Missionary-Blogs 3

Compliments of the Season

noreply@blogger.com (Anasco Young Missionaries) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:32:00 -0800

Christmas season starts at our house.

the traveling circus keeps going

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:39:02 -0800

We had a great three months in Minnesota, but the end of last week meant it was time to move back into our suitcases. We felt like a traveling circus convoy on Friday when we flew from Minnesota to St. Louis. We started packing early in the week but still had a cheap duffel bag burst the morning we were leaving. We paid a little more to fly with one extra bag…and our carry-ons were bigger and heavier than they should’ve been. But, we made it and we’ll spend the next three weeks in Illinois.

I played in the alumni basketball game at my high school Saturday night, then preached yesterday at the first church I was a part of after becoming a Christian. It was great to be back and I remembered the last time I preached there, on youth Sunday during my senior year of high school (10 years ago!). Unfortunately when I switched the microphone on I only did it halfway and then proceeded to preach the sermon with the microphone on standby. Oops! Afterward we had a group come to a combined Sunday School class so we could share more in depth (and use a microphone that was working).

I talked to a youth group last night — teaching them a story from Acts 1 & 2 and challenging them to be his witnesses. Tonight we’re headed out to talk to a group and spend time in prayer for us and the Tai Dam. We’re excited about the things in store for us during the next few weeks in Illinois. May God give us an enjoyable time here and provide some new connections with churches in this area.

The Cheap Seats

noreply@blogger.com (John and Debbie Poe) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:13:00 -0800

Occasionally we take a Saturday morning and head to the beach. We feel blessed because we are only about 35 minutes from our favorite beach. We especially enjoy going now in the early summer season because the beaches are empty. Beach chairs, recliners, umbrellas and tables are all available to use free, as long as your willing to purchase a drink or leave a small tip. We call that a Peru Perk!

On our last trip to the beach we had to chuckle when we saw these two lonely chairs. Look carefully and you'll see why we passed them by! (Click the photo for a larger view.)

Transformation

Kitty Cheng — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:04:00 -0800

National Adoption Month: Introducing, Part 4

stephanie garcia — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:23:00 -0800

I first met Becky on an adoption support forum over five years ago. We were two of many moms in the process of adopting, some for the first time and others for the second time or more. I personally arrived at the forum having just lost the baby we thought would be our son but who was reclaimed by his mother one week after he was placed in our arms. On the forum, but especially within one group of ladies, I found comfort and encouragement from others who were walking the road beside me.

Over the years, a number of these ladies have stayed in touch with one another through the arrival of children, changes in jobs and addresses (and even continents, in our case!) I can honestly say that Becky is one of the sweetest ladies of our group and her adoption story amazes and challenges me. I am excited to share it with you. This week she and I chatted at length via Skype so I could fill in the missing details and give you, as they say, the "full scoop."

Becky was in her 30's and ready for kids even though she was still single. As she puts it, she was afraid if she didn't go ahead and adopt a child she would never have any if she waited for Mr. Right.

And so it was that in October 2003 she became certified as a foster care provider. Four months later, on February 26, 2004 she began fostering Tyler, then six years old. Ty had been with Becky for seven months when she received a call asking her to provide respite care for Cory, then nine years old.

Becky told me that when she was called about Ty she LOVED being a mom to him. Cory came unexpectedly into the picture, but she fell in love and ended up fostering him as well by the next week. As the months went by, both boys became legally free for adoption and on December 8, 2005 the boys' adoptions were finalized and Becky, Ty and Cory became a forever family.

They moved to a bigger house and about a year later Becky again felt the urge to adopt another child. She is clear on this point: she only meant to adopt ONE more child! In January 2007 she was re-certified and on February 20, 2007 she had not one, but TWO little boys placed in her care. Jay was six years old and Logan was one month shy of his third birthday. Two years later, parental rights were terminated for Jay and Logan and on October 23, 2009 they joined Becky's family permanently through adoption.

When I asked Becky what her reason were for doing foster care adoption, she replied that some were financial reasons but "mainly because I thought I could help kids who needed it ... it felt like the reason I wasn't having [biological] kids."

