Hellos and Goodbyes

Hello Bellingham, Goodbye road. We arrived today at the Huckabarons after 6 weeks on the road. Our training ended last Friday and we've been making our way home ever since. Leaving MTI was rough. I'll post more about this later, but it is amazing how close we felt to many of our fellow future missionaries. Leaving was very tearful but good. It was sad to think that many of the folks we came to know at MTI, we may never see again. Thankfully, there will be a few great folks headed to locations near Zambia and God-willing we'll see them in Africa someday down the road. Our trip back took us through Fort Collins (thanks Jon and Heather!), Rock Springs, WY (and Evanston, WY where we attended a nice little Presbyterian church who welcomed us like family), Paul, ID (thanks Jeremy & Nichole!), Baker City, OR, and Yakima, WA (time with the Martinsons and Sorensons --Yeah!). Thanks again to all the folks who welcomed us into their homes and churches and families. It was a HUGE BLESSING. Now it's time to settle in and get to work. Zamfest 2009 is next week, we've got bills to pay, people to call and desserts and bible study meetings to set up. We'll be calling you soon.

10-year Wedding Anniversary

Happy Halloween everyone! Yesterday was our 10-year wedding anniversary. Hard to believe! But thanks to our merciful and generous Savior, Kelly and I are still together and improving with age. Seriously... thank you, Jesus!

Kelly and I were not Christians when we got married. Our ceremony was about 5 minutes long and honestly, not all that special. So, for our anniversary we decided to renew our vows with God at the center of the ceremony. We asked our new friend Ian, who is a retired Anglican priest, to do a little something for us. Some folks from our training came to celebrate with us and Ian prepared a very nice, worshipful ceremony. I was nervous for some reason, but Kelly and I both enjoyed it and were so happy for the opportunity to honor God and each other.

Here are some of the closing prayers, which I thought were very beautiful:

Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of grace, look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and especially upon Kelly and Tricia whom you have made one flesh in Holy Matrimony.

Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy.

Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life.

Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other's forgiveness and yours.

Make their life together a sign of Christ's love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair.

We give you thanks for Lucas; the gift and heritage of children, the grace to bring them up to know you, to love you, and to serve you.

Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others.

Most gracious God, Father of all, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name.

By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing on Kelly and Tricia. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle on their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to your heavenly rest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Missionaries in Training

Today was a very special day for us and we will post an update about that soon. BUT, this week of training at MTI was really intense and I wanted to write a little bit about what we are doing here for those of you who are interested, before I forget.

This week we went over a number of topics including conflict resolution and our conflict styles (Tricia - that's me - is a SHARK, and Kelly is a TURTLE... big surprise). We also covered adversity and God's plan for our trials and difficulties as well as how we handle stress.

Lots of heavy topics but one of the craziest experiences of the week was a hostage simulation we went through. Basically our large group was separated into two smaller groups and each group was placed in a makeshift shelter. We were given a scenario and we were supposed to try to "be ourselves" as the scenario played out. The scenario became more and more intense as the group was presented with an opportunity for a few people to escape and then that opportunity was rejected because we wanted to give the other team (who we were in contact with by radio) the chance to send a group to the rescue helicopter.

Then all of a sudden our group was captured and the "enemy" soldier really started to rough up our group. He said that we could choose three of our group to be traded to our government in exchange for three of their military leaders that were being held. There were a few of us there that were young moms so the group said to take us. But when we were removed from the shelter shots started firing and it appeared we were being executed.

I'm going to stop here to say that even though this was just a simulation, I was having a very strong emotional reaction to all that was happening. I had kept my cool pretty well until I was chosen to leave the group. Even though they were trying to help me, I really didn't want to leave the group behind. The "enemy soldier" had me lie down on the cement floor and cover my head. I could no longer see what was happening to anyone else in my group. When shots were fired I seriously lost it! I was totally weeping and having a hard time getting back in control. Snot was streaming down and I got a bloody nose. I could not escape the thoughts that even though this was not real, violence like this simulation is happening all over the world all the time. I was completely overwhelmed by these thoughts and felt so convicted about the fact that I do NOT pray enough for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted.

Anyway, it was wild. I really was not expecting a simulation to affect me so deeply. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of how I handle stress, ha ha ha. When the simulation was over I was a mess and a few people in our group came and prayed with me as we all tried to pull ourselves together. I felt relieved and embarrassed and exhausted.

