Day Zero

T minus whatever and counting...

I've realized something important. As I was packing my bag, I kept thinking about all the things I was forgetting - mosquito netting, bug repellant, plain t-shirts, skirts, sunscreen ... the list went on. But I'm not forgetting them - I just don't need them.

I'm not used to packing for Europe. But I love it!

It also made me realize that while my heart has revised the definition of 'missions,' my head has yet to get the message. Or is it the other way around? Either way, I'm starting to think a little bit more about the idea of missions.

In other news, I think I may have stumbled on my calling while I was getting ready this morning. It's been in the back of my mind for awhile now, but I had a moment of perfect clarity when my future was laid out before me. It was like being in Africa all over again. And Beka, we were right - it's terrifying, exhilarating and definitely not something I'd have chosen for myself. This is going to take real work to accomplish.

Now I'm nervous. If all this is happening even before I get on the plane, what is waiting for me in Spain?

EDIT: I've just read this thing again, and even I think it makes very little sense. I'll try to clarify when I've had a chance to consult with Dad.

Whimsy

So here's the deal. Last week, I was still dealing with some issues. And because I have not yet resolved the internal debate about exactly how much I reveal on this blog, I hid behind my dear, dear friend Arika. And she was kind enough to let me. However, the time comes when all must confess and receive due judgment. So, with a penitent heart and a much-healed spirit, I return to you, my faithful friends, and beg your dispensation.

I'd like to introduce you to my department. I've mentioned a few members in passing, but at the risk of calling down their ire, I'd like to fully divulge the ins and outs of the lovely people with whom I work. To a point - I can only say so much before they refuse to exculpate me and drum me out of the department like a proper militia.



And there they are...

Please excuse how horrible I look. I was sick that day, and was only there because my lovely coworkers called me in for the picture. We made the hearts because the picture was going on a shirt for another coworker of ours as a going away present.

Now that I think about it, I'd better just give you their names and move on. If you want to know more about them, we'll have to meet in a secluded location where there is no chance of being overheard. (I'm just kidding, they really are awesome.)

Right.

Left to right, then: Sarah is a wonderful videographer; Foster, behind me, is our graphic designer; Lori (in pink) is a fabulous editor and knows everything about OMS; Lon, in the back, is another videographer who gets very lonely in his cave; Susan, next to Lori, is my boss, and is generally pretty amazing and forgiving of my many mistakes; Pat, down front, works on prayer letters and printing; Jason, in back next to Lon, works with One Mission Kids and has been helping me with radio advertising; and last, but most certainly not least, is my dear friend Beka. She started when I did and has been an excellent source of encouragement and journalistic know-how.



On rare occasions, we have fun in our department. One such time was National Punctuation Day. It was pretty amazing and as you can see, I tried to dress for the occasion. We had punctuation cookies and decorated the office. While some people didn't appreciate our merriment, we persevered and had ourselves a lovely time.

It's not all fun and games, though. We do end up doing actual work. In fact, I've had a couple stories rotate through on the OMS website. You should check them out: Stories! It amazes me constantly the people I get to talk to and meet - true spiritual giants of the faith. It is easy to see the impact Jesus Christ has had on everyone in the office and in the field.

Last week, I got to travel to Huntington University with our director of Mobilization. It was nice to be back in the old stomping grounds. While I was more sure than ever that I really don't miss the college schedule, I did get to see how God is at work at Huntington. I met some wonderful young men and women who are exactly where I was just a few years ago. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about some options and share my journey to OMS.

Now for the exciting news. Ready?

I'M GOING TO SPAIN!

Next Tuesday, I'll be hopping on a plane for the lovely country of Spain to participate in an English camp for families in Madrid. This is new territory for me in more ways than one, so prayer would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure yet what exactly I'll be doing, but you can be sure I'll be taking as many pictures as possible and blogging about it when I get the opportunity. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this. I love traveling to new countries, and I love meeting missionaries and hearing their stories. This is a fantastic opportunity to do both.