I asked her what advice she would give to others considering adopting through the foster care system, and this what she said:

Know what you are getting into and know your limits as far as behaviors you can handle. Know also that you might get more than that either by accident or intentional lying on the part of [case workers.] Don't be afraid to stand up for the kids in your care. Try to be respectful and do it right but they need you and [case workers] don't always care as much. Finally, it is NOT easy so do NOT do it if it isn't for the kids because you'll fail and only hurt them.

Without going into details, Becky and I did discuss some of the issues she has faced with her boys. It has not always been easy. They have dealt with sleep issues, nightmares, rages, fallout from parental visitation during the foster care years, attachment issues, and unlearning wrong patterns of behavior instilled in their first homes.

To me, Becky is a hero. I honestly don't know how she parents four boys (click here to see how handsome they all are!) on her own. But I do know that she does a fabulous job and that she loves her sons with everything that is in her. Becky chose to take the road less traveled by adopting older children from foster care, with open eyes and an open heart. I hope that her story will encourage someone else who may be considering this option, and that perhaps someone reading this today will also stop by her blog and encourage her for her faithfulness and courage.

Becky, thank you for letting me share your story.

Buried Hearts

stephanie garcia — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:14:00 -0800

Another unforgettable incident of last week was the loss of Pedro's wedding ring in the hot springs of the cocha in Pica.

We were both truly saddened at its loss. After twelve years of marriage its monetary value was not great, but its sentimental value certainly was. It was ordered and crafted through a friend in New York City who in the summer of 1997 prepared wedding and engagement rings for my sister and her husband; Pedro's brother and his wife; and Pedro and me.

The picture below is the best I've found of the ring (we didn't take the traditional ring picture on our wedding day, though now I wish we had!) The ring was made of white gold, fairly thick and wide, definitely a man's ring. Two narrow lines were indented just within the edges of the ring, giving it an interesting form and dimension.

We replaced the ring this week with a nice but inexpensive silver version. It, too, is wide and masculine but the the main difference is a dark tracing of ocean waves through the middle of the ring. We chose it because of its similarity in shape and weight to the original, and because the waves will always remind us that this ring began its story here in Iquique.

Tonight I shared this with Melody, our missionary friend and mentor who loves Northern Chile and invested years of her life here alongside her first husband Bill Dooley. Melody is the type of person who almost always sees the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, and tonight was no exception. Her reaction to the loss of Pedro's ring was this:

That means your hearts are buried deep in the Atacama...that's BEAUTIFUL

What a lovely way to think of this loss, indeed.

Traveling To The States

Mary Virginia — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:15:00 -0800

Well... after a long, long trip... we made it! It took us about two full 24 hour days. We were on four different planes, 4 hours in a bus, 1 hour in a van, and a lot of running at 4 different airports. Believe me, this is not the best way to travel with two babies. But we're here. Aubry and Mary got here one with strepp and nasea and one with a smoker's cough and fever. But we got here none the less. God got us here safe and in one peice and we are grateful. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn're realized our plane was broken before we took off in Recife, Brazil. Everyone at Flat River Church of Christ was excited to see Matt but disappointed that "the girls" couldn't be there this morning. We look forward to being well and seeing everyone soon.

“Hay”den week

Papa Chick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:54:00 -0800

Furlough trail continues with a visit to our oldest son Joel, his wonderful wife Sonya, and their little boy Hayden. They’re so kind as to let us use their room while we’re invading making it very relaxing. Of course seeing our oldest and only grandson is a great delight.

We’ve enjoy crawling around on the floor (it seems a little harder to get up these days :-)), watching cartoons, eating pizza, building blocks, and making a mess in the living room. In my opinion, a great way to spend time with the grandson.

I’ve also enjoyed playing with some of Joel’s nifty high-tech toys. Big screen TV, streaming video, home servers, all cool things for a techie bug like me :-).

We’re starting to get relaxed and pick up a few items on our furlough shopping list. Medical issues are being treated and hopefully will improve in the coming weeks.

It’s also been great to spend a little time with Evan when he’s off work and not in class. We even had the chance to enjoy a Friday pizza and movie night! Ah, what a sense of normalcy as the furlough trek continues.

