But it was nice. And then I gave an impromptu tour to some donors because I happened to be at the front desk and Patty said, "Jessica will take you around!" So I said, "Sure."

I am great with the extemporization.

So that's my week! Oh, and as if that wasn't enough, I did actually write a prayer letter, too. So you can look for that to be mailed out next week.

Au revoir, mes amis!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: September 30 - October 4, 2019

Whew, what a week! And it's not over yet, but more on that later.

One more group of English B and U done, so we're holding steady on that. Although, we did just make a change that effects all books, so I'm thinking I'll have to republish what I've already done. Oh well. At least I haven't distributed them yet. And it's just one change to the back page, so I just delete the old one, place the new one, and Bob's your uncle! 64 times over.

But we're also working on the two new booklets, 65 and 66. One is about evangelism techniques while the other is about telling God's story. We're trying to get them done quickly so they can go in the Africa volumes (collections of booklets bound together), but we need to make sure they are consistent with the other booklets in layout and language. I'll have more to do with those next week.

We had another retirement chapel this week, this time for Joetta, a friend of mine who works in Finance. She always asks me how many steps I've done so far that day and gives encouragement. She's a very equanimous person, which I admire, and her dry humor will definitely be missed. (Yes, there was cake, no I didn't eat any.)

The biggest story this week, though, is the frenzied preparations for the International Festival we're having Saturday. This thing has been in the works for months, and I very wisely bowed out of the planning committee way back when. I knew I wouldn't have the time, and I also knew that I'd get drawn into the periphery of planning. Honestly, I haven't done much but support others who are putting this together, but I'll be at OMS bright and early to help set up and then throughout the day to help serve the (hopefully) hundreds of people who come to learn more about OMS. I do hope it goes well, but I fully anticipate being absolutely exhausted by the end of the day.

Also, I now know how to change out the flags in front of the building. And you know me - I love learning new things!

Peace, my dudes!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: September 23-27, 2019

Is anyone else still enjoying the warm weather? I almost felt the need to put on a jacket this morning, but I refuse! I like being warm, and if I have to keep wearing flip-flops and t-shirts in order to fool myself into thinking it's still summer, then so be it.

I published another group of English B and English U. There are a ton of speech bubbles in these later booklets, and for whatever reason, a lot of the text got offset when the new art was uploaded. So that's been interesting to deal with. But I am starting to see the light at the end of this tunnel.

Other projects are also going well. I'm so grateful for my team. They definitely keep things moving, which gives me more time to figure out why other projects are stalled. Sometimes our translators are busy doing other things, sometimes it's a problem on our end, and sometimes we don't really know what's going on. Which is why I review all the projects regularly so that none of them fall through the cracks.

Sarah and I are also in full-on planning mode for the ECC Retreat. Sure, it isn't until December, but since Sarah was in Africa and I'm gone half of November (T-47 days), we need to get this done now so it's ready. We couldn't find a speaker we agreed on, so we're running the show again. I think it will be good. It's just a lot of details to sort through.

It was cake week for whatever reason. We had a retirement celebration on Tuesday with white cake. We had a recognition chapel on Wednesday with chocolate cake. And we had almond raspberry cake just because on Thursday.

Not a good week for my diet.

But, you know, cake. So who cares?

I hope you all have a great weekend. I'm gonna hang out with my temporary cat and probably read a bunch.

This is the life.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: September 16-20, 2019

Party people!!!!

Sorry, been having flashbacks to the 90s for whatever reason. It's possible I've already cracked.

Also, why do I ever turn my office light on? Two days this week, I was all by myself in the ECC hallway. And let me tell you, it was GLORIOUS. On Tuesday, I didn't turn my light on at all. Or the hall light. I didn't really need to. And no one came in! No interruptions, minus the couple of times people skulked their way through the hallway and I hid under my desk.

Hypothetically.

But today, for whatever reason, I just had to turn my office light on. And like moths to flames, there came the people. I am not the droid they are looking for!

Anyway.

So I was able to get a lot done this week. (Until today, obviously.) One more group of English was published, and I'm almost done with another. And Trista was able to start a new language this week! Plus I got a lot of organizing done. And we had a training session on replacing art in booklets.

Good times.

And hey, Sarah is back! So next week should be a little more epic.

Medical update: I'm not going back to the doctor. Unless I'm actively dying. Because I can't afford to keep doing tests. So that's that.

I'm sure it will be fine. 

