FPO- Weeks 5&6

And yes, I thought the same thing- where has the time gone? Seems like we just got here, and now we are staring at the last two weeks of FPO! Also, we are only 1 month from loading all we can onto an airplane and heading out to South Asia for the next 3 years. It seemed like so long ago, but now it's right around the corner. I know that I echo many people's thoughts here when I say that we are ready to be there now! The excitement is building, but let us also be focused on the One who is sending us, Jesus.

Week 5 was our security contingency training, which all I can say about it- intense, but very necessary! Thank you to those that came in for 6 days and put us through a lot of needed information for those who travel overseas. I wish that some of our short term mission volunteers could go through this training as well.

Week 6 involved learning about bible storying. It was a full two day session that taught us how to put the bible into understandable stories for those who are oral cultures, or non-literates. We have been practicing this technique all last week and will continue in our small groups to practice storying more this week. We also learned T4T (Training for Trainers). This is a method that I have seen in practice in South Asia, and it works very well with CPM. It is a training method where you train trainers to be trainers of trainers. (Say that three times fast, and then do your best train whistle imitation!) It is an exponential method of training where you start with one group of 4, then each of the 4 goes out and shares with 4 more people, then each of those shares with 4. Each of the origional 4 is still being trained, but they are taught to train those they have shared with what they have just learned, and so on. If you draw this out on a piece of paper, you very quickly will have many trainees training other trainees. These obviously are all small groups, and what they are being trained in is the gospel and how to share it, your testimony and how to train others. It was very interesting, and I am anxious to get started in my own T4t.

We wrapped up the week with a field trip to Washington D.C. A two hour bus ride, followed by a trek through the city to witness to the many different people groups there. With all that there was, we ran out of time to do all that we could, but we made it to several different sites, all the while riding the subway to and fro, eating at a South Asian restaurant, and engaging in conversation with and praying over a couple of people, one a homeless man, the other a lady who was born in Trinidad waiting for her bus. With the short time we were there, we felt we didn't have much time to do everything we wanted.

That is pretty much it for now. Pray that we stay focused on the Lord, and not just on the end of our orientation, which is 16 days away, but who's counting?

FPO Week 2- Complete

Well, we've finished week 2 here at FPO. Mentally, it has been tiring. We feel as if we're in school again. We listened to Jerry Rankin for 3 days abouth spiritual warfare, which was really enlightening. We also learned about how churches in the SBC are defined and what the scriptural background is for that, and along the same lines the guidelines for how the IMB defines churches, also with scriptural backing. This was very needed for me, since I felt very uneducated to this subject. Very good information for us this first week. We were also introduced to some TCK's (Third Culture Kids) who are going back into the field as Journeymen or ISC couples like us. It was very interesting to hear and again very educational to us, as we are carrying 2 kids to the field with us. So far, everything we have been exposed to here has been of valued learning to us. We are processing all the information, and I guess that is what is making it mentally tiring to us.

We had our first meeting with our South Asia Regional office personnel this past Thursday. This is where we turned in all of our paperwork, if it was finished. Most of ours was, except for a couple things we will turn in next Tuesday at the next meeting. On top of all the exercise, meetings, small group times, meals, and sessions, oh and finding time to sleep and have quiet time, we have been given a list of books to read that is specific to the religion of the people group we will work with. Our people group practices Hindu, which has over 3 million different gods and idols, everything from actual human form gods, like Vishnu, Krishna, Ganesha, but also they worship rocks, plants, cows, a fork, anything that they think will bring them good luck. One of the books we have on our list is called "Death of a Guru", by Rabindranath Maharaj. I have heard of this book from many people, but I am not much of a book reader, unless I have time and am somewhat forced to read. I have to say that I have found this book to be very fascinating. It gives much insight into the Hindu religion and all the superstitions that they practice. I'm still reading, so please don't give away the end!

I volunteered to lead the Prayerwalking team while here at FPO. This team of 20 is responsible for prayerwaliking the campus every day for the next 8 weeks. The only thing I do is lead the meetings, make sure everyone is doing their part and that's about all. I do have a helper, I asked one of the team members if she wouldn't mind co-leading with me, since I am not much of an organizer. I can step into a leadership position, but organization in our family is left to my wife. I am happy to deligate that job! So,besides act like the team leader, I prayer walk with one of the men in my Quad M-W-F mornings. It is very uplifting to lift others up in prayer through prayer walking.

We are having a quiet, catch-up weekend so far, cleaning, doing laundry, catching up on our reading. Our Quad mates/small group have been a blessing to us. There are 2 other families, both with kids our age going to South Asia, and 2 Journeygirls who are going to South Asia. We have all had a good time and have bonded together as families already.

As I said, we have been loaded with a lot of stuff. Pray that we continue to seek God in the midst of our busy-ness and retain all the knowledge we get and take it to the field.

Connecting with the Father

What an incredible time I had today. So far, we have been just getting to know things around the campus and adhering to a schedule (we tried hard to not have a schedule during vacation!) here at ILC since Tuesday.


Today we were directed to have 3 hours of personal quiet time however we wanted, wherever we wanted. I decided to take mine near the small lake/large pond off to the side of the campus, accessible by anyone on campus by a short walk. I took a spot on the rocks at one end. On the walk there, I was reflecting on my quiet time these last few weeks, months, and realized that my quiet time stunk! I was giving God snippets of my time here and there when I could, but never enough to satisfy my thirst or God's expectations. I asked Jesus to meet me where I was going, and as I sat down I was just still for a few moments and basked among God's glorious creation: the trees, the water, the rocks, the butterflies, the dragonflies, and just praised Him for all that I was seeing. I saw how the butterfly showed God's glory exactly how God created him to show it- with his beautiful wings. I felt very convicted that I was not showing God's glory the way that I should be. I did not feel any breeze and it has been extremely hot and humid here. Just as I thought about a breeze, a nice cool one embraced me, and I realized that God was there with me, embracing me with the breeze, and I gave thanks and praise to my heavenly Father.

I then opened God's word and began to experience it like I hadn't in a long time. The words of the Lord came to life and practically jumped off the page to me!

Isaiah 6:8-9a says: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' He said, 'Go..'" We have been given the green light to go and make disciples now, not when things are just perfect. I have been waiting, maybe saving my witnessing for when I get to the field, waiting for my "GO" signal, when it has already been given.

Matthew 28:19-20 says: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Jesus is telling us that we need not be afraid to GO and make disciples, because He is with us for all time!

Acts 1:8 says: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Jesus doesn't say we may be His witnesses, we WILL be His witnesses.

The word missionary was described to me yesterday as "sent out one". Jesus has sent us out, called us to be His vessel to spread His good news. We are not taking God to South Asia with us. He is already there, preparing work for us, work that He has prepared long before we were born.

I expect to be challenged more as we are here, and the rewards for meeting those challenges will be overwhelming to me. I was also deeply moved as a Japanese lady who is going to be a missionary to China sang a praise song for the whole group of over 300 people in Japanese. It moved me to sobbing, as well as a lot of others. It just makes my heart leap with joy to hear praise songs to Jesus in other languages. I did not know the words she was singing, but it was beautiful, and I know that Jesus was being glorified right in front of us.

This is just the first week. Whatever else is in store, I can't wait, and I can't wait to tell!