Travel out to Seattle: Iowa to Washington state was a long drive, I enjoyed driving through the vastness of South Dakota and Montana. Along the way, I stopped to share at Union Center’s church in SD, visited the Devil’s tower in Wyoming, took quick lunch stops at a buffalo jump and a prairie dog town. (Mia was so frustrated that the prairie dogs wouldn’t run, but instead just jumped into their holes.)
As I got into the pines and mountains of Washington I began wishing that I was Paul Bunyan and that Mia was the big blue ox so that I could cut some trees down to get some sun! I always loved trees in Iowa and Ethiopia but something in the Washington air (or lack of sun) that made me want a chainsaw! (I am slowly learning to accept Washington evergreens even though they do compete with me for the coveted rays of sun.)
(Seattle skyline at sunset)
Home: I live on Martha Lake, and have a wonderful little place to call home. I fenced the yard so that Mia can enjoy being outside and I can enjoy her having some freedom.
(my fenced yard--farm background still comes in handy here!)
My brother, Steve surprised me on Labor Day weekend. I went downtown and picked him up on Friday night and we enjoyed a meal down by the sound at The Crab Pot. He treated to a meal where we got to eat all sorts of things from the sea including crablegs (Yum!). They dump it all in front of you on a piece of butcher paper, give you a wood cutting board for a plate and a mallet and little fork for utensils and a bib and you go at it. The work of getting the crab was definitely worth it!
Since it was a weekend and Steve had just finished his rotation, he stayed for the weekend and so our weekend filled up with hiking, biking and picking blackberries. He even stayed long enough to go into work with me and meet all of my co-workers. I think that they were on their best behavior that day so he didn’t get to see all of their true colors! It was fun to be able to share my life with me and I enjoyed having him around to get my bikes tuned up.
I am attending a church called Mars Hill they put a big emphasis on reaching out to the local communities and also on small groups. I was invited to a small group hosted by my co-worker, Diana. I absolutely love it. A really fun thing is that they are going through the Bible in a story-telling fashion. Since I had experience with this in Ethiopia I am enjoying seeing how it works and looks different, yet still very effective way of teaching in this American culture. Most of all I enjoy the atmosphere of discussing the Word with other like-minded (and like-language!) believers. I have missed having this the past few years in Ethiopia and so it is such a huge treat for me!
Work: I work at the best office in the world! The Christian Veterinary Mission office in Seattle is pretty cool. The staff is about ½ vets and about ½ non-vets. As you can imagine sometimes the conversation gets a little difficult for those with a queasy stomach. So the non-vet people have to be pretty tolerant of us. Seriously we work a lot but also play a lot. At least half of us have spent significant parts of our lives living in the developing world. There is rarely a boring story that gets told. On a regular basis fieldworkers come through for orientation or debrief and so I get to hear what CVM is doing world-wide.
(Dr. Val Shean & I with a souvenir gun I brought from Ethiopia for her)
At the end of August we held our annual “short-course” in Kansas City. I was able to go and share my experiences and help train those who are preparing for short-term and long-term missions. In my free-time I got to hang out with my friends and supporters and even speak in an African American church. That was cool!
(Co-workers Diana & Tiffany at a birthday lunch)
But office work is office work and my time is spent doing things to allow individuals to go overseas and impact a small part of the world with their veterinary skills. Part of my time is spent in accounting and database programs—looking at names and information and keeping it all straight and putting the right info in the right boxes. Whew—mundane! I am amazed at the amount of support work that is needed to keep info about opportunities going out to 1000 potential volunteers, equipping 250 people to go out each year, and keeping the accounts active for 100 volunteers so that they can raise support for their trips. My job overlaps with at least 6 others in the office, and so I’m learning a lot about teamwork and communication. I must say that my favorite part is hearing the feedback from someone who just came back from a trip and interacting with them…it is neat to see how God has used them and grown them—often in ways that they didn’t expect. I get to encourage them along their journey, and be a part of what God is doing in their lives.
Fun: Most of my free time is spent learning my neighborhood, fixing up my place and keeping my dog exercised. I’ve enjoyed hanging out with friends from work. I’ve gotten to experience a little bit of Ethiopian life and have enjoyed finding a couple Ethiopian restaurants to eat at.
(view from a Patti's (co-worker) house on Whidby Island)
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