The Weekly Wrap-Up: September 9-13, 2019

Hello, my lovelies! How is your Friday the 13th treating you? Not that I put stock in that drivel, other than people's tendencies to get amped about an arbitrary day and be more stupid than usual. It's a typical quiet day at OMS, though. I've been the only one in the ECC hallway all day. Most of the others are off in Africa. I did leave briefly for an eye appointment this afternoon, but other than that, I've been enjoying having the place to myself. I can get a lot more done.

It's been a fairly productive week. Trista arrived Sunday to attend Orientation this week. I appreciated the extra time we got to spend together. She's been a godsend as I lead the production process, and I can always count on her to ask excellent questions.

With Orientation comes the usual history of missions session. I was not at all intimidated to do my little doodles in front of my art teacher roommate. Nope. But I think it went well. It was a small group this time, only five, and only one of those will be serving full-time in a field. But missionaries come in all shapes and sizes, and we do what we're gifted in. And since all gifts come from God, it's fairly safe to say we're using them appropriately.

I was able to publish three groups of Romanian this week! Yay! I actually did four, but it turns out I got a little ahead of myself. So the fourth group will have to wait to be reviewed by our translator one more time. Which is fine. Otherwise, I've continued my work on English.

We had our staff briefing on Wednesday. It was a little shocking as we learned that three people will be leaving us soon - one in finance, one in development, and one in marketing. It's been one of those seasons, unfortunately, but I'm hoping we can figure out how to better retain our HQ staff. It's always harder for those raising funds to work in the U.S. But they are essential positions to keep our fields running successfully.

We also had a memorial service Thursday for Rick Beard. He and his wife Barb served in Taiwan at one of the churches. He had a very unexpected heart attack in July. It's always sad to lose someone, though I didn't know him well, but it's not quite as common now as it was in the old days. We talk in history of missions about the missionaries who would pack their belongings in the coffins they would eventually be buried in, but that's not supposed to happen in the modern age. It's easy to say that God's plans are bigger than ours, but to actually live in that reality is something different entirely. But we can pray for Barb as she adjusts to a new reality and figures out where to go from here.

That's about it. When Sarah gets back, we need to start planning the ECC retreat. Well, continue to plan. We started planning this one about five minutes before the last one officially ended. But details are important. We have where. Now we need what.

Thank you for praying for my medical stuff! The labs that have come back are normal, so that's a relief. Just waiting on a few more things (and the bill). I do appreciate all of you. 

The Weekly Wrap-Up: August 26 - September 6, 2019

Yes, I know, I keep skipping weeks.

My bad.

But these last two weeks fit well together since I've been doing a lot of the same things. Or running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

That tends to happen a lot.

I can't help it! People keep finding things that have to be fixed right now. Supposedly. Which interrupts what you were doing and then you have to remember what that was and which step you were on.

For example, in between groups 3 and 4 of English publishing (yes, still doing that), I needed to process a group of Chinese booklets. Now, between groups 5 and 6 of English, I need to publish four groups of Romanian. There's a training event there in two weeks, which I did know about, so I knew this was coming and took precautions against being in the middle of something vital when it was ready. But still.

Also, have you ever tried to alphabetize something in another language? I did it this week for Estonian (oh yeah, I had to stop English to fix the already-published Student Activity Guide) and I'm about to do it for Romanian. Probably next week, though, because it's a somewhat tedious process.

Anyway...

Sorry. My brain is all over the place today. I had a doctor's appointment. I don't really feel like sharing details yet. Mostly because I don't know a lot until some tests come back. And I don't want to sound cryptic, but you know me. I overshare until I don't. Either way, prayers are appreciated. It's no fun feeling sick all the time.

One other thing I'm now involved in is the newly-formed Safety Response Team at OMS. We figured someone should know what to do in an emergency, so Sarah and I are ECC's best hope (help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi!). Of course, actually getting beyond just having a team to actually knowing what to do on that team will be something of a challenge. But I'm sure someone is working on that.

I will leave you with a side project I did in all my copious spare time. I needed a visual representation of how many days I have until my vacation. Any guesses where I'll be?

The Weekly Wrap-Up: August 19-23, 2019

I need to be better about writing stuff down throughout the week. I clearly don't take my own advice, though, because I've definitely said that before. Oh well. You'll just have to suffer with me through this less-than-auspicious account of my week.

Truthfully, this week is a little foggy. I haven't been feeling well, and that's been an unpleasant reality for far too long. I have a doctor's appointment coming up, but hands up if you think that will get me anywhere.

