Our church chose this past Sunday (July 1, 2012) to throw us our first "going away" party since we decided to follow God's call on our life to serve as Missionary Associates in Costa Rica. Does this mean that we're going to leave for Costa Rica soon? Not exactly. This party wasn't a send off to Costa Rica so much as a send off from the church. This was the day the church chose to recognize our years (me - 7; Polly - 5) of service to the church. We officially ended our roles in ministry at the church the previous Sunday (June 24, 2012). It is here that we made our final step from Pastors to Parishioners.
I have blogged about this situation before as an ensuing reality. I have posited how I thought I might feel when this day came. Now, for the first time, I am blogging about it from the other side. It is no longer an event that will inevitably happen; it is an event which has already taken place. And sure enough, all my positing and theorizing was right on the money: it was a bittersweet day.
Our pastor gave us a taste of what was to come at the party with a video clip put together by our youth before having our deacons pray over us. Then he offered me the microphone to say a few words. Let's be honest here, I've never said "a few words" in my life. Still, I kept it as short as could possibly be expected for me. We got many well wishes from our church family.
After church, we went to a family in the church's house. Okay, okay...so it happens to be the same family in the church that we live with. This made things convenient. We enjoyed some delicious Costa Rican inspired food (I could eat rice and beans every day...which is a good thing considering I'll have to) mixed with some good old-fashioned American hot dogs and hamburgers. They made a beautiful cake featuring the image of our prayer card. And woven into the time of eating was enjoying time with people we have come to love so dearly. And we fought back some tears when we watched all the video clips created by the youth that had been sampled earlier. They were funny but also said some really kind, encouraging things.
Overall, the party was a wonderful end to a wonderful season of ministry in our lives. Ministry with and to some amazing people. They are not technically our family, but they're not merely friends either. They are our church family and Polly and I will always love them. We love the church's leaders and we love the church's laypeople--a group we not graciously join. The cool thing in all this for us is that we're not leaving this church to become pastors at another. We are going forth from this church, as an extension of this church, to minister to the people of Costa Rica. And we are grateful that we still get to call Calvary Assembly of God our home church. Even if we won't spend too many more Sundays there, it is our church and it houses our church family!
God bless,
Mike
Mike and Polly Brown - Missionaries to Bolivia
Friday, July 6, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Fresh Vision, New Friendships
We arrived home from our Pre-field Orientation (PFO) a little over a week ago, but this is the first real opportunity to focus on writing to catch everyone up to speed on how things went in Missouri. I already covered the first couple days of PFO in the last post, so I will do my best to cover the rest in this one.
Saying Good-bye
As I mentioned before, this was going to be the first time Polly spent significant chunks of multiple days away from Genevieve. The first Monday morning (June 11) was the first session and thus, the first time Polly had to say good-bye to the little one while we were there. You never know how most kids will do being released to a complete stranger while watching mama and dada walk away. Notice how I say "most" kids. You actually do know exactly how Genevieve will respond...with no issues. We handed her over to her "chief" Chief Ommack and said good-bye. One look at all the toys and she was off to the races. She didn't even notice us walk away. She just wanted to play. This was basically the theme of each time we dropped her off (after breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner). She did have a couple times strewn in where she wanted a hug from mama and dada first, but she was still happy to see Chief Ommack and happy to play.
Sleepless in Springfield
As suspected, Genevieve had a tough time napping and difficult time falling asleep. One night, she even stayed up until 11:30 pm. That's 3 1/2 hours after her normal bedtime. Add that to the fact that we were an hour behind and you will understand why she was pretty tired at times while we were there. She did improve as we went along. Near the end, she was wanting Polly and me to be next to her while she fell asleep which is unlike her. It wasn't until we got home that we discovered that Genevieve had picked up a virus and was not feeling well. Things made a lot more sense. Still, she was a good baby while we were out there.
Friends for Everyone
I had heard from numerous missionaries that it's common to make strong friendships while at PFO. And sure enough, it didn't long for Polly and me to make new friends. Some will be friends for life, without question. What was fun for us, however, was that we weren't the only ones developing friendships. Genevieve made quite a few new friends of her own. One little girl, Raeah is only 3 months younger and is also headed (with her parents and brother) to San Jose, Costa Rica. Then there is Daniel. He is only 2 months younger than Genevieve and they LOVED playing together. They would tackle each other and giggle. One day, when Daniel and his family was heading to breakfast (after he and Genevieve had played a little) I took Genevieve's hand to walk her back to the room. She started fussing and said, "No. No. Daniel. Daniel." It was so sweet. We felt so blessed to not only make new friends, but also with the quality of those friendships!
Regionally Speaking
The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the first week was broken down by regions. Costa Rica falls in the Latin America & the Caribbean Region. This was our first introduction to our Regional Directors - Dick & Cynthia Nicholson and our Area Directors - Jay & Nancy Dickerson. We also met other great Area Directors and new missionaries. We went for dinner with the Nicholsons one night and had smoothies with the Dickersons the next. We enjoyed our conversations with both.
