My Drummer Boy

On Saturday, Shaggy left for Argentina. With 11 other members of our church, he is spending this week helping a pastor in Las Flores (south of Buenos Aires) plant a new church to serve the local community. He will be helping to lead worship as a drummer on whatever drum set or makeshift drum set they can put together. He also gets to preach, act in some dramas for street ministry, and do whatever else the Lord has for the team to do to support the new church.

So we started the day with a family brunch. The Boss went all out with a new recipe for French Toast and eggs. Mmmmmmm....

This is what it looked like while Shaggy was trying to decide if he needed a bigger suitcase or less clothing. After all, it is winter in Argentina right now. He settled on the smaller suitcase. I sure hope he stays warm on those cold nights of tent ministry!

Of course, before he left, he had to spend time with his drum kit. He calls them his babies. I love hearing him going after the presence of the Lord as he drums in the basement. And I love that he's getting to use his gift and his passion to bless another church family, in another nation!

I am so grateful and proud to be part of a church where OUTREACH is our culture. Especially among our young people. Last week, one of Shaggy's best friends left with another gal from our church and the local Christian radio station to minister in Ecuador. Two weeks before that, a brother and sister from our church family spent a week serving in a ministry in Texas. And just yesterday in church, we commissioned off in prayer yet ANOTHER young lady to minister for a week in Alaska.

Here is Shaggy with another really good friend and drummer chick, and his beautiful cousin, Sarah, who are also going on the trip. This team has a total of 5 young people on it. I think that's a pretty darn cool ratio - 5 young people with 7 adults.

I'm not too proud to admit that the fact that his Uncle Paul is going along for the ministry experience made it much easier for this momma to nudge my boy to go and take it all in. Knowing that Shaggy has family to rely upon while he's traipsing around the country of Argentina helps me sleep a wee bit better!

Of course, we couldn't let him get away without a hug and a pose or two for the Momma, now could we? Sigh. I just love being the momma to this gang.

We are very excited for our son and very proud of his diligence to follow the Lord's promptings to consider this mission trip. Please pray for our whole team as they seek to influence the community they are serving. Pray for safety and good health. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will change hearts and lives, including their own. And pray for this new church to take root and thrive, that the Kingdom of God be glorified and expanded in that town!

One Phone Call

I was musing today about how much the world has changed. As I mentioned in a previous post, my brother-in-law is on a missions trip to Cambodia with his Master's program cohort. I've been thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to learn more about the world through Paul's eyes. I've also enjoyed reading the various comments posted about his experiences.

One comment in particular has had me musing a lot. My mother posted a comment about being able to share Paul's day to day experiences via the blog. She contrasted this with only hearing from my dad one time by phone in the whole 12 months he was stationed in Viet Nam. This is what I was musing about: ONE TIME to hear her beloved's voice. ONE TIME to catch each other up on the daily existence of a life lived separately just months after pledging to become one flesh. ONE TIME to say all that was in her heart. One phone call.

I had a little "a-ha!" moment over that. A little moment where my respect and admiration of my mother soared to yet a newer level. My mom has a lot about her to admire. Frankly, though, most of what I admire about her are products of years of wisdom and life experience. Products of hours spent laboring alongside my Dad, serving their local church and learning as they go. I love her people skills, her sense of humor about life, her patient ways, her creative mind in dealing with hard-to-love people. But she learned that stuff the hard way: she lived through it all, one experience at a time.

But this little "a-ha!" was the realization that she was a 22 or 23 year-old kid when Dad left for Viet Nam. A newly-wed, young and untested. Think about what YOU were like as a 22 year-old. I was immature, arrogant, and completely unaware of the great, big world around me. NOT that I knew that or would ever admit that to anyone then. But at 22, my mom married a soldier. Went off to Officer's Candidate School with her soldier and said good-bye when that handsome, strapping soldier went off to war. She wrote long love letters, sent care packages, and built a life for him to come home to. But she didn't know if he was coming home. And she didn't get to hear his voice, cheering her on or lifting her spirits or whispering his love every day. Or every week. ONE TIME. And she was just a kid.

So, as much as I'm enjoying Paul's trip and Paul's experiences, I'm eating a bit of humble pie tonight too. I'm such a wimp. I complain when The Boss misses his train. Or when he forgets to call and say hi. I needed that little kick in the pants - so much so, that it took me two days to process just how ungrateful I can be.

So, thanks Mom! For your sweet comment to Paul. And for yet another thing to admire you for - you ROCK!

*And if you want to read about Paul's experiences in Cambodia, click here! The team could use your prayers and if you care to, your comments of encouragement and support.

An Epic Journey

My brother-in-law, and pastor, Paul left today for a two week trip to Cambodia as a fulfillment of the final requirements for his Masters of Divinity program. It's a missions trip, put together to help the students in his "cohort" learn about foreign missions, and how to do them. He has been a student at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA for the past three years and this trip represents the culmination of a very long, arduous journey of learning and growing for him and his family.

Won't you please join me in praying for Paul and his team members on this trip? They are specifically asking for prayer in the following areas:

• safety and protection
• physical health and endurance
• openness to the Lord's leading and teaching
• divine opportunities to share the love of Jesus in the midst of their classroom experiences
  

Additionally, I'd like to add that my sister and her kids could use some prayer for peace of mind, protection and good health, and comfort for their hearts. The kids are young and missing Daddy already!

I've posted the link to Paul's blog for the trip, if you are interested. I think you might really enjoy reading about the trip, especially if you know Paul. But if you just love stories about the faithfulness of the Lord and the cultures around the world, you will enjoy it too.

Check him out at: http://pkepicjourney.blogspot.com/