Summer Opportunity Overseas

We recently got a request for Todd to come along for a tour or two in Turkey this summer.  He is beyond excited to be able to accommodate this request at least once.  The official dates are a little “soft” at this time but it will be about June 23rd– July 9th.  The tour begins in Diyarbakir in the south near the Syrian border.  Todd has been there once before.  The artists for the tour are a hip-hop/rap group CTZN .  Yes, they will share the gospel with rap music.

A skilled soundman is a great thing to have for a hip-hop tour,  as it’s a genre with specific needs.  But there’s a second important role Todd will play this time, as well.  They like to have him drive the tour/equipment busses, and this year that ability is especially needed.  One of our other team members is temporarily without the commercial driver’s license required to drive the van and his licensing test has been delayed.  Since Todd’s been driving a school bus this year, his New York State CDL allows him to drive that van while in Turkey. 

A second tour is available to him in August.  This is with NLM, No Longer Music, a rock drama group that has been going on these tours for years.  He would run technology and help drive for that tour as well.  Whether he goes on that trip depends on whether he can get the needed time off from his summer job, and whether we can get the necessary financial support.  If you’d like to help, please let us know.  We’d also like to hear from you if you would consider going along as an artist or crew member.

These tours are often nebulous things.  Dates change and weather, politics and  public opinion change rapidly.  The team will need to be flexible and ready at all times.  A list of prayer requests can be found on the left.

The Perspectives Class

In my last post (we won't talk about how long ago that was), I mentioned that I was working towards coordinating the Perspectives class.  Things are moving along for the class to happen in the Fall semester, so I thought it would be good to tell a little more about it.

Just a few years ago when we were chatting with some leaders at our missions sending agency, we talked about our feeling that the Christians of our part of NY misunderstand mission work somewhat.  They are somewhat more supportive of what we call need-based ministry- work that cares for felt needs of people who are poor, oppressed, hungry, handicapped, etc.  We felt some resistance to the nature of our music ministry, which focuses more on sharing the truth of the gospel with those who are spiritually poor, oppressed, hungry and yes, even handicapped.  In addition many will argue that the need is so great here at home, we hadn't ought to go overseas to do ministry at all.  Our leadership suggested that we try to get the Perspectives class to come to the area, because it could address some of those concerns and help to broaden the understanding of kingdom work.

At that time, I looked into bringing the course to the area but it seemed like too long and intimidating a process.  For one thing, neither of us had taken the course, although we were familiar with the core teachings.  To coordinate one has to first take the course at Certificate level, which costs some money and takes 4 months.  So that idea was scrapped and we tried to start a Bible study which taught some of those principles through other means.  That was not well attended, and let's face it, Todd and I are not gifted Bible study leaders.  That's why we were trying to go to the mission field in support roles!  But I digress.

A couple of years later, I suggested to the pastor at our new church that we ought to see the course run here.  He agreed and asked if I would do it, but I said I couldn't because the process was too long, and we were hoping to leave for the field.  When that didn't happen, I volunteered myself and the church supported me to go down to Lancaster, PA (that was a long drive all by myself!) and train to be a coordinator.

The job turned out to be a bigger one than I had realized.  My original start date as I mentioned in the last blog was January, but it quickly became clear that we could never do the work required in such a short time period, and at Christmastime.  Undaunted, I have pushed forward, formed a committee, and am about to submit our plans for a fall course.  That's where you come in.

This class is for everyone who loves God.  Although it started as a way to prepare young professionals for the mission field, it's purpose has expanded.  It will train you to be a better pray-er, welcomer, sender and mobilizer.  It is for pastors and people training for ministry, and they can earn M.Div credit for it.  It's for missions committee members, for parents & friends of missionaries, people who have friends or neighbors from other countries, for people who think God is worthy of worship...it's for you.

I don't consider myself a leader.  I've taken gifts inventories- as much as I'd like that gift to show up, it doesn't.  This shows in choices I've made- I don't volunteer myself for leadership, but for service.  For this class though, I am serving by leading.  I got the training, and I have spent the last 10 months, working to build up a support base and a committee.  I'm leading meetings.  I am approaching all sorts of people.  I even went to Potsdam with my friend Kelly last fall and taught one of the sessions for their Perspectives class!  I'm excited that I have formed a great committee and am starting to see some energy around the idea of the class.

I still need help, though.  One position we have not yet filled is that of Prayer Coordinator. Perspectives is a spiritual exercise, and it challenges students to make life change based on what they are learning.  We need it covered in effective prayer.  It would be best if we had someone dedicated to presenting the class for this.  And of course, you can pray for us.
Next, we need students!  Please help me promote the class.  If a member of my recruiting group can come and speak to your Bible Study, adult Sunday School class, missions committee, quarterly meeting, etc., we would love to!  We have a great line-up of instructors for you from all walks of life.  We need to fill the room (it seats 40) to keep our costs for the class reasonable.
Finally, if you can't commit to take the class this time, consider donating to make it possible for someone else.  I have already had young people tell me that they'd like to take the course, but don't think they will be able to afford it (it's a steal at $275 when most college credit courses are $500).  We're not set up for donations yet, but if you let me know I will get you that information when it becomes available, or you can just let someone know you'd like to help them privately.

Please take 2 minutes (you've made it this far) to watch this video and understand more about the course.

What next?

