4 Days and Counting

Hi,

I'm Jean Eisen. The trip is now just a few days away and I'm getting VERY excited! As chair of the Indian-Kentucky Synod's Global Mission Committee, I have spent the past several months in planning and preparation. Now the "going" portion of this journey is finally here. Many of us will be "sent" from our home congregations tomorrow, as will I. Some of our group have already been "sent". Having met a few of the people that we will see on this journey, I am excited to see them again and to build on the relationships we've already begun.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the ELCA's Global Mission Event in Columbus, Ohio, where my photo is from. The theme of the GME was "New Heaven and New Earth". I am touched by how this theme fits so well with our theme of "God In Between" as God is present in the creation and continuation of all of our relationships.

Our group not only goes on this journey as several individuals, but we will also represent our congregations, the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. I have many hopes for this adventure, both personally and for our companion synod relationship. I also hope that as you read about our journey, God will be present for you as well in the space between us.

Blessings,

Jean

Ruth Ann Hendrix

Peace to you now!

A week from now we will be there! A place I have never been with new faces, it will be a joy to experience. I grew up in southern Indiana on a chicken farm. My husband and I have three children: Skye at 21, Elias at 19, and Moriah at 16. Since we no longer drive our children places, my husband and I have time to golf together. We are both still beginning golfers. I am one of those life-long learners with my interest at the intersection of choice, health, and policy.

A perfect moment for me occured this afternoon when Bishop Stuck, of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod and the people gathered in Indianapolis attending the National Lutheran Secretariat blessed us and our journey. Thanks be to God!

My goal is to walk with the people from our synod here with the people in the church in Chile, learning more.

Thus we embark...

Well, we embark in like a week anyway. But it's exciting, isn't it? The promise of a new land, the adventure of setting out to regions unknown, the wonder of meeting new people...a bit dramatic, these feelings, but nonetheless compelling and exciting. And why shouldn't I feel this way? I'm on another exciting personal journey as well--my first child will travel with us in utero, and as I experience firsthand the miracle of life growing inside, I am constantly reminded of the beauty of our theme "God in between."

Where is my son right now? He is at a place that our society has told us is "in between"--not yet alive, but certainly in existence; not yet human, but with tiny hands, feet, a brain, a beating heart. The lawyers argue even as I write this about what this tiny life might be... a person with rights? an animal? a specimen?

Oh, but people, my son is "in between." And it is there, in that place, that I am experiencing the miracle of God's creation at every single moment in the most profound way possible. God was shaping this baby boy, his personality (he even stuck his tongue out and wiggled it at us on our ultrasound), his life, before I even had an inkling that I had been given such a great gift. I am "in between"--waiting and waiting for the moment when I finally get to meet him. And it is here that my faith is increasing moment by moment, as I learn to trust in God to make this miracle happen. God is here with me and Mike, in our in between, creating a connection between my baby and me.

I see this trip through the obsessive eyes of the expectant mother. We are pregnant with expectation and wonder as we take this journey. We will be forging new relationships every day that will grow and shape under God's soft hand. We are following in the footsteps of so many saints before us who have reached out to know new people and new places, and yet it is always the first time for each one of them. And God is in between us, all the time.

Our prayers are with you here at home as we journey forth, that we can, through this blog, help you share in our experiences and join these relationships. May you find blessings wrapped around you every moment.

The adventure begins in a week

I'm Candy from Kentucky. I've been wanting to go on a mission trip to another country since I was 15 years old. As you can see, it has taken quite awhile to happen!

I was waiting for my car to be cleaned at a car wash today and had my map of Chile and my Spanish-English dictionary open when a woman asked if I was going to Chile soon. Her son works for an international company in Santiago. He loves the country and the people. When I told her all the things we were hoped to do and the people we were looking forward to meeting, she wished us a good trip.

Linda and I will be bringing greetings from Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Lexington.

Last month, our Vacation Bible School children made teddy bears for their new friends in Santiago. I'm looking forward to delivering the bears to the children at Buen Samaritano and bringing back pictures to our children so that we all become better acquainted.

In my job, I work with a wonderful group of people who have come to Kentucky from all over the world, so I'm used to hearing many languages and cultures. My work friends are almost as excited about my trip as I am. We're all praying that the trip will be a blessing for me, my fellow travelers, and the new friends that we meet.

Eight Days and Counting!

The travel team has had a couple of orientation meetings, some have been working on their Spanish, still others have finally received their passports and they are set to fly south on August 1st! The itinerary for the journey is emerging and looks something like this:

• Thursday August 2 -- arrive in Santiago in the early morning and before day is done, visit Buen Samaritano Preschool and visit with the women of Buen Samaritano Congregation


• Friday August 3 -- visit a project supporting women who have suffered domestic violence; visit Educacion Popular en Salud (EPES), a community health organization begun through the IELCH


• Saturday August 4 through Monday August 6 -- split up to visit congregations in Osorno and Concepcion


• Tuesday August 7 -- visit El Sembrador Preschool


• Wednesday August 8 -- visit a chocolate candy microbusiness begun with funds from the I-K Synod


• Thursday August 9 -- visit an art fair; begin construction work at Buen Samaritano


• Friday August 10 -- more work at Buen Samaritano


• Saturday August 11 -- visit Chilean vineyards


• Sunday August 12 -- worship at Buen Samaritano Congregation and head for home