Just a week after arriving back in the States, we repacked our bags and hit the road for Indiana. World Gospel Mission headquarters is located an hour north of Indianapolis and hold regular debriefing and training sessions for missionaries returning to the US. We don’t yet have a car, so we borrowed our old Jeep from our dear friends who bought it from us before we moved. Driving enabled us to see friends along the way, including Grandma and Grandpa Olsen! And Auntie Kristin, too! I have some really great photos from our visit with them, but they are in the cloud and I can’t seem to get them out. That mysterious cloud, I tell you. I’ll figure it out eventually and share the pictures when I do.
One of our favorite places to go when we’re at WGM HQ is Ivanhoe’s. They serve typical American food like burgers and fries and hot dogs, but they’re famously known for their menu featuring 101 different sundaes. I find it nearly impossible to choose, so I tend to flip open the menu and pick the first thing I see. Their strawberry shortcake is amazing, but this time Pete and I were pretty into the blackberry chocolate sundae. The kids shared the happy birthday sundae, complete with a lit birthday candle! The restaurant has a giant bulletin board with photos customers have posted on social media. Check out the handsome little guy on the left side below! It’s Sammy baby when we were at Ivanhoe’s two years ago!
I’m so thankful to be a part of an organization that values its members as much as WGM values us. Member Care is the department that focuses on our health as missionaries – mentally, physically, spiritually. All four of us spent our first week at HQ in debriefing sessions to help process our first year in Kenya. We met with pastors and counselors, hand time on our own to journal and pray, and got to spend some really great time with other missionaries coming off the field from different places around the world.
Our second week consisted of training sessions to freshen up on various aspects of being missionaries in the US. There was a lot of work to do in Kenya, and there’s a lot of work to do in the States, but some of it looks a little different. Things like tracking and reporting our expenses, arranging to speak at churches and small groups, and staying in close communication with our friends and supporters. It was all really great info. I’m glad we had a chance to get refreshed on all of it already!
Ella didn’t stick around with us the second week at HQ. Instead, she went to her very first week of summer camp! Pete & I both grew up going to summer camp, and in college we were both on staff at adventure camps in Montana (before we met), so we’re huge fans of camp. Ella was a bit nervous before going but came back asking when she can go again. Yay! This was MK Camp (Missionary Kids) with a bunch of other kids whose families are with WGM. Any of the kids in the States during the summer are invited to attend, so it worked perfectly that we were there at the right time. Actually, that was part of our plan. We thought it would help Ella transition back to the States to spend time with a few kids she knew from Kenya and other kids who understand this whole transition process. We’re so glad she liked it!
The fun of being at HQ is getting to reconnect with friends who work in the WGM offices. Laura led the team that came over to Kenya this past May that Pete and I helped put together. It was really great to spend time with her, especially to hear about all her wedding details. Wedding planning is so much fun! I have some other fun plans with Laura coming up, but I’ll share those details in a post very soon.
Our time in Indiana was really good. I was able to work through some of the emotions I’ve been fighting with and talk to friends who totally understand the challenges of moving back and forth between cultures. Even being back in Minnesota, some moments just feel hard, but each day gets easier. Pete’s working in a local ER again, Ella just got a new pet hamster, and the kids are excited for school in a few weeks.
Things are moving in a good direction!
[…] the last few months. One such adventure began when we were in Indiana last month. As I mentioned in our road trip post, we borrowed our old Jeep from Luke & Hannah to make the trip to WGM HQ. We drove the Jeep all […]