Blessings Come in Different Shapes and Sizes

Missionaries all over the world are recipients of food gifts: a chicken, a couple of freshly killed guinea pigs, a box of fresh mangoes, limes, or whatever is in season. Old missionary cookbooks are filled with ideas of how to cook wild game (i.e. roasting fresh kill in coffee to remove the gamey taste) – often brought to bless and/or thank the missionaries.

I never really expected food blessings here in Elkhart, but we are not exempt here. Gifts come in the form of something that is plentiful, in bulk, and something not of our choosing. However, this is still a blessing! Some would have found the last year here burdensome, but we find each food blessing an adventure and are so grateful:

• We have been amply provided for by God, through others.
• We get to share.
• We've learned to try new things (once we've figured out what it was!) and haven't had to pay for it.
• We've learned (and continue to learn) to cook things given to us.
• We've learned that serving food to others with the blessings we've received is just fine.
• We've been trying to be good stewards and have tried to preserve and use all we've been given.
• We already have favorites...and sometimes hope for more of this.
• We've been able to experiment with things we could not afford to buy.

God is good, He is faithful. We praise God for how well He's provided for us.

 

David passes inspection!

We made the annual trek to Children's Memorial yesterday with David. First time from Elkhart, though; it was my first time to drive through the Indiana tollroad and Chicago Skyway. (The first time ever, I slept...)

It has been four years since the summer of 2007, when David had a couple episodes of unexplained vomiting. At this point, we could explain it away by saying, he got car sick or maybe it was food poisoning. I remember the day vividly when John queried me about whether we should be concerned. I remember falling into "nurse" mode and remembering textbook lines...ending up with "well, the worst case scenario, it could be a brain tumor", not really believing it really was so.

I remember the shock and disbelief when I knew we were going to get the dreaded news. I know this sounds like a Cancer Treatment Center commercial, but I am going to say it anyway. "You know you are going to get bad news when the ER doctor walks in with a neurosurgery resident, a nurse, a social worker, and a chaplain..." (All true, by the way--I was squished into a little room with them all, and then got the pleasure of telling my son, myself.) My 13-year old was stoic, calm as he received the news, but our conversation revealed fear, on both our parts, of the unknown hours ahead.

It is difficult to receive bad news. It is worse to have to tell your son bad news. There is nothing like telling your son that he could die. It is just as hard to say he could live the rest of his life severely compromised. It is harder than you can imagine.

Would I trade that difficult moment? Never.

This was the deciding moment for David. The defining moment. It was the time he asked me to go over the salvation plan again, and it was the moment he repented and chose to give his life over to Christ.

I would never trade that moment for anything.

P.S. So grateful to God that he continues to do so well!

God's timing...

We have been impatiently waiting for our house in Mokena to sell. We thought it was not going to sell or that we'd have to take a huge hit. Either option wasn't pleasant. Neither was the thought of mowing two lawns and having to decide what to do about the pool...

Then...you know what had to happen, right? We got a decent offer...bantered back and forth with the buyers...ran back and forth to make minor repairs to meet FHA inspection...and closed June 30, 2011. BAM! It ended up being a wild month, but we are happy (and a little sad).

• Glad the burden of maintaining the second home is gone (very glad). Sad, as that chapter of our lives have closed. This is the one house ALL of us remember living in, after all.
• Glad to not have lost money...but sad it wasn't a little more (are we greedy?)
• Glad to not have to work on the pool...sad there is no more pool.

Mostly, we're glad and know it's time to move on...God's timing...

 

Weeds

Something nasty showed up in Elkhart during the month of May. We did not know of their existence until all the rain and following sun caused them to reveal themselves.

Yard work has never been our forte, yet in Mokena it seemed that we knew what were doing. Here, we were reaping what another had sown. The whole family was knee deep in the war against dandelions!

We took a pause to reflect what a weed is and were reminded that botanically, a weed is an unwanted plant.

Then, we took another pause to thank God we are never weeds in His eyes.

 

Highlights from HCJB Global Technology Center

Dec. 2010: Nationals from Bali, Singapore, and Sierra Leone at the Technology Center for radio training courses.

Jan. 2011: (1) New lathe is a huge blessing at the center. (2) Congo Work Team from Elkhart repaired the VSAT (Internet Satellite Connection) at the Pioneer Christian Hospital in the Republic of the Congo and repaired the generator needed for surgeries, etc.

Feb 2011: We continue to process SonSet ® radios from the Moody Campaign.

March 2011: (1) Students from Cedarville and LeTourneau work on various projects for the center:

• Digital media production
• Refurbishing a transmitter
• Power supply assembly and testing
• Design, assembly, and testing of a power protection unit
• Milling machine conversion

(2) Partnered with WFRN Radio for stations in Thailand.


 

The HCJB Global Technology Center is Amazing!

Yes, we started service at the HCJB Technology Center in Elkhart, Indiana in early September.

What an incredibly awesome ministry! The Lord is working through many hard-working, smart, and God-fearing servants who use their Sovereign gifts to further the work of missions with HCJB Global and mission partners around the world.
 

What kind of work are John and Jean doing at the mission?
 

As you probably know, John is in Information technology roles. Right away he was plugged into computer software development on the inventory/sales/purchase/workorder/ accounting systems central to handling the production and distribution of radios, transmitters, antennas, and more.

He also handles central software distribution and responds to help desk requests. There are more projects coming in the near future as he continues to dig his roots further into the mission computer systems.
 

John works about 25-30 hours per week at the mission, serving in the mornings and coming home in the afternoon. Then he works his “secular” job 30-40 hours per week. This makes for pretty long days, particularly when you add in house repairs and meeting neighbors.
 

Jean continues to work primarily as a homemaker, and continues to homeschool David and Anina. She has served the mission as well - baking for events, preparing SonSet radios for a work team, hosting a regular intern, and playing the violin.

In addition to school and church activities at McCoy Memorial Baptist, David has joined an intramural basketball team, and Anina has resumed gymnastics. Sadly, there is no group like the SSHS&GG here, near Elkhart.