[TEAMspinella] Family time

Laura was saying that she'd like to send out a family letter with a picture instead of Christmas cards. For me, this is still a foreign concept, as I grew up receiving mail only from the occasional grandparent, and have lost more relationships with people that have mattered to me than I've kept. Mostly this is because of two factors common to life in international ministry--transience and living someplace one is not really "from." Well, I guess later I'm from those places, but at the time I sure wasn't :-)!

Still, I can keep learning, right?! And if you've ever gotten a family letter from us, you can probably thank Laura for that! But pandemic year has been all about staying home, even for many of us that are used to travelling. This means such things as showing up every week at my groups, instead of only when I'm in town (except when we're locked down!) Or spending more time with immediate family in our little bubble instead of flitting hither and yon. In some ways it feels like hibernation!

Meanwhile we're on the cusp of, Lord willing, moving from one granddaughter whom we see almost daily to three, one of whom will be a full 50 miles away. (Terribly far, right?!) While we've seen less of our son and daughter in law (who live 50 miles away) because of social distancing, we've still seen much more of them than we ever expected when we figured our kids would probably live on the other side of the world.

In so many ways it feels rich, because relationships are so precious to us, and especially with those closest to us. When I was growing up I wanted more time with my dad, who was often gone or preoccupied--he changed careers, got two advanced degrees, and moved us to three countries, and what might as well have been separate countries in California and Texas. (Believe me, they are more alike now than they were 50+ years ago!) So now I generally think I've won the prize when I get more time with my adult kids than with all the other people out there I still love.

Our granddaughter Evangeline is two now, and that means she has a two years' headstart on the ones who are on their way, but I am under the impression we will somehow find new room for the next ones who will have an equal claim on our hearts. Joey and his wife Laura are anticipating a baby boy around Valentine's Day, and Sarah and John are expecting a sibling for Evangeline in June. We are praying with them all for every good thing for these precious children, and making time for them in our lives.

I've heard that one of the adjustments of retirement is learning to spend more time together as a couple, but it feels like this year has been a huge head start. (No, we're still not yet retired, but I will start medicare next August.)

And we're still the sandwich generation. Laura's mom is more a part of our lives than ever, since Laura's dad has been gone now since August 2019. Lately we've been encouraged that she seems to be enjoying life, even though it continues to bring its challenges. Hopefully we'll still be a sandwich generation for a good while longer--when she's gone, we'll just be the old folks ourselves!

I'm still into biking, now including working on bikes myself a bit, since labor is not so cheap as it was in Taiwan and space is cheaper. So I'm insulating the garage! This year Laura decided to keep track of her altitude gained biking and hiking, and she hit her goal--100,000 feet total. If you use strava to track your rides et al, we do too, one of the few forms of social media on which we're more active. I am still a few hundred feet short of 100,000, so if you want to come hiking with me, let me know--they say the sun will come out tomorrow ;-). Today's a good day to write an email update inside!

We've had some fun ministry adventures this year, too, although they have looked different than we might have imagined. Until it finally got cold, our backyard got more use than we'd ever guessed it would, although it still looks like the biggest sandbox in our neighborhood. Also too many people know that I sometimes play solitaire on the other monitor while I'm on video calls, and now you do too! Who knows what is yet ahead?

We only know that what comes each day is exactly what we are called to embrace and endure, and that the world we look forward to without any pain or fear is not this one!

Recently my Wednesday morning men's group has been looking at the "little books" of the Bible. Today we did the fifth shortest which is Jude, and it is there that you find the context for the way I often sign these email updates "in the one who keeps us." It reminds me that I'm not here because I make a good impression, but I do have someone watching out for me, and that makes all the difference. I hope you have someone watching out for you, too, and that you can watch out for the ones you spend the most time with, too!

Hope to see you soon (but maybe not as soon as we'd like!) 

In the one who keeps us, Steve and Laura 

PS Yes, we're also on zoom, skype, microsoft teams, and google meet. Did I miss anything? Facebook messenger, whats app, line, duo, ....

