Here we are finally with another update. I could lie and tell you I was distracted by the warmer weather we’ve been having, but I won’t.
Lisa has started swimming lessons this week, and since she has Spring Break, she goes every morning this week from 9 until 12:30 and on Saturday she gets her “Frog Diploma”. The “Frog Diploma” is a sort of halfway point to getting her real A Diploma which is officially recognized and required for all Dutch school children. If she didn’t get it now, she would have to get it later when she will have swimming as a part of her school curriculum. In Holland, there’s also a B and C diploma.
Rodney’s trip to Uganda
It’s short notice, I know, but I am travelling to Uganda on Thursday evening. This week in Jinja, the CRIT conference is taking place – which you may remember I attended last year in Buenos Aires. From the CRIT website: “CRIT is an annual gathering of YWAMers involved in Communication, Research and Information Technology. Held in various regions of the world, the purpose of CRIT is to provide a platform to network and create synergy among YWAMers who have a passion to build community in our mission and the church at large.”
For some of you, the name Jinja may ring a bell. Well, it should since that was where Jolanda and I did our DTS outreach in 1996. It’s going to be interesting to be back there and see what changes have taken place since then.
I will be missing most of CRIT this time, since I am actually going to attend a Communication Team leader’s meeting being held next week. Sine I didn’t want to be gone for two weeks, I had to choose, so I chose to catch the tail-end of CRIT and go to the Comm Team leader’s meeting instead.
Being part of this meeting is all part of my (relatively) new role as EuroCom coordinator. EuroCom, as you may remember, is the Europe Communication Team. I will leave this Thursday evening (April 30th) and return on May 9th.
Hopefully I will have decent internet access there and be able to keep you all regularly updated while I’m there.
Thankfully, EuroCom is able to pay for half of my $1300 ticket, but that still means we have to cough up $650 plus expenses while I’m there.
Budapest
Our Central European Comm Coordinator, Bec Gibbons, had asked me to attend the Central European Leadership Gathering (CELG) in Budapest to help her out there. I’m not sure what her exact plans are, but we will be supporting the leadership meeting in any way we can, making contacts, of course and generally getting the word out about communication. We will probably also be making short videos, like the ones we made at the European Leadership Forum in Berlin in February.
The CELG will take place from May 18th until June 2nd. This ticket is not being paid for by EuroCom, unfortunately, and will probably be about $250.
Jolanda
Two of Jolanda’s team mates have stepped out of the Heidebeek pastoral team, and one other is on leave for further study so that only leaves Jolanda and one other in the pastoral team. This will mean they will have to reevaluate their activities as a team and maybe make some adjustments.
Thankfully, since Jolanda lives on the base, most of her ministry, mentor talks with staff ladies, can go on unhindered. She is grateful to be able to use her gifts and talents in this way – as listener and encourager, sharing God’s heart and love for people and praying for them.
One of the staff ladies she is mentoring just left on outreach, co-leading a Mercy Ministry DTS outreach on a sailing ship called the Next Wave. They will sail around the Black Sea, sharing God’s love and also providing practical help in several places in Bulgaria and the Ukraine.
Lisa and Sarah
The girls are doing well. Lisa seems to finally have recovered from her culture and language shock. She is doing much better in school. She can read and write simple words and spell most three-letter words phonetically.
Sarah is our little clown and keeps us entertained. She’s also got a little temper and likes to push our patience to the limits. But, hey, that’s normal for her age.
Thank you once again for being a part of our lives and ministry and for taking time to read our update.
Many blessings,
Rodney, Jolanda, Lisa and Sarah
This post is also available in: Dutch