Things are picking up speed here at the Wegner household. We are busily tying up loose ends and trying to get ready to make our great Eastward Migration. There are a lot of things going on so i will just make a list for you:
We still are in need of our QAC for Quebec. This is a document saying we can stay there. This is usually a formality but since we do not have it we are a little leary.
Jamie our foster child has a new home and will hopefully be transitioning there soon. The foster mom to be is a foster mom for Jamie's first cousiin as well.
I am busily trying to finalize some last minute stuff on my patients at the IHS facility here in Browning. One becomes so invested in the children's lives that it is hard to just let them go. My last day is tomorrow and I will be paid roughly through the end of August and then we are on our own.
We need to finalize our health inusrance switch as well.
We are also trying to get a mailing packet in the mail for churches we have visited or been in contact with regarding our ministry.
Our general moving timeline is as follows. This weekend we pack. On the 5th I pick up the Uhaul and we load that. On the 6th we get started on our journey. From the 7th-12th we are driving cross country to my parents house. From the 14th-21st we are visiting Annas parents. grandmother and hopefully will see Kathleen, on the 22nd through the 25th we are back at my parents, and the 26th we leave for Canada. We hope to get ther on the 29th and get settled in to our apartment. On 9.1 we have our orientation and on 9.2 We all start school except for Caleb
We need child care for Caleb for the upcoming school year.
Kathleen's parents have a custody hearing today in Great Falls.
Somehow just typing this makes me excited and also a tad bit nervous. There are so many things that can happen and so many things that can go wrong. I am glad we have a sovereign God. We just plead for wisdom and patience to make it through this month.
Thanks again for your prayers and please prayerfuly consider how you can apply any of the "Sending" methods I've been writing about to the updates I just gave you.
thanks again
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wanted Ads again-communication
Wanted:
A group of senders who excel at communicating or conveying information. We are specifically looking for people who can keep get information from us and pass it on to others and who can keep us in touch with others. However this goes beyond merely a transferring details, but being involved in our lives and conveying our passion to others. Methods used could be email, telephone, the "classic" package or mail , and even a trip to where we are.
For my part I try to do a good job of passing on our struggles and our successes on to you via the blog, but I am aware that I am not reaching everyone. That is where you the reader of the blog could come in and transfer this info to others in your small groups, your church, you family and multiply my attempts at communication.
In other aspects, i wonder if if is dawning on you that these areas of focus should not be limited to cross cultural missionaries (although the next two of financial and re-entry support might be more specific) but is something that we all should be focused on as we minister to each other in our local fellowship.
We need to communicate with one another our successes and failures, our fears and our reluctance to complete the great commission. we need to provide moral and prayer support to each other as we live a witness for our friends and family and providing logistics (such as freeing your wife up to meet with other ladies in the neighborhood, or watching another couple's children) to fulfill the great commission. Let's face it, our reason for being here is to live a witness for others to have the opportunity to know the abundant life of Christ. It is easy for me to lose sight of that in getting ready to move, mourning Kathleen, working long hours and I know I am not unique in those struggles
So encourage one another and as you contemplate an area of "sending" for us look around your church body and send someone next door.
Stephen
A group of senders who excel at communicating or conveying information. We are specifically looking for people who can keep get information from us and pass it on to others and who can keep us in touch with others. However this goes beyond merely a transferring details, but being involved in our lives and conveying our passion to others. Methods used could be email, telephone, the "classic" package or mail , and even a trip to where we are.
For my part I try to do a good job of passing on our struggles and our successes on to you via the blog, but I am aware that I am not reaching everyone. That is where you the reader of the blog could come in and transfer this info to others in your small groups, your church, you family and multiply my attempts at communication.
In other aspects, i wonder if if is dawning on you that these areas of focus should not be limited to cross cultural missionaries (although the next two of financial and re-entry support might be more specific) but is something that we all should be focused on as we minister to each other in our local fellowship.
