What's our mission?

I shared this with a class at NU in 2006, while I was alumni director. Seems apt for what we're going to do in the future. It also might encourage those still considering their own place in this world.

My Russian samovar is for sale.
There's Indonesia tea in our future

Our mission is to participate in God's kingdom. NU Alumni serve around the world. We're role models as companions, friends, spouses, parents, teachers, lawyers, doctors and nurses, ministers and social workers, or other employees. This is what I learned from watching and listening to our alumni:

1. When the gate creaks open, follow and see where it leads. God's work is here AND there. We have to begin where we are. We nurture our spiritual life to become Christlike. Genuine expressions traits of goodness, kindness, patience, love, joy, and peace may win us friends and influence. Being egotistical and self-focused will close doors against us. Wherever we go, we must be prepared to become part of the culture.
• Jeremy and Carissa (2000s) live in SE Asia. Jeremy grew up there and knew what to expect. However, Carissa has made adjustments to the frenetic pace where they live, raising young children and working long hours.
• Gary and Priscilla worked as teachers in a sensitive country. They became NU scholarship donors to pass along the legacy of their family (P's Dad was an alum). In this way, they invested in students here as well as abroad.
2. Don't wait for some grand mission. Start here and now. Get training and find a job: we become useful and experienced by engaging life. Though W and I felt called as children to spend ourselves overseas, working hard in Seattle has given us access and relationships across the globe.



Every culture is full of beauty
and lovely traditions

• "Bones" ('70s) does relief work in S Asia. He was on the spot for efforts after the great tsunami. He loves sports so he trains young people, giving him a heart for their parents as well. 
• Nancy ('80s) has been an AIDs worker in Africa and eastern Europe. She's had challenges like typhoid and malaria, and was flown to Paris for appendix removal and other surgery. She continues to teach, train, and develop material to educate against this horrible plague. She's relocated recently and is learning a difficult language to make the transition possible.
3. Look at jobs, experiences, and hardships as opportunities to understand the world and interact with people. Everyone wants to be loved and welcomed - and most people want to be served.
• Rick and Audrey founded a foundation that rescues Kenyan kids from street life. They support national efforts by raising funds from the USA. They've demonstrated their real love for those they serve by adopting two children after their own were grown and gone.
• Greg and Kim ('90s) run homes in India and other countries. They have planted churches and taken care of many children.
4. Don't be afraid of hard work! Working builds character. I read a study that an embassy had 4000 applicants for 4 positions. In the end, they chose people with integrity and work skills to fill those posts. Would they choose us?
• Mark ('90s) took his family from a comfortable life in Seattle to India and Sri Lanka. They teach in schools and work with organizations against human trafficking.
5. Don't be afraid to be yourself. Each person is uniquely designed; there are places on the planet -- "Kingdom work" -- for which we were wonderfully created.



A river flowing in MT: whether
here or there, life is beautiful

• Debbie ('80s) is an interpreter. Her home base is Seattle and she works around the USA, but she lives in Europe, funding a spiritual community by her work here.
6. Don't be afraid of people! They are not our boss, just our manager. (God is our boss and we are accountable to Him first of all.) It may take courage to do something different.
• Everett and Evelyn ('63) have no home. "We're homeless by choice," they told me. They live out of suitcases, traveling widely because they are unencumbered. In 2005-6, they taught at schools and conferences and mentored young people in Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, Siberia, Africa, and Romania. Now past retirement age, their efforts continue unabated.
7. And finally, don't be afraid of God! Life will be an adventure, custom-fitted to our bent. God won't give us more challenges than abilities or resources, provided we depend on Him. He promises never to abandon us no matter how difficult the journey or complicated the process of sharing Good News.
• Where does your name belong on this list? Have you been places you'd never dreamed of? Or stayed closer to home? How have you lived an extraordinary life, whether your surroundings were ordinary or exceptional?
• If we're following where God calls our heart, we join Him on the mission! He's taking care of us day by day.

Crafting the call

The temperatures in Bandung this week peak at 89o (days) and swoop to 62o (nights). What's not to like?!

As we pare down clothing for a smaller closet and a new climate, I'm happy. I've experienced so many occasions in the clothes that I'm giving away. There have been birthdays, funerals, weddings, dinners, walks in the neighborhood, bike rides on the trail, and everything between. Groceries and a grandchild have leaned against them. Very few haven't been worn often: I like variety in dress.

We're looking forward to two days of instruction: our ministry network hosts a LAUNCH workshop in Snoqualmie today and tomorrow. The landscape is gorgeous nearby, but the people in the room are more precious. We're learning to gather resources for service to others.

W spoke in chapel Wednesday. Students asked how they could go to Indo: that's very cool! The missionaries have told us to recruit people, as well as our necessary finances. We believe God will use every kind of participation to bless this country. Will you be part of that effort?

