Culture Collection

It was way back in March that I posted my first Culture Collection.

So now I am digging around in my pocket and feeling the well worn stones once again. Ah ha, I found it. Just by feeling it in my hands I know that this is the one I want to display. I pull it out and rub it a little with my thumb. It is a possession of mine. It reminds me of the possessions I want to talk about.

When you are graced with an invitation to a party here in Bolivia you can be sure that your attendance to such a momentous event will be acknowledged by a party favor. In Spanish they are called ‘recuerdos’ which can also be translated ‘memories’. For an adult party your gift will usually be given to you upon your arrival. Last night a group of ladies helped me organize the celebration of our first year of women’s ministry at church. Sure enough one of the gals had commissioned the creation of a tiny pin for each of the attendees that had a flower and a little ribbon printed with the name of our group, the date and the event. Such a nice detail! At a child’s party the favor is much more elaborate in the form of a goodie bag the size of the child’s head replete with candy, sweet breads, games, toys and all kinds of fun stuff. These bags are given to the children towards the end of the party so that there is an explosion of opening and immediate trading of the goods.

A special visit is also acknowledged with a gift. In the image you can see a very small sampling of some of the items that have been lovingly selected and presented to us during our visits around Latin America. Usually the gift is traditional of the country or includes the name of the country somewhere printed on the item. It is expected that the gift be displayed in your home and bears the name of ‘adorno’ or ‘decoration’.

Over the years this custom has become very endearing for me. When a carefully prepared gift is placed in my hands I receive it with gratitude knowing that I was remembered and that the giver is hoping that this token would create a warm memory of friendship in my heart.

Mother Month

This has been a mother of a month for me! Many mother issues have literally bombarded me. Here are the mothering things happening:

1. U.S. Mother’s Day celebrated
2. Bolivian Mother’s day coming up
3. Women’s meetings where I speak as a mother cheering her kiddos on
4. Spoke at church about strong families, including the part of a mother
5. Helped a woman in the church work through a second miscarriage – she wants so desperately to be a mother
6. The irony of that precious mother-to-be is that she mothers the orphans in the orphanage as the director
7. Had a couple of heart-to-heart get-togethers over coffee with our group of missionary mothers
8. Said farewell to three of my mother friends going home on furlough
9. Saw a great mother video on the blog of a fellow missionary mother in Indonesia
10. Found the blog of an encouraging author who is also a home schooling mother
11. Reading a book by that same author called The Ministry of Motherhood
12. The book was lent to me by another mother who is a dear friend of mine
13. Have worked through allowing a gal help me home school my kids
14. Have managed my household, learning to have a content heart as I waited for house help
15. Answered the door yesterday and a mother who is a member of our church said she has a relative that just came into town and is looking for work
16. That girl is here at the house now helping me out
17. Let the truth that motherhood is a calling for which God equips you settle in my heart
18. Learned that I cannot mother everybody – there are specific people that need me to play that important role in their lives and others who absolutely do not
19. Discovered a term that I will be exploring more closely in the days, weeks, and years to come: Grace Based Parenting
20. Mothered my children

So these are some things that hit me in my heart today as I sat relishing the beautiful company of my friends on a super comfy couch inhaling the rich aroma of good coffee.

May Day

Today in Bolivia we are observing Labor Day. This term seems to be an oxymoron seeing as it is observed by everyone taking the day off from work (except for the market workers, they are so industrious). Yet we are glad to give our team a day off. They work very hard and we are appreciative of them. Of course, my husband, the team leader, is glad to have the office all to him self to work. I must commend him, though, for sleeping in until 7:30 today. This is something he hasn’t done in a long while. I was actually up before him which is a rare occurrence indeed.

My day will include work as well. Aside from the usual laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, baby care, and food sanitization of groceries bought right before closing time at the store last night I have some fun things going on. An extra home school class taught by one of our friends: Spanish. As well as art this afternoon with our missionary / neighbor / church member / fellow home school family. After art the kids have a birthday party to go to at the bowling alley. Then we have church tonight. I enjoyed teaching while DaRonn (my husband the pastor) was gone, but I am so glad that he is back to share this evening.