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] Living on an allowance

When was the last time you got an allowance? If you're an international ministry worker, hopefully it was this month! While there was a time when I got an allowance quarterly, with the more rapid flow of finances around the world and my advanced age, that is like talking about WW2. (Yes, that's World War 2, the one fought in the mid-20th century.) Anyway, most ministry workers don't talk about money in much detail, and some not at all, so I thought some of you might be curious about how it all works. (If that's not you, just skip to the bottom or move on!)

Basically, all the years I've been in intl ministry I've gotten an allowance. This allowance is based on someone's estimate of what I need, not what I deserve. As one friend put it, after he got his doctorate it would have been nice if he had at least gotten a dollar more in his allowance! When I started in my 20s, I only raised $600 a month--and that amount seemed huge to me. I think $120/mo was my living allowance and the rest was for expenses, like travel, administration, public relations, and so forth. Of course, $120 in 1978 would be $478 today, so you don't have to feel quite so bad for me ;-).

Through the years I've gotten cost of living increases, etc., but the biggest change was when our kids left home--when they hit college, our family size changed and our income dropped big-time!* These days, husbands and wives are treated a little differently, but many workers, like us, treat the wife as a volunteer and only take one full-time equivalent anyway.** Of course, every organization has their own policies and scales, but I think you get the drift. And if you're in ministry and want to write back, I'd love to hear how it is for you. There is no "glassdoor" I know of for people like us. (Fellow boomers, glassdoor.com is a website where you can compare your compensation to others in similar positions.)

Did I mention that we only get that allowance if the funds are available in our ministry accounts? Every organization is slightly different, but generally each single or family is responsible for their own fundraising, and the org gets a % toward administrative expenses as the money comes in. Of course, each org tries to keep that amount as low as possible also, but sometimes that means they're also doing direct fundraising to our same donors, but using the money that comes in for general purposes or other projects.

Why do we do this? The bottom line is that we're passionate about maximizing ministry, most of us don't want to spend any more time raising funds than necessary, and we also want to maximize the number of people deployed as God's ambassadors. Think of it this way: We'd rather have another coworker than a bigger allowance.

In the one who keeps us, with love, Steve and Laura

Some notes:

-COVID-19 marches on. For us that means we're still avoiding travel, meeting people outside and virtually, wearing masks when we go places. Many, if not all, of our ministry colleagues face disruptions in travel, ministry, and strategy.

-Because we aren't travelling, we've enjoyed the Colorado fall colors this week. You can see some of our pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/p2q7HLdJLMaA9kx16

-I must be getting old to write an email update like this! Talk to your other ministry friends--some of them may be glad you were interested! Don't be surprised if others are slightly embarrassed. Money stirs up many emotions.

-I'm not writing this because we're short on funds. We greatly appreciate our ministry partners, but as we're "approaching" our senior years we are not actively seeking new funding partners. (See that last paragraph!)

-In our international ministry career, we've been sponsored workers with three non-profits: TEAM.org, MTI.org, and now Paraclete.net. We have served contentedly with each of these and recommend them to others.

  *Our kids got great financial aid. Thank you, Rice University, but that's a different topic. 

  **Right now, we take 35% of one full-time equivalent, which means we need to raise less money!  

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] 64 and 40: forgiveness

I'm over 64 now, and married for 40 of those years. I've known Laura for over two thirds of my life! Thank you, Laura! On our fortieth we were out riding bikes and stopped alongside a group of riders to borrow a pump. When they heard it was our 40th, one asked "what's your advice?"

What would you say? I figured I had about one word of attention, and I blurted out, "Forgiveness." They didn't ask any more questions. I guess that said it all! Practically, over forty years of marriage, all my besetting sins have inserted themselves in our relationship at some point, some right away, others along the way. This is all the more true when one of us, or worse, both of us, are tired, frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed.

The same is true for international ministry. If we think we're going to add a lot of stress to our lives living someplace we otherwise wouldn't for God's sake and always be on our best behavior, we should think again! I'm guessing any relationship strong enough to carry God's message of reconciliation is going to involve people finding out we're sinners ourselves, and hence our need for this gospel. Do we need to sin more to make this point? No, this is not my problem and I don't think it's yours either :-).

