Thursday, June 23, 2005

Good News!

Just some news worth the read!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4083676.stm

Enjoy!
Joy

Can't Wait!

I've got one week left until I go on vacation and I can't wait! Marty and I leave next Thursday afternoon for my parent's house in Jackson and then on July 4 we get on board a beautiful cruise ship and head to Cozumel and Calica - places we've been before but this time we're going with my entire family. A little scarey that my Granny is going to be just a couple of rooms down the hall from me but I don't care - at least this vacation my door will have a lock and only Marty and I will have the key!

Marty will also celebrate his birthday while on the boat and so I'm trying to think of something fun to get him while we're on the ship. Anybody got any ideas?

All I know is I'm ready for a little relaxation. I love my job and I love the part of my job where I get to train and send the mission teams but this year it was extra challenging and I'm ready for a little time off before they return home. One team this year just would not leave the country. It wasn't their fault. They wanted to go more than anything but they were headed to Russia - a country that's difficult to get visas from and then when the visas don't come on time, a country even more difficult to get plane tickets into. So, they were here with me an extra week. We had a good time together though. We went to the Urban Missions Conference here in Atlanta and learned some really important things about living a life of mission and not just leaving the country for mission. It's about living intentionally where you are. That's exciting to me and I'm excited to know that I'm learning how to do that and trying my best to impart that to others.

I hope with all I am that they return home from this summer with a love for mission - mission overseas and a mission for the everyday when they can't be overseas. So, yes, my job this year training short-term missionaries was a little bit more difficult and while I still look longingly toward my vacation, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. This world needs Christians with a broader picture of God than the one so many North Americans tend to see.

The things I'm looking forward to the most on the cruise? The sun, my family, eating until I'm sick, getting off the boat in exciting new places and just simply being who I am for a few days without any stress. Hallelujah!

Don't forget to send me suggestions about what to get Marty for his birthday - I welcome them - all of them!

Joy

Monday, June 06, 2005

Breathing...So this is what it's like

It's Monday afternoon and today has been the first day that I've actually felt rested and able to breathe since last Thursday. The Salvation Army held a conference this past weekend and I helped in the kid's venue. I think that I forgot to let those for whom I was working know that kids aren't really my forte. I don't have a hard time dealing with them but they suck all of the life out of me faster than air can escape from a balloon. So, eating lunch yesterday after it was all over was a relief.

Today I'm where I love to be - in my element. This week is Service Corps Orientation and there are 14 young adults with me here at camp who are excited about going onto the mission field. It's so exciting watching them learn and grow and come alive and then go. What's even cooler is that in 6 weeks I'll get to pick them up from the airport and hear their stories. That's the best part - seeing how they grew.

Best part of my weekend I think though was when Rosa an officer with whom my Service Corps spent a week in the Algarve of Portugal showed up in the Kids venue to say hello. She remembered me, had talked to my mom and wanted to come say hello. You know what she let me know? Our team is still making an impact. They're choosing to work in teams in Portugal for ministry instead of alone. She said we taught them that. Go figure. Something that I thought had failed so miserably was actually used by God. He's so faithful even when we're not. I can't believe that I still have connections there from a time so long ago and a place that I couldn't understand why God had sent me. This story just keeps getting better.

Breathing this morning was lovely. Walking around camp and just taking in the beauty of God's creation. Talking to him about some things that I'm not quite certain about in my future and Marty's. Trust is so hard sometimes when He doesn't give all the pieces to the puzzle. It was nice though just talking with him in a way I hadn't in a long time.

It's cool to know that God's telling both Marty and I right now that we can't dream big enough. That's pretty cool. We'll see what happens. I love the fact that he gave us both the same Scripture verse within a week of each other. His love is so amazing.

Sorry it's been so long since an update. Hopefully they'll come more frequently from now on - until the next busy season of course.

Love one another,
Joy