I’m thankful for this time with Joel, Sonya and Hayden and the comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Next week we head all the way over to Ellice, Brad and Laurana’s house for a while. It’s a long way. All the way around to the other end of the block!

Bring on Thanksgiving! Woo Hoo!

Papa Chick

Shaped by the Story

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:28:51 -0800

The title isn’t all that creative, because it’s stolen from the title of a book, but it is an accurate description of what I’m seeking in various ways.

I wrote recently that I was leading the youth group at our church in Minnesota through a series of stories. I don’t know how it has affected them, but it has definitely made an impact on me. This is what I wrote in my journal earlier this month:

Several times recently I’ve remembered elements or episodes from the stories I’ve been telling the youth. While thinking of the challenges and frustrations of our future life in Hanoi, I’ve remembered Joseph and his life in Egypt–and that in both Potiphar’s house and in prison, “God was with him.” It makes me think again that we can go anywhere and do anything if God is with us…not that we should ever expect it all to go smoothly. It certainly didn’t for Joseph (or any of the patriarchs), but God was with him and used him to save many lives. I want to have an inner stability and connection to God that remains secure and anchored regardless of outward circumstances.

When I think about the obstacles to us getting to the Tai Dam, I am reminded of Moses. At the burning bush he tries to avoid his calling, for multiple reasons. But he can’t. God has called him, equipped him and (most importantly) will be with him. Similarly, I’m reminded of Jeremiah’s life. And Paul’s life. I want to live into these stories and draw life from them — remembering that each of these lives point to the One living in me…Jesus Christ.

I want my life to be shaped by this Story. And I want to be used by God to draw others into this Story — especially the unreached, those who have been living according to another story for far too long.

toons

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon and Jenny) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0800

This morning I woke up. Normal day. Went into the oldest boy's room. He was the reason I awoke. I noticed it was 6:30 and I wondered why we forgot to set the alarm. It was late. And then it hit me: It's Saturday. Woohoo!

I have only lived in two cultures and both of them set Saturday aside as a special day. Even the word - Saturday - looks fun. Here Saturday is often a half work day but by noon everyone's off and they go to the market or to a hot spring or a bath house to soak and warm up. They eat out or shop and have birthday parties. It's a good day for laundry or cleaning or taking a day trip. It's Saturday and we like it.

I'm sure there are roots to it, Saturday being the Sabbath, but for me it all starts with cartoons.

When I was a kid, Saturday was the one day of the week where I was allowed to wake up and just watch TV for a few hours. By about 10 the cartoons had thinned out and it was time to go do something else, but those were good days for cartoons.

See, we didn't have cable and there was no cartoon network. We had CBS, NBC and ABC and if you wanted cartoons, that's where you got 'em. Well, PBS was in the ring and they competed heavily with Marty Stouffers Wild America (still a favorite) but mostly it was cartoons.

And they were 80's Cartoons - with a few late 70's thrown in.

He-Man
Smurfs
Snorks (strange)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
G.I. Joe
Scoobie Doo
Thundercats
Schoolhouse Rock
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Teddy Ruxpin (a brief foray)
Dangermouse
Underdog
Starblazers (my brother just loved this...mainly because it's awesome)
Dungeons and Dragons (and no, I'm not an evil warlock)
The Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters (never discerned the difference)
The Jetsons
The Incredible Hulk
M.A.S.K. (short lived, but VERY cool toys)
Transformers
Voltron (never owned any toys from that - too much like Transformers I guess)
The Super Friends Hour

Of course, separate from all those and standing as a legitimate art form and cultural influence is Looney Tunes. Fritz Freeling and Tex Avery are pure genius. The Rabbit of Seville, Duck Amuck. Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc, Carl Stalling - Leon Schlesinger knew what he was doing. There was no competitor to those guys. Just look at this and tell me what you hear, think, feel, remember:

I mean, you can HEAR the music! It was genius. Cartoon genius. And somewhere my brother has a set of 12 VHS tapes of this. Wow.

So...enjoy your Saturday. If you can catch a cartoon or two (especially from the above list) go for it. A bowl of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs would accompany nicely.