Do you sense a change coming in your own life? Is God asking you to go? Is he calling your name, whispering a new job, different country, or ministry challenge into your ears? Are you willing to listen? To respond?

For us, saying "yes" means clearing away anything that doesn't belong in the new season. It's an arduous process because we've rooted ourselves deeply in our community, church, and home. It's an ambitious project because there's so much to learn and to do.

This season is also reflective and meditative. We're rethinking life, going forward without all the props we've enjoyed. God is confirming our calling. He's drawing us in through scriptures, mentors, and stories. [Our story here.]

I want to ask you again: Do you sense a change coming in your own life? Is God asking you to go? Is he calling your name, whispering a new job, different country, or ministry challenge into your ears? Are you willing to listen? To respond?

Read more:
*Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. Joel 2:23 ESV

*God says, "I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily." Hosea 14:5 NLT

*Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Luke 12:27 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Providing God, grant us the faith to trust in you providence. If you care for the simplest parts of creation, how much more do you care for us whom you created in your own image? May we cease to worry and put our trust in you. Amen.

What next?

In progress!

"It's a bit of a whirlwind, isn't it?" T surveys the basement with a smile. His team has framed and roughed in plumbing. He's pulled wires to power up the new space.

"Sure is." W looks around and shakes his head. "This would have taken me ages." Perhaps months.

We've found that Craigslist is an excellent resource for buyers and sellers. Someone's here now, picking up our DR rug, a pale green 10X12 wool expanse. We tossed in a few tables, a slipper chair, and the sturdy loveseat W built for our first apartment (along with the cushions and covers I made.) Hurrah!

Our little slipper rocking chair. Gone!

It's been good fun seeing the happiness of people who like our stuff :-) God has blessed us with mutual satisfaction, for which we are grateful. There will be plenty to toss before we go.

The kitchen cabinets, closet fixtures, and furniture wait for installation. We'll need a wall-mount sink, a toilet, and a stacking washer/dryer. We're shedding dishes, tables, dressers, a queen 4-poster, chairs, and other "stuff" accumulated over 36 years of marriage and raising 4 kids.

We head to Montana for a family reunion in the morning. What's next? W has finishing touches to do at the cabin (flooring and lighting). We'll put mattresses on the bunks about the time the tribe arrives.

We got two notes from Indonesia coworkers this morning. One wrote: "Please come as soon as you can! We need you already." And from another team member, "We've been praying for this for 15 years!"

We're grateful for the friends staying in the house while we're away. Their schedule and ours synched so that when they're away, we're back. When we leave, they're home here.

After MT, W's teaching year and ITINERATION fills our calendar ... until we leave for Indonesia.

If you've considered supporting us, please pledge or donate here. (The site is under my name for administrative reasons; AG only permits one spouse to be listed.) Here's the link for faith pledges.

It's easy to give by clicking here.

Our cash budget of $30,000 and monthly support of $4000 will go toward transportation to various universities and colleges in SE Asia and the branch we're planting in Bandung. (It's almost half of a regular budget, because we expect partnerships there. Our initial term is 2 years, but we plan to renew.)

We're excited! You with us? We can't go without you. If you'd like to contact us about coming to your church or small group, please let us know! (All comments are vetted: I won't share your info.)

Read more:
*I wait for your salvation, O Lord. Genesis 49:18 NLT

*Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for our salvation and happiness. Your arising has brought us hope and peace. We thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Day 5: Commissioned to serve

The PFO classroom

Today we are commissioned for service.

We've finished the first week of Pre-Field Orientation. What a full day! And what a packed week.

W and I sat with some new and increasingly dear friends who are going to Tonga, David and Rhonda. Rhonda and I love the young woman sitting with us. Katie is going to Jakarta: both she and Lindsey (Philippines) are inspiring us with their heart for others.

We heard insights on keeping our family and marriage strong, practical advice on dealing with bugs and polluted water, and got a cookbook to help us make kitchen adjustments with local food substitutions.

We were inspired by a presentation on Apostolic Function. Were we called to maintain a structure? To make people feel good? No. We are sent out to tell the Story! NT-style apostles share the faith, disciple converts, and plant churches.

Commissioning with Russ Turney

At the end of the day, the Regional Director surprises us. W and I are called to the front. We'll miss next week's commissioning service: we leave Tuesday to fly from Seattle to Singapore on Wednesday.

The thing that bothered me most about leaving early was missing the chance to have our leaders pray for us. I also thought we'd miss our Asia Pacific team photoshoot.

The Asia Pacific PFO team 2013

Instead, the Regional and Area Directors and their wives gather around us today, lay hands on us, pray God's sending power and protection, and commission us to go. They give us our certificates and a few gifts, including prayer bookmarks in Bahasa Indonesia. We may be a year away from the field, but our mission work of raising prayer teams and financial support has officially begun.