The art project for today is shrinky-dinks. I tossed around the idea of making May baskets. I have some great childhood memories of May Day sneaking up to the neighbors’ houses, ringing the door bell and then running away to hide behind a bush to watch them discover their surprise treat. But, since that is not a tradition here and I have been saving styrofoam trays for weeks the anticipation has got the better of me. Here are the instructions for the project on line if you are interested: http://kidscrafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/make_your_own_shrinky_dinks

What childhood memories does this season invoke for you?

The AM

Yesterday this:
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick… (Proverbs 13:12)

Today this:
… but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

This:
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)

And this:
Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. (Psalm 143:8)

The long and short of it is that the prospective house help came to the house on Monday, I showed her around, explained the job, we talked about hours and pay and together we decided that she would start Tuesday at two. Two o’clock rolled around, 2:15, 2:35, 3:00 and still a no show. I call the number she gave me and talk with her sister, who is clueless. Then the work I had been saving (so I could train her how to do it) I had to do. It wasn’t the work that upset me. What upset me is that this is not the first time this has happened and it causes me to over analyze everything.

So what am I going to do if she decided to show up today? Good question. I will know when and if the moment presents itself.

Things look brighter now. Thanks to all who sympathized with me, I really appreciate it.

While we are on the topic of the morning… some of my morning sounds:
Cars in the busy street we live on
Airplanes over head
Husband moving about
My kids playing
Venders opening the market
Children rushing to the school in front of our property
Our pets asking for breakfast
Birds
Staff watching DVD bible school courses
Kids in the orphanage praying as I hang my clothes on the line

What is the best part about your morning?

One Chapter More

My wonderful husband bought a book for me about writing fiction called “The Lie that Tells a Truth” by John Dufresne. So I am finally in the last chapter. In his chapter about writing dialogue he addresses the motives behind why we communicate. Do any of these apply to why you post or read blogs?

Now, we all know there is no comfort in small talk, no solace in chitchat, no substance to idle jabber about the weather or mutual acquaintances. So why do we do it? We talk with each other for various reasons: to inform, to compare, to seduce, to clarify, to cloud, to charm, to deceive, to alarm, to evade, to demur, to bedevil, to reassure, to offend, to warn, to befuddle, to flatter, to belittle, to thank, to bluster, to rattle, to arouse, to soothe, to illuminate, to apologize, to inquire, to amuse, to brag, to inspire, to order, to explain, to encourage, to dissuade, to convert, to argue, to process, to instruct, to vent, to accost, to excuse, to call attention to ourselves, to hear the sound of our own voices, to be polite, to pass the time. But when we talk to understand, to understand ourselves and what we’re doing or what we think we’re doing and why we’re doing it, then we tell each other stories. Stories are how we remind ourselves who we are and how we’re connected. Stories are sacred and communal like a burial and the gathering after it.

While we are on the topic of chapters… Thanks to two marvelous women from the church I had four completely uninterrupted hours of time at my home to myself today. I cannot remember the last time that this happened. So I decided to get some heavy work done on the book I am writing. Can you believe I wrote four chapters and have just one left to write? Then the final tweaking and it is done. I am so excited.

Video Tour of House of Dreams Orphanage, Cochabamba Bolivia

The video is 8 min 40 sec long. If you can, I would encourage you to watch. You will see the facilities of our House of Dreams Orphanage and some of the kids who live here. For privacy purposes we do not disclose the specifics of individual histories. You will hear my husband explain in general some of the histories.

Common FAQs:

1. How many kids you have? We are caring for 21 children now

2. What is your capacity? We are licensed for 42 children; economically we have ceased receiving children until our funds increase

3. How many workers do you have? On paid staff we have 8 people. Aside from that we have a team of about 5 faithful volunteers.

4. Where do the kids come from? We work closely with the equivalent of Social Services here in Bolivia. They bring us children that have been abused, abandoned, left under park benches, found in public bathroom stalls, and even those that have been left in garbage cans.

5. Can you do foreign adoptions? Spain and Portugal, yes. We are in the process of investigating the possibilities for other nations.

6. When did you start the orphanage? June 2006

7. What ages of kids live here? Our boys and girls are newborn to 5 years old

8. How many adoptions have you had? Three of our children in the last year and a half have been adopted into Bolivian homes.

