MCC Commissioning

We were delighted to have Kevin (my brother) and Rhonda and their four kids come for the long weekend. We filled it with taking family pictures, a day at the beach, lots of swimming and chatting by the poolside. We are very thankful that our kids are at the age where we don’t actually have to be in the water with them since the temperature is such that only a kid could enjoy it. Our time with family is quickly coming to a close so we have to savor any opportunity we have to be together.
Jason playing in the Pacific Ocean

After rolling in the sand, Brendan works on a big building project

It finally feels like moving to Zambia is really going to happen. The reality of our move became more pronounced as we sent along a number of boxes, our bedframe and two bookshelves back to Fresno in Kevin and Rhonda’s camper trailer. At the end of the summer, we will move all our belongings, most of which are in storage in Fresno currently, to Washington. Our task is to get it all in one place but transportation is an issue. So with this load taken by Kevin and Rhonda, our room is a little emptier and hopefully we will be able to fit the rest into a friend’s truck and our van.

Reality set in further with our MCC Commissioning that took place last Sunday at Pasadena Mennonite Church. This year there are two families joining the MCC team in Africa. Dale and Marika Christy are moving to Uganda to do needs assessment work in the refugee camps. It was Pentecost Sunday, which fit well with being sent out. My friend, Kathy Gabel, brought the children up front for a children’s moment, talking about MCC and Africa. Jason was eager to share that his grandma and grandpa were going to come and visit us. He also wanted to let everyone know that Africa is BIG and he demonstrated this with his hands. Then all the children gathered around and took turns praying aloud for Brendan and Jason. The prayers of the children were very sweet, covering the flight over, making new friends, finding a good school, staying healthy, and enjoying living in Africa. And I was very pleased that Brendan and Jason took it very seriously instead of goofing off, and seemed to genuinely enjoy the moment.



Dale and Marika, and Peter and I were asked to share for a few minutes later in the Commissioning service. Peter talked about Zambia and what we will be doing there. This is what I shared:

I guess it is my turn to say a few words. I’ve been reading some Africa proverbs lately and some of them are really deep. Like . . .
“The buying of a wife begins from a little thing.”
I have no idea what that means but I am sure it is profound.
Like this proverb, there are many things that hopefully will become clear as time goes on, such as schooling for Brendan and Jason, what my role will be, and what we will find that Jason likes to eat.

I also found proverbs that I think I actually understand but that will be hard for me to live out such as . . .
“A hasty person misses the sweet things.”
Some of my skills that can be valued in North America, like punctuality and efficiency, may become more of a liability than an asset. There will be much for me to learn.

Then there are the proverbs that ring true and that will make me feel like I am coming home like . . .
“You should prepare food for a person even though the person pretends not to be hungry.”
and
“A woman should never whistle.” Which is fine by me because I can’t. Yes, Kevin (my brother), I am finally admitting that.

There is one last proverb I want to share.
“I am because we are; we are because I am.”
I am reminded of our continuing connection to PMC and that I don’t exist on my own. We are thankful for this community and the gifts that it has given to us over the years. I am encouraged knowing this church will be supporting us and want to say that we will support and pray for all of you as well.

I got choked up on the last bit. Didn’t think I would but Peter vows he knew that would happen. For being a therapist, sometimes I am really clueless about feelings. The song before we spoke was “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant” which is special to our family. Peter proposed to me by reading the words of this song while washing my feet. It was included in our wedding, both boys’ baby dedications, and Nathaniel’s memorial service. I was already getting a bit emotional then but held it back pretty well, knowing that I needed to be able to speak and not blubber my way through the whole reflection.

After we shared, our family, designated support people, and small group members surrounded us and laid hands on us and prayed. Once again, the prayers were moving and thoughtful and I felt so blessed to have all these people supporting and encouraging us. It is good to have such a strong base of support, especially when we are heading into the unknown like this.



After church, our small group put on a fabulous spread of snacks with African decorations that made for a beautiful table. Other friends set up a children’s activity table with clay and metal sheets where kids pounded designs into it with a hammer and pointed tool. All very creative. It was such a special day for us.

And as if that wasn’t enough for a weekend, on Monday our Westside Community Group had it’s farewell party for us and two other families that are moving this summer. In addition to fabulous food that would have fed a group three times our size, Jan and Dave planned a “program” which included songs about each of the destinations we were headed. After each song, the family was prayed for. There was much laughter, as there usually is in this group. They also rented a bounce house for the afternoon which was a big hit for the kids. I must say several of us ladies also enjoyed it! Although we didn’t last nearly as long as the kids, especially with us laughing and falling over and quite out of breath! It isn’t easy to say goodbye to so many families but our small group and the rest of the church is managing with grace to do so.

On a different note, the boys are back to normal and only giving us grief in small doses. Most of the time, they are getting along and quite enjoyable. I always freak out when they go into a tailspin, thinking this current phase will last for at least six months, but then they snap out of it and I feel silly for being so pessismistic. That might be good to remember during our transition to Africa, you think? So Brendan gave Jason a test on the way to art class that had varying degrees of difficulty including questions like, “Is San Francisco in Washington or California?” and “Is the bald eagle a symbol of California or the USA?” Jason was on a roll and answered all of them correctly. Brendan looked at me in surprise and said, “Wow, his brain really IS developing!” I didn’t let Brendan in on the secret that Jason will almost always say the second answer and since Brendan’s homemade test usually had the second question be correct, it worked out wonderfully. Not to say that Jason’s brain isn’t developing. I know he knew a lot of the questions Brendan asked, especially about animals. I was working in Brendan’s class this morning and trying to review the numbers 1-10 for some of the kids who are struggling. Jason, who came along this time, kept blurting out the number before they could. I finally got him to just say “Right!” when they said the correct number. Our sweet boy would add, “That was great!” and “I knew you could do it!” Then he would look at me and say, “I’m an encourager, Mommy!”

I’ll leave you with the four phrases that we hear Jason say all the time that have become part of our everyday vocabulary:

That was Kincredible!
Next time is not this time.
I don’t like that good idea.
I got forgot.