We need to communicate with one another our successes and failures, our fears and our reluctance to complete the great commission. we need to provide moral and prayer support to each other as we live a witness for our friends and family and providing logistics (such as freeing your wife up to meet with other ladies in the neighborhood, or watching another couple's children) to fulfill the great commission. Let's face it, our reason for being here is to live a witness for others to have the opportunity to know the abundant life of Christ. It is easy for me to lose sight of that in getting ready to move, mourning Kathleen, working long hours and I know I am not unique in those struggles
So encourage one another and as you contemplate an area of "sending" for us look around your church body and send someone next door.
Stephen
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wound Healing
This past weekend i was trying to get caught up with some CME just because I needed something to do to get away from thinking about Kathleen. CME is continuing medical education and required by most positions in the medical profession.
Anyway i had to read an article on chronic wound care in the emergency department. In the introduction to the topic the author went over the stages of wound healing, and I thought it might be applicable to our current situation. By the way the upshot of the article was that of course the er is not a great place for chronic wound care. The four stages of wound healing though were, hemostasis, inflamation, proliferation, and remodeling.
Hemostasis- stopping the bleeding
Inflamation- increases blood flow to area to remove any foreign substances and keep the rest of the body healthy
Proliferation-in this stage the body sends in the building blocks to repair the damaged infrastructure
Remodeling-the body takes what was done in the proliferation phase to maximize skin integrity and minimize scarring.
For more emotional wounds like the one we experienced though I think there is similar stages
One-stopping the emotional bleeding (ie getting over the shock)
two- opening ourselves up and dealing with the hurt and junk introduced by the injury
three-rebuilding our lives
four-maintaining our emotional and spiritual function
Now going back to the article i read, there were some important notes the author made.
A. a chronic wound results when there was an arrest in one of the stages before the final one.
B. there's an overlap between the stages. IE there is still some inflamation going on when the proliferation begins.
C. the final remodeling stage can take a long long time
It would be easy to get stuck in the "inflamation" phase and nurture the anger, and pain of the loss but ultimately that is beneficial only for a short time and actually contributes to delayed wound healing, yet we need to realize that even after we begin closing the wound there will be some inflamation that still exists.
Pray with us as we work through these issues that we would act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.
Stephen
Anyway i had to read an article on chronic wound care in the emergency department. In the introduction to the topic the author went over the stages of wound healing, and I thought it might be applicable to our current situation. By the way the upshot of the article was that of course the er is not a great place for chronic wound care. The four stages of wound healing though were, hemostasis, inflamation, proliferation, and remodeling.
Hemostasis- stopping the bleeding
Inflamation- increases blood flow to area to remove any foreign substances and keep the rest of the body healthy
Proliferation-in this stage the body sends in the building blocks to repair the damaged infrastructure
Remodeling-the body takes what was done in the proliferation phase to maximize skin integrity and minimize scarring.
For more emotional wounds like the one we experienced though I think there is similar stages
One-stopping the emotional bleeding (ie getting over the shock)
two- opening ourselves up and dealing with the hurt and junk introduced by the injury
three-rebuilding our lives
four-maintaining our emotional and spiritual function
Now going back to the article i read, there were some important notes the author made.
A. a chronic wound results when there was an arrest in one of the stages before the final one.
B. there's an overlap between the stages. IE there is still some inflamation going on when the proliferation begins.
C. the final remodeling stage can take a long long time
It would be easy to get stuck in the "inflamation" phase and nurture the anger, and pain of the loss but ultimately that is beneficial only for a short time and actually contributes to delayed wound healing, yet we need to realize that even after we begin closing the wound there will be some inflamation that still exists.
Pray with us as we work through these issues that we would act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.
Stephen
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Essentially mutlifactorial idiopathic SIilence of God
I recently heard a humorous song about how doctors like to use medical terms and sometimes inadvertently and sometimes not so much hide the meaning of what they are saying.
The title for this post has three of them.
