Transitions

This blogsite will be inactive for much of the year due to our transition out of full time mission work with Greater Europe Mission (GEM). Since we are still ministry associates with GEM, we will continue to be involved each year with ministry work in Romania. During our time in Romania, we intend to keep people up to date.

Therefore, We have decided to keep this site up for both a blog record of our past work in Romania, but also a way to update people on work in Romania when we travel there.

Thank you for your support of us.

God Bless,
Steve and Kristi

In Between Diaper Changes and Feedings

We are here in Indiana with our new son, Andre. It is wonderful, but it is also a type of house arrest. I like to call it, "Baby House Arrest". We are stuck in our gracious host's house in a routine all parent's know. Eat, sleep, eat some more, wash his clothes, sterilize his bottles, and so on and so forth.

So what are we doing in between changing diapers and bottle feedings? Well, I, Steve, am developing a blog for new missionaries. Steve's Blog Many missionaries go to their host culture and know very little about how to do anything or even what questions to ask. By God's grace, Kristi and I had experts in developing missionaries literally right out our front door. Andy and Pam Labreche kept us on the right path and gave us great training. If they were not there we could ask GEM's regional director across town, or one of our other colleagues that had over 10 year experience respectively.

Even with this these great teachers, it was not possible for them to remember everything. We also found it difficult to call or e-mail people at 2:00 am, when they were on home assignment, or in a conference in another country or city. It just was not always possible to ask someone to get the answer.

Therefore, I am developing this on-line resource in blog format in order to provide answers and resources for new missionaries ask at anytime and anywhere as long as they have internet. Anyone can look at it at any time of the day, and even before they reach the field. Even though this is aimed at new missionaries I have found many resources even veteran missionaries can use either in their own work, or as a reference for their new charges.

We are in Indiana finishing up the adoption of our son, Andre. We are both happy parents and splitting the duties during the night shift. God has given me energy to be able to take the early morning time. I am usually up after 2 am to about 8 am. Then I go to bed, and Kristi takes over.

We are both doing well, and our host family here in Indiana is wonderful. We should be in Indiana until late February or early March. My guess is March. In any case, we will then return to Chandler, Arizona.

Even though, we have a little one, I am busy none the less keeping busy with ministry. I am developing a website/blog to support new missionaries on the field. One aspect of the website is a section for disability resources. It will allow someone in the field to research and use tools at a moments notice. Because we are confined mostly in the house here, I able to concentrate a lot of time on it.