TEAMspinella: April 2010

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

[TEAMspinella] Adventures by us

Do you have room for adventure in your life? I know some of you think our life in Taiwan is one big adventure, but, hey, after a while it becomes the new normal, right?

It's hard to believe it, but "our little girl" is graduating from college in just a few weeks. Sarah says, "I'm graduating! My graduation will be May 15th, 2010, 8:30-11:30am at Rice University in the Academic Quad (outside, yes it will be hot). If you are in town you are welcome to come celebrate with me!" If you're coming, she wants you to let her know so that we can plan on you, and also make sure you know where the party is :-). Sarah plans to spend the summer in Colorado, then in August she plans to start a PhD program in counseling psychology at Texas A&M University. She is excited and grateful to have a place there, and also an assistantship and a place to live. I suspect that means that Laura and I will be Aggie parents. Probably there is a special term for that, but I do not yet know it. I also want to point out that unlike adoption, becoming an Aggie parent is not a personal choice ;-) I'm sure those of you who have gone before us can coach us in this little adventure. [Contact Sarah at sarspin@gmail.com.]

Meanwhile, Robby, having duly noted that he spent the whole summer in Colorado last year living with two parents and two grandparents (think about that ratio for a moment,) has a noble ambition. He wants to go to "East Asia" with a group of like-minded college students. Imagine 9 universities in a single geographic area with a combined student population of over 100,000. If you want to know more, help him raise the funds he'll need, or kibbitz in whatever fashion, contact him at Robbspin@gmail.com. (Note the extra "b" in that email address.) If you just want to read his letter introducing his trip, you can also click on this link: http://groups.google.com/group/teamspinella/web/Robby%20East%20Asia%20trip.doc?hl=en

Joey, having written a third verse to his accident song, is recovering from his second achilles tendon surgery. He is cast free now and will be boot free about the time we arrive in Houston May 8. He has searched high and low for possibilities to learn about engineering this summer in Colorado and has not come up with anything paid, but he does have some learning and networking leads. Hopefully we'll also have some great adventures without any more "accidents" for the song. You can see the song here, complete with Rice students saying, "I told you so." Ironic, that is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BXozX1dykk

As for Laura and I, our adventure is being with our kids and her parents instead of in Taiwan this summer. Beyond that we're also going to be reflecting on this past year of restoration, reporting back to our sending communities, and exploring possibilities for our future ministry adventures in Taiwan and beyond. We've even got a week of retreat scheduled as a couple.

Between now and when we're scheduled to leave May 6, we've got some significant meetings including a board meeting for the counseling center tomorrow, meetings to reflect on my restoration journey, and a court appearance related to a complaint. All of these are things about which we covet your thoughts and intercession. They are all part of our adventures, but we hope they have a purpose beyond ourselves!

With love from the far side, Steve and Laura

Dr. Steve and Laura Spinella, Sarah, Joey, Robby
Da Yi Street, Lane 29, #18, 2F-1, Taichung 404, TAIWAN
011 886 4 2236-6145, wk 2236-1901, fx 2236-2109, cell 9 2894-0514
USA: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, 719.528.1702, cell 719.355.4809
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60187, 800 343-3144
<www.team.org.tw/spinella>, <www.team.org.tw/ccg> <spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>

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Tuesday, April 06, 2010

[TEAMspinella] On guard

When I went to sleep Saturday night, I was thinking about what it might have been like to be one of the soldiers posted to guard Joseph's family crypt when he and (maybe Nicodemus?) put the most famous criminal of all time into the tomb. I'm thinking it must have been a boring assignment--how hard could it be to guard a dead person already sealed into a tomb? Of course, they might have had something to think about, what with the sky darkening mid-afternoon and everything. Maybe it was a little freaky, but, hey, they're soldiers. Too bad they weren't there for the execution--maybe could have at least scored some clothes or enjoyed the crowds, but, no, here they were spending the damp night in a garden posted around a tomb.

Oh, well, at least it wasn't dangerous. Maybe even a good time to enjoy some meditative relief from the usually dull, sometimes dangerous life of an occupation force doing mostly a police action among a community known more for its passion and pride than its effective governance and social institutions, at least in the recent past.

Then came the unexpected. Earthquakes have been in the news, and having been in a big one over ten years ago, I can tell you we will never forget it. Here's where the soldiers proved their mettle. They didn't kill themselves and they didn't flee. They did report back to their superiors. I do note that they didn't hang around to guard the empty tomb, which is probably a pretty good sign they checked and it was empty.

Oh, and then there was the issue of the messenger. Whatever he looked like--very white clothes and brilliant light seem to be the major features, these fine soldiers did the unthinkable. They shook with fear and then fainted outright. Ouch!

According to Matthew, the soldiers ended up with a large bribe and a different story to tell. All in all, a good outcome for enlisted men, who are not known for making much money then or now. But apparently they told some people (off the record, of course) something else, or how did Matthew know?

Maybe they even decided that a bribe wasn't worth as much as a great story. How much would I take to change my story if I had information like that--you know, not that I wouldn't ever tell someone off the record, years later, but just to keep it quiet and vouch for a small "white" lie. After all, surely the man in white must have been a disciple. Certainly the soldiers didn't stop to check his credentials. In fact, I would guess someone like that could take the body most anywhere he wanted.

Well, I probably didn't get all the details right. Things like that happen so fast anyway. As far as telling a great story, well, that's certainly tempting, but it probably woildn't pay the bills for an enlisted man, and it might just get one assasinated. Who needs the risk? Sometimes it's safer just to take the money. As far as the messenger goes, well, apparently it was "out of sight, out of mind."

So I woke up Sunday, celebrated Easter, and wrote this email. He is risen indeed.

With love from the far side, Steve and Laura

PS We are heading back to the US in May for Sarah's graduation from Rice University in Houston, TX. Then we plan to spend the summer in Colorado with our kids and Laura's parents before returning to Taiwan at the beginning of September.