The Weekly Wrap-Up: April 17-28, 2023

I have been slacking in blog posts, and I can't promise that this one will be any better. So I apologize now and will hopefully make up for it in the coming weeks. (Not next week because I won't be here.)

We had the CMF Seminar this week, so it's not like I haven't been doing anything. Last week was spent going over the tech needed for each session and getting things ready. This week, I think I maybe sat at my desk for a total of about five hours. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but it really hasn't been much. 

Which means I haven't done any of my usual work this week. I knew it would happen and I prepared my team for that. They just kinda shrugged and got on with things, which I love about them. 

We were non-stop this week from 9 until whenever I could get home, which was sometimes after 8. I had a great tech team that was helping me record sessions and run the sound system and cameras. A lot of it is automated, which helps quite a bit, but it does still require a brain behind the curtain. Plus, it was nice to see people I only hang out with about once a year. And I like to help Sarah not go crazy. More crazy. 

My next prayer letter should lay out more of what happened this week, and I will totally get to writing it soon. I hope. I could use some sleep before that happens. But it will! I promise. 

Okay, I think that will have to be it. I gotta go de-people for a bit. 

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: April 10-14, 2023

Yes, the fun never stops here at OMS. 

I say this with all sarcasm. Obviously. It has been such a quiet week around here. 

Clearly, I missed last week's update. Somehow, I had forgotten that Friday was Good Friday and that we wouldn't be in the office. And if I'm not in the office, I can't do a blog post. (Not really. But it might as well be true.)

Anyway, we are replacing the ancient unit that runs the heating and cooling system in the building. Most people (probably the sane ones) opted not to come in since no one was sure what the temps would be in the office. Honestly, it hasn't been that bad. Maybe a little stuffy. But I also reside in the basement, so maybe I'm not the best judge. 

These last couple of weeks have been spent working on the last of the emails I needed to send to T&M users and following up with their inquiries. My computer is still having issues, so that hampered my efforts. But we had some decent responses, so I'm pleased with that. 

I was also doing a lot for Family Fun Night, which was Tuesday. I always forget to take pictures when I'm hosting an event, so I didn't get any. But it was a really good night! We had some fun Bible foods and did a quiz I devised. It took a lot out of me, though. I took Wednesday off with a headache. 

The next big event will be the CMF Seminar. I've been helping Sarah where I can with that. I'll be doing tech, and we're waiting for everyone to get their stuff in so we know what we're up against. Historically, these people are not great at deadlines. But, we'll get there. Come what may.

I did finally finish the Spanish art swap. All that's left is to publish those files. Sometime. Soon.

I think that's about the size of it, folks. Have a great weekend!

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: March 27-31, 2023

Spanish is never going to end.

Am I being dramatic? A little. But it certainly feels that way. To be fair, though, I was working on booklet 52 (Church Growth Guide), which has at least 100 images to switch. No exaggeration. But that one is done now. I just need some uninterrupted time to do the rest and then publish the booklets. 

But, I'm still working on Family Fun Night stuff and responding to email inquiries. And on Wednesday, I had a last minute request to run the A/V for chapel. 

I don't think I've ever articulated what goes into that. We stream chapel simultaneously so that our further away family can participate and keep up with things as well as HQ folks. So that means starting the Zoom meeting and spotlighting whomever is speaking. But we also record chapel so that anyone who can't watch live is able to watch later. So you have to click the right program to make that happen. And mics need to be on, words for songs need to be showing on the screens - and all of this needs to be done at roughly the same time. 

I usually remember to do about 90% of it at the correct time. I'm sure if I did it more often, I'd eventually get to 100%. But we do what we can. And it's a nice change of pace. 

Not much else to report from the week. April is going to be fairly busy, so we'll see what that brings. I hope you have a great weekend!

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: March 20-24, 2023

This was a better week. More rain, though. I'm not a fan of all the wet. 

Lots of side projects this week. I'm working on the Family Fun Night for April, and I agreed to organize a community garage sale for OMS campus folks. That always takes more work than people think.

The rest of the week, I was back to Spanish art. I'm getting close to being done! I think. 

We also had a prayer chapel this week, in which we prayed for the younger generations of OMS missionaries. I also got to sing with the other Jessica. (Did you know there's controversy about "How He Loves" by David Crowder? There's a lyric 'Heaven meets Earth like an unforeseen kiss.' But some people say 'sloppy wet kiss.' Obviously, those people should be shot. Not that I care much more for the first one. Christians argue about the weirdest stuff sometimes.)