So as you might guess, reaching 64 and 40 means reflecting on a lot of regrets in life, marriage, and ministry, as well as a lot of fonder memories. I don't know about you, but I seem to remember the regrets more easily. Maybe I should have said "redemption" instead of "forgiveness?" Real forgiveness means someone has given up the right to pay the first person back, evil for evil. Real forgiveness always costs something. Redemption reclaims something that has been ruined.

When two people get married, they have at least two problems--neither of them are perfect, and they don't communicate perfectly either. (Or is that four problems?!) That means someone needs to make up what's lacking. In my way of thinking, that someone is God, who loves us first.

I'm guessing the same things are true in ministry on God's behalf--we're not perfect and we don't communicate perfectly either. Adding language and cultural differences to that mix does not improve it.

So why do it? It's a grand adventure! It's the chance to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It's a lot of risk, with occasional miraculous payoffs, some of which we even get to see. I'm talking about marriage. I'm talking about ministry. I'm talking about raising kids. (They're all over 30 now!) I'm even talking about friendship.

When I was younger, I thought things would get easier. I'm sure some of them have, but things have also gotten more complicated! Here's to more adventure, in life, marriage, ministry, friendship, and all the rest.

In the one who keeps us, Steve and Laura

PS We haven't gotten on an airplane since early March, but we're using our backyard, front porch, masks, and virtual connections to come alongside others imperfectly, but persistently.  Today someone asked me if this would ever end. I said, "I don't know, but I'm glad it hasn't always been this way!" Perhaps that just shows we're both old :-).

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] My anger

It's in the Bible, in the New Testament letter that begins, "This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." "[Be] slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires."

I titled this "my anger" because the story I know the most intimately and the one I have the most right to tell is my own. I know I'm not the only one who gets angry, but I remember it being one of the scariest parts of growing up, and frankly one of the scariest parts of my adult life too. Now it may seem hard to believe, but I was born with bright red hair, and heard growing up that red heads have a temper. Maybe that's just because I have always had very little skin pigment (except for freckles), and when I get emotional the blood rushes to the surface, giving me a noticeable red flush. Whatever. I certainly know I didn't "blend in" very well…ever! At least that's how I remember it.

As I have aged, my angry eruptions (like a volcano, you know?!) might be more rare. I hope some of you or even most of you have been spared from seeing this, but I know it's still there. I will never know when I've seen the last eruption. The eruptions might also be getting shorter?! But I still identify with the badgers in Brian Jacques's children's novel Redwall. When they fought, they would be taken over by a "blood rage." Perhaps Jacques was a redhead, too, or knew one well?! 

The last time I remember this happening was just over a week ago. It lasted only seconds, but the regret remains. Biking through a fast intersection, I got scared as a large truck barreled toward me honking but not braking, and suddenly I was waving my left hand with only 20% of the digits extended. The back story would only descend into self-justification using such strategies as rationalization and minimization, so I'll leave that to your imagination. When all was said and done, human anger did not bring about the righteousness God was looking for--in me or in the truck (driver.) Maybe he recognized me from church? Or was my neighbor? He was certainly my neighbor at that moment.

Looking back, one of the things I regret the most is getting angry at my kids—and Laura. At some point I realized that my anger was my "go to" when all my more socially acceptable strategies failed to get me what I wanted. If it even succeeds, it is always a short-lived victory at a long-term cost. In other words, my anger is stupid. 

Apparently the Bible agrees, at the very least in this letter from James. This week my Wednesday men's group (in the back yard!) happened upon another saying, from Peter, who may or may not have had an anger problem, but did cut off someone's ear once. His first New Testament letter starts, "…from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ." (Do you like "apostle" better than "slave"? Slave makes me squirm a little in the current social context.) After saying other challenging things, about halfway through Peter gets down to, "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good…than to suffer for doing wrong!" I don't know about you, but that is not the choice I was hoping for. I think he said it because when I'm suffering, one of my first thoughts is, "This is not fair." If I pause long enough, that might take me back to "Human anger does not produce…," but of course pausing and anger are not exactly best buddies.

