OK, I’ll start out this post by saying we played hooky from church this weekend. When Matthew arrived on Saturday we had 36 hours of the Duggan family being all together for the last time before Christmas, so we took advantage of the opportunity. Today Keri left for Wheaton’s wilderness program for incoming freshmen and Cathi and I flew to San Antonio for a week of leadership meetings. It never ceases to amaze me how many different cultures there are in the USA, and San Antonio definitely has a unique culture. We’re looking forward to being with our colleagues from ReachGlobal and planning future work for Latin America. Do pray that we stay sensitive to God’s guidance this week.
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A Patchwork Quilt Summer
31 JulMy time in the States began at Winshape Camp for Boys where I reconnected with friends seen only yearly—but what a glorious 12 days of friendships, teamwork and ministry transpire! After several speaking engagements, we literally spread patchwork quilts to watch the laser show at Stone Mountain, a first-time experience for our youngest two, Ben and Anna.
During the past two weeks, we’ve spent time with new friends(High Point small group who’ve loved us from afar), friends from the remote past(from college days who now pastor in North Carolina), friends from the distant past(Brian’s childhood church congregation, 3rd grade teacher, and his first pastor), and friends from our recent(Charlotte/Matthews) and newlywed past(Lou and Andrea, you’re the best!)-but the Lord’s kindness on providing such a beautifully woven summer has inspired us and encouraged us. We have the next 36 hours to cocoon as a family (and only that brief time to be altogether), and then we leave for meetings with our newest friends, our Reachglobal missionary Latin America leadership team, and then our newest team, the Holistic Ministry team meeting for the first time live in New Orleans!
Join us in praying for special family time before our eldest return to college, for focus and unity during team meetings, and for ministry opportunities that arise during the way!
Keri gets an ER manicure
23 Jul
Keri’s toe got caught between two boats and the boats won. Now she gets to sport a nail-less big toe.
Sent from my Windows Mobile phone
It’s CAMP time again…
15 JulTo all my blog readers,
I deeply apologize for the time lapse between blogs, but I am working at my children’s camp of choice-Winshape Camps! I am privileged to serve along 50+ Christian young men and women who spend their summers serving the Lord and kids here in Rome, Georgia. The heat, bugs and rain have been kept to a minimum, and only one pottery item exploded in the kiln–I teach pottery at Boys’ Camp, and that is wonderful news to a potter!
Our family will spend the weekend visiting a church from Brian’s childhood, and look forward to welcoming Keri and Matt home after their summer jobs in a few weeks(but Matt is doing a great job here at Boys’ camp as well)!
Many opportunities to share Christ’s love with the campers and others have arisen. Please pray for us and them as they still have another session until camp is packed up and the rush to prepare for school begins!
Generations
4 Jul
Walter Sandell was my pastor from the time I was four until I left after my last summer at home during college years. We had the privilege of visiting Walter and Margy on a trip to Atlanta. As we talked about our lives it struck me how much my thinking about missions was shaped during my years at First Alliance Church in Atlanta. Our church had the highest level of support for missions of all C&MA churches, hosted missionaries constantly, and had the most amazing missions conferences. With so many missionaries in our lives, it was inevitable that our hearts would be drawn to missions. Thanks to Pastor Sandell, missions defines many of our vision and goals in life.
Report from the field
30 Jun
I just received this note from the pastor of the Costa Rican church where the Church at Charlotte youth team spent last week:
I received a call from the director of the school thanking us for the work done by the youth team. She said the doors of the school are open for whatever activity or work we wish to do. She said that she saw something different in this team that she has never seen in any others who have helped before.
The director of the orphanage expressed her happiness with the work done by the youth and the testimony presented by them. The doors will stay open for the church (Jaime’s church) and whatever activity they would like to do.
The Selva Verde (Green Jungle) community, where the youth painted the playground, is very happy. They have been talking about how great a time it was and how the youth demonstrated what they can achieve when they work together. They said that the youth have to have something different to come from so far away and help people that they don’t know. This has given the church the opportunity to carry the Gospel to this community.
Now the youth of our church talk about their ability to do other things, different from what they have been doing. Please give the youth and Church at Charlotte my thanks for the work you did and my apologies for our errors and mistakes in our preparation. May God continue to bless you abundantly.
