It has been far too long since I have written a blog post, but I have been far too busy. Since the end of May I have driven over 4000 miles, but only had four services. Instead of usual itineration things, I went to Springfield, Missouri, and spent two weeks in Missionary Training and one in Missionary Renewal. I had one service on the way there, in Billings, one while I was there, and one on the way home, in Harlowton.
A completely random picture of a building and a bit of urban art on Historic Commercial Street in Springfield, MO
Since arriving back at home, I spent five days with my sister and her children visiting from Washington and two with about half of my voluminous family in Butte for the 4th of July, and now I am off again journeying to North Dakota with two services along the way. Last Monday I had a day off, perhaps I may have another next Friday, and I’ve been enjoying it all. Tired, but enjoying it.
Missionary Training and Renewal (MT/MR is the ungainly shortened form) were quite extraordinary. Sort of a combination of Bible Camp and Bible College, with missionaries. Every year all the newly appointed missionaries spend two weeks in June at Training, with chapel services, classes, meetings with the leadership of their region of the world (AG missions leadership, that is), meetings with fundraising people, and (this year) lots of World Cup soccer/football watching.
And then all the veteran missionaries currently on furlough in the US come for Renewal for a week. More chapels, more classes, more meetings, and more World Cup. It was perfectly amazing and marvelous to get together with other new missionaries who will be serving in Europe, to meet more of the leadership of European missions and find out their goals and plans for the whole region, and then to meet people who have already been working there for years and to be welcomed into the family by them. I felt so highly valued as a new, youngish, inexperienced person with all kinds of ideas and dreams and no actual idea what it will really be like.
My next few blog posts will be about a few particular elements of MT/MR.
Hi Christy,
I’m happy to hear that you have been appointed to Europe. I know that has long been your desire. Do you know where you will be serving?
I have now retired from TBC and am living in Fargo. I have been here a year and really enjoy it. I do some volunteer English teaching to Nepali refugees which is a lot of fun.
Wishing you the best. Please keep in touch.
Lavonne
Yes, Mr. Pelletier told me about your retirement and that you were in Fargo. I’m hoping to get out to Fargo again sometime this summer, so maybe I’ll get to see you.
I’m going to be teaching at Continental Theological Seminary in Brussels, Belgium. Being at Trinity first started me wanting to teach the things I was learning, and then being at AGTS made me start thinking I could do that as my missions work, and now here I am, on my way.