Seeking our mission (or missions!)
9/19/25
Wednesday Cal went to Credo Schloss Unspunnen to staff the Catalyst International Traction missionary retreat in Switzerland. It’s just over a 2-hour drive from our apartment in Neuenburg. We did a little sightseeing on the way that included a patio lunch on Lake Thun and a quick visit to Lauterbrunnen (Tolkien’s stated inspiration for Rivendell—I’ll just leave it at that). The missionaries arrived Thursday, and by bedtime Cal had soaked up meaningful introductory conversations with no less than six of the men, and even his big extrovert tank was running on empty (albeit a very happy empty). Today he is texting me photos of the morning presentation containing quotes from Dallas Willard and Oswald Chambers just to make me wish I could be there. By the end of the weeklong conference, we may have months’ worth of new content to talk about together.
Meanwhile back on the ranch, I started my solo adventure by driving the Peugeot 2008 stick shift back from Wilderswil through heavy traffic in Bern and Basel and made it safely back to Neuenburg, where I realized I was hungry, exhausted, and perhaps a tad stressed; a hint of my previous bout with itchy hives even surfaced, but thankfully didn’t last. My Thursday consisted of working my email follow-ups, shopping for basics like Q-tips and cumin (at a leisurely pace I can only do alone), and doing a couple loads of laundry in the combo washer/dryer (tiny by US standards) that I’m still learning how to use. It’s quite an amazing machine, but took awhile to find an English version of the user manual to figure out how to prevent every load from washing in hot water and roasting to a crisp in the dryer cycle (apparently heat is considered energy efficient because it reduces cycle time).
Today, with my task list largely checked off, I’m better able to focus on my pursuit of God and my personal mission here. I listened to the entire books of 1st and 2nd Peter. Then I was drawn to pull out the recipe cards where my small group friends had written verses for us, and “do not fear” was right there on top. From Tom & Stephanie, there was Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” I just started writing down everything I had recently feared (yes it’s a fearfully long list): I have been afraid—of not bringing something essential, of not getting through customers/border inspections, of not making the right first impression, of driving on steep mountain roads, of driving too fast, of unforeseen health issues, of living here without the right health insurance, of failing to prepare/apply/be approved to stay past 90 days, of spiders and unknown creatures, of driving by myself, of staying with strangers, of failing to maintain the apartment to host expectations, of offending someone here by what I post (or don’t post) to this blog, of the laptop failing in any number of ways, of our phones failing without backups, of losing purse/wallet/passport/car title/keys/credit cards/money, of gaining weight and losing fitness, of missing opportunities, of failing God and our support team, of losing relationship ground with grandkids and kids, of losing Murray, of giving up our home (a nice spectrum of past, present and future fears—I cover my bases well). Whew.
Then God drew me to another recipe card, this one from Gwen with Jeremiah 17:7-8, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not FEAR when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has NO WORRIES in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Hmm. Perhaps God is trying to tell me something. Pray that it gets from my head into my heart, but also deeper into my mind. I don’t think it is coincidence that Cal and I have a whole week apart with different agendas this early in our 3+ month trip. God is speaking to us both, and we truly appreciate your prayers as we try to listen and find not only where our mission lies as a team but also where God wants to use us individually.