Countdown to Tübingen

Well, a weekend off from any responsibilities whatsoever was just what Dr. G. S. Cope ordered. Here’s how the coming week looks:

Tonight: Seven support letters written to send out tomorrow morning. Let’s get those monthly numbers up, people!

Monday: A night with the Globalscope Germany dudes? Beers and tears.

Tuesday: Dinner with Globalscope boss Naomi to discuss phasing out of work at EchoEleven.

Friday: A pleasant, all-expenses-paid, three-day drive across the country with my brother as he leaves for grad school at Arizona State. Open skies, old senators. I will be flying back the following Tuesday, Phoenix Sky Harbor to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson.

globalscope girls adorn the steps to our back yard

Something I would like to do with this blog – which I will run until I get to Tübingen, whereupon I will create a new blog – is to get the readers a little more intimate with what we already know about Globalscope Germany. For that reason, I will be authoring a series of entries called Reasons to Support Globalscope Germany, a series whose goal it is to show you fifty aspects of Globalscope Germany so that you, the supporter, can better know the ministry you are/will be supporting.

Reason 50: The Back Yard

Few houses in Germany are blessed with back yards as our campus house is. You see, most German houses are built to fill up smaller plots of land and leave little other space, save for maybe a small garden. Call it German efficiency. But our house has extra room for larger-scale outdoor activities.

For at least the last few years, the 3/4-size asphalt basketball court behind our house has lain dormant, the basketball goals on either end of our yard netless and untouched. But we are looking to make the place come alive with activity. Let’s add a few things: some string lights thrown up between the house and the fence that lines our yard, some student-made graffiti on the shed in the back corner and on the back wall of the house (on removable plywood, of course), some picnic tables, and a grill – and suddenly we have a place where students can relax during the summer semester, where small groups can meet to discuss the latest Bible Study, or where we can invite students to join us at our beginning-of-the-year community bring-your-own-wurst cookout.

Our back yard is just as much a part of our campus house and anything indoors. It is a great asset to our ministry, and it is reason number fifty to support Globalscope Germany.

everything tastes better with it

Oh my, where to start?

This past weekend, Shalynn and I attended our first Catholic baptism. Let me say this about the Catholics: they have perfected the after-party. You have never seen more spare ribs packed into a grill. At CCF, we celebrated each baptism with birthday cake and dancing, but the Catholics will see your cake and dancing and raise you appetizers, endless ribs and wine, and personal gifts from the pope. Yes, the Archbishop of Washington hosted the ceremony and headlined the party, and we got a chance to tell him about Globalscope – and more specifically, Globalscope Germany.

We are proud to say that the Archbishop of Washington – a dude who is like this with the pope – has given Globalscope Germany his personal blessing. Take that, Globalscope Spain.

Meanwhile, work on the PrezEffect project (see post #2) continues; I am in talks about phasing out of my work at EchoEleven to raise support full time; and one-time support continues to come in. I will spend my pre-bed time writing thank-you’s tonight.

because taters taste better as tots

This weekend involved a trip out to Lake Lanier on Friday, a hasty trip back Downtown for the Mosby wedding Saturday morning, then a retreat back out to Lanier for the remainder of the day, then a Sunday morning rush to Tucker for our new and improved contemporary service. Vacations are becoming way too stressful.

This was wedding #5 for me this summer – and the second Globalscope marriage of that set. Globalscope Germany’s own Chris Coleman guest-starred as the best man to Andrew Mosby of Globalscope Chile (featured here: linky), but perhaps the coolest part of the wedding was the revelation that there are students involved in el Oasis down there in Santiago are waiting to come serve as exchange students in Germany!

That said, in talking with Germany team members present at the wedding, it looks like there will be some significant hurdles in getting to the field for our team that will delay our departure. (1) Immunizations may take time on the order of months and (2) monthly support is difficult to come by for everybody on the team. Nobody is where they need to be on the support-raising front. Bad news, I know, but this means more time for me to get involved in the home church and to re-strategize support raising.

As per the requirements of every CMF missionary, I have finished reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Bathroom reading sessions have never been so productive.

because anyone can jump from a one-story dock

And now, the results of the past weekend:

• Learned to water ski. Injuries included a ski to the face and two gallons of lake water ingested. The lake was unharmed.
• Burgers eaten: 2. Steaks eaten: 2.
• Time spent on wave runner: 2 hours. Too few.
• Time spent tubing behind boat: 1:56. Too long.
• MarioKart heats run: 38.
• Number of levels/stories on the dock: 2.
• Fireworks explosions observed from pontoon boat on the lake: 273.
• Good time had by: all.

These stats paid for by ThomCo, family of Mikie and Alli Thompson.

Support raising news: the first issue of a monthly newsletter is a success! Two new supporters have responded via email. I confirmed one more monthly supporter at church. Lots of supporters emerging as the target departure date approaches.

As a bonus, Shalynn and I visited Revolution Church in Little Five Points, Atlanta. It is a small, tight-knit church that deals largely with addictions. Most of the congregation would look very much out of place in a traditional church. The only part of the experience that was cooler than all the tattoos and piercings we saw was the setup of the studio sanctuary – complete with graffiti of scripture on the walls and doors and ceiling, posters for Bruce Lee flicks from the 70′s, and a campy butler mannequin/night stand as a pulpit. It was really refreshing to realize again what it means to be a church family – whether you wear a suit and tie to worship or a Jaegermeister t-shirt.

Shalynn and I are headed up to lake Hartwell to spend a weekend with Globalscope England’s Mikie and Alli.

Please take some time to listen to Ben Dunlap speak about living a passionate life: linky.

This weekend, the Germany dudes got together for some male bonding.

Firstly, we witnessed Spain’s victory in the Euro2008 finals. As the Germans never showed up to play mentally, I question whether the game can really be counted as a loss or win either way.

As responsible future residents of Europe’s “second”-place soccer country, we immediately began training for the 2012 tournament. Several issues remain to be resolved:

• There is the fact that we are not citizens since we are not born of German blood. We are currently looking for loopholes.
• There is also the fact that we are terrible. Flat awful. We played a group of 15 year-olds and were roundly beaten on all counts. The one area of the game where we excelled was in body weight – and we do consider that a skill.

As for support raising: one-time support continues to roll in. I project I will be at 120% of my one-time support by our target departure date. I still am in need of monthly support – of which I confirmed with several people over the past weekend. Writing thank-you’s tonight.