Missionary Passing Through: Iowa, Illinois and a little retreat in the middle

Sometimes in the middle of the longest road trip you've ever taken, you are lucky enough to find an oasis of friends who recharge you more than any rest stop could. 

Young Friends with Huge Hearts in Iowa

You may recall the three boys who were so excited to hear their mom's friend was going to be

a missionary that they asked if they could raise money to support me right away. I had the absolute pleasure of spending last weekend with their amazing family! I couldn't wait to meet them in person and it seemed the feeling was mutual. They told me stories and had prepared a circus performance especially for me. "We only perform ONE SHOW PER SEASON!" they assured me. It was very impressive. My friends introduced me to their church family and were gracious enough to take photos of my presentation. For a "communications girl," I've been struggling to remember to stop and take photos! It was a lovely day, a great way to spend the weekend and I think we were all a little sad when Monday came. 

Columbia, Illinois: Missionary Doxology Retreat

I am so humbled to be counted among the new missionaries working tirelessly to raise support for their ministry around the world. These men and women. I can't describe to you how grateful I am to have the chance to spend time with them one last time before we deploy to our various mission fields. They understand my journey more than anyone else right now as we walk along parallel paths to serve abroad. 

We were brought together at this retreat to learn about self-care on the mission field and how we can help our teammates on the field as well. The bugs, were big...but so were our hugs :) God's blessings to all my fellow missionaries. I miss you already! 

Presenting to Kids of All Ages in Centralia, Illinois

A short drive from Columbia, I met up with a fellow LWML Board member and her husband who just moved to Centralia. They had invited church members to come to an evening reception and hear me share about my mission to Perú. We had a great conversation! Then, this morning I was able to come and visit their school and present to the kids! It was my first school presentation and my first time sharing primarily with kids. They asked amazing questions and were very engaged. I was very impressed! I love that they are interested in the kids at Castillo Fuerte learning about Jesus just like they are at Trinity. 

I hope you have big plans for the Holiday weekend. I'm heading North again to Michigan and then Ohio. Stay tuned for updates!