What a wonderful report! This trip resulted in new opportunities for our Costa Rican sister church to reach its community with the Gospel. It inspired the church to try new and creative ways to show Christ’s love to their community. And I know it challenged the thoughts and hearts of these North American youth and leaders.
Keri is back?
28 Jun
Keri just returned from Costa Rica to Charlotte and then left the next day for New Orleans. It’s a little confusing to say she came home because she was home but then went to her other home which really isn’t home anymore since she’s now in a home in New Orleans until she goes to her new home at Wheaton College. At this point the six Duggans are in two different countries and three different states. Even we get confused about who is where sometimes. But what a blessing technology provides to stay in touch, and how wonderful it is when we do actually all get together!
Keri had a wonderful time being with her Charlotte friends for a week in Costa Rica. And while I was in Minneapolis she and my wonderful wife dealt with a little team crisis like the caring professionals they are.
Thought for Today
25 JunReligion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
Sometimes I get all caught up in not doing quite enough for Christ and His Kingdom. “What?”, you say, “you are a missionary and serve in another country.” Sure, I do, but like many living, breathing Christians, we listen to the subtle whispers of the enemy, and accept some of these whispers as truth.
This morning, I began my day in James, a familiar passage, as I had memorized some of it as a new believer. I guess back then(about 30 years ago) I wasn’t mature enough to take care of myself(in the throes of adolescence) to worry about caring for widows, orphans, or the helpless and hopeless. Yesterday was Anna’s 9th birthday. A little over nine years ago today, God whispered to us and led us to adopt one of his children-our Anna. Every waking moment we love her, encourage her, nurture her and raise her according to the way she is to go we are fulfilling such counsel.
This Tuesday I spent several hours getting a test done that would take less than 20 minutes in the States. Our single, sixty-something, house-helper(but she is more than that-our kids’ Tica abuelita (grandma)) needed a test that could be performed at the same clinic as she was unable to get an appointment with the free clinic for many months. Not only did she accompany me to this private clinic, but the time spent with her was sweet Christian fellowship. And no, she doesn’t speak English, at least not in my presence. Her gratitude in our obedience to providing for the test was evident, but being present in the hours with her did much more for my soul that I could ever imagine.
Listen for those whispers, act, and reap more than you’ve sown. Peterson says it even more beautifully in The Message-
Act on what you hear….but whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God – even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it is no scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action…reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight , and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:22-27 (The Message)
Nearly a month?…it’s been busy!
24 JunTime flies when you are trying to tie up more than one loose end! Sorry to have been incommunicado for so long, but celebrating our 25th anniversary, getting college forms filled in(still more of those to do), minors permissions to leave Costa Rica(we were traveling separately and have residency visas approved), and figuring out how to navigate the health care system to get the required tests for Keri, Ben and myself, necessary for college and camp and performing ministry duties have kept me busy these last three weeks!
We’ve had opportunities to use donated craft supplies in Rio Azul, and look forward to sharing a piñata and treats with the children there-in celebration of Anna’s ninth birthday (it’s tomorrow as Ben and I will attest to -the countdown is now down to less than 8 hours)! Happy Birthday, Anna girl!
25th Anniversary!
17 Jun
Cathi and I were able to get away for a couple of days to the Pacific beach and just returned today. It was a very relaxing time and we both appreciated the opportunity to be together alone for a short time. That doesn’t happen very often in the normal course of life. We are amazed it has actually been 25 years and laugh at all that we have done together since that time. We were just 22 years old then (actually, Cathi turned 22 two weeks after our wedding) and we realize that in many ways we grew into adulthood together. Since then we have traveled around the world (on a budget), lived in a number of strange places, enjoyed our four children in all their stages of life, provided a temporary home for thirty foster kids, lived on very low income and pretty healthy income (and now back again) and know that God has blessed us far beyond what we deserve.
So now we can finally acknowlege we’re middle aged. The extra pounds better come off soon or they never will. The fire of youth remains, but hopefully the wisdom gained over the years directs it a little more effectively. We can’t imagine what God will show us over the next twenty-five years, but now we know that our plans and imagination won’t come close to what He has in store. Pura Vida!
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