The Buffer

Last weekend I did my nails. I was walking from the building where we live to the main building (which houses most of our activities) to take some of my kids to play board games with some other families. But a neighbor's call lured me into the building next door:

"We're having a nail bar in here! Come do nails with us!"

So I abandoned the board-gaming to sit with about six other women and pass around gel polish, glitter powder, and a UV nail lamp. Gracie and Judah joined me and got manicures as well.

First time to do a gel manicure on myself!

One of my favorite things about living at the learning center is the sense of community with like-minded friends. Not like-mindedness about nails, as delightful as that is, but like-mindedness about missions. We all share a willingness to leave, a willingness to go, a willingness to obey God's call to the nations.

One of our presenters recently described life at the learning center as a buffer--a buffer between the life we've left and the life we're entering. We have a chance to separate from what was before and set our minds on the task ahead. The mission board provides our housing and meals. There's no television. Many of the distractions of normal American life are gone. Instead we can focus on family, community, and preparation for the field.

There are about 100 people in our orientation group, a mix of singles, couples, and families with kids. One other family and one single girl are also going to Sub-Saharan Africa; we are the only ones going to Mozambique.

Each housing building comprises four small apartments with a common living area. Each apartment has a mini-kitchen, washer and dryer, and one bathroom. They can be configured different ways, but ours has three bedrooms. 

On a typical day, breakfast is at 8:00. The kids' school and our meetings start around 9:00. At noon we break for lunch. Then we have afternoon meetings until we pick our kids up from school at 3:00. We have free time from 3 to 5, and then dinner is from 5 to 6. Most evenings are free. Many times we play in the gym or outside on the playground (weather permitting). Often we hang out with our quad-mates in the evenings, playing games or just chatting.

Judah doing her homework

Judah after a class presentation
of the creation story in Taiwanese

Judah with her teacher

Sliding fun on the playground

Enjoying the warm weather!

So this buffer has been a sweet time for our family. We are provided and cared for well, thanks to the generosity of Southern Baptists who faithfully give to the International Mission Board through their churches. If you are one of those, thank you! And if you are praying for us during this time, we want to thank you too, because our whole family has been healthy and happy since we've been here (even on our recent shot day!).

While in many ways this is a restful time, it's also an intense time of learning and preparation. Soon I'll share more about what we've been learning, so please stay tuned.