Missionary Training

WorldVenture requires us to complete quite a bit of training before we can head to the field. So far, Amy and I have been very impressed with the training that we have received. In fact, the excellence of the practical training that we have gotten from WorldVenture as well as outside contractors has made me rethink training in the church and in seminary. Do we spend too much time on theory and not enough time on application? Should seminaries make students "practice" more skills in the classroom? Should churches spend more time on Bible Study techniques, how to pray, how to counsel friends, etc.?

At the beginning of May, Amy and I went to Chicago to complete a training on how to educate our children overseas. It was awesome. In fact, I came away from the training thinking that we should have a similar seminar for every parent in the church: How to educate your kids, regardless of the schooling choice your family makes.

So far, the skills we have received in training to be missionaries have been great. Let's just hope they work on the field.

One of the saddest goodbyes

After 13 years of sponsoring Ashenafi Girma, we had to end our sponsorship today. With our new budget reality, we simply could not make it work anymore. I can't begin to explain how sad it is to say goodbye. I have "known" Ashenafi longer than I have known most of those who read this blog.

Amy and I began sponsoring him before we were even married. I think our sponsorship of him helped to define our relationship from the beginning as being about a mission, not just about us (an idea my former colleague spoke about this last Tuesday).

So if you are reading this and you already sponsor a child, I would like to encourage you to write them. I wish I would have done that more. And if you are reading this and you don't sponsor a child - sign up! It is a life changing experience.

We will miss you Ashenafi!

Junk Mail

I have received reports from several people recently that my email to them went to their junk mail. If you filled out your information on Tuesday and dropped it in the bucket, please check your junk mail and add me to your safe senders list. Thanks.

daveterpstra@gmail.com

Overwhelmed

It takes something significant to make me speechless. TNL did it tonight.

Thank you to everyone in our community who expressed their love and support and encouragement tonight. Amy and I don't even have words to say how grateful we are.

Thank you.

Dave

miracle #1

There have been three miracles I have been hoping and praying for over the past year. I call them miracles, because by definition they are something that requires an act of God, and cannot be done by human effort alone. These three miracles are:

#1 - That God would lead someone to TNL as the Teaching Pastor who would actually overlap on staff with me.
#2 - That we would be able to financially survive after I leave my job at TNL and before we head to the field.
#3 - That we would be able to leave this fall.

So miracle #1 has come to fruition. TNL has hired a new Teaching Core Pastor. I would love to give all the details here, but I will let the elders and other pastors have the fun of introducing him. But Amy and I couldn't be more excited. He and his family are a perfect fit for TNL.

A friend of mine met him at the National Pastors Convention a couple of weeks ago, then wrote to me: He's got the TNL vibe!

I totally agree. So in case you haven't heard, God is up to something amazing at TNL.

missionary in-laws

So I have been trying to frame the relationship that we have with WorldVenture and I realize now they are like in-laws.

Let me explain: As I prepare to leave TNL, it is becoming more and more a reality that TNL isn't going to be my home and primary family anymore. My team in Mozambique will serve in that role. So in a way, we are leaving our primary family at TNL and marrying into WorldVenture in Mozambique.

So this begs the question of what sort of in-laws the rest of WorldVenture will be. And we can honestly say, so far so good. We just spent a week with the WorldVenture family for their annual Renewal Conference and we are amazed at these people of God. The first two days of the conference are just spent praying. All day. With coffee breaks and a lunch break. But other than that, just praying.

But beyond the prayer time, we got to hang out with missionaries from around the world (some of whom have been on the field for decades) and just talk. Wow. There really aren't words to use to fully convey the impressive demeanor of these super-humans. Every day they deal with poverty, disease and spiritual darkness, and yet they just keep on going. Meeting some of them feels like meeting some of the early Christians who were reaching those who had never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Amazing stuff.

But in-laws can be a little quirky as well. It will be weird working for an organization led by baby-boomers. It will be hard to lose the leaness and edge that comes with working at TNL. I will have a hard time when ministry isn't set up by Jared, supported by John, and followed up by Brian. But we will survive nevertheless.

If you would like to learn more about our quirky new in-laws, check them out at www.WorldVenture.com

database disaster

We have had some computer problems which has slowed us down on contacting people. However, we seem to have sorted the problem out now. If you have yet to hear from us, we hope to be able to call in the next couple of weeks. Sorry for the delay.