If you hear a physician or any medical provider use the words essential, multifactorial, or idiopathic as descriptor of your illness it means that they may have some idea but probably not of what is causing your illness.
This doesn't mean the provider will not know how to treat your illness, but the true reason you have it is a mystery.
Example....essential hypertension....a large number of Americans have it and primarily it is designated at "essential" meaning there is no identifiable fixable cause.
I would also any of those three words to describe our experiences in the past days with losing Kathleen. However one problem with them is that they are too....clincial. Actually probably intentionally so. To describe our emotional state there is a song by Andrew Peterson called the Silence of God.
It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God
It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God
And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...
There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone
And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God
We continue to covet your prayers during this time and look for God to work his grace in our life as we seek his presence in our lives.
Stephen
The title for this post has three of them.
If you hear a physician or any medical provider use the words essential, multifactorial, or idiopathic as descriptor of your illness it means that they may have some idea but probably not of what is causing your illness.
This doesn't mean the provider will not know how to treat your illness, but the true reason you have it is a mystery.
Example....essential hypertension....a large number of Americans have it and primarily it is designated at "essential" meaning there is no identifiable fixable cause.
I would also any of those three words to describe our experiences in the past days with losing Kathleen. However one problem with them is that they are too....clincial. Actually probably intentionally so. To describe our emotional state there is a song by Andrew Peterson called the Silence of God.
It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God
It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God
And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...
There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone
And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God
We continue to covet your prayers during this time and look for God to work his grace in our life as we seek his presence in our lives.
Stephen
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wanted Ads Recap and Learning Lessons
I wanted to take a moment to recap where we are with the "wanted ads" for senders since there have been some new subscribers since my last post on the subject. Again these concepts are useful not as dogmatic beliefs but as a framework for supporting us.
The core foundational concept is that all the various type of senders should have their own relationship with Jesus Christ and support us because His Spirit is leading them. Guilt, a sense of obligation, seeking after public praise are all shifting sand type reasons and lead to not being effectively sent.
The six areas areas are.....moral, logistical, prayer, financial, re-entry, communication support.
A brief overview would be
Moral-providing encouragement for ones goings
Logistics-taking care of business
prayer- interceding for the goers
financial-providing monetary support
communications-facilitating interaction between other senders and the goers
re-entry-taking care of specific logistics and cultural shock on coming back from another culture
I have posted on moral, logistics and prayer support so far.
In other news....
Our situation with Kathleen is essentially unchanged and so our plans for the future are still full of potential and essentially unknown to us. As we work through the things Anna and I are experiencing some things that we knew intellectually and we would like to share them with you.
God is in control.....One of the main thrust of our presentation to churches is that one of the reasons we are going is that we think that it is God's will for our and our children's lives and being in His will in Africa is safer than being in the US out of that will.....He is revealing our lack of commitment here in that we were/are unwilling to trust Kathleen's future to Him. If we were ok with her going to Africa why are we not ok with her going with one of her parents? The God there is the God here. God is working his grace in this matter in our life.
The Call has not changed---Anna and I still believe Africa and specifically the ROC is where God wants us. The time frame may not be our time frame but we are still pointed toward that goal. When we were being confirmed by some members of the C&MA one of the pastor's asked us some form of the following question "Is your sense of God's calling on your life to go to overseas strong enough to sustain you when things are difficult for you?" This is a paraphrase and Steve Diehl asked it much better but our answer was a typical stock..our faith in God determines our response to circumstances, not circumstances determining our faith in God.......I must confess I did not expect the discouragement to come so quickly. God is still faithful however.
Our problems are not so bad......I admit we have shed tears, we have wondered why, we have been grumpy, we have been short with one another, but when we go to scriptures for comfort we are humbled.....our length of waiting does not approach Abraham's, the obstacles are not as huge as David's, we have not been broken like Job, we have barely taken up our crosses, and we haven't even gotten to the starting gate compared to Paul or other heroes of the faith and in that way the scripture gives us pause and encourages us to get a grip.
