Pre-departure Training Part I

This was it! My last training before I return to Indonesia. This one was held by my organization, WorldVenture, in Littleton, CO. It was a chance to return to the home office to meet with staff and other missionaries on this journey.

The WorldVenture Home Office

The office has guest quarters for us to stay with private rooms and bathrooms. The living areas and kitchen are shared. We spend our days learning together. In the evenings you can find us sharing meals, lots of laughter, and a few tears at times. We understand each other in a unique way, because no matter whether we are planning to serve in Africa, Europe, Asia, to live in a big city or a rural village, or to serve as a pastor, teacher, or nurse-midwife we are sharing similar journeys.

This training focused on helping us best prepare for this transition and living that first year in our new country. The first day we spent learning from our International Ministry Directors (IMDs). These couples are responsible for the WorldVenture missionaries and ministries in one of the four world areas (Asia, Africa, Europe, Americas). That first afternoon we spent time asking questions and trying to stump our IMDs. All together they have a couple of centuries of experience serving in missions around the world, so stumping them was hard to do!

Our International Ministry Directors (from L to R: Africa, Asia, Europe, Americas)

Just before lunch on the second day we had a time of celebration. Celebrating what the Lord has done in our lives since we were appointed. Some were similar, like a moments when God blew our socks off with a generous financial supporter. Others were unique but all were moments when we saw God's faithfulness and the love of our families, churches. We toasted and celebrated each of those moments.

Blogging 2012

I always find it interesting to look back at the past year of blog posts with all their memories. So for fun here are the top read blog posts in 2012.

1. My Battle with Lyme Disease
2. Ex Niliho
3. Moving
4. Did I Hear that Right?
5. Delays, or are they?

And people are reading the blog from the United States, Indonesia, Madagascar, Russia, Philippines, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Latvia, and Singapore. Crazy!

Looking forward to sharing 2013 with you through blogging! 

Christmas Moments

This Christmas and New Year celebrations were bittersweet for me. It was so good to be with family but also so difficult to say goodbye knowing that I won't see some of my extended family for several years. I have heard it said that your heart takes pictures of special moments to make memories. Here are just a few of those moments from our Christmas this year...

• All four Yates girls sleeping the same room (even though there were other empty rooms and beds available). 
• Getting up to the traditional song. As kids we would wait at the top of the stairs for 7 am when Grandpa Gausman would play the record signaling that we could get out of bed and come open presents. As adults this Christmas we decided to sleep in a bit but the music was still the signal it was ok to come out of our bedrooms. 
• The traditional liturgical Christmas Eve church service with the lighting of candles and the singing of all the favorite Christmas Carols. 
• A Christmas Eve trip to snowy Leavenworth to see the Christmas lights with my grandparents (my grandpa is 94 now!) and parents.

With Grandpa and Grandma Gausman in front of the Christmas Tree at Leavenworth

• Reading the Christmas story on Christmas morning before we opened presents. Having a grandchild read the Christmas story was a tradition we started many years ago and we have worked our way down through the years as each grandchild learned to read. This year we started over and I, as the oldest grandchild, got to read it again. Although this year my sister Kristin decided we should read through Simeon and Anna and we ended with Mary's Song. 
• When the snowball fight raging outside came inside - oops gotta clean up Grandma's floor :)

Aunt Cindy and Cousin Colin cleaning up the snow

• Puzzles with the cousins. Stayed up until almost midnight working on one of them and then the last piece was missing :)

From L to R: Cousins Paige, Madison, Ian, and Daria

• Setting up the Christmas tree at home with our family ornaments that bring back so many memories. 

• Adding my Nativity set (a gift over the last several years from my parents) to the decorations at home.