Second Sunday, Second Preaching Engagement
My friend Bobby called me on Friday to ask if we would be willing to come and share our hearts for Costa Rica and preach on Father's Day. Of course we were willing. We were obviously grateful for the opportunity and had a wonderful service. We then went over his parents house for a wonderful Father's Day lunch. It was very special to be able to spend the day with a family I have known for most of my life and love so much. In fact, we ended up having a delicious steak dinner with them (the parents) later that week. Such a simple thing, but we were so blessed by it.
Commissioned
We were commissioned as official AGWM Missionary Associates at a nice ceremony on Thursday, June 21st. We were so blessed by all the people praying for us and wishing us well. Earlier that night they had the Missionary Kid (MK) graduation. Genevieve was so cute and got her first trophy. She loved the program so much. Equally as important, we loved the program so much. That was a special day all around.
Hard to Say Goodbye
It was not easy saying goodbye to our newly established friends, but such is life. We are thankful for the technology that will allow us to maintain those friendships.
Dinner & Wisdom
That last Friday night, our friends Jon and Jen took us to our favorite Springfield Restaurant, Zio's. The we went over Jen's parent's house. Jen's parents are very well known missionaries in the AG and wonderful people. Her dad offered up some fatherly wisdom and gave Genevieve a Bible (as in the same one I was thinking of getting her earlier that day). We had some great fellowship. Jon and I stayed up a while catching up. It was a great night to end a great two weeks.
Home Again
Naturally, Genevieve did not sleep until we were off the plane and on the ride back home from the airport. And I will tell you this, for as much as we loved our time in Springfield, we were happy to be home again.
Right Back at it
We came home on Saturday and relaxed a little while before going to bed. The next morning, we were right back at it again with a church service (Sturbridge, MA) which went well. That Sunday night, we had a party with our youth and I shared a little from my heart one last time before we prayed for each of them. It was a great way to end our time serving Calvary AG. But I'll share more about that next time.
I want to say thanks to everyone who prayed for us while we were at PFO in Missouri. Your prayers were greatly appreciated and incredibly efficient!
God bless,
Mike
Saying Good-bye
As I mentioned before, this was going to be the first time Polly spent significant chunks of multiple days away from Genevieve. The first Monday morning (June 11) was the first session and thus, the first time Polly had to say good-bye to the little one while we were there. You never know how most kids will do being released to a complete stranger while watching mama and dada walk away. Notice how I say "most" kids. You actually do know exactly how Genevieve will respond...with no issues. We handed her over to her "chief" Chief Ommack and said good-bye. One look at all the toys and she was off to the races. She didn't even notice us walk away. She just wanted to play. This was basically the theme of each time we dropped her off (after breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner). She did have a couple times strewn in where she wanted a hug from mama and dada first, but she was still happy to see Chief Ommack and happy to play.
Sleepless in Springfield
As suspected, Genevieve had a tough time napping and difficult time falling asleep. One night, she even stayed up until 11:30 pm. That's 3 1/2 hours after her normal bedtime. Add that to the fact that we were an hour behind and you will understand why she was pretty tired at times while we were there. She did improve as we went along. Near the end, she was wanting Polly and me to be next to her while she fell asleep which is unlike her. It wasn't until we got home that we discovered that Genevieve had picked up a virus and was not feeling well. Things made a lot more sense. Still, she was a good baby while we were out there.
Friends for Everyone
I had heard from numerous missionaries that it's common to make strong friendships while at PFO. And sure enough, it didn't long for Polly and me to make new friends. Some will be friends for life, without question. What was fun for us, however, was that we weren't the only ones developing friendships. Genevieve made quite a few new friends of her own. One little girl, Raeah is only 3 months younger and is also headed (with her parents and brother) to San Jose, Costa Rica. Then there is Daniel. He is only 2 months younger than Genevieve and they LOVED playing together. They would tackle each other and giggle. One day, when Daniel and his family was heading to breakfast (after he and Genevieve had played a little) I took Genevieve's hand to walk her back to the room. She started fussing and said, "No. No. Daniel. Daniel." It was so sweet. We felt so blessed to not only make new friends, but also with the quality of those friendships!
Regionally Speaking
The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the first week was broken down by regions. Costa Rica falls in the Latin America & the Caribbean Region. This was our first introduction to our Regional Directors - Dick & Cynthia Nicholson and our Area Directors - Jay & Nancy Dickerson. We also met other great Area Directors and new missionaries. We went for dinner with the Nicholsons one night and had smoothies with the Dickersons the next. We enjoyed our conversations with both.
Second Sunday, Second Preaching Engagement
My friend Bobby called me on Friday to ask if we would be willing to come and share our hearts for Costa Rica and preach on Father's Day. Of course we were willing. We were obviously grateful for the opportunity and had a wonderful service. We then went over his parents house for a wonderful Father's Day lunch. It was very special to be able to spend the day with a family I have known for most of my life and love so much. In fact, we ended up having a delicious steak dinner with them (the parents) later that week. Such a simple thing, but we were so blessed by it.
Commissioned
We were commissioned as official AGWM Missionary Associates at a nice ceremony on Thursday, June 21st. We were so blessed by all the people praying for us and wishing us well. Earlier that night they had the Missionary Kid (MK) graduation. Genevieve was so cute and got her first trophy. She loved the program so much. Equally as important, we loved the program so much. That was a special day all around.