9. How are you finances? Good people from the willingness of their heart support us on a monthly basis. We are at about half of our budget and always looking for new supporters.

10. How can I get involved? You can pray, give financially, come and volunteer, and you can get the word out by passing along this link or asking people to visit our web site:

www.christnationministries.org

Orphanages in Bolivia play the part that foster homes do in the States as well as the typical caring for orphans. Some of the parents of the kids are being trained and taught on how to be better parents. If they are unable to meet the state’s expectations then the immediate family if the child is investigated to see if any of them could take the child in. If all family situations are unsuitable then the process for adoption begins. It usually takes six months from the time a child enters our home until they are available to be adopted, unless they are no family ties found, then the process is usually three months. Just recently the United States has agreed to allow Bolivian adoptions. We are still looking into the requirements; but that option is now open.

Click here to watch the video.

Or copy and paste this link in your browser: http://christnationministries.org/English/videoblogdaronn.html

As you see the images please say a prayer for the work here. Thank you for taking the time to read and watch.

Video Tour of Ministry Office

Have you got 7 ½ minutes to spare? My husband made a video tour of the ministry office and posted it on our web site. Later he will have the tour of the orphanage and the church up but he started with this one because this is where we start our real life tours. You get to see a glimpse of the busy street called America out front. See if you can guess what the lady carrying the tall pastel colored thing is selling. Also you can see that right by the gate there seems to be a pile of vegetables. There is a little old lady who sells her wares there every day. The tour is pretty cool if you ask me.

Click here to watch: http://christnationministries.org/English/videoblogdaronn.html

Cock-a-Doodle-Squeak

We don’t have roosters, we have guinea pigs. My oldest tells me that they wake her in the morning so that she feeds them. She might just end up being the wife of a blond American pig farmer who has a weekend job as a pastor like she keeps telling me.

My childhood wanna-be-when-you-grow-up dream was tri-fold: a famous farmer’s wife who travels the world. Hm. Travel the world: check. Famous: enough to my satisfaction. Farmer’s wife: yep, if you count sowing the word of God in the hearts of people, plowing up hard ground to plant new works, and the harvest of souls that is so ripe in this land.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

2007 Christ Nation Church Toy Give-Away

A father came through the door. His son was on his weary shoulders. I am sure that his son was not the only burden he carried this overcast morning. The shirt on his back was so worn down in places that his sunburned brown skin showed through. His dark head bent down as he was walking past me.

“Feliz Navidad,” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder. As he raised his head I made sure to make eye contact with him and his child. An identical broad smile broke out on the faces of both. The boy was clutching the present he had received.

This morning we woke to the rich sound of rain on the window panes. Though the rain lulled me and said I could say in bed a few more minutes the excitement pulsing through me prevailed. I whispered an honest yet slightly desperate prayer, “God, the rain is fine for now; but when we start let there be sun.” The cloud cover and drips gradually dissipated as we went about with the final preparations.

Volunteers began showing up asking how they could help. Some, deemed bus captains, climbed on empty busses and were scattered through the city to fill them. Others took posts in the main sanctuary wrapping up the toys. Others then separated them into huge piles; one for the girls one for the boys.

The neighborhood buzzed with anticipation as the street in front of our church building began to fill with children. They had come because of a flyer, a radio announcement or a personal invitation. The busses began to arrive from the orphanages, prisons and needy neighbor hoods brimming over with children of all ages.

And the sun came out! The program started with fun songs about Jesus. The animated voice of our church’s children leader pumped out over the speakers telling the children about Jesus. Another song was about to start so she invited a few children up on the make shift stage, the flat back of a large truck, to dance with her and do the simple motions.

Then came the thing everyone had been waiting for: the toy give-away. In all 2,207 toys were given to the children of Cochabamba, Bolivia today. Our church, Christ Nation Church, of about 200 members collected some 2,700 toys to give away. We have worked together for the last 7 weeks to be sure we had enough toys. And this was without corporate sponsors; just the members giving of themselves to bless this city. The left over toys will be used for other events and to stock our prize bin in children’s church.

Two years ago we launched this great annual event and gathered together 400 kids and gave them each a toy for Christmas. Last year we raised the bar and challenged the congregation to gather together 1,000. They did it! This year we told them that we were going to bless 2,500 kids with toys. The goal was met and exceeded.