...

Exactly.

Anyway, I've been continuing my work on English B and U this week. I have the first group published, which is always the trickiest since it includes the two booklets we split up. Plus, I took the opportunity to walk Trista through the process of publishing. I've also been proofing Outreach pages, which are due to be printed next week. And I sang during the prayer rally on Wednesday. I guess I remember more than I thought I did.

Seriously, though, English is kinda kicking my butt. I'm trying not to get bogged down on content, just sticking to layout, but doing it concurrently in two projects is HARD. Maybe that's why I'm so foggy. Good thing I only have 11 more groups to go!

The saddest part about this week is that it's the last week for my dear friend Ashleigh. If I haven't talked about her before, shame on me, because she's brilliant. Ashleigh works upstairs as corporate secretary (I secretly call her the Keeper of the Keys), so I don't get to see her a lot, but we do make the effort to go on bus rides (walks) around the building every so often. I'm going to miss seeing her smiling face and venting to her and just generally enjoying her company.

That's probably one of the harshest realities of missionary life. By nature, it's a transient life, but I don't think I knew just how true that was for HQ people as well. We tend to have a lot of people in and out of the office, and that can be hard on friendships. I tend to be a little standoffish with new people (confession is good for the soul, right?) because I never know how long they are going to be around. I'm not one of those people who can just appreciate the experience and the time they had with someone. Maybe that's a bad thing. But it's my reality.

But we need to end on a lighter note. So, I can tell you that my prayer letter will (hopefully) be mailed next week! (Oh yeah, I wrote that this week, too.) So you can learn all about training last week and some fun info about my job. And if you don't get my letter, drop me a line, and I'll make sure you're added to the list.

Later, gators!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: August 5-17, 2019

Did you know that in all my years of hoovering up useless facts and overfilling my brain with frivolous knowledge, I never once thought to look up what Louvre meant? I mean, we just call it The Louvre. Why would you think it would mean something else? Despite the fact that it's in France and is probably a French word and might have an English equivalent.

Does anyone else regularly do the stroke protocol on themselves?

Look, this only came up because I was working on French. And I saw the word L'oeuvre. And naturally, my brain took a spiral. In the booklet, the English equivalent is 'work.' That makes sense, right? The Louvre in Paris displays work. Except it is spelled differently. So I had to do some research. And the Internet says it has nothing to do with that. There was talk of wolves. Basically, it's called the Louvre, and no one knows why.

Thanks, Internet.

Obviously, we missed last week's post. I ended up taking Friday off so I could help my mom run our annual garage sale. For several years now, I've been coordinating a campus-wide garage sale. It always looks a little different, but basically, several OMSers get together and have a giant sale in the picnic pavilion on campus. It's a great place for it because we have tables ready to use, and no one knows where we live. Plus, we're under cover, so rain isn't as much of a problem. Anyway, this will likely be the last one I do for a while. It's a lot of work, hence me taking the day off.

So last week, I was still working on French. And this week, obviously. But I finished that Tuesday and moved on to a behemoth of a project. We're republishing two versions of English because we've updated the art sets. One of them has African art (which we need for the new VCP initiative coming soon) and the other has Universal art. Theoretically, we could use this art in any country and not run into any issues of unintentionally offending someone because the people don't look like they do. Personally, I think this won't be a problem because I think the new art looks mostly like aliens. But maybe it's just me.

Anyway, it's a huge project because I'm essentially working on two languages at the same time. Sure, it's the same language, but it's also two completely different sets of files. But I need to make sure they look identical when it comes to text and layout. I've been going a little crazy with it switching back and forth between files. But some challenges I don't mind.

So, funny story. Last week was the leadership chapel (which varies depending on who is around) and we were praying for various things. But the first thing we were supposed to pray for was the world. I found that to be a fairly vague charge while also being daunting because the world is rather a large place. But I'm game for anything, so I prayed for the world. It went a little something like this:

"Dear God, the world sucks. This is not news to you, but I need you to understand that I totally get why you'd want to destroy everything with a flood. However, you promised not to do that anymore, so we're kinda stuck with things. Help us not to be overwhelmed by the overwhelming amount of suckage. Give us strength to address the problems in our own little corner and the wisdom to do what you'd have us do that is in line with your will. In Jesus' name, Amen."

It's probably the first time I've ever begun a prayer that way. It will likely not be the last.