We are truly grateful. Once in a while I wish I were more weepy. Today (as often happens) my heart is overflowing but my eyes stay dry.

The team leaders take an early photo of us all. So we're even in the pictures! Lindsey and I pause for a quick snap together, too.

Lindsey and I: 2 generations
called to serve

The call has not only been confirmed here. It's grown more specific and stronger. Thanks to all who have prayed for us this week.

Read more:
*Here's our team verse: "If you SPEND YOURSELF in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10 NIV

Lord, make it so.

Read Lindsay's blog here.

Day 4: Eating it up

We start the day at breakfast with Joy. She's a prof who served as the outside reader for my dissertation. She's brilliant, loves research, and is full of interesting ideas. She's always fun to talk to.

The day's training focuses on field relationships and cultural orientation. First, we are asked to sit with all those planning to go to the same area. Two couples and a single gal belong to our Indo group.

Then it's on to culture training.

 "You'll have many disconnects with your surroundings," warn the missionaries. "You WILL experience culture shock. You can't change the people you're going to work with. They are born and live with their worldview, just like you do. And theirs is no better or worse than yours. You can only try to understand and grow yourself." The information - some of it from books by Geert Hofstede and Duane Elmer - is a good review for me, but it's new to W. The presenters are excellent and keep us engaged.

We have lunch with Bill and Kim, our area directors. It's their 42nd anniversary: cool that they're willing to spend it with us! Bill and I were classmates. He's finishing his PhD. Kim made it through at another school 2 years ago. They encourage us, give us good information, and help us make connections we hadn't thought through.

The afternoon is full - we have one brief break and then it's full steam ahead until 4:45.

We eat supper with a couple who ask why and how we're headed overseas. We spend a few hours laughing and talking together about what we love, why we serve God, and what that might look like in the future. Really, none of us has a clue what lies ahead. We're moving through open doors with the security that God is in this.

"We're open," we tell them. So are they. At this stage of our lives, who has time to fool around, gather possessions, or waste time?

We're tired when we get home. It's almost 10, and I can't believe we're still awake. Thanks for every prayer, every note of encouragement!

Read more:
*O Lord, you are our God; let no mortal prevail against you. 2 Chronicles 14:11 NLT

*You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NKJV

*We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:19-21 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Abba, Father, your nurturing love surrounds us as we face an often unwelcoming world. We wrap ourselves in your grace and mercy, your boundless love. Amen.

Day 3: "Spend yourself"

It's Waldemar's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HON. I make his card since I never get away alone. We've done our usual stroll through the drugstore the day before. I show him cards I would get him if he wanted to pay for them. He likes a few, and we're happy.

The morning sessions start at 9am.  By then it feels to us like half the day is gone. We're early risers. The sun's hot and the sprinklers on every lawn boost the humidity.

On campus, I run into a few fellows I know from seminary. Though I don't know many of our peers, I've met many of the leaders during studies. It's fun to see them outside the classroom.

We'll be divided by world regions for the rest of the week. The motto for our Asia Pacific group is, "Spend yourself!" Today we meet our area leaders and coworkers. Each area director gives us an overview of their area and who lives there. It's obvious that they love the people they work with. There's a lot of wise-cracking and laughter.

W and I make a lunchtime birthday dash for 1/2 of 1/2 Brand Names. I've purchased most of my clothes there since attending seminary. The chain of stores resells returns and sale-ends from Nordstrom and other major retailers. In the past, I've found my Italian boots ($10), a mother-of-the-groom dress ($40), and a Furla handbag ($10). Today I find PJs for $9 and Ralph Lauren sandals for $16. W finds a white Columbia travel shirt for $12.

We rush back after lunch to hear insights on handling stress and culture shock, and how to keep ourselves on track spiritually. The presenters are career missionaries who know firsthand how devastating and shocking it is to move far from home and become part of another people group.

As they run down the list of stressors, I can identify with each one. These are the reasons I've not yet felt the stir of "the great adventure." We learned about these during my PhD studies and I listened to members of my cohort talk about them. I'm not looking forward to experiencing them myself:

• cultural adjustments in language, how needs are met, adapting to expectations, food, and lifestyles
• human stressors, including leaving family behind and working with others
• organizational adjustments, including job satisfaction, policies, differing leadership styles, and filling out reports
• physical challenges of a new climate, illness, aging, and weariness
• psychological stressors of depression, a sense of failure, boredom, or mid-life changes
• support - raising funds, housing, retirement planning, and having to do many tasks that were handled by others at home
• spiritual stressors

One team leader talks about the importance of loving God with all our hearts (Lk. 10:27), of guarding our hearts (Prov. 4:23), and deflecting the arrows that seek to destroy the heart (Ps. 91:1-5). We are encouraged to have a strong devotional life as the foundation for service to others. We're also told that we'll need friends to talk privately with because we'll be in full view.