God speaks through his church......today we barely made it to church and we were responsible for children's church. I thought of the latter as I drug myself out of bed when Jamie was crying at 6am......So I dredged my sunday school library and came up with a lesson that required very little prep and we limp into church about 15min late (don't tell my dad he would be embarrassed).
There God was waiting
He was waiting with a lady who spoke a few minutes today in church who is walking a prayer walk around the country (with a prosthetic leg) who God used (after He whacked my self centeredness and smug sarcastic attitude up side the head) to remind me that His detours have a purpose and that sometime we may never know what they are. Nevertheless we continue on the path as He leads.
After that I head to children's church and the lesson was Peter walking on the water and as I had the children rowing along with me and baling water and acting scared I realized that this lesson was for me.....God wants me to know that obeying him is not easy and life is not a bed of roses, and he wants me to know that I should never take my eyes off of him. Things I would get right on a multiple choice test, but harder to live out.
So to sum up, consider "Sending" us in one of those six ways, look back at my other posts on the subject, look forward to other posts in the other areas, and continue to pray with us as we walk the path God is laying out for us.
Thanks,
Stephen
The core foundational concept is that all the various type of senders should have their own relationship with Jesus Christ and support us because His Spirit is leading them. Guilt, a sense of obligation, seeking after public praise are all shifting sand type reasons and lead to not being effectively sent.
The six areas areas are.....moral, logistical, prayer, financial, re-entry, communication support.
A brief overview would be
Moral-providing encouragement for ones goings
Logistics-taking care of business
prayer- interceding for the goers
financial-providing monetary support
communications-facilitating interaction between other senders and the goers
re-entry-taking care of specific logistics and cultural shock on coming back from another culture
I have posted on moral, logistics and prayer support so far.
In other news....
Our situation with Kathleen is essentially unchanged and so our plans for the future are still full of potential and essentially unknown to us. As we work through the things Anna and I are experiencing some things that we knew intellectually and we would like to share them with you.
God is in control.....One of the main thrust of our presentation to churches is that one of the reasons we are going is that we think that it is God's will for our and our children's lives and being in His will in Africa is safer than being in the US out of that will.....He is revealing our lack of commitment here in that we were/are unwilling to trust Kathleen's future to Him. If we were ok with her going to Africa why are we not ok with her going with one of her parents? The God there is the God here. God is working his grace in this matter in our life.
The Call has not changed---Anna and I still believe Africa and specifically the ROC is where God wants us. The time frame may not be our time frame but we are still pointed toward that goal. When we were being confirmed by some members of the C&MA one of the pastor's asked us some form of the following question "Is your sense of God's calling on your life to go to overseas strong enough to sustain you when things are difficult for you?" This is a paraphrase and Steve Diehl asked it much better but our answer was a typical stock..our faith in God determines our response to circumstances, not circumstances determining our faith in God.......I must confess I did not expect the discouragement to come so quickly. God is still faithful however.
Our problems are not so bad......I admit we have shed tears, we have wondered why, we have been grumpy, we have been short with one another, but when we go to scriptures for comfort we are humbled.....our length of waiting does not approach Abraham's, the obstacles are not as huge as David's, we have not been broken like Job, we have barely taken up our crosses, and we haven't even gotten to the starting gate compared to Paul or other heroes of the faith and in that way the scripture gives us pause and encourages us to get a grip.
God speaks through his church......today we barely made it to church and we were responsible for children's church. I thought of the latter as I drug myself out of bed when Jamie was crying at 6am......So I dredged my sunday school library and came up with a lesson that required very little prep and we limp into church about 15min late (don't tell my dad he would be embarrassed).
There God was waiting
He was waiting with a lady who spoke a few minutes today in church who is walking a prayer walk around the country (with a prosthetic leg) who God used (after He whacked my self centeredness and smug sarcastic attitude up side the head) to remind me that His detours have a purpose and that sometime we may never know what they are. Nevertheless we continue on the path as He leads.