We have coupled this toy give-away with a faith project for the church. These toys were sown as a seed towards having 300 people attending church on a weekly basis in 2008. (Personally, I think that we will exceed this goal too as we work together.) This number will put us in a strategic position for beginning the process of buying property and building. Pastor DaRonn, my husband, is so good about challenging us to grow and reach out to people with the love of Jesus. He says, “If the church is doing what it should be doing the world will take notice.” I wonder what he will tell us is our goal for toy collection in 2008. Whatever it is I know that with God we will reach it.

Here are some pictures from this morning:

Some of the toys collected for the boys.

Some of the toys collected for the girls.

This member of our church is 91 years old. She is helping prepare the toys.

Our children's leader on a truck on the street in front of our church, Christ Nation Church.

Some of the 2,207 children that received a toy for Christmas.

DaRonn and I handing out toys along with the other 20 some volunteers.

Merry Christmas!!!

Double Dare

Is there anybody else out there that loved the kids t.v. game show “Double Dare”? We loved it at our house. The play is simple: the host asked one team of kids a question, if they couldn’t answer it then they would dare the other team, then the other team had the option of answering to earn points towards cash or double daring the first team, the double dared team then had to successfully complete a physical challenge to earn the points. We ALWAYS wanted them to do the physical challenge! They were fun, messy, and loud and always involved big props like slides, huge balls, gallons of slime and vats of goo.

Wednesday night I felt a Double Dare coming on during my monthly women’s group “Entre Nosotras” at church. So I acted on my urge today and set up a Spanish blog. It is going to have devo style that challenges readers to think, in 200 words or less. The physical challenge will be my ability to write in Spanish. I say, “Bring it on!” I am really looking forward to this.

So if you know of anyone who speaks Spanish then please get the word out of this new blog: existencia compartida (shared existence). Thanks ahead of time! Here is the link: http://existenciacompartida.blogspot.com/

Six of One Half a Dozen of the Other

This saying implies the futility of an argument due to the semantics of the issue. It also is the resolution one makes when trying to decide between two options that have similar outcomes. But today it serves as nothing more than a cute title for my blog. (smile!)

Today the Washington family celebrates 6 years as full-time, career, cross-cultural, take-up-your-cross, leave-it-all-on-the-field, go-all-out, in-it-to-win-it, no-turning-back, living-by-faith, living-it-up, radical, real-life missionaries.

Looking back over the last six years I can see all that God accomplished with our lives. But I can’t look that direction for very long, because it puts a crick in my neck. Also because I know that there is so much more before us. This is just the beginning!

Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this mark by praying, giving, visiting, encouraging, emailing, calling, instant messaging, laughing, crying, baby sitting, teaching, preaching, prodding and loving my family and me. It would have been absolutely impossible without you.

American Days

A friend found me on Yahoo chat today to ask me if we could go out for dinner together this week. I explained my lack of a vital component to the success of such an excursion: house help. She said, “Ah, so you are an American Mom this week.”

I have felt so very American these last few days. I am so glad I have a comprehensive husband who is pitching in and helping with the kids. He even did the grocery shopping and picked up something for dinner while he was out. Then when he got back he said, “Why don’t you go to the gym?” He knows that is something I enjoy doing (very nice after a full day of home schooling and caring for a teething toddler). When I got back he and my son were finishing up on the mountain of dishes.

Some missionaries who live up the street asked me to watch their three young children for them the other day while they finished up packing for a three month furlough. So that even our family’s social activities had an American flavor, with a hint of Spanglish to spice things up of course. Have you ever watched Snow White in Spanish? Early Sunday morning I helped them get to the airport. We said Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year before hugs and farewell. I miss them! We are car-sitting for them while they are gone. (Thank you so much guys!!!) So I even feel more American in “my” truck / SUV with my kids all strapped down in the back. We are in the process of raising funds for our own car, so this is just whetting my appetite even more. Driving is one of my most favorite things to do.



I will just end by saying first Go Red Sox, second my heart goes out to the Californians devestated by fires and finally please enjoy some seasonal Peeps for me (those crunchy marshmallow treats are the best).

