Ok, the rest of the family has written for this mission blog and someone suggested it would be nice to hear from a mother-of-the missionary’s perspective. After all, those are my grandchildren they are taking away to South America. (No, dear, it’s not a theme park, it’s a real foreign country.)


Someone who had just met my daughter asked me if I raised her to be the special, Holy-Spirit filled person they found her to be. That question got me thinking. Anyone who knows Christie will readily admit that she is not your average Joe (or should I say Josephine?) That question caused me to look back and connect a few dots. I was almost 19 years old when Christie was born and though I was too young to know much, I knew I needed help. I admitted to God that I did not know how to be a good parent and asked Him to help me. When she was three, a salesman for Parent’s magazine stopped by and convinced me that I could not raise a child properly without advice from her magazine’s columnists. Then she spouted off some quote from Dr. Spock, her favorite expert. Alas, I could not afford a subscription and felt hopeless for my child’s future after the lady left. I asked God how I could do a good job without those helpful books. The answer came clearly--use the Holy Book that generations before you have used. And now in hindsight, as part of the generation that witnessed Dr. Spock’s failed experiment, I’m thankful that I used the Book that’s never been wrong.

Like every mom, I remember my daughter’s first day of kindergarten. For months we’d talked about all the new friends she would meet, interesting things she would learn, and the great fun she would have. Finally the big day came. Five-year-olds held tightly to mom’s and dad’s hands. Some children wailed loudly while others cried quietly. Teachers welcomed everyone and tried to maintain order. My daughter sat down happily in her little desk with her school supplies. For a few moments I stood beside her chair, glad that she’s not crying, but not quite knowing what to do. She looked up at me and suddenly it seemed our roles were reversed. “Mom,” she said softly, “you can go home now.” I’m very proud that she never shed a tear. Somehow, though on that clear, hot August day, my car’s windshield was so foggy I could barely drive home.

After a few weeks, I visited the classroom to check in with her teachers. Ms. Williams face broke into a huge smile as she welcomed me. “Your daughter is doing very well in class. But she’s delightful to watch on the playground. If anyone gets hurt or cries, she is the first one there to help them and cheer them up. In fact, she reminds me of a little missionary.”

Don’t ask me why I remember those words from 30 years ago. I guess like Mary, these are some words a mother keeps and ponders in her heart. Especially when those words turn out to be prophetic.

I suppose having parents, grandparents and a ton of cousins, aunts and uncles who loved her, my daughter took for granted that this was the case for every child. I remember she was very young when the painful realization hit her that some children did not have homes or families. She was silent for a few moments. Then with childish determination she declared, “When I grow up, I will have a big house for all the children who have no home, and I’ll take care of them there.” Now would you believe it? The mission station she and her family are traveling to has, among other things, a home for abandoned children.

Somehow it feels like I’m back in the kindergarten class. She’s so excited about the wonderful new friends she will meet, interesting things she will learn and the joy of introducing people to Jesus. And I’m very proud of her again.
--Kathy (www.kathylighterside(dot)blogspot(dot)com)

Less than two weeks from now, I'll be in the air headed for Peru, to my favorite city in the world--Iquitos. Iquitos is in the hot, humid Amazon jungle region. I'll be sipping the camu-camu juice (more like GUZZLING IT!) and helping with their first ever youth camp.

After that, I'll spend a little time in the capital city Lima and then head north by bus to Trujillo. From there, I'll go further north to the desert city of Piura and have youth camp again. Then it's back to Lima, where it's a bit chilly this time of year, and further south into Chincha. Chincha was one of the cities badly damaged from the earthquake in Peru last year. Back to Lima, then over to the cities of Tingo Maria and Huanuco. This region is called the high jungle, because it is tropical and green, but at a very high altitude.

Many of the stops on this trip will be new places for me (you all know that I LOVE going to new places), but I will also see some old friends, meet a new goddaughter, and hopefully get to run in that tremendous soccer stadium in Iquitos with my buddy Maribel. This trip will include camps, orphanages, churches large and small, missions, street ministry, a prison, and lots more. I can't wait to see what God has in store.

These short-term trips are always sad times, too, because I am away from my family. Being able to travel and minister TOGETHER is one thing I REALLY look forward to when we live in Paraguay. We work best as a team, and it's going to be great to involve our kids and not have to separate to follow our dreams. Please pray for them and for me when we are apart, and pray that God really moves during this trip, preparing the way ahead of our team and putting us in exactly the places He wants us at just the right times.

Phwew! I finally get to exhale! I took the plunge and bought our plane tickets, so it's a done deal now... we're really going. We'll leave Charlotte on November 6 and arrive the next day in Asuncion, Paraguay, after brief stops in Miami and Brazil.

Camille and Caroline are so excited at the thought of FLYING! Unfortunately (or maybe it's a good thing), our longest flight will be overnight. The views they'll see will be of Georgia and Florida, and then the sun will be up when we fly over Brazil into Paraguay.

I broke the cardinal rule I've been reading on travel websites everywhere, and bought ONE WAY tickets. Then Dan Miller basically gave me a heart attack by mentioning, quite casually, that there was a possibility that we wouldn't receive Visas granting us entry into the country if we didn't have a return flight booked. Well, after my brief coronary infarction, it turns out that rule is for Canadians. Phwew again! Well, we're this much closer to being there!!!

It feels a bit like playing the stock market. I don't LIKE playing the stock market. I've never been one to "hold out" for a better price unless I knew for sure one was coming (like all those winter clothes that go on sale after Christmas, or flip-flops going 75% off after Labor Day).

But here I am trying to secure airline tickets for five of us, nervously watching the prices rise and fall. We've pretty much gotten our dates narrowed down now (first week of November), and I've read all the pointers about how to get the best deals. Fly on Thursdays, make your dates flexible, be open to layovers, etc.

And I was pleased as punch to find out that there are actually travel agencies out there (online, no less) who specialize in missionary airfares. I haven't seen any major differences in price yet, but who knows? For now, I keep stalking the websites and checking the going-rates like a mother hen brooding over her chicks. (No small feat for those of us on dial-up internet, mind you!)

So if you have any tips for securing the best deal, feel free to comment. Don't bother to tell me that I should layover for 24-hours, however! :)

We squeezed in a quick camping trip this past weekend, and I have to tell you, I'm no fan of bugs. I don't care for the crawling ones or the flying ones or the tiny ones or the large ones or the stinging ones or the harmless ones. They all are considered intruders in my domain.

As we were going to sleep in the pop-up, it struck me that there will be a whole new set of bugs and spiders in South America, and I'll have to learn which ones are dangerous and which are safe for Caroline to carry around and name as pets. Needless to say, I didn't go right to sleep that night. So you can pray for me. I get it that we're "resting in the Lord's hands" and taking a leap of faith here. I'm just not quite cool with creepy crawlies yet.