Hard to Say Goodbye
It was not easy saying goodbye to our newly established friends, but such is life. We are thankful for the technology that will allow us to maintain those friendships.
Dinner & Wisdom
That last Friday night, our friends Jon and Jen took us to our favorite Springfield Restaurant, Zio's. The we went over Jen's parent's house. Jen's parents are very well known missionaries in the AG and wonderful people. Her dad offered up some fatherly wisdom and gave Genevieve a Bible (as in the same one I was thinking of getting her earlier that day). We had some great fellowship. Jon and I stayed up a while catching up. It was a great night to end a great two weeks.
Home Again
Naturally, Genevieve did not sleep until we were off the plane and on the ride back home from the airport. And I will tell you this, for as much as we loved our time in Springfield, we were happy to be home again.
Right Back at it
We came home on Saturday and relaxed a little while before going to bed. The next morning, we were right back at it again with a church service (Sturbridge, MA) which went well. That Sunday night, we had a party with our youth and I shared a little from my heart one last time before we prayed for each of them. It was a great way to end our time serving Calvary AG. But I'll share more about that next time.
I want to say thanks to everyone who prayed for us while we were at PFO in Missouri. Your prayers were greatly appreciated and incredibly efficient!
God bless,
Mike
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Airplanes, Elevators and Blessings
We left our house yesterday for Missionary Training/Pre-field Orientation in Springfield, MO. We haven't had much sleep and things have already been pretty busy for us. In fact, it's been so busy that I thought it best to post the first update about our trip before I get too far behind.
Early to Rise
Polly was up at 3:00 am yesterday morning and I was up at 4:00. After getting ready and doing the final packing, we woke Genevieve up at 5:00, packed the car and hit the road.
Get Lost
Our friend Harry drove us to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT. It's a pretty clear-cut driving route to get there...unless you use a GPS apparently. His GPS insisted that we go down these back roads leading only to restricted areas. He finally took my advice, ignored the GPS, got back to the main road and made our way following good, old-fashioned signs.
Over the Limit
Check-in didn't completely go off without a hitch, as one of our bags was 7.5 lbs over the allowable weight limit. Already paying $25/bag, I refused to shell out another dime. After rearranging and finagling some items between our suitcases and carry-ons each suitcase was .5 lb below the limt. I was happy.
Ammie
Getting through security was painless and we didn't wait long to board the plain. To keep Genevieve occupied during boarding (I insisted on boarding early to accommodate our child, much to the airline's apparent displeasure) I let her play with my (turned-off) cell phone. She immediately put it to her ear and said, "Ammie." That's her current version of Grammie. She loves talking to her and Grampie on the phone.
Oma
Let's be honest, you never know who might sit next to you on the plane. And as a traveler with an toddler, you hope it's not someone who doesn't have the patience potentially required to sit next to an toddler. This is why Polly and I were incredibly pleased when the nice woman who sat down next to us immediately told us that she was a grandmother of toddlers who flies with them a bit and that she had no problem with Genevieve invading her personal space. Oma (what her grandkids call her) even offered to walk Genevieve up and down the aisle. We didn't take her up on it, but the gesture was nice. Polly liked her. They talked a little bit.
Tired
As well-behaved as Genevieve was, she had woken up early and had yet to nap. She was tired! I felt so bad for her. When we landed in Chicago for our 2 1/2 hour layover, I decided to push her around in the stroller to get her to fall asleep. Unfortunately, there was too much stimulation in the airport. Which meant...time for Plan B...
"La, La"
"La" is Genevieve's word for "play." And play she did...thanks to the play area at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Every other airport should follow that example. It made the long layover go by so much quicker. Before we knew it we were boarding the tiny plane to Springfield.
Gas Masks
Polly and I got settled into our seats with Genevieve ready for the flight from Chicago to Springfield. That's when the nice flight attendant informed us that we couldn't be in that row with a lap child because there were only 2 gas masks. We had 2 rows to choose from. We swapped seats and were on our way. As it tured out, we sat across the aisle from a Missionary Associate also heading to MT (PFO). Genevieve did a great job on the flight. She's such a good baby.
Doubly Blessed
We were picked up from the airport by my childhood friend Bobby. Genevieve konked out right away. On the ride to CBC, he let me know that they could let us borrow a car for the entire 2 weeks we're here and that his sister-in-law had a fridge for us to borrow for the whole time as well. These were both such huge blessings. God is so good!
Elevators
Polly and I registered and got settled in. Then we went for a reminiscent walk around campus. We walked through Zimmerman (where we officially started dating over 8 years ago). We took the elevator down to the first floor. For the second time of the day (the other being at the airport in Chicago), we were reminded of Genevieve's fear of elevators. As soon as we pulled up to it, she kept saying, "no" as she nearly cried. While inside she wanted her milk and spun herself around in her stroller to see us with great fear in her eyes the whole time. The first time she did that was when we visited her little friend Omi at the hospital last month. Poor little thing :(
In Season & Out
My friend Bobby gave me a call and asked if I'd be able/willing to preach today (Sunday) for his dad who was not feeling well the last couple days. Why not, right? I guess that's just part of being ready to preach in season and out. Just one more thing to do.
