We were headed to Thailand for an exciting time of ministry for the first two weeks of August when...security concerns in another country resulted in the cancellation of this time! Of course, this affects others far more than us, and it is always wise to pay attention to security concerns, whenever they come up. Rather than being reactive, good prudence involves listening well to those most directly aware of such situations and behaving in ways that bring assurance and respect to all involved, including individuals, organizations, and governments. For all of us, citizens, residents, and guests in all the countries of the world, these things impact our plans, but especially for those of us who spend time as guests in countries not our own. While citizens may have "rights," guests have "privileges," and we are often called to be guests in this world for the sake of our citizenship in the next, so we hold these privileges with open hands, not tight grips :-).
I mention all this because I like to share the challenges that make up international ministry life, and this is certainly a recurring topic, although not always addressed very publicly. In today's world, wrestling with what it means to be a good guest is an integral part of staying, flourishing, and contributing. All of us are still learning, wherever we live and journey.
So we have a window of time, and after holding this up to the father, consulting, and so forth, the priority came back to...taking a vacation as a couple. Now, you might think that we do this all the time or you might even think that we should be good at it. After all, we do travel a fair bit and we go some very interesting places. Besides, we live in Colorado, a vacation destination itself (and you are welcome to visit!) Usually, though, our priority is for others, even if we were to go to a beach resort in Thailand, for instance. In fact the last time we remember taking a vacation as a couple was in 2009. A couple we have known in ministry for a long time has a guest apartment for people in ministry and it is available, so we are going...to Paris, France. Actually we will be staying in the zone between the countryside and the cityscape in Yvelines, Ile de France, all of which we've only seen so far on google maps. While we may learn more about ministry and life there, our primary goal, which you can join us in holding up in intercession, is to enjoy a time of rest and renewal as a couple. (And if you are interested, our friends need sponsors to keep this apartment available especially for people ministering in the Eurozone. We're excited to be able to enter as guests in a place of both great need and great history and tourism. While Paris itself is perhaps 2 million, the larger Paris is about 12 million!)
Speaking of security concerns, some of you are thinking, "Why France? Why now?!" As I said above, we're trying to follow the security principles we talked about above, and believe that we will be both safe and appropriate in making this trip. We will also pay attention to security concerns along the way, including while travelling. Practically we think our biggest challenge will be spending money appropriately without regret, enjoying a place and culture new to us, and listening well to each other and enjoying this time together. We may also have a few good conversations with others along the way, and that is one way I like to describe my passion for ministry--in search of one more good conversation!
While we are gone, our daughter Sarah and her husband John will be here in Colorado Springs, and in fact they are here already and we have been enjoying very much their company!
Along the way I will turn 60! Perhaps it doesn't count if you're in a strange country where no one knows?! All this should make for an interesting August.
Thanks for journeying with us and listening to our stories! Steve and Laura
PS If you have advice or counsel for a trip to France, by all means tell us! We leave next Wednesday.
FYI (for your information): Paraclete Mission Group, our sponsoring organization, is changing donor processing software. This should not involve any changes for our donors, except if you are giving regularly by credit card, in which case you would need to reauthorize this with the new processor beginning in August. Regarding our ministry finances, we've been limiting expenses to about $5k per month and by doing so have slowly been replenishing reserves in our ministry accounts. Our goal is to have 12 months normal expenses in reserve and we currently have just under six months. Our personal income and benefits are about 70% of that, with about 35% covering insurance and taxes and 35% as living allowance. We are grateful for this and find it sufficient in our current situation. Thank you, ministry partners! Paraclete is online at paraclete.net.
Steve and Laura Spinella
US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
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