"People will watch you over time. ... You're building your own reputation - good or bad."

W and I have supper with Paul and Sandy. Paul was in my cohort and is working on his dissertation. He administrates a big area, so he's had to put off the work time and again. I assure him there IS life after a doctorate. (But I remember what hard work it was, and what discipline and perseverance it took to finish the thing!) Paul's in the process. He and W hit it off and I love his wife Sandy, whom I've heard a lot about, but never met before today.

W and I scoot back to the campus for two hours of 3-minute presentations. Each unit (single or couple) has three minutes to tell the audience where they are going and why. One after another, we go on stage to present our dreams for the future.

W reads the script we worked on last night. At some point, I'll have to start speaking. Tonight, W does a good job while I stand beside him.

We're home by 9, in time to catch up on our writing before we get to sleep. These days are long but interesting. Tomorrow, breakfast, lunch, and supper are booked with friends and colleagues. I look forward to it. And a good night's rest.

Read more:

*Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT

*Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Psalm 111:1 NLT

*Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Colossians 3:16 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Almighty Savior, you bless us with your infinite love. May we always sing your praises with our voices, minds, and hearts. Amen.

Day 1: The sled perched on the hilltop

I see our missionary journey as a sled, perched on the hilltop, ready to tilt into motion. (I must have been born in Winnipeg to feel that metaphor.)

We begin the day, sitting in front of young people who are wondering aloud: "Don't you sometimes think, 'Am I enough for this? Will everything I try fail?'" One gal admits, "I had nightmares last night about crashing when we go to ..." Hundreds of us sitting at the chapel during the first lectures of pre-field orientation can relate.

The director of AG World Missions, Greg Mundis, shares principles for missionaries. These include keeping healthy spirits, bodies, minds, and emotions; planting indigenous churches with teams and local partnerships; proclaiming Good News holistically, within the cultures and world views of the people to whom we're sent ... all of it EMPOWERED by the Spirit.

W's life and missions timeline

Then the Communications Director, Randy Hurst, speaks about AGWM's mission of Reaching, Planting, Training, and Touching the world. "You're not a missionary if you're not sharing the gospel. It may only take 2-3 people to make a church... Call it what you will, a group, a gathering. You should be disciplining or mentoring someone. We do not evangelize in a vacuum. Remember, even the stoniest ground has been prepared by the Spirit of God."

He reminds us that the Spirit has gone before us, will go with us, and will be there after we leave. We pray together for the Spirit's power to rest on this large group of missionaries and associates. It's a moving moment for W and me. We trust that God's power and direction will continue to be clear to us.

My life and missions timeline

The Missionary Associates meet together to cover some logistics before lunch. Jennifer Pulley is a hoot. I don't know how she can make the overview interesting, but she does.

Over lunch, we meet others going to our region. One couple has planted churches and pastored: they're our age and are excited about going to Tonga. During a breakout session, we hear stories from young people going to SE Asia. Everyone takes colored markers, a blank sheet of paper, and draws a timeline of their calling. Then we talk about why we're sitting together, using our sketches as media.

Finally, we sit in on a session about MKs (missionary kids). The presentation is funny and engaging. The realization hits me like a blow again. Our grandkids will meet us online rather than in person. They will grow up far away unless their parents come into missions near us.

Verlon and Melodee Fosner; Troy Jones; Jeffery
Portmann; Chris Corbett (@NCU, formerly
children's prof at NU); W and I, Dave
Cole, and Craig Gorc

God gives us a special supper treat at Bambu, a Vietnamese restaurant: we meet with the NWMN cohort who is finishing their coursework at the seminary this week. We love these men and women and trust them as ministry partners and coworkers. Dave Cole pauses when most have left to offer a prophetic encouragement, a word from God dispelling our fears and questions. "You've been prepared for this time by everything you've done. God is in it so don't be afraid."

"Just what we needed," W and I say to each other on the way home. Dave's words match the confirmation of the whole day. This is the right time and we have a sure calling to do this.

Our homework tonight is designing a 3-minute presentation calling others into partnership. (Giving is a delightful and godly privilege: we'll serve on behalf of those who support God's mission through us.)

Lucky us to have supported others in the past! Lucky us to be going! Lucky you to be sending us! What joy we have in working together as servants of the King.

Read more:

*But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.  1 Chronicles 29:14 (NKJV)

*Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday sun. Psalm 37:4-6 NKJV

*Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 1 Peter 4:10 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Lord of all wisdom, you have given us many gifts; gifts we should offer to others in service and in love. Help us to be your good stewards always. Amen.