Anyway.

Here's to clearer skies and warm breezes!

Bye.

The Weekly Wrap-Up: March 13-17, 2023

This was a frustrating week. 

It actually started out fairly well. Sarah and I worked on some stuff in our capacity as safety officers. That included some arts and crafts.

And then my computer went nuts. 

This is where my angry shark usually sits. He's not usually that angry. But I needed an accurate representation of my feelings at the time.

I spent a couple of days trying to figure out why my computer was being dumb. I still don't know. But it does work most of the time, so I'm just going to keep on keeping on until something changes. 

In that vein, I did finish one Chichewa volume. It's nice to get something done at least.

We also had Family Fun Night this week. We had a picnic and made fleece tie blankets for cancer patients. 

So as frustrating as things were, it was somewhat redeemed. And I get to see my parents this weekend, so that will help. 

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: March 6-10, 2023

Another day, another dollar. Another week, another blog post?

Makes sense to me.

This week was slightly shortened for me. I woke up on Tuesday feeling very meh and ended up trying to sleep off a headache. Fortunately, I felt better by Wednesday. But it does cut into the week. 

I think I mentioned last week that I would be working on getting out an email to all of our T&M license holders and users. As all things do, it turned out to be a bigger project than I anticipated. But I did figure out how to do it without spending any money on email services. Except there's a limit to how many emails I can send per day. It's super fun except for all the ways it isn't. 

And it doesn't just stop once the email is sent. I included a form, and hopefully people actually use the form and give some decent responses. If they do, then I get to chat with them and find out ways to get them what they need. And then there are the emails that bounce, the ones that unsubscribe, the bad addresses, the ones that have changed - I gotta maintain a contact list of about 1700. 

An old OMSer who has since passed on would call it job security. 

I led devos on Monday for our departmental prayer time. We talked about the history of Purim (poo-REEM) and the importance of doing what God asks you to do so that later generations aren't suffering for your lack of obedience. I didn't dress up as anything, though, nor did I provide hammentaschen this year. But if you can find some, I highly recommend them. Especially the apricot. 

To wrap things up further, I'll leave you with this. OMS has been playing host this week to a group of leaders from the Korean Evangelical Church of America. They have a long history with OMS, and they asked to be trained in how to implement Train & Multiply in the U.S. I'm more on the translation and production side of things than the training one, but it was lovely to see so many smiling faces. (And hear their voices!) Their district superintendent spoke in chapel on Wednesday, and I want to share some of what he said. 

Don't settle for being comfortable. 

It's more comfortable to walk than to run.

It's more comfortable to stand than to walk.

It's more comfortable to sit than to stand.

It's more comfortable to lay down than to sit. 

It's more comfortable to sleep than to lay down.

But if you always do what is more comfortable, you will die. 

Try being uncomfortable. Talk to your new neighbor. Sit in a different seat at church. Ask how you can pray for your waiter. Go to church on Sunday instead of watching online. 

This isn't just for you. I've been a little too comfortable for a while now. It's time to be uncomfortable again. 

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: February 27 - March 3, 2023

Is anyone else worried about floating away? I'm starting to think I needed to be building a boat. A new lake is forming in front of my apartment. The creek behind my apartment is spilling out into the field. 

If any animals start showing up in pairs, we're in trouble. 

Anyway, hopefully the rain will end sometime without causing too many problems. In the meantime, let's get down to business. 

...to defeat the Huns!

This was a busy week, with lots to do. I finished up the Korean booklets and got those sent off. Next on my list was a French volume for VCP. This one is about 100 pages because it has seven booklets included. It took a hot minute to complete. 

My big project this week, and one that will continue on for a bit, is creating an email that will eventually go out to all of our T&M users around the world. We used to ask for yearly reports, but that stopped during the coof. Now I'm trying to upload contacts and create a simple form to facilitate better communication. And then, once I send it, I will hopefully have plenty of responses to go through.

(Did you know you can only send 500 emails from a regular Gmail account per day?)

Also, I now have a mini fridge in my office. I'm not sold on the placement yet, but it's a work in progress. I wanted somewhere to put more healthy snacks instead of going for the easy-but-sugary options. And if you put stuff in the OMS fridges, you run the risk of it being appropriated. Entirely by accident, I'm sure. 

That's it for the week! I hope you have a fantastic weekend and don't fall into any newly-formed lakes.

Bye!