Four weeks from today… we’ll be in America!  It’s time for furlough!

We’ve realized in the last few years that furlough, raising support, and just in general being in America can be very busy and at times overwhelming, so we’re going to try a few different things this year.  We’ve come up with a list of things we’ve learned, some by experience, and some from wise, seasoned missionaries.  The first three items are here, and our next post will cover the last four items.

1) We like one-on-one time with everyone we know, but groups are better.  There are a LOT of people that we would like to see – that’s you! we want to see you! – and we have only 4 months in America.  In both 2010 and 2011, we tried to set up meals with individuals and families every chance we got.  Every night of the week, and sometimes lunches and breakfasts too.  It drained us!  We had a great time with people, at least the first 20 people, but then we were wiped out and couldn’t keep track of who we’d seen and what stories we’d told.  But then, at the end of our brief trip to America in 2011, a group from one of the Bible studies at our church hosted an evening for us to invite everyone we knew and share with lots of people at once.  It was fantastic!  We got to show slides, we had time to chat with groups of people, and we got to enjoy the kindness of this Bible study in helping us in a very practical way.  We’re going to try to focus our catch-up time with most people in this type of a setting.  Want to host a group?  Let us know – we’d love to find a few coordinators!

2) Every missionary jokes about gaining weight in America, so as much as we can, we’re going to say no to desserts.  If we end up eating a meal with you, don’t be offended if we turn down dessert.  Now, Matt could do with putting on a little weight, but Rachel’s determined not to gain 20 pounds in America!  Enough said.  =)

3) We’re going to be better at asking for help.  Missionaries have an independent streak, which can trick us into thinking that we can do everything all on our own.  That’s not good for anyone, especially for the church.  As the body of Christ, we need to work together, and a proud, independent streak is not conducive to unity or the joy of working together.  So, there are a few things we need, and we humbly put this little list out there for any interested parties:

• People to host groups like we mentioned above – either at their home or at their church.
• A car to drive while we’re in Kansas.
• A car to drive while we’re in Washington state.
• Support – we need to raise over $900/mo while we’re in the States.
• Costco chaperones. =)
• Someone to watch Abi while we go on a few dates (Yay! America has places to go on dates!)

Any interest?  Click on the linked words above to email us!

The last 4 things we’ve learned about furlough are coming up in the next blog post!