What does this have to do with international ministry? For me, a desire to see things be different led to the choice to leave a more familiar culture and community and invest in a more uncomfortable one. When my anger tainted my relationships, it resulted in lost opportunities, sometimes long into the future and extending out through interconnected networks. This could be anger about things I had experienced in the past, frustration with limits, failures, or rejection in the present, and even longing for opportunities which were not coming my way. To paraphrase the Biblical James, my anger was not productive, no matter what motivated it.

By the same token, when international ministry workers and their family members become bitter, a bad experience takes on global significance. Even bitterness that almost always remains out of site, lurks in the background, "Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Hebrews 12:15" The example of Esau used here gives me pause, for surely he had some right to be bitter, given that his twin brother was fighting with him and shown privilege from before birth. I am afraid bitterness is poisonous to carry regardless of whether it is justified.

Hopefully this reflection gets you reflecting, as it does me, about yourself, not just your world. I was struck today to read that the birdwatcher in Central Park who experienced some venom said he had no interest in participating in any police case. Paraphrasing what I remember, he was quoted as saying, "Surely this woman has already suffered enough." Perhaps he has found a way to release the offense, and live in peace with all people, so much as it lies with him. I'd like to be like that, and I'd surely like to receive such grace and mercy as well. Is it possible he might even have regret for his part in that encounter with his neighbor? Would you?

In him who keeps us, Steve and Laura

PS All Bible quotations were from the New Living Translation. I won't cite the article about the birdwatcher, but it's in the news today. If I have left you with any offense, now or previously, I invite you to contact me personally any way you prefer—and I regret the offense. One question that might come up is whether, since I am also a therapist, I treat all emotions as valid, including anger? My brief answer would be, "Yes." In this brief reflection I have conflated the emotion with the expression of emotion. If the emotion of anger is the experience of frustration, the challenge is not to use that frustration to justify hurtful actions toward others. It is, after all, the most natural thing in the world!

PPS Regarding news, know that we are not travelling, but we are meeting with people outside and virtually. Like many of you, we're trying to continue to adjust our expectations and choices one day at a time. Thanks for caring about us!

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] Are we there yet?

One of my earlier memories is driving from California to Texas in a Falcon (i.e. small) station wagon pulling a stake trailer loaded with my family's household goods. My parents had made the radical decision to leave nuclear engineering and California (within an hour of both sets of grandparents) so my dad could instead go to graduate school in Bible and theology with the goal of transitioning into a ministry career. It was about 2000 miles, so maybe 40 hours of driving. Mom was pregnant and I was the oldest of three, just turning 6. The old stake trailer behind us was loaded past the stakes in a spectacular mound with my mom's favorite rocking chair lashed upside down on the very top. Half the time the little station wagon had the back seats folded down and layered with suitcases and blankets, making a platform on which we could lay down, but not sit up. The journey seemed to last forever--1962 was pre-interstate highway and there were high mountain passes. Route 66 was loaded with trucks on two lane roads and studded with very marginal small motor hotels--where you can pull up outside your room if you can't drive any further and must spend the night as cheaply as possible. Long story short--we weren't there yet, and we had a very limited idea of what "there" would be like when we arrived. It was definitely hot and automotive air conditioning was not yet a thing, at least in that Falcon. Prominently featured along the way with three kids under 6--"Can you wait another fifteen minutes?" Looking back, I feel the worst for my pregnant mom.

For some reason COVID-19 and 2020 make me remember this story, when the journey felt like it would go on forever. Will this be the best time ever, the interminable wait, or the wasted year? I really don't know. I do know that when we got to Texas back in 1962, there was more hardship waiting for my family. Was it worth it? I once would have answered, "For sure!" Now I look back knowing that there were other stories that never happened because we embarked on that journey. Some might have been better. Some might have been worse. I do know that my parents ended up doing a better job than many in successfully passing their core values on to their kids. Since we now range from 63 to 57 years old, I can say that with some confidence. But there are certainly many ways of viewing life and deciding what matters. I do know that is the journey that was and life went on for us from there.