Hanging Out
Once Genevieve and Polly went to bed, I went to my friend's (Bobby's dad) house (where I lived my senior year of college) and watch the basketball game and boxing match with the family. It was a great time (until the bogus decision was handed out).
Day or Night
I got back to the room at like 1:00 am (2:00 am Eastern Time) and couldn't tell if it was day or night. As it turned out, our window was right next to a light that stayed on all night by a doorway. Let's just say we bought a curtain today at Walmart.
A Warm Welcome
We were warmly welcomed at my friend's church today. It's the church where I did my internship and where Polly helped out her last couple years at school. It was nice to be back. And it was nice to have the privilege of preaching the Word. The service was followed by a delicious pot luck for my friend's going away, as it was his last Sunday there.
As you can see, it's already been busy, but it's also already been fun!
God bless,
Mike
Early to Rise
Polly was up at 3:00 am yesterday morning and I was up at 4:00. After getting ready and doing the final packing, we woke Genevieve up at 5:00, packed the car and hit the road.
Get Lost
Our friend Harry drove us to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT. It's a pretty clear-cut driving route to get there...unless you use a GPS apparently. His GPS insisted that we go down these back roads leading only to restricted areas. He finally took my advice, ignored the GPS, got back to the main road and made our way following good, old-fashioned signs.
Over the Limit
Check-in didn't completely go off without a hitch, as one of our bags was 7.5 lbs over the allowable weight limit. Already paying $25/bag, I refused to shell out another dime. After rearranging and finagling some items between our suitcases and carry-ons each suitcase was .5 lb below the limt. I was happy.
Ammie
Getting through security was painless and we didn't wait long to board the plain. To keep Genevieve occupied during boarding (I insisted on boarding early to accommodate our child, much to the airline's apparent displeasure) I let her play with my (turned-off) cell phone. She immediately put it to her ear and said, "Ammie." That's her current version of Grammie. She loves talking to her and Grampie on the phone.
Oma
Let's be honest, you never know who might sit next to you on the plane. And as a traveler with an toddler, you hope it's not someone who doesn't have the patience potentially required to sit next to an toddler. This is why Polly and I were incredibly pleased when the nice woman who sat down next to us immediately told us that she was a grandmother of toddlers who flies with them a bit and that she had no problem with Genevieve invading her personal space. Oma (what her grandkids call her) even offered to walk Genevieve up and down the aisle. We didn't take her up on it, but the gesture was nice. Polly liked her. They talked a little bit.
Tired
As well-behaved as Genevieve was, she had woken up early and had yet to nap. She was tired! I felt so bad for her. When we landed in Chicago for our 2 1/2 hour layover, I decided to push her around in the stroller to get her to fall asleep. Unfortunately, there was too much stimulation in the airport. Which meant...time for Plan B...
"La, La"
"La" is Genevieve's word for "play." And play she did...thanks to the play area at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Every other airport should follow that example. It made the long layover go by so much quicker. Before we knew it we were boarding the tiny plane to Springfield.
Gas Masks
Polly and I got settled into our seats with Genevieve ready for the flight from Chicago to Springfield. That's when the nice flight attendant informed us that we couldn't be in that row with a lap child because there were only 2 gas masks. We had 2 rows to choose from. We swapped seats and were on our way. As it tured out, we sat across the aisle from a Missionary Associate also heading to MT (PFO). Genevieve did a great job on the flight. She's such a good baby.
Doubly Blessed
We were picked up from the airport by my childhood friend Bobby. Genevieve konked out right away. On the ride to CBC, he let me know that they could let us borrow a car for the entire 2 weeks we're here and that his sister-in-law had a fridge for us to borrow for the whole time as well. These were both such huge blessings. God is so good!
Elevators
Polly and I registered and got settled in. Then we went for a reminiscent walk around campus. We walked through Zimmerman (where we officially started dating over 8 years ago). We took the elevator down to the first floor. For the second time of the day (the other being at the airport in Chicago), we were reminded of Genevieve's fear of elevators. As soon as we pulled up to it, she kept saying, "no" as she nearly cried. While inside she wanted her milk and spun herself around in her stroller to see us with great fear in her eyes the whole time. The first time she did that was when we visited her little friend Omi at the hospital last month. Poor little thing :(
In Season & Out
My friend Bobby gave me a call and asked if I'd be able/willing to preach today (Sunday) for his dad who was not feeling well the last couple days. Why not, right? I guess that's just part of being ready to preach in season and out. Just one more thing to do.
Hanging Out
Once Genevieve and Polly went to bed, I went to my friend's (Bobby's dad) house (where I lived my senior year of college) and watch the basketball game and boxing match with the family. It was a great time (until the bogus decision was handed out).
Day or Night
I got back to the room at like 1:00 am (2:00 am Eastern Time) and couldn't tell if it was day or night. As it turned out, our window was right next to a light that stayed on all night by a doorway. Let's just say we bought a curtain today at Walmart.
