Fresh Perspective

A few Saturday’s ago we all gathered in front of the new hanger by 7:45 a.m..  The plane was out and ready for flight.  Quite a few church members were “coming along” with Gary and Darron on this mission flight.  This was the first “mission” flight since the weekend before Bob’s fatal crash.   Why did this “feel” different?  The plane has been flying for over a month now.  Hartley, our Indonesian pilot, has been faithfully flying about 2 flights a day.  We all still “listen” differently to the plane landing and taking off.  We have all been changed, forever.   This flight, felt different because this wasn’t a flight for money.  Not for keeping aviation operating in the black verses the red.  Not for moving goods.  No.  This flight was for mission work.  To encourage people in a remote place.  To bring them hope and light.  To let them know they have not been forgotten.  This is what Bob would hav...

This blog post was written by Jacob, my 3rd son.  He is 11 1/2 years old and has dyslexia.  Dyslexia is a diagnosis given to people who have great difficulty learning to read.  Jacob is brilliant (as most dyslexic people are) and has been blessed to have a phenomenal dedicated teacher who works with him for one hour, 5 days a week.  He is making great strides in reading, though it has taken much persistence and great effort on his part.  One of the tools that Jacob’s teacher has given me this year, is allowing Jacob the freedom to write, using me as his transcriber.  This has been such a fun, growing, freeing journey.  Rather then grueling over sentence after painstaking sentence, Jacob just tells me story after story.  The creativity, imagination,  and learning (of structure, storytelling, editing, word usage, and so much more), is all fully engaged.  I would have doubted the power of this type of writing 6 months ago, but now I am a be...

*This is not written from an interview.  It is written from my imagined perspective of what it must be like to work for me.  Some of it, I am quite confident is accurate…..but some of it, if I could hear the heart language, I would be way of base.  Since I cant HEAR the heart language this is my best guess at what it must be like.  Bless all the ladies who work for those of us, living in the midst of their culture.  They have helped us to survive and even thrive.*   I have now worked for Nunia (a title of respect such as madam) for over two years.  I am very proud of my job.  After all I am taking care of the Pastor’s family.  It’s not easy.  They are a large family with four boys.  Poor Nunia, she does not have any girls to help her.  They have a big house.  I often tell Nunia that she should hire 2 house helpers to do all this work, that one is not enough.  I am not the fastest worker, but no one can clean a floo...

  I have recently been impressed with the FACT that there is NO good time to become a missionary.  I mean if you are single, you may want a spouse.  If you are recently married, you may need “time”.  If you are having children……well who would want to expose them to a third world environment?  If you have teens, will you dare disrupt their life?  Careers.  Security.  Retirement plans.  Sick parents.  Special Educational needs.  Personal sickness.  Mid age and being away from your young adult kids and emerging grandbabies.  Retirement age and then parents back home are more in need then ever of your care.  When can one “Go” and it be the “RIGHT” time?  NEVER.  Except when God calls, He makes up for the lack, the unknown, the need and the EXCUSES.  I hope to tackle some of these missionary “Excuses” by talking with current missionaries, in the field, who authentically had/have great excuses.  I think...

Last summer while we were on furlough I became acutely aware of different people (our friends, our family, perhaps you) who were in pain.  Perhaps this pain was emotional, physical, spiritual or the weighty concern for their/your child.  It took on many faces and fleshed out in human suffering.   Yet people held back from sharing because they implied later that they thought our suffering, our pain, our sacrifice was greater.  So what was their/your story compared to ours? I literally grabbed humanity by the shoulders last summer and quietly (though I wanted to scream) said, “NO!”  Your suffering, your pain, your walk, your sacrifice is just as meaningful and just as important.  Stepping on a plane and relocating our family to the other side of the planet does not mean that our stories are more special, that we deserve the floor, that your life pales in place of ours.  Though thank you for the honor and the respect. So yes, life here is challengi...

The invitation came in December and as the month rumbled on the boys and Darron threw the invitation around.  Did they want to go on a week long trek with Pastor Desmond through the jungle, visiting little churches along the way?  They were all so tempted.  Each in their own way.  I wasn’t against it.  Though it was right over Christmas.  However, I felt consoled that if they went….at least they (Darron, Aubrey and Andrew) would be together making incredible memories.  In the end, they decided not to go.  This week Pastor Desmond (along with his family) joined us for supper.  He shared with us his stories of this journey and showed us all the photos and videos.  Pastor Desmond went with 4 of his seminary students.  Even just listening (and not going) we were blessed and challenged.   But we stayed home. Not that staying home was bad.  Many good things happened this break while being home and some of those are in earlier b...

Being far far far away from family over the holidays is challenging for most missionaries.  We all deal with it in different ways.  Many at least loving the fact that we have Skype and phones.  For us:  we are still learning to embrace new traditions, savor a few old ones, and fill our days with friends who are also trying to fill the void of family and sweltering heat. This year was one of our best Christmas’s since being overseas.  It wasn’t because of the gifts under the tree.  No, the children literally got 2 small things each and Darron and I didn’t even exchange a thing.  It was the BEST because of the special people we got to hang out with.  Come peep into our Christmas Coping of 2014. Christmas Eve was so special because the expatriate Australians prepared their traditional Carols by Candlelight, Christmas Eve program.  Over 170 of us gathered as the sun was going down on the lovely hill at the International School.  There we s...