It's been rather quiet on this blog for awhile. That hasn't been because I haven't had things to write about or things to communicate, but because we've been on Home Ministry Assignment (HMA) since June and our time has been filled to the brim with other things. Good things, but lots of things!
Back in January, when we looked toward our HMA halfway through the year, we weren't sure what would be possible in terms of meeting with people and doing our normal HMA routine. By the time we arrived in the States, the world had begun opening up again and we found ourselves able to do HMA with relative normalcy. We've been extremely grateful for that because it's allowed us to travel and speak at churches and simply spend time with people.
Even though we've been doing this missionary thing for over 5 years, we've realized there are still many questions about what this time in the States looks like for us. In light of that, here's a brief "Home Ministry Assignment 101" to help explain what we do here.
Mission Headquarters
We travel to our mission headquarters for a time of rest and renewal, as well as a debrief of our last term on the mission field. It's a time when we can reconnect with all the staff at HQ that works on our behalf and also to meet with people in our Member Health department as needed. It's a time when we pray together and worship together and tell stories. A childcare program takes care of our kids and even does age-appropriate activities to help them debrief also. The boys love going to HQ because it's always a ton of fun for them!
Additionally, this month we will participate in a training event with our mission headquarters. It will be virtual, but we'll still see people from WGM and discuss topics that pertain to the administrative side of ministry.
Fundraising
We also fundraise every time we're in the States. Fundraising is necessary for various reasons, such as attrition of previous support, increased ministry expenses due to inflation over time, and new ministry projects that need funding. Often we'll make our needed expenses known when we speak at churches.
Speaking at Churches
We always visit our supporting churches and speak about the ministry in Kenya. That happens while standing around a display table we put in the lobby, as well as when we have the privilege of speaking from the pulpit. We've also engaged with people through other creative means, such as organizing a book club discussion, speaking at an evening fireside chat, having a drop-by open house, and speaking at a mid-week luncheon. Basically, we travel around and talk about Kenya a lot!
Connecting with Supporters
We spend a significant amount of time connecting with individual supporters in person. It requires a lot of scheduling and communication beforehand, but then we get to hang out with people and talk more about Kenya! We often share meals with people as we do this, and sometimes that means going from a breakfast meeting to a lunch meeting to a supper meeting all in one day, but that's one of the reasons we're in America: to connect with people who care about what God is doing in Kenya.
Working at the Hospital
Eli picks up shifts at an ER every time we're in the States. He does this to maintain connections and work relationships here, as well as to simply keep doing medical work while we're gone from Kenya. It also helps our personal finances so we can afford to do extra things as a family while we travel across the country.
Attending Conferences
We have the privilege of attending some conferences when we're here. The most important one is the Global Missions Health Conference that takes place in Louisville every November, which offers helpful and pertinent sessions, as well as the chance to connect and network with others in the medical missions world.
Time with Family
This should be obvious, but perhaps the most important part of our HMA is spending time with our families. Living half a world away from them is not easy, so getting time with them is crucial and refreshing.
Life Chores
This isn't a fun part of HMA, but a necessary part. There are always things to do - what we've termed "life chores" - that we can only do when we're in America. Things like sorting through our long-term storage, scanning and printing documents, calling banks and insurance companies, updating our technology, finding size 14 wide shoes for Eli to take back to Kenya, etc. We're always surprised at how time-consuming these chores are, but they must be done.
Planning for Homeschooling
I do my best to take advantage of the access to education resources here in America. I try to plan 2 years of homeschooling in advance so I know what to bring over ahead of time and what to ask visitors to bring over when they come. I stock up on supplies that I can't get in Kenya, like Scotch tape, glue sticks, folders, etc. I spend days (literally) looking through homeschool catalogs and scouring the internet to compare curriculums to decide what to use with our boys.
Rest and Rejuvenation
It's actually hard to find time to rest and rejuvenate on HMA because we're so busy traveling or recovering from traveling. But I must emphasize how important this is for us, especially for Eli who's at the hospital nearly every day in Kenya. Living cross-culturally can be tiring, and living/working at a mission hospital is particularly tiring because of all the effort required to work without resources, to be constantly understaffed with patients constantly coming through the hospital doors, and to be surrounded by so much death. Having an extended time to be away from the hospital is extremely important for Eli's mental health. When we return to Kenya after HMA, Eli's strength has returned and he is ready to dive back in to work at the hospital.
As for me, this time in the States is extremely important for getting help with the kids. We have easy access to grandparents and friends and babysitters who help watch our boys and pour into them. It's one of the biggest ways that I can take a breath while we're here.
**********************
So that's what we do on HMA! It's a busy time. An important time. An encouraging time. It's something we're grateful for because it enables us to keep doing what we're doing in Kenya.
