Holy smoke! It's for real! I am going to Honduras, and it looks like Mary may be going also. I attended a meeting of the Global Mission Committee of our synod last night and they agreed with me that it is safe enough to go. They will pay for my ticket and expenses, and Mary and I will cough up the cash to pay for her ticket. It should be a great trip, for both of us. It is our first visit to the country and the Lutheran Church. They are doing some fantastic work and they are about to make some very significant changes in the way they define and do ministry. The synod wanted me to go and represent them at their annual assembly. The trip is a go!
We leave on November 11th and return November 15th, late in the evening. On the way we do have a lengthy stay-over in Houston, but we will probably catch some sleep and head out early for Honduras. Mary is in the process of getting out of school for the trip. She is hoping that it will be easy, and that it will help her Spanish classes at Kalkaska.
I let my council know on Thursday. They assured me that they did not have ransom money to bring me home. They are a bit concerned, but I assured them that the people there will take very good care of us. I know that Mary did not want me to go, but since I decided to go, she decided that it would be better to be together than apart this trip around.
I have a whole list of things to talk about and investigate while there. The synod here wants to know more about them and how we can intensify our relationship with the Honduran Lutherans. I am excited about how they are doing ministry. I think they might have finally figured out how the Lutheran Church can be an effective, growing and relevant church in Latin America. I believe they are a real model for Lutheran ministry in that part of the world, and I am anxious to see more of what they are doing, first-hand. Knowing the language and Latin American culture helps. I hope to participate in theological education in Honduras down the road. Some of that is already being done by another synod of the ELCA, but I think that our synod has some very special gifts to offer in that direction.
Wish us luck, pray for us.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Fall only means preparation for winter
Don't get me wrong, I love the fall; the smells, colors, and holidays that make up this season. Up north, in northern Michigan, fall is exceptionally beautiful, though I think the beauty of this season will fall off a bit this year because of the constant rain we are getting. I know, this can be a great time of the year as cooler weather sets in, and sleeping becomes a bit nicer with the window open above the bed. But for me, it is just a time to get ready for winter.
There is so much to do! Decisions have to be made this year about our outdoor swing. Last year we brought it indoors, but room in the living room is now limited. Hoses need to be drained and carried into the garage. The garage needs to be cleaned and rearranged so that Mary's car can be stored through the nights of winter. The work shop needs to be rearranged as well to store the snow blower and shovels for winter snow clearing. Neither of these tasks are simple or small. Our bicycles need to be hung from the workshop ceiling, the picnic table must be set on edge, and oh yeah, the leaves. We get our share of leaves which seem to fall all the time, right up to the first snow.
One blessing we received this fall, the Chinese elm trees are finally down. They were the messiest trees I have ever seen. Every wind would cause hundreds of sticks and limbs to fall in the yard, even in the winter. Last year we had cleaned up the yard for winter, picking up a huge amount of elm sticks and limbs that had fallen from a recent wind storm. That same night, after cleaning them all up and putting the yard in great shape for the winter, the first time since moving here 20 years ago, we received another wind storm with a foot of snow that brought down more limbs which we could not clean up until March, when the snow disappeared.
Next week a crew will come in and landscape the front yard of the parsonage and the church. Obviously, the best time to do this is the fall, so that the plants have a chance to root themselves for spring. A member of the church is a landscaper and he is bringing in his crew for free to replant and spruce up the front. This should be exciting.
Angela is on the verge of buying a house, the first to do so in our family. She is ahead of Mary and I. The house looks good, and she likes it a lot, though not enough yet to "fall in love with it." She made an offer today and is waiting their response.
Of course, all of this is just to "get ready for winter." As beautiful as fall can be, it is only a passing month or two, and the first snow falls, we have to dig out, the sky turns gray, and we are in the dark times of winter. Sound gray? Well, as you can tell, it is not my favorite time of the year. Nonetheless, like the other 19 winters we have experienced, I guess we will get through it and try to find some kind of joy in the midst of the snow, cold, and wind.
There is so much to do! Decisions have to be made this year about our outdoor swing. Last year we brought it indoors, but room in the living room is now limited. Hoses need to be drained and carried into the garage. The garage needs to be cleaned and rearranged so that Mary's car can be stored through the nights of winter. The work shop needs to be rearranged as well to store the snow blower and shovels for winter snow clearing. Neither of these tasks are simple or small. Our bicycles need to be hung from the workshop ceiling, the picnic table must be set on edge, and oh yeah, the leaves. We get our share of leaves which seem to fall all the time, right up to the first snow.
One blessing we received this fall, the Chinese elm trees are finally down. They were the messiest trees I have ever seen. Every wind would cause hundreds of sticks and limbs to fall in the yard, even in the winter. Last year we had cleaned up the yard for winter, picking up a huge amount of elm sticks and limbs that had fallen from a recent wind storm. That same night, after cleaning them all up and putting the yard in great shape for the winter, the first time since moving here 20 years ago, we received another wind storm with a foot of snow that brought down more limbs which we could not clean up until March, when the snow disappeared.
Next week a crew will come in and landscape the front yard of the parsonage and the church. Obviously, the best time to do this is the fall, so that the plants have a chance to root themselves for spring. A member of the church is a landscaper and he is bringing in his crew for free to replant and spruce up the front. This should be exciting.
Angela is on the verge of buying a house, the first to do so in our family. She is ahead of Mary and I. The house looks good, and she likes it a lot, though not enough yet to "fall in love with it." She made an offer today and is waiting their response.
Of course, all of this is just to "get ready for winter." As beautiful as fall can be, it is only a passing month or two, and the first snow falls, we have to dig out, the sky turns gray, and we are in the dark times of winter. Sound gray? Well, as you can tell, it is not my favorite time of the year. Nonetheless, like the other 19 winters we have experienced, I guess we will get through it and try to find some kind of joy in the midst of the snow, cold, and wind.
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