Lord, if You have a perfect date set for us to be in Croatia, why did You start us on the path almost 2 years ago? At this rate it'll be 2 more years before we get there! Why didn't You wait to tell us about it until closer to our go-date so we wouldn't have to wait and wonder so long? Why, oh why, didn't You let us move to Michigan, provide Dave with a good job, let us rent a nice apartment and buy some real furniture, get comfortable, and live our nice little lives with no reason to seek You or depend on You in a serious way? (pause) Oh, I see. Thank You. Amen.
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Erika's Prayer
I was praying the other day about this whole support raising thing, and my prayer went a little something like this:
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Better Than Free!
What could be better than free training? How about getting paid for training?
As we continue to wait for God's timing to send us into ministry in Croatia, we have done lots of training with SEND International. We have had cultural training, language training, conflict training, teamwork training, orientation... you get the picture. All of these learning opportunities have been excellent, and several of them have been expensive (but well worth the cost).
As we wait, I (Dave) have also been blessed with work. In our first year as "appointees," I found substitute teaching jobs that fit perfectly with our trainings, travels, and ministry presentations. As we moved into our second year of preparation, I got a full-time job working at Vista Charter Academy. This job has blessed us in many ways, including: providing a paycheck, insurance, friendships with staff, and the opportunity to be involved in the lives of young people.
At the end of August the school also paid me to attend a "Capturing Kid's Hearts" training in Holland, MI. Not only was this a great way to get ready for the classroom, but, in a way, it was also preparation for ministry! I learned about relationship building , effective communication, team building, group facilitation, and I was encouraged towards personal growth. The facilitator even used some quotes from the Bible in his presentation (though he did not mention the references).
We are so thankful for all God is doing. This training was another example to us that God is in control of the agenda and that there is a reason for us to be in Michigan right now. We trust that when He has completed all that is necessary, then we will move to Croatia. For now, we continue to thank God for His blessings and seek to be obedient to His calling for today.
As we continue to wait for God's timing to send us into ministry in Croatia, we have done lots of training with SEND International. We have had cultural training, language training, conflict training, teamwork training, orientation... you get the picture. All of these learning opportunities have been excellent, and several of them have been expensive (but well worth the cost).
As we wait, I (Dave) have also been blessed with work. In our first year as "appointees," I found substitute teaching jobs that fit perfectly with our trainings, travels, and ministry presentations. As we moved into our second year of preparation, I got a full-time job working at Vista Charter Academy. This job has blessed us in many ways, including: providing a paycheck, insurance, friendships with staff, and the opportunity to be involved in the lives of young people.
At the end of August the school also paid me to attend a "Capturing Kid's Hearts" training in Holland, MI. Not only was this a great way to get ready for the classroom, but, in a way, it was also preparation for ministry! I learned about relationship building , effective communication, team building, group facilitation, and I was encouraged towards personal growth. The facilitator even used some quotes from the Bible in his presentation (though he did not mention the references).
We are so thankful for all God is doing. This training was another example to us that God is in control of the agenda and that there is a reason for us to be in Michigan right now. We trust that when He has completed all that is necessary, then we will move to Croatia. For now, we continue to thank God for His blessings and seek to be obedient to His calling for today.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Still Going...
This may sound strange, but I used to feel a little defensive when people asked us, "So, how's it going with support raising?" I know what they said, but I often heard, "Hey, why are you still in the States? Why should I have confidence in you?" I was believing a lie. Praise God for His ongoing work in my heart, and for using the people on our prayer team to teach and change me! A partner asked the question in a more specific way this past month and it helped me understand the genuine concern behind the inquiry. When this person asked if we were in "good spirits," a light bulb came on for me. I both knew and believed that our partners want to pray and be involved and get us to Croatia.
Let me answer the question, "How is support raising going?" God is so good! Over the past summer He has given us a sense of peace and confirmation that we are headed in the right direction. He has lifted our spirits and used partners and friends to encourage us as we wait for the Lord and press on with the activities planned out for each day. We have certainly been working/waiting for our departure longer than we had expected. At the same time, we have seen God doing unexpected and wonderful things in us and through us while we are here in the USA.
It has been an awesome summer!
Let me answer the question, "How is support raising going?" God is so good! Over the past summer He has given us a sense of peace and confirmation that we are headed in the right direction. He has lifted our spirits and used partners and friends to encourage us as we wait for the Lord and press on with the activities planned out for each day. We have certainly been working/waiting for our departure longer than we had expected. At the same time, we have seen God doing unexpected and wonderful things in us and through us while we are here in the USA.
It has been an awesome summer!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sharpening Our Interpersonal Skills
Watch out, we're pokey.
We spent the last week at a training designed to help us think through topics like "Relationship Killers," "Managing Our Conflicts," "Building Trust," "Helping Others Grieve Well," etc. While we don't feel like we got a lot of brand new information, the fact that we were forced to take time to think through these things, to look at Bible passages concerning them, and to express our ideas out loud with a group helped us make sure we know what we think, and that we do what we know.
As a result of this week, I'm planning on making a "time budget" for myself to make sure I prioritize the things I say are my priorities, but which I often neglect because they don't feel urgent. (Example: "I have there rest of my life to develop my prayer life, but this bill needs to be sent in right NOW." Does it? What if I took half an hour to pray before I wrote the check? Would the world fall off its axis?)
We also got to spend time with a few couples that are headed to our part of the world around the same time we are. The Ortizes hope to head to Zagreb before the year is over, and the Hestons will go to Kosova around the same time we go to Croatia (Lord willing). They're all A-#1 people, and it was great to get to know them better!