Markers and Outliers

Unknown to every tiny baby there exists in this world a system of markers and outliers that separate and categorize unique individuals in nice little boxes and slots. And though we are born as a one-of-a-kind creation we spend much of our later growing up years trying to become a one-size-fits-all conglomerate mock up of all we have been told is approved and acceptable. It is not our intention to place these requirements on others; we just do it. It is not our intention to try to fit in; we just do it.

These same segregation attitudes have infiltrated the church system as well. We mark people based on what they do or do not do, what they do or do not wear, how they speak, who they hang out with, and even the material goods they own or do not own.

Would you believe that this even happens in the missionary world? Again – it is unintentional – but it does happen. For reasons I am still trying to understand it was not until this year that I have allowed myself to become close friends with other missionaries. And as I am branching out getting to know other people (and really enjoying myself doing it) I have been surprised to find these markers present. Markers like your sending organization or lack thereof, kids or no kids or how many kids, language learning style, the education of your children, long term or short term, and we have not even begun to talk about the type of ministry you do.

Intentionality breaks through the stereotypes to a place where diversity is treasured and division is diminished.

The choice to not judge, to not compartmentalize individuals, to not form prejudices is mine. Just because a certain person with a specific characteristic behaved a certain way in the past does not mean that another person with a similar characteristic is going to behave in a similar fashion. It would be contradictory if I were to assume that all people make these generalizations. Given the chance people will always surprise you.

This post is not a complaint – rather it is simply an observation of the way things are and the way that I have chosen to respond. It is a nice fringe benefit if you were challenged by these observations.

Rich

You know, I think that sometimes it is good to step back and follow the advice of that old adage, “Count your blessings”. One thing that I am so grateful to the Lord for is the abundance of new people that I have met in my line of work as a missionary. The most fabulous part is to revel in our diversity. I feel rich.

This is a friend from Brazil named Karen.

Thanks for your participation

Thank you for helping me to make this link list. If you ever know of any other missionaries who blog, please feel free to let me know. Here is the new list:

Dan and Daryl - Bolivia
Marisol - Bolivia
Maureen - Botswana
Sarah - Botswana
Mae - Denmark
Sarah - Indonesia
Brian & Bonnie - Italy
Rebekah - Peru
Brad - Philippines
Alece - South Africa
Becca - South Africa
Charlene - South Africa
Dave - South Africa
Josh - South Africa
Kelly - South Africa
Misti - Thailand
Josh & Chana - Turkey/China
Rick - Ukraine
Victory Christian Center (Tulsa) missionaries - various countries

“Hey Missionaries!”

I am compiling a link list of missionaries who blog. If you are a missionary (or know of a missionary who blogs) and you want to be on my link list then contact me. So far the links I have are:

Marisol - Bolivia
Dan and Daryl - Bolivia
Mae - Denmark
Blad Clere - Philippines
Alece - South Africa

Here is a fun little missionary thing:

Missionary Survival Kit


The card reads:
A rubber band so you can snap back when you are stretched a little too thin…
A piece of candy to remind you that life is sweet…
A string to tie things together when everything is falling apart…
A penny to remind you that your thoughts are important…
A toothpick to help you pick out the good in every situation…
A puzzle piece to represent you as an important part of the larger picture…
A card to remind you to play and enjoy yourself…

A question for my missionary buddies: What is the last thing that you did to enjoy yourself? What I did… I took a nap this afternoon; it was nice. (smile)

Basement Beginnings - 5

Part 5 – Cochabamba, Bolivia
(The end?)

A friend once said that in real life “happily ever after” is not the end; rather it is a beginning. This little series ends here. But as the title implies, the events that led up to our move to Cochabamba in 2003 were just the starting of what is happening now. The day of small beginnings is not despised.

Sometimes I walk around on the grounds here and I marvel at what has been established. What began in a basement and moved through various other small-room stages is now anything but little. Yet there is in me anticipation for greater things to come. We are not through. We have only just begun.

I could not finish this series without expressing in written form my deep gratitude to the Lord God for all that He has done. His hands have formed, led, corrected, applauded, and consoled us. My heart swells with thanks to Him.