A Warm Welcome
We were warmly welcomed at my friend's church today. It's the church where I did my internship and where Polly helped out her last couple years at school. It was nice to be back. And it was nice to have the privilege of preaching the Word. The service was followed by a delicious pot luck for my friend's going away, as it was his last Sunday there.
As you can see, it's already been busy, but it's also already been fun!
God bless,
Mike
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Deep Sigh
I don't know all the specifics of what the next couple weeks has in store, but I do know that I'm expecting things to be a little bit hectic. This is the two week stretch we both have and haven't been looking forward to all at the same time. It's time for MT/MR (formerly PFO).
MT/MR stands for Missionary Training/Missionary Renewal (formerly Pre-Field Orientation). Like most trainings in life, we anticipate to be bombarded with a lot more information than there is time to process it. We will have to be expert with working to pick out the gems. I don't say this to say that any will be useless. I just know from experience in life that you can quickly suffer from information overload if you try to take it all in at one. With all that said, I'm still really looking forward to the experience. Simply put, I like learning. Yep, I'm a nerd.
Beyond the actual training, there are some other elements that should be considered for this trip. I have listed the first 13 that came to mind below:
1. We needed new luggage in preparation for this trip. That extra money I made working all that overtime in Scottsdale, AZ was quite useful as luggage is not exactly the cheapest thing to buy, even when trying to keep it cheap. But, now we will have the luggage for additional trips we might make moving forward.
2. Packing is a time-consuming process. Let's face it, packing is not a quick thing. Thankfully, God blessed Polly with the gift of organization and time management. She began the packing process this past weekend. She is NOT a last minute packer. This leads to less stress that we will forget something.
3. It's inevitable that we will forget something. I know this sounds contradictory to what I just said, but if you read it carefully, you will see that I said there is less stress that we will forget something, not that we won't forget something. It is my experience that something is always forgotten while packing, regardless the time allotted. The hope is always that it's not an incredibly important item.
4. We will be leaving our house at 5 AM on Saturday to get to the airport with enough time to comfortably make it through security without risking missing our flight or at least reduce the stress associated with that possibility. This will mean adjusting Genevieve's schedule to get her up around 5 AM without her being a sleepy little Ms. Grumpypants.
5. This is the second time we will be flying with Genevieve, but we will also be traveling twice as this time around. We will be letting her run like crazy for our 2 hour layover in Chicago.
6. We will be visiting our old stomping grounds as MT/MR is being held at Central Bible College in Springfield, MO. This is the college that Polly and I each graduated from. We haven't been to Missouri since our friends Aaron and Jessica got married there two years ago. Interestingly enough, that was just after Polly and I had found out we were pregnant. What a difference those two years have made. But I haven't actually stayed at CBC since Polly was still a student there (2007). It will be nice hitting up a few of our old spots.
7. This is by far the longest Genevieve will ever be away from home and thus away from her routine and comfort zone. Genevieve never sleeps as well anywhere away from her own crib. It's hard to blame her as I'm not sure I ever sleep quite as well away from my own bed either. Still, it remains to be seen how well she'll do.
8. Polly has been a stay-at-home mom since the day Genevieve was born. I believe she has spent a grand total of 1 night away from Genevieve and only a few times has she been away from her for more than a couple hours. While in our classes during the week, Genevieve will be in what amounts to day care. This will test both Polly and Genevieve's resolve with regards to attachment issues. I, of course, am accustomed to this.
9. We will be out of our element with regard to food and exercise. We try to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Each will be challenged on this trip.
10. MT/MR costs money (obviously). We're praying and believing that we have sufficient funds to cover these expenses.
11. Speaking of money, I have to remember to coordinate of few of our bills and such while we're gone. Life doesn't stop just because we go away.
12. Because we have ties to Springfield, MO, we have a number of friends out there. We are hoping to connect with as many as we reasonably can. This will include Genevieve as she will have a play date her friends J and A Barratt.
13. We will be speaking at a church the day after we arrive back. So much for easing our way back into things :)
I'm sure there are other things to consider, but prayer for all these to go well would be greatly appreciated!
God bless,
Mike
MT/MR stands for Missionary Training/Missionary Renewal (formerly Pre-Field Orientation). Like most trainings in life, we anticipate to be bombarded with a lot more information than there is time to process it. We will have to be expert with working to pick out the gems. I don't say this to say that any will be useless. I just know from experience in life that you can quickly suffer from information overload if you try to take it all in at one. With all that said, I'm still really looking forward to the experience. Simply put, I like learning. Yep, I'm a nerd.
Beyond the actual training, there are some other elements that should be considered for this trip. I have listed the first 13 that came to mind below:
1. We needed new luggage in preparation for this trip. That extra money I made working all that overtime in Scottsdale, AZ was quite useful as luggage is not exactly the cheapest thing to buy, even when trying to keep it cheap. But, now we will have the luggage for additional trips we might make moving forward.
2. Packing is a time-consuming process. Let's face it, packing is not a quick thing. Thankfully, God blessed Polly with the gift of organization and time management. She began the packing process this past weekend. She is NOT a last minute packer. This leads to less stress that we will forget something.
3. It's inevitable that we will forget something. I know this sounds contradictory to what I just said, but if you read it carefully, you will see that I said there is less stress that we will forget something, not that we won't forget something. It is my experience that something is always forgotten while packing, regardless the time allotted. The hope is always that it's not an incredibly important item.