Before I sign off, I have to apologize for this post. I've been a little distracted at work today, and I needed to deflate my brain a little. The result: this thing, which I'm pretty sure is only legible because I had to type it. So, thank you for your forbearance, and look forward to the next post when I will hopefully be less circumlocutory.

No guarantees, though.

And now, the lovely and talented Arika B...

I've been having some trouble getting a new post around, and my wonderful friend Arika was kind enough to guest star. Over to you, dearie...


I met Jessica on Friday, August 20, 2004. I’d like to say she made a lasting impression on me. But she didn’t. I only know I met her that day because it was Freshman Orientation at Huntington College (now University) and we were in the same College Life class. Each semester we had classes together, we both worked at the library - we even started a short-lived American Historical Film Society our sophomore year.
But I did not really get to “know” Jessica until our junior year when her computer came down with a bad case of the blue screen of death and she asked for my assistance fixing it. It’s amazing how a technology crisis draws people closer. I will always be grateful for that crazy computer. It had so many odd problems that year - I must have spent at least a two weeks total working on it. The result: Jessica had a mostly working computer and we gained a closer friendship.
Since that time Jessica has become a rock in my life and I try to be the same for her. When something joyous or devastating occurs - I call Jessica, confident she will drop everything and listen. I do the same for her. The last few months we have drawn even closer together as we watched our mutual friend, Jill Haskins struggle through the pregnancy, birth and death of her son Joshua.
As a member of World Gospel Church of Terre Haute, IN, a church with very close ties to OMS, it was almost surreal to learn her plans to work for organization. I have observed Jessica the last few years as she raised funding for OMS and am convinced that regardless of how ‘atypical’ a missionary she is, Jessica is where God wants her. The closer Jessica and I become, the more I am amazed at the extent of our similarities - sometimes its scary! I am confident that we are friends for life. We will probably end up in the same nursing home where she will organize my pills, while I fix her hearing aid.
I could ramble on and on telling you about Jessica and our adventures together, but I’ll end with this: if you have computer problems, ask for help. If you are asked to fix a computer, do it. You never know when a computer problem may bless your life more than you could ever dream.

Tomorrow, I hope to get a new post about OMS life out for you to read. But right now, I want to give an update on Joshua Haskins. I shared a couple of weeks ago about his situation, and you can read that post below.

Last Wednesday, Jesus took Joshua home. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers for Joshua and his family, and I would ask you to continue praying for Jill and Shane and their children Caleb and Hannah. I would also encourage you to visit Jill's blog to add your thoughts and prayers.

As a rule, I don't post really personal thoughts on this blog for a couple reasons. I prefer to use it as more of an informative tool, and to be perfectly honest, I am a very private person. This situation with Jill and Joshua, however, has raised a lot of questions and deeper issues in my mind. It has been very difficult to continue on with normal life in the face of such a tragedy. Even now, I don't know if I'm actually going to post this.

Please just keep the situation in your prayers, and please pray for me as I work through some of these issues.

Joshua

I'd like to share something that has been on my heart for the past few months. There is a link, over to the right, that will take you to my friend Jill's blog. It's been up for awhile, because Jill is always posting amusing stories about her kids (Caleb and Hannah), reflections on being a wife and mother, and is generally incredibly profound.

For the past few months, though, Jill has been posting updates about her son Joshua. A few months into her pregnancy, Jill and her husband Shane were told that their baby had a severe heart defect called HLHS. Jill shared this information on her blog and kept her growing audience up to date with doctor's visits, milestones reached and valleys conquered. She detailed the procedures Joshua would have to endure following his birth, fully embracing her new role as a Heart Mom.

Jill and I met in college. We worked at the library together, established one of those crazy inside jokes, and just had a good time hanging out. After college, though, I lost track of Jill. We were busy - she was a new mom, I was finishing school and trying to figure out what to do with my life. We're on the peripheral of each other's lives. I follow her on facebook and through her blog. Jill became one of my prayer supporters as I began raising support to work at OMS.

