Pre-field Ponderings

We are extremely thankful every time we schedule a new meeting or missions conference. Our fall schedule is filling up with numerous speaking engagements. Our spring schedule is still a little sporadic, be we do have meetings here and there.

As the dates on the calendar fill up the reality of pre-field traveling begins to sink in a little more. I would be lying to say I've anticipated or been excited about pre-field. It's been the one thing I've dreaded probably since the beginning of our marriage. I felt like we were walking along a cliff and planning to voluntarily plunge off the end to a myriad of inconveniences, uncertainty, financial insecurity, etc. Although the past year plus of transition has not always been easy and at times I have wished we could rewind the clock and start collecting a regular paycheck again, I know we have not made a mistake. We have seen the Lord provide more for our needs over the last year than we had in the entirety of our marriage. That is probably not the most accurate of statements because obviously the Lord WAS providing for us, our eyes were just not as focused on it as they are now. We have plunged off the edge of the normalcy cliff, but God's hands have caught us, held us, cradled us. I have sought to find the positive in this support raising phase and have found quite a few things to focus on. I'd like to share a few.

We have gotten the opportunity to reconnect with old friends. This has been a special blessing, particularly as we have not seen some of these friends for several years (or longer!). It is neat to see those who have put their hand to the plow and have not turned back. It is fun to meet their children, both physical and spiritual.

Another benefit has been all the wonderful Christians we have met. There is a bond that we can have, though we are perfect strangers. We have been blessed by the sweet spirits and dedicated brothers and sisters we have gotten a chance to know. By the time we are done with our travels we will have a myriad of people we can now call friends. We have had very gracious and kind hosts and so far do not have any horror stories to share!

Our family has united around a common purpose. Although our children are young and traveling is certainly not always easy on them, they know what we are doing (well, maybe not Dawson!). To our boys we are not raising support, we are telling people about Slovakia. They don't have an agenda or a plan when they go to a church. They don't think about how many missionaries the chuch currently supports and for how much or how badly the economy has affected church's abilities to take on new missionaries. We work together, we are tired together, we pack up and unload together. Not always fun, but together.

We are getting the opportunity to see and learn about various parts of our state and country. This past weekend we were in a small town in northern PA. This town was at one time very affluent since it was rich in both oil and lumber. The community worked together in the recent past to start their own charter school (the state took out the public school), their own public library, and now they are raising funds for a much-needed medical center. We also discovered this little town, in the middle of nowhere, is mentioned in the Reader's Digest for notable scenic drives. We ate dinner in a home that was built in the 1860's and at the same home met a 92 year old man who bakes, still goes to church, and makes various crafts out of small little pebbles. He even helped to clear the table and rinsed all the dishes!

We have gotten the chance to experience the generosity of others. We have been shocked to find that many of the smaller churches provide a more generous love offering than the larger churches. We visited a church that had a Wednesday night attendance of 150 people who gave us half the offering of a church with a Sunday morning attendance that averages 30. Of course we cannot judge the motives of this church, but it has been amazing to us to see the giving spirit of these small churches. The pastor and wife we stayed with this past weekend sent us home with chocolate chip cookies, two jars of home-made grape juice, three jars of corn relish, and left-overs from our meal. (No worry about dinner tonight!) We have also been encouraged by the giving spirit of friends and family. Through both planned and surprise giving many expenses have been covered. We are humbled at the generosity so many have shown in spite of the financial situation they may face. I know that God will bless each one.

We have been and are being blessed by this experience. Although the road will get long and we hope we are not still doing this in three years, we are thankful for the things we have seen, experienced, and learned.