4. We will be leaving our house at 5 AM on Saturday to get to the airport with enough time to comfortably make it through security without risking missing our flight or at least reduce the stress associated with that possibility. This will mean adjusting Genevieve's schedule to get her up around 5 AM without her being a sleepy little Ms. Grumpypants.
5. This is the second time we will be flying with Genevieve, but we will also be traveling twice as this time around. We will be letting her run like crazy for our 2 hour layover in Chicago.
6. We will be visiting our old stomping grounds as MT/MR is being held at Central Bible College in Springfield, MO. This is the college that Polly and I each graduated from. We haven't been to Missouri since our friends Aaron and Jessica got married there two years ago. Interestingly enough, that was just after Polly and I had found out we were pregnant. What a difference those two years have made. But I haven't actually stayed at CBC since Polly was still a student there (2007). It will be nice hitting up a few of our old spots.
7. This is by far the longest Genevieve will ever be away from home and thus away from her routine and comfort zone. Genevieve never sleeps as well anywhere away from her own crib. It's hard to blame her as I'm not sure I ever sleep quite as well away from my own bed either. Still, it remains to be seen how well she'll do.
8. Polly has been a stay-at-home mom since the day Genevieve was born. I believe she has spent a grand total of 1 night away from Genevieve and only a few times has she been away from her for more than a couple hours. While in our classes during the week, Genevieve will be in what amounts to day care. This will test both Polly and Genevieve's resolve with regards to attachment issues. I, of course, am accustomed to this.
9. We will be out of our element with regard to food and exercise. We try to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Each will be challenged on this trip.
10. MT/MR costs money (obviously). We're praying and believing that we have sufficient funds to cover these expenses.
11. Speaking of money, I have to remember to coordinate of few of our bills and such while we're gone. Life doesn't stop just because we go away.
12. Because we have ties to Springfield, MO, we have a number of friends out there. We are hoping to connect with as many as we reasonably can. This will include Genevieve as she will have a play date her friends J and A Barratt.
13. We will be speaking at a church the day after we arrive back. So much for easing our way back into things :)
I'm sure there are other things to consider, but prayer for all these to go well would be greatly appreciated!
God bless,
Mike
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Lessons Learned
I would say that we have been going through a busy stretch, but that almost insinuates that being busy is the exception rather than the norm. One thing I am learning very quickly as an itinerating missionary is that life gets busier. Much of my time is spent either building contact lists, contacting pastors/churches, traveling to churches or events, preparing for churches or events or actually sharing my heart. This past week was incredibly busy, but it's one of many busy weeks to come. First, I want to take a quick look back at the week that was (and how things went) and then I want to cover a couple lessons I learned in the process (not all completely missions related either).
Sunday morning (May 20th) we had the privilege of speaking at Tabernacle of Praise AG in Oxford, MA. This was extra special for us because this church is in the town where we live. We have a heart for and pray for the same people. Sunday school was great as the Word of God was taught. Then for worship time, it was nice for me to sing some old hymns I hadn't sung in a while with minimal musical accompaniment. But more significant was that the presence of God was so evident that morning. I shared for about an hour (longer than usual) but it was a great time. We met some wonderful people and really felt connected. I am sure we'll run into them again as the church is only 3 miles from our house.
Sunday night was the beginning of the Southern New England Ministry Network Conference. That first night is the ordination service which is always a great time. I knew four of the ordinands including the associate pastor from the church we were at that morning. The service brought back fond memories of my ordination service from last year at the same location. We set up our table (it was my first time setting it up as Polly is the one who normally sets it up). We were yet again put next to Neil and Kathy Vanaria's table. Polly and I really love being their neighbors at these events. We love them! They're such helpful people...and hilarious! Anyway, we were already making great connections with old friends and new faces Sunday night.
Monday and Tuesday was the continuation of the conference. The big difference was that Genevieve was with us for those two days as we stayed overnight Monday at the hotel. On Tuesday, our friends Ben and Amber brought their beautiful little girl Quinn (2 months younger than Genevieve) so Genevieve had a friend. All in all during the conference, we had a great time. We set a few dates for services while connecting with numerous pastors and laid the groundwork for more services. After the event was over on Tuesday, I took two out-of-state missionary friends I had met at the event into Boston for a mini-tour of the city. We had a great time.
Wednesday night, we had a service at Radiant Christian AG in Warren, RI. Due to the hecticness of our week, Polly stayed home with Genevieve. This was my first time traveling solo. I love being with my wife and daughter and I view them as integral parts of this journey so I didn't like being without them. I hope we don't have to do that too often (though it will undoubtedly happen again). We met some more great people and I had a great hour-and-a-half long conversation with the pastor (and former missionary) Larry Mangone. I appreciated his words of wisdom and advice.