This week was always bound to be crazy. It's a major training week, so we have about 20 people in town from all over the world to learn about Train & Multiply. That means lots of back and forth from the office to a local church where the training is being held. Do I sometimes just go over for lunch? Yes. Am I bothered by this? No. It was really cool, though, to see everyone. We had people representing every continent except for Antarctica here, which is a great reminder that my job truly has global impact.

Speaking of...

I don't know how they decide who gets what, but if you donate to OMS, chances are good that you'll soon be receiving the new Global Impact Report. It's something we're going to do every year to show how what OMS is doing is having an effect around the world. Like with many of our larger publications, I acted as another set of eyes in the proofreading phase. So if something is wrong, obviously they changed it after I looked at it. Or something. 

I think that's about it. Next week, I anticipate more English and hopefully a prayer letter. What would you guys like to hear about in this one?

The Weekly Wrap-Up: July 29 - August 2, 2019

Francais c'est finis! For now. And I don't actually know if that's the right way to say it. Whatever. Two groups of French are done. Go me!

No big issues with these groups. I'm still dealing with longer words, so that does cause some things to be wildly out of place. But we have our little tricks for getting around things.

Sometimes, though, low tech solutions are the best. For example:

The Student Activity Guide is almost always the exception to the rule. And because of that, you kinda make things up as you go along. (Sometimes. Don't tell anyone.) But one thing each activity has (when there's room) is a place for notes at the bottom of the page. But depending on the previous text, the lines for the notes could rest in a different spot every time. And there are 80 pages of this. I was trying to find a way to make sure the lines were fairly consistent, so I decided to stick the post-it on there as a way to draw a line in the sand. A high water mark, if you will. No lines below this line. Whatever, it worked. At least I'm not using white out on the screen.

Dude.

Umm... I lost my train of thought. (Let's be honest, by now we're down to one squeaky engine that really only runs half the time and some of its wheels are flat. Maybe a caboose. Possibly a rusted out boxcar that random children live in.)

I got to celebrate one of my favorite people this week. Lori spoke in chapel on Wednesday at her recognition for 20 years at OMS. That's hard for me to fathom. But, because she's profound, I've been thinking about something she said. Something like, people are very willing (well, mostly willing) to say 'Use me where I am!' to God. But they rarely say 'Use me where you need me to be!' And it's okay if that's where you already are. But if it isn't, take the leap. It's not like God is going to let you fall. Unless he needs you to. But even if he does, he's falling with you. And he'll help you back up.

Wow, this whole thing is really getting away from me today. So we'll just end it here.

Be cool.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: July 22-26, 2019

Ah, le francais n'est-il pas une belle langue? J'ai fait beaucoup de travail pratique dans la version Africaine de cette langue cette semaine. 

If you can read that, you're cooler than I am. Only the finest Google translate for you. I could maybe work out a general idea. But any attempt to pronounce it would sound suspiciously like Spanish. 

Fortunately, I don't have to be able to speak French in order to work on it. You may recall from last week's post the many interesting paths we've taken to get to this point in French. But it's progressing fairly smoothly now. Aside from the fact that booklet 37 might cause a stroke at some point. I don't care what language we're in, that book is a menace. But I press on. I had to add a bunch of pages again and rearrange quite a bit. It looks pretty now. And, more importantly, people will be able to read it.

The goal is to get GR01 done Monday and then go on to GR02. But things change rapidly around here. It's my fault, really, since I'm the one assigning projects. Oh well. 

The weather has been glorious this week. We like to take quick breaks in the afternoons since we spend most of the time sitting or standing at our desks, and we've been able to walk outside most days. It's quite different from when we were hanging out in Satan's armpit last week. But I will embrace whatever form of warmth I can get. I remember how cold last Winter was. I'll stick to Summer, thanks.

We heard from our CROSS trainers in chapel on Wednesday. We have a few going to Hungary and then some who will be serving at HQ. We even had one person from another organization. We do a decent job of preparing folks for serving as missionaries. We should - we've learned a lot over the years. Obviously, we won't think of everything. It's impossible to cover every scenario someone might encounter. But the point is to give a solid foundation.

Which is naturally why I bring my swords in and wave them around every year. Is there a purpose? Yes. Is it also rad? Yes. I didn't bring as many this time. They are quite heavy, even if I'm only moving them across the street. But I think they do help focus the discussion on spiritual warfare. It's a reminder for me, at least.