Basement Beginnings - 4

Part 4 – Santa Cruz, Bolivia
(Maids quarters)

Youth is marked by three outstanding characteristics: invincibility, omniscience and hope. Without these one would never risk it all in pursuit of a passion. The Neverlands and Narnias, Wonderlands and Lands of Oz would never be discovered were it not for these three magical spells that have been spoken over all wide-eyed girls and boys.

DaRonn and I were enchanted and our mysterious land yet to be discovered was Bolivia. After a 10 day trip with a group from church to help with a crusade in the spring of 2001 we were ever so much more convinced that we were to spend our internship time in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with a missionary couple that were connected with Tulsa’s Victory Christian Center. They graciously extended the invitation for us to come and we spent the summer months in preparation.

A few significant things took place. In July we decided that if we were really going to live overseas fully supported by donations then we must practice now; so DaRonn stopped working his temp jobs that he might dedicate his full attention to the fund-raising process. August brought us our third child; she was 10 weeks old when we moved to Bolivia. In September the twin towers were hit; thus changing airport procedures forever.

We were red-flagged because of the five one way tickets we had purchased for our family. Our bags and babies were searched at every checkpoint. I landed in humid Santa Cruz exhausted and hoarse after the journey that took close to 24 hours. Trying to make use of all our carry-on and check-on privileges we had checked 13 duct-taped rubber tubs and had 10 hand bags. Three-year-old Raimy and two-year-old Timothy each had a little rolling bag to tote around. I had the baby on a front pack and a back-pack on the back keeping my hands free for my toddlers. DaRonn carried the rest.

We left October 31 and landed November 1, Bolivia’s “Day of the Dead” on which they celebrate their dead ancestors by visiting the grave sites and sharing a meal together, leaving the leftovers for the spirits to enjoy. How odd it was as we drove into the city to look around and see every person dressed in black. Due to the fact that I had completely lost my voice I was unable to carry on a conversation with the missionary that had kindly picked us up from the airport. I was left to my thoughts. The main theme running through my mind was, “These people need Jesus.”

The missionaries had benevolently offered for us to stay with them until we could find our own place. The home they lived in, along with their four children, was in a neighborhood with dirt roads and high walls around all the houses. We were directed to a room behind their small place in the maid’s quarters. There was a bathroom attached to it. A double bed and a small table took up three fourths of the room. There was a closet and some wicker furniture as well. This was to be our home for the next six weeks. We shared it with the mosquitoes, spiders, quite an impressive variety of ants, biting flies, lizards, and scorpions.

Our next two years in that city were filled with adventures and challenges that could cover many pages. We were placed over the bible school operations, a public school outreach program and the children and nursery at the church. This couple had founded all of this work in the seven years they had been there at the time of our arrival. All the while we were learning Spanish and learning the Bolivian culture. Our internship was useful and I am grateful for it.

We knew that eventually we were going to launch out with a separate work. The instances that led to this breaking away will be saved for a later date. Suffice it to say that I am happy that we left the “maid’ quarters” stage of our missionary career. Cochabamba was the next destination as we packed up to move in November of 2003.

Basement Beginnings - 3

Part 3 – Tulsa, Oklahoma
(Garage)

“You make your choices and your choices make you.” This is a saying that holds much truth. There are other things that form us and shape our being beyond our control; thank God for it! Yet many of the outcomes of our life can be traced back to decisions that we have made. I read another quote just the other day, “If I succeed, I will give thanks. If Ifail, I will seek His Grace.” Choices are powerful things.

In our thoughts of grandeur we narrowed our choice of mission schools down to two: Ulf Ekman’s training center connected to Word of Life Church in Uppsala, Sweden or Billy Joe Daugherty’s Victory World Mission Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We opted for the latter. Off we went again making our way southward; a couple more inches closer on that map.

Fall was quickly approaching in the year 2000. Everything was packed in the truck down by the street, including DaRonn’s diploma. He finished his Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Marketing. I am so proud of him! We are standing together alone in an empty apartment and he decides that now would be a good time to tell me, “We have money for gas to get us down there, and that is it.” I knew that we did not have much; but somehow I knew that it was going to be ok. I looked at him, smiled, and said, “Ok, let’s go.” We turned to walk out and heard a knock.