Well, that was our crazy week that was. As I said, I'm sure there will be plenty more to follow. Now, as promised, let me share a couple lessons I learned:
1. There is a such thing as too much fruit for a baby.
On Monday afternoon, there was a luncheon for all the credentialed women and pastor's wives at the conference. Polly wanted to go and I wanted her to be able to. This meant that I was in charge of the baby for lunch. I reassured Polly that this is not my first time watching Genevieve and that everything would be fine. It came time for Genevieve to eat and I tried to give her the food Polly had prepared for her. She didn't want the PB&J (she's not really a fan) but did okay with the pita bread and hummus. I tried to give her Cheerios (actually Joe's O's) but she wasn't very interested. So, I gave her some blueberries. I knew Polly had already given her some to keep her content earlier but I didn't pay attention to how many. After Genevieve ate, I decided to drive somewhere to get lunch for myself. I ran into my good friend Anders in the lobby. He, too, was in need of food. We ended up going to a local Subway. While in line, I gave Genevieve more blueberries to keep her happy. While at the table, she began to fuss a little. Anders gave her some more blueberries. All along I wasn't paying very much attention to how many she had actually eaten. Of course, there were now only a few left in the container that, come to find out, had just been opened for her that morning. Fiber anyone? Genevieve went through a few diapers once we got back to the conference. To make the problem worse, we had forgotten to pack enough. So, long story short, Polly's shirt got stained blue as did Genevieve's outfit so I had to rush to Target (with my friend Chris) and buy diapers, wipes and a new outfit for Genevieve. I arranged Polly to get a clean shirt for the next morning and all was well. I felt terribly, of course. Kathy Vanaria told us this is just missionary training. If that's true, then I feel a whole lot more ready for the field after that one.
2. When using mints or candy at your table, be sure to factor that seven pieces will be eaten by another missionary for every one piece a non-missionary eats. It's a form a sabotage I think.
We alternated mints and Werther's Originals in one bowl and had a continual supply of banana chips in the other. I think Kathy ate most of the banana chips. Since they accused us (all in good fun, of course) of bribing people with our candy, they decided to outdo us with Italian cookies the second day. I responded to that by sticking Genevieve on our table. "How will you compete with that?" I asked Neil. "I'll just give her a cookie," he replied. Well played Neil...well played. In all seriousness though, by the Vanaria's example I learned the importance of having fun and joking with other missionaries...of viewing other missionaries as friends and partners, not as competition.
For as busy as this past week was, it was equally enjoyable. I love seeing old friends and making new ones. This is a major reason why I love the opportunity that's before us. We've had four services (included our own church) and have nearly 20 more already booked...and we're just getting started. We are excited for what experiences lie ahead!
Sunday morning (May 20th) we had the privilege of speaking at Tabernacle of Praise AG in Oxford, MA. This was extra special for us because this church is in the town where we live. We have a heart for and pray for the same people. Sunday school was great as the Word of God was taught. Then for worship time, it was nice for me to sing some old hymns I hadn't sung in a while with minimal musical accompaniment. But more significant was that the presence of God was so evident that morning. I shared for about an hour (longer than usual) but it was a great time. We met some wonderful people and really felt connected. I am sure we'll run into them again as the church is only 3 miles from our house.
Sunday night was the beginning of the Southern New England Ministry Network Conference. That first night is the ordination service which is always a great time. I knew four of the ordinands including the associate pastor from the church we were at that morning. The service brought back fond memories of my ordination service from last year at the same location. We set up our table (it was my first time setting it up as Polly is the one who normally sets it up). We were yet again put next to Neil and Kathy Vanaria's table. Polly and I really love being their neighbors at these events. We love them! They're such helpful people...and hilarious! Anyway, we were already making great connections with old friends and new faces Sunday night.
Monday and Tuesday was the continuation of the conference. The big difference was that Genevieve was with us for those two days as we stayed overnight Monday at the hotel. On Tuesday, our friends Ben and Amber brought their beautiful little girl Quinn (2 months younger than Genevieve) so Genevieve had a friend. All in all during the conference, we had a great time. We set a few dates for services while connecting with numerous pastors and laid the groundwork for more services. After the event was over on Tuesday, I took two out-of-state missionary friends I had met at the event into Boston for a mini-tour of the city. We had a great time.
Wednesday night, we had a service at Radiant Christian AG in Warren, RI. Due to the hecticness of our week, Polly stayed home with Genevieve. This was my first time traveling solo. I love being with my wife and daughter and I view them as integral parts of this journey so I didn't like being without them. I hope we don't have to do that too often (though it will undoubtedly happen again). We met some more great people and I had a great hour-and-a-half long conversation with the pastor (and former missionary) Larry Mangone. I appreciated his words of wisdom and advice.
