Got connections?

One of the most startling things about life is its connections. Nothing takes God by surprise and he delights to show his children that he is in control of his world.

In what ways can you look back to see how God orchestrated meetings with people or connected resources for his purposes and your benefit?

Here are a few our stranger "coincidences" of the past decade:

• I was praying for a friend who was moving into an isolated house. "Get her a dog," God whispered. "What?!" I found the perfect adult dog that had been abandoned at a breeder's. I chickened out of surprising my friend and told her. She was thrilled and that Saturday we scooped up Beau, her fabulous companion of the next 7 years.
• Reading my guest books from years gone by, I'm amazed at how many people we don't know. Women came for monthly teas - from the doctor's office, grocery checkout lines, church, and other chance meetings. I saw many of them twice: the first time to invite them and the second time at the tea table.
• One Wednesday, W read a comparison of two car models. That weekend, a friend deciding on which car to buy asked him if he knew anything about those exact cars. W passed on the information.
• "Who 'just happens to have' office dividers the right color and size in their garage?" asked a friend. Well, apparently we did. We'd picked some up 2 years before, the perfect backdrop for the university's art shows.

• In a Seattle shop, I found a Bösendorfer grand piano for a friend's weekend house. When the house sold, the piano lived with us and got a few years of technical upscaling by Steve Brady, our extraordinary piano technician. My brother was looking for "the perfect piano" around the time we were downsizing. It moved to his house in Edmonton in December.
• One of my academic mentors had most of the supplemental research material I needed, neatly stowed in file cabinets in her garage. She also attended language school in Bandung (like we're planning) and was assigned as the designated missionary with our organization; her husband was listed as "the spouse" (like us.) Her trailblazing model of mission calling and work reassures me.
• It took 5 years to complete my PhD in Intercultural Studies. I didn't know why I was in the program, except I was sure God had sent it my way. A year after graduation when we were called to missions, two of my classmates were our overseers. Three of the four missionaries we'll work with are alumni, whom I met through my job as NU Alumni Director.
• I talked to my friends about downsizing and moving into the basement last fall, when it was still heaped with storage. They talked me out of it ... but God moved us down a year later. I gave away something every day in January last year, great preparation for moving into our smaller space. In October last year, I felt I should get certified in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) last fall as well: I resisted. No more classes for me! But I succumbed in February and signed up for summer school - just before our call to missions in March.
  
  None of these impulses were premeditated. They were God's provision for our future, giving us the will and the means to do his good pleasure.
• Nearly everything in our basement suite is repurposed. Our bathroom vanity, complete with sink and faucet, was torn out of a home being remodeled = the week before we started to build. Our dining "buffet" was assembled from cabinet "leftovers" of the same house. We purchased our kitchen cabinets from a missions writer and practitioner who encouraged us in our calling. One extra cabinet was perfect for our laundry room.
• Earlier this week, two teachers and two entrepreneurs visited us at our place. Listening to God provide interchangeable resources for each of them was great fun.

Sometimes being is enough. Then doing emerges naturally - or supernaturally - as a matter of course. The road of obedience seems paved with a thousand blind "yes"es.

Read more:

The Lord said to Abram, "I will bless you and you will be a blessing." Genesis 12:2 NIV

*Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant. Psalm 86:16 ESV

*The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Luke 17:5 ESV

*Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Romans 12:14 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, you have blessed us in many things. We are grateful, but often we forget that the blessings we receive are not fulfilled in purpose unless they become blessings to others. Give us the devotion to live a life of blessing. 

We pray for the poor, the homeless, those who have had their faith shaken, and those who are afraid and without hope. Cover us all, O Lord, that we may be strengthened. Increase our faith! Amen.

What next? The big reveal

Where in the world is Indonesia?

The last six weeks have been crazy. But now I can tell you why! Here's what God has in store for us.

My dear friend (Martha Ming) passed along an opportunity over lunch in late March, and then her husband Mel shared it with W a few days later. My heart almost stopped when W paused and said, "You know, that may be a good fit for us." [He's never considered anything but NU teaching in decades.]

We're leaving Seattle to become Missionary Associates to Indonesia (initially for 2 years, but we plan a permanent move). Starting date is Summer 2014. We have a year of fundraising and preparation while W finishes out his teaching contract at Northwest U (2013-14). Then we're on our way.

Bandung

In brief: last fall, I heard the hint: "Get the TESOL certificate." I was thinking of the multicultural world of Seattle. However, I was so burned out after finishing the PhD that I just said, "Nope. No more paper. I'm done!Done!DONE!"

This spring I felt a renewed urgency to do TESOL [teaching English to speakers of other languages]. I asked W if NU had summer classes. They did. 4 weeks in a row. I signed up. After which this invitation arrived ...

Many of you have asked me -- some of you more than once :-) -- "Why are you getting a doctorate? Why a missions-focus? What kind of a job do you get with this?" OR more recently, "Now that you're done, what are you going to do with your degree?"

I had no idea. I only knew I was supposed to go to school, that the program was the right one, and that the outcome was God's business!

And here we are. In two weeks my TESOL courses are done. We'll attend Pre-Field Orientation in Missouri, then teach a month in Singapore, and come back for W's final year (his 28th!) at Northwest U. NU is so much a part of our DNA that it's weird to think of not being part of the campus. (Our kids are alums, as are we)

Our president (Joseph Castleberry) and W's colleagues are excited for us. We'll stay connected to NU and anticipate that its students and alums will join us to do God's work in Indonesia in coming years.

Please feel free to ask us any questions, and please support us financially and pray for us!

My heart's pounding. OF COURSE I'LL BE BLOGGING THE PROCESS!

Read more:
Today the NU provost sent the following announcement:
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Dear Friends,

I want to make you aware that Waldemar and Rosemarie Kowalski have accepted an assignment as Missionary Associates to Indonesia with Assemblies of God World Missions. This assignment is scheduled to begin after the end of the 2013-14 academic year. So after 28 years, this next will be Waldemar’s last as a full-time faculty member. 

Talk about mixed emotions! Waldemar has been an incredible force for good at NU. As the only instructor of our daytime Christian Thought course, Waldemar is the only faculty member from whom almost every traditional undergraduate takes a class. He has had a huge role in defining the NU experience for many generations of students. Similarly, Rosemarie has been involved at NU in a variety of ways over their time here, and recently completed a PhD in Intercultural Studies. We will miss them at NU.

On the other hand, we are pleased for Waldemar and Rosemarie—with their children (all NU alums) out of the house, it is exciting to take on a completely new challenge for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Their plan is to partner with NU alumnus Dave Kenney in planting an International English Service in Bandung, near Jakarta. Waldemar will continue to teach in various university and church settings, including as teaching pastor in the church plant.

They will attend Pre-Field Orientation in Springfield Missouri this June and then begin the process of raising their support. We will all have a chance to learn more details about their plans, but importantly, they hope to stay connected to NU by teaching online courses and by providing a place for NU students to have short-term mission experiences. 

We look forward to honoring Waldemar and Rosemarie over the coming year, both for their service to NU and for their example of being open to God’s direction.

Jim [Heugel]
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*Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Psalm 115:1*Jesus said, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name.” Luke 11:2Moravian Prayer: O High and Holy One, we owe you love, adoration, and worship for your steadfast love and faithfulness. With Jesus’ help we will honor your name in every act, thought, and deed. Amen.