There standing at the door was a friend from church breathing heavily from running up the three flights of stairs. The door had been left open; Shane Daniels popped his head in smiling and said, “I wanted to catch you before you left. Don’t open it ‘til you get to Tulsa.” He handed DaRonn a plain white envelope. The contents of that envelope were exactly enough for the deposit and first months rent!

God provided miraculously for us during that time. Once DaRonn was in his “office” (half of the garage of the duplex where we lived he had painted, put down a rug, and set up his desk) and his prayers turned to the financial needs we were facing. He sensed that God told him, “Look what you have in your hands.” And all of a sudden he remembered a check that had been given to him a few weeks ago that was just sitting on his desk.

Our spiritual preparation took place in Saint Joseph; the mud was being worked into formable clay. Tulsa is where we learned the technical ins-and-outs of this precarious career we had chosen; the hands of a skilled Potter were shaping us and then we were set out to dry. Santa Cruz, Bolivia is where it all would be put to the fiery test.

Basement Beginnings - 2

Part 2 – Saint Joseph, Missouri
(Storage room)

Obstacles are often open doors of opportunity. Anticipate change and the hardships help you. All may seem dark and difficult in the moment, but if you will just continue to put one foot in front of the other on the other side you will be able to see what was impossible to see from your previous perspective. As you give a slight glance back at the door you just walked through you will be grateful.

One car meant that I had to go pick him up. The drive to the mall where he was part of the management team at a sports shoe store was a prayer filled few minutes. There had been some shifting around in upper management. When all was said and done all of the mid level managers were asked to leave. He was standing on the curb with a box of personal belongings in his hands. His eyes were puffy. He climbed silently into the car. My mouth, which had been running a mile a minute in prayer on the way over, was now quiet. I was relieved.

This all took place at the end of summer of ‘98. We sat down on the couch and looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. Not two weeks passed and we had moved down to Saint Joseph, Missouri. Most of his credits transferred to Missouri Western. We knew that being able to continue with school was the only condition. DaRonn felt that God had told him that he needed to get his degree before he went to the mission field. He prayed that we would be 10 years advanced as missionaries when we landed if we took the time to go through school. So what’s in Saint Joseph?

Backtracking a few months; before our baby was born in March 1998 we had been hunting for a church there in Omaha. Easter was coming and we had been invited by a friend (who was a newly hired associate pastor) to come and attend Word of Life Church. He had been raving about how wonderful the people were, especially the pastors. We made the 2 hour drive down with some other members of my family. We knew the hunt was over. For 5 months (March to August) we made the commute once a week to church. So it was only logical to us that when he had no more obligations to his job that we would make the move down.

On the map this move took us about an inch closer to Bolivia. I was happy that we were headed in the right direction. Not just the right direction physically; but I felt like this was a decision we made based wholly on our priority of preparing for the mission field. God had shut a door and another had opened before us.

We left the basement stage and were now in the storage room stage. Most of our ministry desires were fulfilled through volunteer positions with church. It was in this city that we learned how to trust God for, well, for everything really. It seemed like every single message at church during our two years living there was about faith. We learned to live by faith. We used our faith to kill the bugs in our apartment, to put gas in our car, for milk and diapers for our baby, to put food on our table, to pay the hospital bills for the birth of our second child, and for work for DaRonn. He worked mostly temp jobs, but there was one job that makes us smile every time we think about it.

The whole time we were there things were tight. One day we got a call from a business owner at church that knew a little about our situation. He alluded to a job. Wow, we were so excited! DaRonn went to his office. The man explained how the business worked. They sold fancy vacuum cleaners and took old trade-ins to offset the cost for clients. So he told DaRonn that he had about 50 old trade-in vacuums that he wanted to give to us. What?! He said that we could sell the vacuums; all we had to do was haul them. The old Century Apartments complex where we lived had storage rooms for each of the tenants. We filled that room with vacuums and vacuum parts. There were tubes and hoses hanging from the ceiling and canisters and uprights piled on the floor. Every time I tripped and stumbled over the vacuums to pull the string that hung by the light bulb in that room I had to laugh!

From borrowed basement beginnings to scraping by with a stuffed storage room, our next stop: a garage in a state where the wind goes sweeping down the plain.