Speaking of, do these blog posts actually make sense to you? Do they help you understand more of what I do? They are useful for me, but I also want them to be beneficial to you. I'm trying to do more one-offs as well. I'm thinking about them, at least. Most of my thoughts these days are on organizations facing quite serious trouble, and that just gets depressing after a while. But if you don't mind, this blog sometimes helps me sort out my thoughts on a subject. And I'm always willing to engage in a dialogue about something. 

Okay, enough about me. Do something fun this weekend. 

The Weekly Wrap-Up: July 15-19, 2019

If I was being really clever, I might title this week the French Mistake. But I'm not clever, and it wasn't really a mistake. But it has been something of a Marx brothers routine.

Backstory: we started French many moons ago. Eons, really, if you're measuring in the time of the digital age. In real time, we started this project in 2017. We've changed a lot since then. And that's a bit of a problem. Even the language has changed - we started this with a more European style of French, but now we're focusing on a more African French. There can be major differences. We also changed the art and the style of most of the templates.

We had done two groups of French, but then we stalled with the translator, and no one was really clamoring for it back then. But they are now.

I started working on French with the files we already had, but it quickly became apparent that we needed to completely overhaul the files. So we smooshed all of the most current translations into one file, and I've been shoving it into entirely new templates.

With the utmost care, of course.

I'll likely be doing French for a couple of weeks. I need to get it done quickly, but since we're essentially starting from scratch, I also need to make sure these files are pristine. We'd normally have two or three proofs, but this might only get one. So I gotta make it count.

This week I also oversaw the shipping of one computer to Mississippi. Trista has been remoting in to work on another office computer, but networks are unreliable, and there was often a delay for her that was quite frustrating. So we sent 35 lbs of computer to the middle of nowhere and hoped for the best (and bought insurance). And it arrived beautifully! Props to UPS for that.

Chapel this week was a prayer rally. It was actually our annual pray through the neighborhoods one. I don't actually go out, because while others are meeting the mayor and going to fire stations, I take the opportunity to pray through the offices. It's actually quite a rare thing, a fact that was made abundantly clear to me on Wednesday. Yes, we do pray a lot here. We have Monday devotions and chapel on Wednesday and we sometimes pray before meetings. But to go office to office - even I only do it once a year. If people are out, I pray over their space for general work and personal stuff, or things I know from what they've told me. But if they are in, I always ask them for specific prayer requests and then pray with them. Last year, one of them actually prayed for me after I prayed for him. This year, one individual told me that this hadn't happened in 30 years of being in the office.

We should probably work on that.

Speaking of work. Confession time means that I have to tell you I've spent a large part of today watching them tear down the building across the street.

It used to be Pool City. And we used to be 'that place across from Pool City.' But now, we shall be known as 'the place with the flags.' Which was actually our other name before this. So maybe we can finally start being known as One Mission Society. We'll see. But demolition is quite therapeutic. We (for there were many of us) considered asking to have a turn in the excavator. No one had the guts.

It's super hot here, so I anticipate doing very little this weekend. It's gonna be awesome. (And I'm officially down to two cats!)

Be nice to each other.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: July 8-12, 2019

I'm pretty sure everyone took their vacation at the same time because it has been deader than a doornail around here this week. Truthfully, it's kind of nice. The quiet is always appreciated. But it can also be a problem because certain projects require certain people to be around. Alas. We press on.

We're working on getting three new projects started. These languages will be used in Africa. See, we're revamping another program ECC uses called Village Church Planting. And part of the revamp is inserting various T&M booklets into their curriculum. But since it's only certain ones, we're kind of doing a popcorn process on the booklets. They won't be translated in the normal order. Fortunately, two of the languages are using Latin characters, so that makes my life easier. The other one I hadn't even heard of before - Amharic. Should be quite interesting when we get started.

We had a long discussion about file names this week as well. You wouldn't think it would make a huge difference, but believe me, when you're processing thousands (literally) of files per project, you need to make sure you know what each booklet is just by looking at the name. I think we got that figured out now, so that's good.

Our staff briefing was actually brief this week! Only 50 minutes. It's not quite a record, but it's close. Probably because there isn't much going on. Except CROSS-training. That did start this week. But I won't have much to do with it until later.

That's about it. I'm sorry there isn't much to talk about lately. Lots of file management and tracking down translators and figuring out why computers aren't doing what they're supposed to do. My team has three language projects going right now - Mongolian, Haitian Creole, and Mizo Chin. I'm waiting on some files so I can start publishing some stuff. I have a feeling it's all going to come in at once.

Have a great weekend!

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?