So today, I watch with interest as life goes on from here. Six months ago no one I knew expected a pandemic to sweep the world. Some I know still doubt it today! (That would definitely NOT include my sister in Spain.)

For our ministry, many things we were doing and planned to do have not happened. But we have done more on skype, zoom, Google meet, et al than we ever anticipated, and more recently we've also used our backyard and a few other outdoor places for face to face meetings. I don't even know when I will travel again, especially internationally.

For our family, mostly we have continued, with adjustments, in our routines. Everyone who works has done at least some working from home, and most of us have only worked from home since things shut down here in Colorado. Delightfully, our kids all live in Colorado, mostly quite close. Serendipitously, Colorado is often pleasant outdoors and we do not live in a crowded situation.

If we are always focused on our destinations, I think we can miss a lot in our journeys. So each day, I am trying to ask anew, "How can this day be the best day possible?"--even when things go awry, and a) things don't go as planned, b) there is pain, frustration, and/or fear along the way, or even c) it's not a good day at all. And who knows what is yet ahead? Apparently we can still be surprised. We're not there yet, and we may not even be going where we thought.

In him who keeps us, Steve and Laura

PS Do you read this any differently than you would have six months ago? "The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. Furthermore, they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing. Revelation 9:20-21 (NET)"

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] Adjust and adapt, accomodate and embrace

We are definitely in unusual times. Things are complicated! As one writer put it, we're in a recession by proclamation--government after government shut down travel and commerce. And then there's the virus--we know it won't kill everyone, but more and more we're hearing about people who have died or could die. So many of us--maybe even all of us--are afraid. We are changing, some of us maybe more than others, sometimes by choice, sometimes not.

It's gotten me thinking about the cross-cultural training about "adjusting" and "adapting." One of them means that I stay the same inside, but accommodate new situations and demands. The other means that I actually become a different person through the new situations I find myself. My problem is I can never remember which is which! Is "adjusting" changing me or just changing my appearance? Is "adapting" conforming my approach to demands and situations or becoming a different me? Here's my workaround: When I embrace change, I'm letting it change me, at least a little. When I accommodate change, I'm adjusting my approach, but hanging onto my pre-existing values and worldview.

So are you accommodating or embracing change these days? Suddenly this has gone from a particular challenge for people who live and work internationally to challenge for all of us, or at least more so than before.

Sometimes accommodating is good. I am isolating myself physically from people outside my little bubble, but I don't want to stop loving and caring for people because of this isolation. Of course, how I show that love had better change or I'm not even accommodating!

Sometimes embracing change is better. I've never liked connecting "virtually." I am not a digital native like my granddaughter Evie, who has experienced personal electronics from birth. For Evie, Grandpa on the screen is just as much Grandpa as in the kitchen. Evie can't talk yet, but she still tries to communicate with us over the phone line or video screen. In fact, Evie thinks her grandmother is available virtually whenever. Can I treat virtual communication as a seamless part of real communication? If I do, that would be embracing change. What if I start thinking of Evie as available virtually whenever?!

We can embrace change. Take food. When I went to Taiwan, rice became a staple like bread for me. I don't like "Chinese food"--I do like lots of foods when they are prepared well in the ways I experienced and adopted while living in Taiwan. Rice became a staple, noodles not so much. Dry noodles are okay. I still just accommodate soup noodles. Brown rice? Laura wishes I would embrace it. I accomodate it. Homemade bread? It is definitely part of the Spinella micro-culture. I embrace it. (So does Evie.)

So adjust or adapt--may God give you grace to accommodate what you must, and embrace what you can. We are definitely in unusual times.

In him who keeps us, Steve (and Laura)

PS Speaking of virtual communication, I'm on google, skype, whatsapp, line, facebook messenger, and zoom, mainly as "stevespinella", and connecting virtually more than ever, for life and for ministry. See you around! 

