At our training at MTI in Colorado we learned to think about life, and specifically life on the mission field, in terms of paradox (i.e.“pair o’ ducks”). There are “yay ducks” and “yuck ducks” and they often swim together. It’s ok to be both happy and sad at the same time. The past couple of weeks have been full of both yays and yucks.
Continue reading “Yay Ducks + Yuck Ducks”Un Mundo Nuevo
We have now been here in Querétaro for three weeks.
In many ways, it has been a very different experience than our short visit almost a year ago. The most obvious difference is the permanence of it. While it is unlikely we will spend the rest of our lives here, we have committed for six years and our mindset is to settle in and inculturate as best as we can into our mundo nuevo. Continue reading “Un Mundo Nuevo”
God Answers Prayers!
Only three days into our time in Mexico, and we have already been experiencing God’s answers to prayers, so we want to share these experiences with you. Continue reading “God Answers Prayers!”
Here We Go
One last quick update before we fly tomorrow. Continue reading “Here We Go”
Good Goodbyes
We have arrived back in beautiful British Columbia after completing our last week of training at MTI (Mission Training International). It was a bittersweet goodbye. Bitter because we said goodbye to many people we came to love and cherish over the last month, but also sweet because we have gained new friends and because we are now one step closer to moving to México. Continue reading “Good Goodbyes”
A Blizzard, A Rebel Army, and A Sabbath
This past week at MTI we touched on the following topics: cultural differences, conflict, transition, spiritual vitality, stress, and Sabbath. The MTI instructors do a wonderful job of keeping us on our toes by switching up both the schedule and the teaching methods. For instance, we’ve had team-building exercises, role-playing, and simulations sprinkled in between short lectures and class discussions. No day is the same. Continue reading “A Blizzard, A Rebel Army, and A Sabbath”
Learning to Learn a Language
Last week at Mission Training International (MTI) we spent more time looking at the way language works and how we learn to communicate through a language. Our main language teacher is both wise and experienced—he first learned and then helped write down the language of the Jeh people group in Vietnam. He has developed a language learning method and during our first two weeks at MTI we got to put it into practice. With the help of native speakers, we went through a few of the many language projects we will be able to implement on the mission field. Continue reading “Learning to Learn a Language”
The odd Frenchman and a little Russian
After a brief but enjoyable week in Edmonton we have arrived at the Mission Training International (MTI) center and already a week of classes have passed. It is a beautiful part of the country here in Palmer Lake, Colorado, just north of Colorado Springs. The mountains and red rocks provide quite the background for our month of training at MTI. Continue reading “The odd Frenchman and a little Russian”
One Small Step
The first leg of our move to Mexico is complete.
On the first of February, we said goodbye to Hamilton and five hours later, hello to British Columbia. Many thanks to Burt and Helena Winkel for allowing us to stay at their place for a night so we didn’t have to sleep in an empty house with no beds. We also appreciate the myriad of ways in which people assisted us: cleaning the house, babysitting kids, selling our van, driving to the airport. It certainly takes a village of help. Continue reading “One Small Step”
Something to Think About
“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:4
Do you know what a horsehair worm is? Did you know they develop as parasites in insects like grasshoppers and beetles? Do you care? Is it worth even a minute of your day to contemplate it? I know I wouldn’t. There are countless of these worms so what’s one more or one less? The only reason I know about the horsehair worm is that I read about it yesterday. Even so, as of today I haven’t gone looking for one and have no plans to do so in the future. Continue reading “Something to Think About”