Missionary Prayer Letters

For my internship in the media department here at SEND I have been reading MANY missionary prayer and newsletters. Some of them have quite creative names, but my favorite, by far, was one I found today: "CZECH-ing on our PRAGUE-ress". Ah yes. Don't even think about asking me where they serve...

To my many dear friends who are going into mission work or considering going into the mission field, think very carefully about your media choices and take advantage of the assistance offered to you by the media department of your mission agency. Also, in your newsletters, tell stories, don't just repeat facts. You would think that this would be common sense...but it's not.

Tomorrow is my last day in Michigan. Time flies when you're having fun!

A Day Off

This morning, I drowned when the Titanic sank.
Honest.
Well, actually, I visited The Henry Ford (Museum) today to see the exhibit they have there this year commemorating the hundred year anniversary of the sinking (in 1912). Before you enter, they give you a boarding pass with the information of one of the actual passengers on the Titanic. Miss Edith Corse Evans was traveling to her home in New York after visiting cousins in Paris. A few days before boarding, a fortune teller warned her to beware of water. At the end of the exhibit, there was a list showing who survived and who didn't. Miss Evans didn't. Both my hosts (Dave and Liz) survived. Interesting...

In case you're thinking, "What kind of mission agency media internship is this?", I earned the break from the office today. We worked all day Saturday running a conference on how to teach ESL (English as a Second Language). Thirty people from local churches came to the SEND campus and we made sure they were fed and happy while a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) professor from Moody Bible Institute gave them tools on how to teach English. Then on Sunday we spent most of the day at a Chinese church with a man from Hong Kong. So Tuesday was our day off.

If you ever get out to Detroit, make sure to visit The Henry Ford. It's huge. And it's way more than cars. The museum building itself is gigantic. I saw the chair Lincoln was assassinated in and the car JFK was assassinated in (there's more than assassinations, too). Then there's a whole area out back of historic buildings that Ford brought together from all over the country to create Greenfield Village. In one day I visited Noah Webster's home, the Wright brothers bicycle shop, Thomas Alva Edison's lab, and the home where Harvey Firestone (think: tires) grew up. There's also a section where artisans demonstrate skills that aren't often used today: Pottery, tin smithing, weaving, carding, and printing. If you haven't ever seen glass blowing, YOU NEED TO! It blows my mind.

P.S. I have housing in D.C. for the summer. Yay! I'm quite excited that it's all finally settled.

I'm Thankful

21 Things I’m Thankful For

1. God—he’s pretty awesome
2. My family—I’m stuck with them, but I’m quite happy with the lot of them.
3. Friends—lots, and lots, and lots, and lots,...
4. Houghton—crazy meets wild and has an adventure
5. New England Camp Cedarbrook—Home: Now I’m Finally Where I Belong
6. Birds—need I say more?
7. Travelling—the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa…where to next?
8. Other cultures—so much to learn
9. Internships—SEND International and then World Vision
10. Professors—encouragement and challenges by the bucket-full
11. Mentors and my little sister—they’ve all taught me so much
12. The Bible—there’s a lot of good stuff in there
13. My brain—what would I do without it?
14. Water—it’s so tasty, too
15. Boats—all kinds, all the time
16. Sunshine, thunderstorms, and snow—the weather is never boring
17. Cell phones—extremely handy
18. Books on CD—“He finished his ablutions with alacrity” The Prince and the Pauper
19. Doctor Who—Bowties are cool
20. Musicals—but they get stuck in my head
21. Contacts—one of the best inventions ever!

SEND International

Q: What happens when you throw an intern into the mix of 6 media people working for a Christian mission agency?

A: My life.

On Tuesday, I started my first internship (of two) for the summer: I am in Michigan working with SEND International's media department. Basically they give me lots of little projects to do, I bug them with questions, and then I stalk them as they interact with each other and with everyone else coming in and out of the office. I also spend several hours each day reading missionary prayer letters and newsletters...so many stories.

If you want to learn more about SEND, go to the SEND website. Part of my job this week has been to work on the "About SEND" section of the website. It's still a work in progress.

While here, I am living with David and Liz Givens. David works as a SEND mobilizer (read: recruitment) and Liz works in the media department. I met them (and found out about this opportunity) last fall when they came to Houghton during our missions-emphasis week (New Vision Week). It has been quite scary to see how easily I fit into their family. Like my family, they have three girls, although they are the Stobbettes+20 years. I dove right into life in the Givens home with card games and an end of the year international potluck dinner for their ESL class. My thoughts on Michigan: square and flat. I am still getting used to all the roads running (logically) north-south or east-west.

Let's start at the very beginning

Actually, this is the end. The end of my semester, that is. 1 presentation tomorrow, 1 paper due Thursday, and 2 cumulative final exams (1 each on Friday and Saturday), and then I will be finished with my first semester of senior year. It will also be the end of my first and only spring semester at Houghton.

Exciting stuff is going to happen in my life this summer, so here goes an attempt at blogging about it. Maybe you'll even want to read it to see what I'm up to.