One link about COVID-19 (novel coronavirus): Douglas Habecker catches COVID-19 in Taiwan (Doug was a friend, a fellow international, and on the counseling center board during our time in Taiwan.)

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] When faced with a pandemic...

Here's the best personal reflection I've seen so far on living with CoVid*, from an international ministry worker in Italy. *CoVid: aka COVID19, Coronavirus, 

https://tellosblog.com/2020/03/15/coping-with-the-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR3K4Zo623A3DWsYHmUiOOZoPJFBLUpjjey1UZpdkAjPT6yZ6UVp-YUTQTw

This family stayed with us briefly--seems like just the other day, but their baby is a schoolgirl now. The mom's reflections remind me that when faced with difficult circumstances, the first thing we all do isn't heroic--we start by facing difficulties along with everyone else. 

In my case, facing difficult circumstances means that I've already had to apologize--and that's only the times I recognized. I can definitely see that I'm grouchier and that it will probably get worse as I continue to face uncomfortable limits, pressure to make changes, and in general the need to adjust and endure.

Here's the best article I've seen on what might be ahead for us and why, based on what's already happened in China.

https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/03/14/china-may-prevented-95-virus-cases-acted-silenced-whistleblowers-warning/ 

The two main takeaways I got from this article is that measures to slow the spread of the disease matter a lot and that the more successful we are at slowing the disease, the longer we can expect to continue taking measures. The phrase "several months" comes up. Also, I realized that the measures that have been taken so far are likely only the beginning, and we can expect social distancing et al to keep ramping up for some time yet.

Thanks to my daughter-in-law first, but now I see it going viral, here's the best article I've seen explaining the math behind social distancing. It motivated me to take social distancing more seriously.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/?itid=hp_hp-banner-low_virus-simulator520pm%253Ahomepage%252Fstory-ans

Finally, a shout out to my friends that I had to apologize to, for patiently explaining that I was minimizing how serious this pandemic is. 

When we went through the big earthquake in Taiwan in 1999 some of us responded by explaining why it wasn't that bad. Others responded by explaining how this was our chance to be heroic. Many of us stated that we should not be afraid. But we were afraid, all of us, and we all suffered acute trauma. Many of us also later had symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

I learned to say that there is no normal response to highly abnormal circumstances, that we are all on a journey with ups and downs, glitches and frustrations, and that whatever our reactions are, we can accept them and ask what should we do next (maybe including repent or apologize!) One of my friends quotably said, "I wasn't afraid. I just knew that I had to get my family out of that apartment as fast as I could."

So whatever our journey holds, may we find grace, mercy, and peace, even where we least expect it or deserve it, and may God also give us joy along the way, in what I am currently calling "the Great American Staycation." (Yes, I'm saying this ironically, I know it's not a fun time and that there are personal, social, and economic costs that we know will be significant and probably unforgettable.)

Let's ask for mercy, grace, and peace, for ourselves, for each other, for those we love, and for those around the world that we may not even know about, much less know personally.

Steve and Laura

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] When are we productive?

Laura: Could you please join me in prayer for our IWC meeting tomorrow?  

Attendance, engagement, relationships, children...all the regular requests!

We will have a program focused on "heros"--and what a true hero is.  Pray for stimulating discussion, and for questions to be stirred that will draw hearts to our true hero!  

Steve and i will be headed to Houston on Saturday for a week+ at Bridgepoint.  Then we are headed to Costa Rica for 1.5 week of vacation!  We would appreciate your prayers for this trip as well.  And for my Mom, as she misses us when we are gone!  Thankfully John, Sarah and Evie will be around for her!

Steve: I've been in a quieter time since the winter holidays. We've had snow, resulting in some cancellations, and we put off our January travel, with our first travel of the year coming up this Saturday. While we have still had some significant activities, it's been quieter. We've even had some sickness (minor, no coronaviruses detected!)

This has caused me to reflect--can I handle quiet? Am I "addicted" to being busy, or to travel? Is it okay to be quiet? What if my life was always quiet or permanently quiet? Will that be the real sign of old age? Will my mind always be filled with racing thoughts and questions?!

