My week of endings...

Two major things are ending this week for me: my administrative role in our church's Spanish training program and a mission's course our staff's executive team sponsored me to take this semester. Both of equally huge impact to my life, even though the first lasted 10 years and the second 15 weeks. I'll process through one of them at a time...because that's all my heart and mind can handle at once. :)


¿Qué Dice la Biblia?

Meetings with QDLB students in Mexico City, Mexico - 2006

When I came on staff almost 10 years ago (January 29th, 2001), I was the part time assistant to the Spanish Ministries Pastor (¡mi tío!), and a year later became full time. As I was learning all my responsibilities though, the administration of QDLB was obviously one of the major ones. It was the extension Bible training program for Spanish-speaking pastors and leaders around the world that was birthed in 1990 with explosive force, but with an unequally explosive staff to handle the work it instantly produced. The previous two assistants had ran their course with it, did the best they could do, and now it was my turn. I fell in love with it instantly, and just as instantly wanted to get to work on it for it to once and for all run administratively smoothly, to be ahead of the game so to speak - "ah, THIS must be why the Lord led me to work here!" I thought. So with this passion and conviction, I took off on my QDLB race. Like any race, there were flats, hills and downhills. My flats were cleaning, cleaning; organizing, organizing. Opening new files for new students, letter writing, phone calling. Good times! As time went on though, my hills started to come. I was getting behind, just like the rest, because we couldn't focus our attention to it - every single student (and there were hundreds!) had specific needs and was at a different place in his studies. I'd work my way up these hills by investing nights and weekends on catching up. Made it. Then some downhills would come - dreaming up plans for making it better administratively, how to communicate with the students more effectively, meeting with my uncle about his dreams for it, receiving donations for it, meeting with students on trips, etc, etc. Excellent moments! Then another hill would come when I'd start implementing some of these plans I'd come up with (they resulted in more work!), plus by then, I felt the added burden of feeling like the in-between person to them receiving the Bible training they longed for and were desperately emailing me about. I would read my Bible and come across verses like, "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." Pro 22:28 and think instantly of QDLB. "Ah, don't let it die!!" I'd think. I would mark these verses, pray for it, meditate on it. Tough times. Then a downhill would come again as some plans DID work and reduced, streamlined and organized the communication in and out of the office, and the order of how and when things would get done. Awesome times! Then some flats as we just ran on and on. I knew my race would end at some point, I knew I was meant to work towards it becoming a smooth running machine, and hoped to pass it off as such. Then it happened. Last year I was told of the transition of hands for it; my end was now in sight. I worked with the next runner, Ryan Blackstock, all this year...and today it happened. I crossed the finish line - he received the baton and is ready to run with it in its next phase. A bigger and better phase. He is equipped with the knowledge in how to take it there and is excited! It's a beautiful thing! But yet, my heart grieves the loss, the end of my time as I reminisce on the past 10 years. The good, bad and ugly, I don't regret any of it and am thankful for what it taught me and how it grew me in so many areas. I loved my time with QDLB, and will always love it.

"Transfer of Power" - Dec 7, 2010

All involved have paid their heavy dues for QDLB, but none have regretted the investment or doubted the price paid. Our hearts all cry the same thing on this side of the race: IT WAS WORTH IT! No regrets. We are to realize and embrace the different stages of investment - pioneering, parenting, partnering, supporting. I am happy to embark in the supporting stage now and will look forward to pioneering in my next "QDLB's" on staff! A lot is happening around here, 2011 is going to be BIG and I'm ready to start this next race! Thank you to my uncle for trusting me with it, to the 10 years we worked together on it; and to Ryan, who will take it forward! Overwhelmed at the loss and overjoyed with its future! :) :)