Obviously I will think of that experience again down the road. I want to be more faithful in praying for those that are facing violence around the world and this is good motivation. I'm sure I will have more thoughts as I process this experience but I just wanted to give you all a bit of an insight into the training we are going through. While this simulation is by far the heaviest of the activities we have done here, all of the training has been valuable and for the most part, quite serious. I am so grateful for all that we are learning here. Thank you for your prayers!

At MTI in Palmer Lake

Well, for all (two) of you Huckablog followers, we have safely arrived in Palmer Lake, CO @ Mission Training International. We spent the last week on the road from Oakland, Ca - where we visited with Tricia's brother, went to the beach, saw a lot of sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, and checked out an emergency room, Luke stepped off a curb while I was holding his hand and it dislocated his elbow. Easy fix, and he was a trooper. We traveled through some of the most boring country (central Nevada), stayed with the cousin of a friend in Salt Lake (thanks Steve & Matthew), and drove through some of the most beautiful country (I-70 through Colorado). We arrived at MTI safely on Monday afternoon with two minutes to spare before our orientation started. That Monday it was in the mid-70's and clear and sunny, by Tuesday it was cool and foggy, and by Wednesday morning there was 3" of snow on the ground and 30 mph winds. Big change.

So far, we have settled into a routine here between classes, meals, and family time. So far the training is great. One of the best things, though is this:

One of the trainers said - "You are now among your tribe, your people group. These people understand support-raising, traveling and sleeping on couches and speaking at churches and bible studies." This is so true - I have felt a little out of place in the world over the last six months. We're not quite here or there and often feel that no-one in the world and most people in the Church have no idea what you're going through. Being around these people is a blessing.

week one - road trip

Well. We are all surviving and having a very nice time with our friends and family along the way. Had a lovely visit with our very old friends the Collmers in Vancouver, WA. A short day of driving to Grant's Pass, OR hotel offered a needed swim and a chance to catch up on sleep - we all went to sleep around 7:45. In the morning we took a long walk around the little town, got coffee and hit the road. We drove into Whitmore, CA the long and scenic route (oops, thanks Google maps) and stayed with new friends in a pretty little cabin in the piney woods of the California foothills. Had a chance to meet their pastor and his family and had a great dinner and time of conversation & fellowship. In the crisp fall morning, we picked Arkansas Black apples and fed them to the horses. We hit the road a little late but after an EXTREMELY scenic route (thanks again Google) we arrived at camp Koinonia, low on gas and energy. The road over the mountain from CA-17 to Koinonia was like a joke. 15 miles, one lane, no lines, switchbacks on switchbacks, large patches of the road had been washed away in previous mudslides. But beautiful. Koinonia was terrific, the people were all very insightful and helpful and we stayed in another woodsy cabin in the forest with the Breuningers. Saw the beach at Capitola (by the sea) and checked out Santa Cruz. Today we were in Morgan Hill, CA staying with some ex-ACTION Zambia missionaries and visiting with their pastor and going to church. A great day and topped with a greasy bag full of fries and burgers from the In & Out Burger. Delicious! Thanks to all of our great hosts. Please continue to pray for our support raising, and especially, for safe travel and good sleep.

ACTION Zambia Website Gets Facelift

Hey folks,

Please check out the updated and beautified website for ACTION Zambia. Lots of more info, pictures and news. Plus there is a new page all about Ciyanjano Centre where we will be living and working in Zambia. We're on our first full day on the path to MTI in Palmer Lake, CO. and it couldn't be a more beautiful fall say with old friends we love. Pray for safe drives and quiet nights.

Mutsale bwino.

Yard Sales are a BLAST!!!

Hello fine people!

Just wanted to say two things:

1. Our yard sale and craft sale (and bake sale!) yesterday was SO much fun and so awesome and hugely successful by my estimation. God is so incredibly gracious to us and the sale raised $1,000 for our Zambia fund!!! I'm not kidding!

2. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! to all of the generous people from Oikos and beyond who donated tons of great stuff to this sale to make it worthwhile. And a special thank you to the folks who got down and dirty helping me set out tables and all the STUFF that we had to sell. You guys are the best and I have had to choke back the tears over and over again to see how all of you love us and care for us, but more than that, how you love the Lord! Thank you!

Yeah!

Love,

Tricia Huckaby