One friend told me that it's not just that old people get asked to do less, but we actually become less capable--and are sometimes the last to notice (or we think we're hiding it.) If you think you're the one that told me this, remember, too, I might have heard this more than once--and I've certainly thought it.

I also noticed in the news another leader stepping down, this time because he was identified as abusing his authority--"he was the best preacher/teacher I have experienced, but if you disagreed with him, you had become a law unto yourself--not a good thing." (My paraphrase, but if you want the source, you can email me.)

Productivity isn't bad, nor is good teaching. But our rested performance is often our best performance, the best played music may not be the music that stretches our capacity to its limits, and the best love is not about us. Beyond this, our best news is not about our performance, but rather our reliance on our God. And if we are relying on God for our performance, don't worry--this sort of performance is not that impressive to God. God has been doing these sorts of things all the time, and all throughout time.

Thanks for remembering us and praying for us, whether we're busy or quiet, neither or both.

In the one who keeps us, Steve & Laura

PS Let's pray for the sick and quarantined. Link to my favorite computer graphic right now: Coronavirus graphic from Johns Hopkins CSSE

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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[TEAMspinella] Happy New Year! 2019 Christmas letter

Dear friends and family,

          The very best thing about 2019 is watching Evie learn and grow. Our first granddaughter was born mid-fall 2018 on her father John Forcey's birthday. Watching her facial expressions as she tries new foods is priceless. She walked before she crawled, and scootched, her fill in for crawling. She knows signs for help, please, thank you, milk, all done, etc., and supplements with pointing and tonal imitations of talking (and animal sounds!) Laura places toy animals throughout the house and does a tour, one of Evie's demand activities for both of us.

          And the very worst thing about 2019 was walking alongside Laura's dad Bob as he died from dementia. While we all tried to enjoy everything we could, it's just hard and the end was especially hard. Staying engaged and alongside was a discipline for all of us, and especially Martha, Laura's mom. One treat was the more frequent visits from Laura's family which culminated in the mega-gathering and the memorial service when his life ended—a good farewell and a good beginning to the challenges of life without him. He was a good man and a close friend to me as well as Laura's dearest dad. She wanted to be there when he died and she was. She did however make me promise to eat zucchini and spinach for the rest of my life….

          I got to travel some more, looking for those "good conversations" with people in international ministry, and we even took a vacation. We imposed on friends in Hawaii for a great trip together in January, went to Houston together, and I went to Taiwan twice, the first being when Laura came AND got cataract surgery. I also went to Ohio to staff an MK transition seminar, and to AZ, IN, MD, MI, NC, NM, and Sonora, Mexico. We also had folks come to see us, more than once or twice! We'll continue to juggle responsibilities here with travel for ministry (and occasional vacations).

          It's hard to tell which Laura loves more, hanging with Evie, being alongside her mom and dad, or connecting with the international women through International Women's Connection. Actually it isn't hard to tell, but she does love them all. She's been both busy and stressed this year, but these are all people that matter much to her. She loves me and her children, too! Still seeing Laura with Evie is one of the best things ever.

          Sarah is balancing parenting with doing psychology at Mayfield Associates, while John balances parenting with teaching philosophy at UCCS and Pikes Peak. They live around the corner from us with Laura's mom, which is a great help! Joey and Laura are in Lakewood, CO, now in a 1953 house they've made a home, loving people and doing STEM. Joey is now at Ping Identity (product manager) and his wife Laura is at NREL (National Renewable Energy Labs, materials scientist.) Robert got his black belt in Taekwondo and took up Jujitsu, which he seems to like even better. My wife Laura hopes Robert doesn't hurt himself and never takes up mixed martial arts. He continues with Dr Roark in the eye clinics, now finishing his 7^th year. We get together more since we all live in Colorado at the moment, and also got away to Steamboat Springs together in August.

With love and gratitude,

Steve and Laura

Steve and Laura Spinella

US: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920

mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <

lauraspinella@gmail.com>

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