Now that these 2 weeks are over, we only have 1 training left (in January). Our main focus now is on doing our part as far as fundraising and partner development. We know that ultimately everything will come from God, so we're even trusting Him for the faithfulness to do our parts. Thank you for joining us in prayer as we wait for God to "open the doors to Croatia."
We spent the last week at a training designed to help us think through topics like "Relationship Killers," "Managing Our Conflicts," "Building Trust," "Helping Others Grieve Well," etc. While we don't feel like we got a lot of brand new information, the fact that we were forced to take time to think through these things, to look at Bible passages concerning them, and to express our ideas out loud with a group helped us make sure we know what we think, and that we do what we know.
As a result of this week, I'm planning on making a "time budget" for myself to make sure I prioritize the things I say are my priorities, but which I often neglect because they don't feel urgent. (Example: "I have there rest of my life to develop my prayer life, but this bill needs to be sent in right NOW." Does it? What if I took half an hour to pray before I wrote the check? Would the world fall off its axis?)
We also got to spend time with a few couples that are headed to our part of the world around the same time we are. The Ortizes hope to head to Zagreb before the year is over, and the Hestons will go to Kosova around the same time we go to Croatia (Lord willing). They're all A-#1 people, and it was great to get to know them better!
Now that these 2 weeks are over, we only have 1 training left (in January). Our main focus now is on doing our part as far as fundraising and partner development. We know that ultimately everything will come from God, so we're even trusting Him for the faithfulness to do our parts. Thank you for joining us in prayer as we wait for God to "open the doors to Croatia."
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Family Conference
Last week Dave and I attended Family Conference, a yearly get-together for any state-side workers, members on home service, appointees, etc. It was in Holland, MI, which was a convenient 20 minute drive for us, so we saved a bundle on life insurance by commuting each day.
We went to one adult morning session, which consisted of updates from different areas around the world and a very theological speaker. After that experience we decided to play our "MK camp" card and hang out with the teens, who drank lots of coffee shop beverages and shared life stories.
Highlights were: a "fashion show" that poked good-natured fun at modern styles from around the world; the chance to see the new baby of some friends we'd made at our training in January; and a Parents vs. Kids soccer game that gave Dave an excuse for walking like an old man for several days. (Dave played on the Parents side. :)
We went to one adult morning session, which consisted of updates from different areas around the world and a very theological speaker. After that experience we decided to play our "MK camp" card and hang out with the teens, who drank lots of coffee shop beverages and shared life stories.
Highlights were: a "fashion show" that poked good-natured fun at modern styles from around the world; the chance to see the new baby of some friends we'd made at our training in January; and a Parents vs. Kids soccer game that gave Dave an excuse for walking like an old man for several days. (Dave played on the Parents side. :)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
"All-Nighter" for Old Fogies
Last night Dave and I had a flashback to college days. We had a mailing project we'd been intending to do for about the last day and a half, but I think we were both waiting for the other person to get the ball rolling. Well, last night at about 10:00, we realized we needed to get that ball in motion so we could get our letters out with this morning's mail.
Around 11:30, when we were both getting tired, edgy, and hungry, we realized we hadn't really felt that way for that reason (procrastination!) since we finished our schooling. Happily, it only took another 1/2 hour for us to finish up and hit the hay. And, even better, we're not doing it for a letter grade. But I think we both realized we need to be just a tad more pro-active about our partner-development "assignments."
I wonder how that'll work when Stroopie is around? We'll have to teach him to make fantastic late-night nachos.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Training and Fun in Colorado
We're back from Colorado and the trip was, as Dave puts it, "profitable."
Our 2 weeks of pre-language training (no, we didn't learn a single word of Croatian) got us thinking about theories of language learning (almost everyone has the physical equipment needed to speak any language), responsibilities of language learning (if we're going to learn Croatian, WE have to make it happen, not our teachers), and tools for language learning (comprehension comes well before mimicry).
We also got to interact with missionaries from all sort of agencies who are going all over the world: Yemen, Slovenia, Dubai, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, etc. On top of that, we got to meet Juice and Beth, a couple around our age who are joining the same team we are (a few months sooner, probably). We'd heard a lot about them and were relieved that they lived up to their many compliments. So, now we've met everyone on our extremely likable team (what a blessing...and a relief)!
After the training we spent a week with my (Erika's) family in Colo Spgs. Since my oil-rigging brother was able to make it back from the North Sea, and my little sister (and husband and baby girl) recently moved to a closer apartment in town, it was quite the happy reunion. We celebrated several birthdays and patronized countless restaurants.
Upcoming events include an across-town move at the end of June and an ultrasound on July 1. Yes, we will try to find out what the gender is, and yes, we well tell everyone who cares...and probably a few who don't. :)
Our 2 weeks of pre-language training (no, we didn't learn a single word of Croatian) got us thinking about theories of language learning (almost everyone has the physical equipment needed to speak any language), responsibilities of language learning (if we're going to learn Croatian, WE have to make it happen, not our teachers), and tools for language learning (comprehension comes well before mimicry).
We also got to interact with missionaries from all sort of agencies who are going all over the world: Yemen, Slovenia, Dubai, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, etc. On top of that, we got to meet Juice and Beth, a couple around our age who are joining the same team we are (a few months sooner, probably). We'd heard a lot about them and were relieved that they lived up to their many compliments. So, now we've met everyone on our extremely likable team (what a blessing...and a relief)!
After the training we spent a week with my (Erika's) family in Colo Spgs. Since my oil-rigging brother was able to make it back from the North Sea, and my little sister (and husband and baby girl) recently moved to a closer apartment in town, it was quite the happy reunion. We celebrated several birthdays and patronized countless restaurants.
Upcoming events include an across-town move at the end of June and an ultrasound on July 1. Yes, we will try to find out what the gender is, and yes, we well tell everyone who cares...and probably a few who don't. :)
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