Since we decided that we would not be going overseas (to stay) in the near future, we have both had to seek out a new place in the world.  We need an identity here as well as an income.  For six years or more our identity has been "Pre-field missionary," and we gave up another life to be that; a house, good, or at least adequately paying jobs, schools, etc.  Since then we've been nomads, one foot out the door at all times, borrowed house, temporary/occasional jobs.  That's not enough anymore.  It was never really enough, but because (we thought) it was short term, and God provided in other ways, we were satisfied with it.  It was even exciting.  Now, Todd needs to rebuild his career, and he can't go back to the main one he left.  So, what are we going to do?

Todd took a job working nights at a convenience store.  It doesn't pay much, but it's a job and he thought it would leave him flexible for other things.  Then he also went back to work at the amusement park.  That also doesn't pay much, but at least it's somewhat in his field (sound)- he's a Supervisor in the entertainment department, and he has a lot of fun and a nice tan (on his face anyway).    He is also still participating in the Ministry Apprenticeship Program at our church, and currently having mentoring meetings on the subject of coaching others.
He's also exhausted, and it's not enough.

He spent the spring in training (mostly unpaid) to drive a school bus for a nearby district as a substitute.  A few weeks ago, we was offered a permanent route.  That's pretty exciting because though it's still part-time, it pays nicely, and the schedule allows him free time for other things, too.   School bus driving is not what Todd always dreamed of growing up to do, but not many people can say that they are doing what they always dreamed of doing.   One of those other things is a seasonal leadership job that would go through the end of the year, but he hasn't accepted it yet, so I'm not going to publish it here.

We are excited about God's provision for our family.  If you pray for us, please pray for Todd to have skills at juggling all these various responsibilities.
And then there's me.

I am also working on training for a new position, but I am a long way off from it becoming paid employment, so I am not going to describe that here.  I am however working on a mountain of other new projects, and I thought it would be fun to share about some of those.  They are all meaningful things that I'm pretty excited about, and I could use your help with most of them.

https://class.perspectives.org/psp/about.html

Are you familiar with the Perspectives course?  It's official title is "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement."  This is a 15-week, college credit-level discipleship course that seeks to prepare and mobilize people for involvement in mission work, whether they go, send, pray, welcome, etc.  It covers the Biblical foundations for mission work, historical information about it (most of it fascinating!), strategic and cultural information.  Many people say that it "ruined them for the ordinary."  I took the course on-line through the spring and summer, and in July I went to Lancaster, PA to be trained as a coordinator.  With that, I can bring the course to the Glens Falls region in January-May 2014.  It should be a multi-church effort!  Recruitment now open for members of my coordinating team- I need a prayer coordinator, an instructor care manager (there's a different instructor each week, some from out of town), a registrar, recruitment manager, etc.  Its going to be a lot of work but it's a happy burden to me because I know that this class has eternal impact on the people who take it.  Interested?  You can find out more at https://class.perspectives.org/psp/about.html and please, let me know if you want to help or take the class.  I've become friends with the coordinator of the Perspectives Course taking place in Potsdam this fall, and we can sit in on a few classes up there for a preview.   And please pray for me and my developing team!


Another thing I have gotten involved in that makes an eternal impact is Better Way Imports.
Better Way is a home party-like company.  I am helping to market fair-trade items made by women who have been trafficked.  It is a ministry as well as a small income stream.  You can help by scheduling or attending a party- which I prefer to call an Awareness Event- or making a purchase. It helps to get the word out about human trafficking, and it provides women an alternate way of making a living.  The items I market are unique- bags, jewelry, stationery, journals and other items made from recycled fabric or textiles, sustainably made paper, etc.  It makes me very happy to be involved in something that helps women and children in far-off places, many of whom are victims through no fault of their own, and are finding love through the programs that rescue them and train them in these enterprises.  As a plus, the items are beautiful!  You can check them out at my facebook business page,Better Way Freedom Fighter- Tricia.  
And if you're a fan of the chocolate home parties I was doing last year, don't worry- I'm still available for that, too.

In addition to projects 1-4 above, we're about to start another year of homeschooling and we are in high gear now that The Little Princess is 6 and in the first grade (she got about halfway through traditional "first grade" materials last year, so don't ask her what grade she's going into- it confuses her) and reportable to New York State.  I don't really care about NYS- the point is the "baby" of the family is doing school, too. I am teaching two classes at our local co-op this year (8th grade General Science and high school cooking+) and tutoring one boy in Chinese along with my own boy- all of which is a new experience as I haven't been lead teacher before.  For any of my readers who are classical home educators, I've got a lower grammar students, an upper grammar student, a dialectic student and a rhetoric level student. So, as a friend of mine says, I have a lot of plates spinning.  I definitely drop one from time to time.  Although there are moments when I feel too busy, I mostly feel occupied, in a good way.  Most of this is exciting, can't-wait-to-see-what-God's-gonna-do stuff.  Some of it even lets me feel like I am finally using my college degrees (International Politics and Sustainable Development & Missions and Intercultural Studies), which is nice.

I'm happy to be able to share this information.  Back in March when we went before our church to explain our change in plans, Pastor Ken asked me what's next for us, I didn't have an answer.  At ALL.  We were still wrestling with grief.  And of course we still are- one doesn't set aside 16 years (today's our 16th anniversary, and we were headed for the mission field all along) of working for one goal overnight.  It hurts and we don't understand. So of course it helps to plant a new vision.  We've been encouraged by others' who've laid a hand on our arm and told us their story of loss and re-direction.  I feel confident that we haven't really lost anything; it just doesn't look like we hoped it would.  It's gonna be ok; maybe even more than ok, especially you walk alongside us.  Thanks.