New place - new job - new title - new ?????

It has been two and a half months now that I have been working at Engineering Ministries International (eMi).  If you don't know the story about how we got here, please feel free to wonder through the blog and learn a bit about our family.

A recurring theme these last few months is new.  We are in a new town, we have new grocery stores, our kids are in new schools,  we have new doctors and orthodontist, we have a new church, I have a new job, and to add to the mix - I have a new title.

I have recently been named the Director of the Latin America (América Latina) office for eMi.  This brings up about a million questions starting with "What does that mean?".



It also causes me to pause and think about new things.  When I first think of new things, it seems that my first thought is Christmas and Birthdays.  New things often are associated with gifts.  Some new things don't feel like gifts.  Sometimes a new thing is very hard.  Our daughter Joanna has been going to a new school.  If you were to ask her, she would clearly let you know that she is NOT enjoying this "gift" of a new school.

When I think of all the new things that sit in front of me, I have an overwhelming sense of not knowing, of certainly not having the answers, but also not know the questions.

As Christians we have also been given a new thing.  It is a new life.  It is a wonderful gift, but like my new title, it comes with questions "What does that mean?", and like Joanna's new school, it is not always an easy gift to receive.  Sometimes we would rather not have that gift.

It comes with instructions, so does my new job.  Sometimes I don't want to read the instructions.  Sometimes I don't want to ask those wise and willing mentors that have gone before me.  Sometimes I just want to work it out myself.  How many of us have opened those Christmas gifts and quickly started building - hardly taking time to throw the instructions to the side.

So what do we do with new things - the exciting, the hard, the sad, the painful?  I believe that there is a reason that God puts new things in our lives.  I find that I naturally focus on the gift that I have been given, but I wonder if I miss the point when I do that.  I think that God desires that we would keep our focus on Him, not His gifts.  That means that my response to His giving of a gift is not to rip into it and figure out how it works, but to go sit on His lap, kiss His cheek and hug His neck - and then thoroughly enjoy His gift.  Isn't that what we love about giving gifts to our children?

This is a good reminder for me as I begin this New thing in a New place with New people.  These are all wonderful gifts - sometimes they are hard gifts - and I need to spend time in my Fathers arms thanking Him, resting in Him, and enjoying Him.

It is OK.  He doesn't expect me to be able to instantly know what to do with these new gifts, but I do believe that He wants me to trust Him and enjoy these gifts.

Thank you Father, Thank you that you give good gifts everyday.....

Back home

It has been a few weeks now since I have returned home from Peru.  As I look back on my time in Peru, there are a few things that stand out:

• This was my first trip as co-lead.  I learned a lot about what goes into the balance between getting the project work done and ministering with the team.  While there, I spent a lot of my time on the survey crew, which was good for getting work done and moving forward, but there were relationships that I missed because of it.
• I was with the part of the team that spent nights with the missionary family.  This provided some great perspective on living in Latin America with a family.  Example was when Ruth (mom) sent her two little girls off to school on the public bus.  I could see the struggle in her of wanting to find that balance between safety and releasing our kids.
  
• I was impressed with the importance of language for communication .  One afternoon I found myself crammed with four other adults and two boys in the backseat of a five passenger small pickup.  None of them spoke a lick of English.   I was riding with the pastors' extended family and I so much wanted to hear their story and encourage them.  But all I could do is laugh with the kids and pass the time with very basic small talk.
• It was amazing to see the body of Christ displayed by 13 people who didn't know one another, but then challenging as to why we don't see that in our churches.

I experienced these things through the lens of the Latin America re-launch.  How do we launch an office while slowing down to disciple staff and volunteers?  What will the challenges look like for each of our families?  If we are truly going to be an office open to local design professionals, language is critical, how do we balance language with work? From the beginning, is there a way to build the culture of an office to encourage functioning as the body of Christ

I am well aware that I don't have the answers to any of these questions.  I do, however, feel that questions like these are the right ones for us to be asking.

It has been very good to be home.  For those of you who were praying for us, thank you.  

Now I am starting to prepare for the next trip.  In February, I will be leading a team to Nicaragua to help out a Young Life camp as they look to make improvements to their camp.