Slightly more than a month ago, Joshua was born. He is an adorable little boy. Jill posts pictures of him on facebook and twitter, and underneath the tubes and wires, you can see his sweet spirit.

He had his first surgery a week after he was born. It's been an uphill battle since then. I read about everything they have gone through, and I wonder when the mountain will stop growing. Joshua's second surgery was scheduled for February. It will now likely take place tomorrow - today, by the time I post this.

Through all of this, Jill has continued to blog. She doesn't have to. No one would blame her if she stopped. Every day, I read about her fear, pain, frustration and despair at what is happening to her little boy. But I also read about her faith - her abiding, constant faith that God will see her family through this. I read about her joy that people have been able to seek God because of Joshua. I read about her love for her husband and kids who she hasn't seen in days.

Jill is the strongest person I know. I wish I knew what was going to happen. I wish I had her faith. I wish I could be a better friend. I pray that Joshua will grow up to be a strong man, sure in the foundation of faith his mother has given him.

Pray for the doctors and nurses who care for Joshua. Pray for Jill, that she will continue to draw strength from the Father. Pray for Shane, as he is unable to be with Jill at the hospital. Pray for Caleb and Hannah, separated from their mother and brother. Pray for the lives that Joshua's story has touched already.

Pray for Joshua.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exaulted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:9-11

A (Brief) Guide to One Mission Society Lingo

In the two months I've been here, I've heard so many new acronyms that sometimes I think I work for the military (minus the drill sergeants, weapons, uniforms, bad food and anything remotely resembling boot camp, of course.) In the future, I will likely use the following acronyms with frequency, so I shall endeavor to explain them now.

Radio 4VEH - This is the OMS radio station in Haiti. They have a very unique and powerful ministry.
CPM - Church Planting Movement; this is the goal of church multiplication.
ECC - Every Community for Christ, the church planting catalyst for OMS; I have been acting as an advocate for ECC in communication needs, so I've seen first-hand just how much they have been able to accomplish.
EMS - Extended Missionary Service; believe it or not, a lot of our retirees continue to serve in their golden years. Now that is dedication.
GOMB - God Owns My Business Seminar; I've not had personal experience with these, yet, but MFM (see below!) is very active in urging business owners to consider using their businesses for the kingdom.
HMA - Homeland Missionary Assignment; I could call it a vacation, but honestly, our field missionaries do a ton when they are back in their home countries.
MFM - Men for Missions; These guys mean business. Every member has work outside of his missionary service, and each takes an oath to do what God asks them to do, go where God asks them to go, and give what God asks them to give.
MSR - Missionary Support Requirement; We spend a lot of time on these, making sure missionaries have what they need to continue serving.
SEMBEC - Evangelical Biblical Seminary of Cuenca; This is an awesome school in Ecuador.
SEMBIMEX - Biblical Seminary of Mexico; Another awesome school in Mexico.
SYIS - Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills; A workshop given occasionally to help people communicate more effectively. Also known as the bane of my existence. (It's slightly invasive.)
TCK - Third Culture Kid; Chances are, you know one or two. They were the weird kids in college who weren't interested in the latest video game or phone.

There are at least a million more, but this should give you a general idea of who and what I work with everyday.

I hope you all had a fantastic Labor Day weekend! I myself took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep and hang out with some pretty awesome people. I am discovering more and more things to do in and around Indy, which is nice because it gets me out of my apartment. Don't get me wrong, I really like my apartment - but as the only person around to talk to is myself, and as I tend to be a rather boring conversationalist, the joie de vivre factor can be a bit lacking.

Anyway.

I'm still liking my job, and the people I work with. (I have to say that, see, because they have a nasty habit of actually reading this thing.) I've had the chance to interview some pretty amazing people, so go read the website articles.

Olusegun is a pastor in Tver, Russia, who is starting a missionary school for university students. He has high hopes that when the students return to their countries, they will begin planting churches using what they learned in Tver.

Allar and Piret are from Estonia. They accidentally planted a church, and are now learning ways to be more intentional.

Did I mention just how awesome this job is?