Well, that was our crazy week that was. As I said, I'm sure there will be plenty more to follow. Now, as promised, let me share a couple lessons I learned:
1. There is a such thing as too much fruit for a baby.
On Monday afternoon, there was a luncheon for all the credentialed women and pastor's wives at the conference. Polly wanted to go and I wanted her to be able to. This meant that I was in charge of the baby for lunch. I reassured Polly that this is not my first time watching Genevieve and that everything would be fine. It came time for Genevieve to eat and I tried to give her the food Polly had prepared for her. She didn't want the PB&J (she's not really a fan) but did okay with the pita bread and hummus. I tried to give her Cheerios (actually Joe's O's) but she wasn't very interested. So, I gave her some blueberries. I knew Polly had already given her some to keep her content earlier but I didn't pay attention to how many. After Genevieve ate, I decided to drive somewhere to get lunch for myself. I ran into my good friend Anders in the lobby. He, too, was in need of food. We ended up going to a local Subway. While in line, I gave Genevieve more blueberries to keep her happy. While at the table, she began to fuss a little. Anders gave her some more blueberries. All along I wasn't paying very much attention to how many she had actually eaten. Of course, there were now only a few left in the container that, come to find out, had just been opened for her that morning. Fiber anyone? Genevieve went through a few diapers once we got back to the conference. To make the problem worse, we had forgotten to pack enough. So, long story short, Polly's shirt got stained blue as did Genevieve's outfit so I had to rush to Target (with my friend Chris) and buy diapers, wipes and a new outfit for Genevieve. I arranged Polly to get a clean shirt for the next morning and all was well. I felt terribly, of course. Kathy Vanaria told us this is just missionary training. If that's true, then I feel a whole lot more ready for the field after that one.
2. When using mints or candy at your table, be sure to factor that seven pieces will be eaten by another missionary for every one piece a non-missionary eats. It's a form a sabotage I think.
We alternated mints and Werther's Originals in one bowl and had a continual supply of banana chips in the other. I think Kathy ate most of the banana chips. Since they accused us (all in good fun, of course) of bribing people with our candy, they decided to outdo us with Italian cookies the second day. I responded to that by sticking Genevieve on our table. "How will you compete with that?" I asked Neil. "I'll just give her a cookie," he replied. Well played Neil...well played. In all seriousness though, by the Vanaria's example I learned the importance of having fun and joking with other missionaries...of viewing other missionaries as friends and partners, not as competition.
For as busy as this past week was, it was equally enjoyable. I love seeing old friends and making new ones. This is a major reason why I love the opportunity that's before us. We've had four services (included our own church) and have nearly 20 more already booked...and we're just getting started. We are excited for what experiences lie ahead!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A Sense of Belonging
A little over a month ago, we participated in our first event as missionary itinerants. We had only received our official approval the day prior. And I'm not going to lie, we had no idea what to expect. We were completely new to the whole process. As I mentioned in previous blog posts, we were busy the whole week leading up to the event as we prepared our table display and packets. We thought we would go and gain a little exposure with some pastors and leaders and such would be our day. As it turned out, we did connect with a couple pastors and a few leaders. Without missionary cards, we didn't even have anything to leave people with except for a full promo packet that we had rushed to print the night before. Still, we felt good about this purpose being satisfied. As Polly and I reflected on that initial missionary experience, however, we both had the same feeling. The value in that day for us was not in networking or connecting with pastors and leaders. The value in that day for us was networking and connecting with the other missionaries who also had tables there. We quickly came to the following conclusion: Hanging out with other missionaries made us to feel a part of a family.
Polly and I truly felt that day that we were part of something much bigger than ourselves. We weren't an isolated family going to serve God in another country. And it wasn't going to be only us and the Musacchio's. No, we were part of a bigger family of numerous missionaries who were serving God all throughout the world. There was an instantaneous bond and connection that I can hardly describe. We built friendships that day (we already "knew" a number of the missionaries) that we believe will last us a lifetime.
We were blessed to share a table space with Neil and Kathy Vanaria (pronounce this the Italian way or else...). As such, we spent a bit of time talking with them. I "knew" them already as we share a mutual friend and have had conversations in the past. I let them know how they were the first missionaries I ever remember having at church when I was a young kid. I remember thinking how cool I thought it was that they did what they did and how I would like to do that someday. Funny how God works, no? Anyway, Neil made a comment about missionaries and used the term "we" in that comment. It hit me that he meant me too. I guess it hadn't really sunk yet that we are missionaries now too.
Neil and Kathy invited us to dinner after the event was over. We shared some great stories over some delicious food (Panera is always a good choice) with them and Sarah Blackstone. It was such a blessed time. Polly and I left feeling like we belonged...belonged to the missionary family.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Our First Itineration Service
We are excited and privileged to have been granted the opportunity to share at Cornerstone Assembly of God in Oxford, CT tomorrow. This will mark our first service we've taken as approved Missionary Associates. We were initially expecting the first to be in our own backyard, Oxford, MA (heading there next month). But it seems that God had other plans as Cornerstone invited us to come this week. It was one of those God-incidences we love so dearly. As such, we look forward to discovering what God has in store for us and for the people of the church.
We also look forward to seeing our friends Joseph (associate pastor) & Holly Lear. Actually, to be completely honest, one of the things that has us feeling incredibly blessed as we've set up some services already is that we have connections with many of the pastors and churches in the Southern New England Ministry Network. We will have many services where we will be happy to see friends. I've been known to be a social person so this is also a plus. As part of my love for connecting with people though, I also look forward to meeting many new people tomorrow. We feel humbled and honored that we get the privilege of meeting so many amazing people on our journey.
Well, I need to work on preparation for tomorrow's sermon and such. Please join us in prayer that we will be usable vessels tomorrow and that God's presence would be so apparent during the service. Please pray that the church will be blessed!
Mike
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