Another Library Missions Trip -- New opportunity in leadership!

¡Qué emoción!  How exciting—our first foreign library ministry opportunity.  Well, yes, the other library trips have certainly been in foreign countries, cultures, and languages, but this year’s library project branches our ministry into our first Spanish-speaking seminary library.

To date, retired Cedarville University professor Dr. Beverly Monroe has taken over twenty trips to English-speaking, Bible-teaching seminaries and schools around the world to assist in cleaning, organizing, and cataloging online campus libraries.  I have had the privilege to work on three of those projects with her and her colleagues—first in Costa Rica, where we worked at Sojourn Academy (elementary and high school), and then two trips to Santiago Christian Academy in Chile.

This new chance to minister to evangelical seminary professors and students is the first time our team has ventured into a second-language library.  As the team-leader this time, my responsibilities include putting together a team and budget, investigating the library’s inventory and needs ahead of time, arranging room and board, transport, budget, and project supply preparation. 

I am excited to see how the Lord is leading this project.  Already since starting communications with the library, I have seen the following blessings:

• The seminary business manager is someone with whom I worked closely during our ministry years in the country
• The team has come together almost automatically from the very beginning: two long-time, fellow-Spanish-speaking friends have been wanting to help with the library ministry
• I was able to chaperone a high school missions trip to this same area and had the opportunity to see the library and its needs first-hand
• …which meant that two of us were able to meet with the administration and already have set processes in motion so that the project this summer will be further along and ready for us to get more deeply into the project.
• The seminary has offered to provide food and housing for us so that we can concentrate on transportation (flight, etc.) and material costs. 

With the goal of updating and providing better student and professor access to materials, the teams bring along and render days and weeks of work to help these schools and seminaries better operate for God’s glory and in His kingdom. 

We also have opportunities to visit churches, encourage missionaries and students who attend the school.  All of the team, too, looks forward to using abilities in both library services and in the Spanish language.   

A right-of-passage:  Galen's first Young's Run!  September 18, 2011.

March 12, 2011

We have been busy—but good busy. Kevin has a good job with the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) at the Dayton Veteran’s Association Medical Center. As a service officer, he helps fellow veterans complete and follow up on paper work for claims and such. He really does a good job at it.

I have been teaching at Xenia Christian High School. Last year I taught Spanish at the Xenia Nazarene Christian school in Spanish, but I needed a fulltime job, and Nazarene did not have anything to offer. So now I work at a nearby, larger Christian school working with kids who need tutoring and intervention services. I would never have picked it out myself, but the Lord knew what I needed and He got me the spot via a friend who I’ve worked with in master’s courses at Cedarville University these past few summers. It’s a good fit and I’m learning loads.

Sean is in Afghanistan, while Christina and baby are in Clarksville, TN, at Fort Campbell. Just after Sean was deployed, Christina found a good church that she likes—a Christian Missionary and Alliance church. Plus she has joined a group of women who exercise together, and that helps her along. Please pray for her. I’m sure it’ll be a long year for her.

Katy attends a local college. She’s in her second year and just got a letter stating that she is the top scholar in her class. She will have an award ceremony –along with other honorees—in April. She studies secondary education and literature.

Colleen is a senior and Tara is a junior—both at the school where I teach. Next year will be the last year that my kids tag along to work with me. Man, I’ll miss that. I better enjoy every minute of these last two years. Colleen looks forward to being done, and she’ll probably go on to study teaching like Katy. Tara’s not sure what she’ll do yet, but she’s a good student, and I am sure she will do well in college.

Colleen just began a relationship with a young man in our church. His name is Ben, and we’ll see how this goes.

Both the “little” girls did cheerleading over the winter, and now life has slowed down as that is over. Now Colleen has to focus on getting a job and getting into college. Tara needs to focus on getting her driver’s license and maybe getting a summer job.

At church, Kevin and I are on the missions committee (can’t imagine why they asked us J), and I sing in the choir. I also play the piano for two singing groups at school. I had asked the Lord to find me a place to use the piano playing again, and about a week later, the choir director at school asked if I would help. I love it.

This summer I will take another missions trip to Chile to help work on organizing a Christian school library. The group of library ladies with whom I’ve worked were supposed to go to Cameroon, Africa, to do something similar, but that trip fell through. I prefer going to Spanish-speaking places anyway.

Mid-January 2011

Basketball has been a big part of life these days....

The "little girls" are cheerleaders for Xenia Christian, so Kevin and I try to get to as many of those games as possible. I've recently been trying to go to Kevin wheelchair basketball tournaments whenever possible—and they usually cover a whole weekend in various places (Wright State, Detroit, Louisville, Cleveland, etc.—of those, I’m just doing the first two) 

Everyone’s good. The master’s work is very slow. Hard to get interviews. 

Kevin just got a job down at the VA medical center, working as a service officer for the DAV (Disabled American Veterans). It really seems to be a God-provided fit: he helps veteran’s with the paperwork that he’s been doing for himself these past 20-plus years. Plus he is able to go to all his doctor appointments there without a problem. So far (two weeks), so good.

Yes, I have today off, but I have to do some returns at the Fairfield Commons area, and I have to do some teaching prep. January is a very busy month at XCS; they do a J-Term block scheduling, so the classes I teach are totally different—more challenging and a lot more grading and prep. But I like it.

Galen has celebrated his first birthday. Both the Stanfields and Kevin and I had the privilege of attending.

Sean leaves for Afghanistan in early February. The Lord answered this prayer regarding a mature, reliable roommate, so we are grateful for that. Please pray for Christina as she will be “alone” with toddler Galen for a year.  We’re going to go down to see them at the end of January. 

December 2010

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the LORD always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

          Psalm 16:6-8 

Living 'tween cornfields in quaint village style,

My work is no longer as close as a mile.

  But so thankful we are for the job God provide

  From Tia so flows love and joy from inside.

  She teaches and tutors and listens and plans

  to find just the fit for where each student stands.

Kevin's health program still demands and still steers
toward nurses and doctors and biomedical engineers.
Again, we are thankful for the wealth of the care
That to many veterans the VA offers a share.
                                    Kevin waits and watches for just that thing
                                    That to his community God wants him to bring.

Son Sean lives away with Christina and son;
To visit them now takes a five-hour run.
But they're doing quite well, in spite of the plan
That Sean will soon have to go to Afghanistan.

Katy works double--she has college and a job
Both are a blessing, she loves what she does.
To her friends she bestows lots of love, hugs and more,
And weekly she leads them in a study from the Word.

Colleen and Tara switched schools with their mom

And again in this gym they each reach for a pom

At basketball games they plan a great cheer

Not so much for the homework that comes with the year.

While Tara continues studying violin songs
Colleen works on photography all weekend long
Tara dabbles in Irving and art's fine line,
While Colleen relishes MacBeth and other design.
At church, they help with the two's and the three's
And at the end of the day, they take happy "zzzz's."

     So like in years past, when our kids were quite small,
Or even when children we had none at all,
Or like recent times, all growing up together,
This year, too, our prayers with you gather.
As God guides us and blesses, no matter what we see,
We pray the same for you and yours--in His will to be.

   With faith in Him,  

    Kevin and Tia