I became one of those...

...one of those that begins a blog full speed ahead and then drops out! I had been wanting to start one for a while and was just waiting to feel ready. Then the theme and direction I wanted to take it in hit me one day and I knew it was time to start it. I reeeeeeally enjoyed blogging and was so excited for an avenue to write about my work adventures. By the close of last year though, I knew 2011 would be a busy year, a very busy year, and that if I didn't stay on top of things, I would drown very quickly. Well, it hit as soon as we turned the corner to the new year. It was like the race got started while I was still warming up....and I feel like I've been playing catch-up ever since - it's been three months! I've just been sprinting, catching my breath, sprinting, catching my breath...in order to finally catch up and find my rhythm and pace for the rest of the year.

I would still like to blog once a week (for sure not every 3 months again!) so hopefully I can get into my groove soon and accomplish that. The boss is out for two weeks so I took a day and some hours here and there to catch my breath this week (I need to get away alone to recharge!) and am ready to sprint again next week in order to catch up and STAY in pace!! It's always a good opportunity to do so when he's not in the office - I somewhat hinted at that and he totally felt unwanted around here since our missions pastor had just told him something similar! Oops, jejejejeje :) We love you B! :)

Just to recap my last three months in the office though, here's a bit of what happened (I can't just pick up where I left off and press on, I always feel the need to go back and finish what wasn't done and theeeen move on. I'm crazy, I know.)

January Highlights:

The boss headed to CR at the beginning of the month to teach Perspectives (first time the FULL version of this course is being taught in Spanish!). It was a great trip to plan but hard at the same time since it's been five years now since I've been back and am getting so nostaaaalgic!! :( A good friend of mine is running the course there so it was great to work with her on all the logistics.

We met because of her coming to KC last year to take the Perspectives Coordinator Workshop (PCW), so it's no surprise Perspectives keeps being part of our story together. She's running the 15 week version and are on the last leg of it by now. It has all gone superbly well, and in spite of some extremely difficult challenges in her personal life, she has pressed on by God's strength and grace - you rock Montse!!!

The end of the month brought my 10 year anniversary as a KCBT employee! They ask you to go forward on a Sunday to honor you for this, so this was my little moment. I was super nervous to be in front of our whole church, but thankful as well to hear all my peeps cheering for me. I am sooooo blessed with a great job, family and friends. Felt loved for sure! And check out my flowers! They were so beautiful, not the ordinary for sure. I dried one of each and placed them in my journal (which I haven't been keeping up so well with either!).
 
February Highlights:

We were working full speed ahead to get ready for our annual missions conference, in which we were simultaneously offering the Perspectives course as our day sessions. The 15 week version of the course is the most common and best way to take the class (as I did last year), but, they also have an intensive version which lumps everything you hear in 15 weeks into 7 days! It was intense for sure! Intense to plan, intense to host, intense to be in, and intense to wrap up. I was on the admin side of things this time and loved it just as much as I loved being on the student side - although super glad I did that first.

When I received my certificate!

Her place of honor in my office. :)

 

Spring 2011 KCBT Perspectives Intensive Class

My girl Heath was one of the students!!

Jamie Zumwalt, a huge inspiration to me in my class, was a teacher for the Intensive too.

Bob Sjogren, another major inspiration to me in my class, was with us as well!

Ron Haley, although taking the class himself, was "talked" into running sound for us, so we were the back of the house crew. You have some good times when you're with the same person for 8 hours straight for 7 days in a row!

March Highlights:

March just consisted of wrapping up February and getting ready for our next big gig, hosting a 3 day meeting for mobilizers around world at the beginning of May. The boss was headed to Turkey and its surroundings this month though, and it was a bit trickier administratively as the team consisted of 10 total, half of which we were responsible for, and of which none lived in KC! US, Mexico and Peru rounded them out. With all the planning, and re-planning, re-re-planning, looks like they all made it there!! :) They're an amazing team and are having a great time, probably too great as we keep hearing reports with all the jokes they're coming up with!!

So, there you go, a quick summary of my "9-5pm's". As for April, the only out-of-the-ordinary thing so far is that I get to travel to Dallas mid-month to take the PCW myself. I am extremely looking forward to it as I get to stay with the Administrative Assistant to the US Director of a mission agency called Christar (Jeff is the head of the US Board). I've mentioned before how I'm always seeking opportunities to grow on the job, and a big thing I pray about are peer interactions from those in my same world. I've corresponded all year with this assistant and am excited to finally meet her and gleeeeeeeean from her! I have a small group in KC I meet with once or twice a year, who are the assistants to the senior pastors in the large metro area churches, but they don't all necessarily have the missional involvement that our church does. Meeting Kathryn will give me a different perspective as she only deals with the missional world, sans the church world. :)

I think that's all folks. Happy weekend!! Hope to see you again in a week. :)