After that I head to children's church and the lesson was Peter walking on the water and as I had the children rowing along with me and baling water and acting scared I realized that this lesson was for me.....God wants me to know that obeying him is not easy and life is not a bed of roses, and he wants me to know that I should never take my eyes off of him. Things I would get right on a multiple choice test, but harder to live out.
So to sum up, consider "Sending" us in one of those six ways, look back at my other posts on the subject, look forward to other posts in the other areas, and continue to pray with us as we walk the path God is laying out for us.
Thanks,
Stephen
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
It's like hearing my life on the radio
In our particular locale in Montana we have a radio station that plays both types of music.....country and western. In one of their ad spots they have callers say how much they like the station. One lady gushes "It's like hearing my life on the radio!" I've always kinda pitied her. I mean who wants their life to be a country song.
Fortunately we are not living a country song but there are a couple of songs that express some thoughts and feeling we are having. For our more seasoned readers I will reference "It is Well With My Soull" and for the younger set "Blessed by the Name of the Lord" For both of these songs the thrust of the message is.....We will interpret my circumstances based on our faith in God and will not let our faith and view of God be based on the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Now I will not claim the tragedy that befell the author of It is Well with My Soul (lost his wife and children when a boat went down crossing the Atlantic) but on Monday we found out that legally Kathleen's birth mom does not have to even go through the courts to get custody of Kathleen. We also found out that next Monday (the 7th) she is coming up and she will spend a couple of days in Montana and then plans to take Kathleen back to North Carolina. From our lawyer's standpoint we have no legal legs. Therefore now our only recourse is to make sure that Kathleen transitions ok or the mom miraculously changes her mind.
This news comes after a very exhausting but rewarding weekend that we had in Helena MT where we were fortunate enough to have new friends praying for us and interceding for us. We said there that what we want for Kathleen is the same for our other children. #1 that they have a personal relationship with Christ and that they are raised in a loving environment.
We now have to trust God that He can make that happen. It is strange that we are trusting God to take care of us and our children in Africa but I struggle with the idea that God can take care of Kathleen when she is not with us. Silly concept really but still we are concerned and are trying to find the Peace and the ability to say "It is well with our souls" and "Blessed by the Name of the Lord"
Therefore continue praying for us, for wisdom, for peace, and thank God for his Holy Spirit who makes intercession for us.
Thanks
Stephen
Fortunately we are not living a country song but there are a couple of songs that express some thoughts and feeling we are having. For our more seasoned readers I will reference "It is Well With My Soull" and for the younger set "Blessed by the Name of the Lord" For both of these songs the thrust of the message is.....We will interpret my circumstances based on our faith in God and will not let our faith and view of God be based on the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Now I will not claim the tragedy that befell the author of It is Well with My Soul (lost his wife and children when a boat went down crossing the Atlantic) but on Monday we found out that legally Kathleen's birth mom does not have to even go through the courts to get custody of Kathleen. We also found out that next Monday (the 7th) she is coming up and she will spend a couple of days in Montana and then plans to take Kathleen back to North Carolina. From our lawyer's standpoint we have no legal legs. Therefore now our only recourse is to make sure that Kathleen transitions ok or the mom miraculously changes her mind.
This news comes after a very exhausting but rewarding weekend that we had in Helena MT where we were fortunate enough to have new friends praying for us and interceding for us. We said there that what we want for Kathleen is the same for our other children. #1 that they have a personal relationship with Christ and that they are raised in a loving environment.
We now have to trust God that He can make that happen. It is strange that we are trusting God to take care of us and our children in Africa but I struggle with the idea that God can take care of Kathleen when she is not with us. Silly concept really but still we are concerned and are trying to find the Peace and the ability to say "It is well with our souls" and "Blessed by the Name of the Lord"
Therefore continue praying for us, for wisdom, for peace, and thank God for his Holy Spirit who makes intercession for us.
Thanks
Stephen
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