A Book Is Coming!

     A couple of years ago I received a grant from the Louisville Institute to work on a project directed toward telling the story of the International Church in Europe with the end goal of inspiring congregations, especially in the US, to adopt a more welcoming posture when it comes to welcoming the stranger and the immigrant to our churches. On January 8, 2019 I received an email from Wipf and Stock Publishers with the subject headline: Offer of Publication: I Was A Stranger. It was a thrilling day for me and I'm excited to say that I am now in the final throes of getting the manuscript ready for publication. To say that there are a few things to do is an understatement but it's all very exciting and encouraging. This morning I signed the contract and the goal is have everything submitted by April 1. I hope it will be sooner but since we are leaving for Luxembourg on Monday and then spending a weekend in Paris and attending the International Pastors Conference in Egypt, I really won't have any time to work on the manuscript any further until mid-February. And then there are strict guidelines that I must meet for formatting before the document gets submitted for final typesetting and printing so while I'd like to see this all happen sooner, I also didn't want to put myself in a bind where I couldn't give this the attention I need to. I have no idea what the timeline for publication will actually be. Maybe it will be ready for you to include on your Christmas list next year!
     My working title is I Was A Stranger: The Church's Call to Offer Hospitality to the Foreigner and the Stranger. The publisher has the right to change that as they see fit and they are also responsible for the cover art. 

The slide I used in our final worship service at Immanuel International in 2014

     To (hopefully) whet your appetite for more, I include the preface here. I'm indebted to the churches where I did interviews, none more important in my life than Immanuel International in Stockholm, Sweden. To God be the glory. It's the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life that has enabled this work to now come to fruition. Stay tuned for more information as this process unfolds. I hope you enjoy the preface. 

On 4 different occasions I have packed up my life and moved to a foreign country. 5, if you count moving to rural Alaska as a foreign country, which in 1981 for a girl from Southern California, it certainly was.  Most of the time, I knew only a handful of people who were living in this foreign land that I was about to call home. In fact, as this manuscript is reaching completion, I am readying myself for foreign move number 6, this time to Luxembourg and the same truth remains: I know only a handful of people in this place I am about to call home. I am buoyed once again by the reality that an International church will be at the center of our life.

I am a social creature by nature, the very definition of what it means to be an extrovert. To live outside of a community that knew me well overwhelmed by feelings of isolation was pretty much the definition of a death sentence for me so I was always pretty hungry to find connection wherever I went. Being a person of faith, looking to the church to find community and acceptance and encouragement came naturally to me. One would think that the church would be rock solid in these areas but truth be told, even the church can fall woefully short of its calling to welcome the stranger. The old saying birds of a feather flock together proves to be true more often than not in the church. It’s kind of ironic. Many show up to church looking for connection and community, but sadly, once it’s found, the instinct can be to close off the opening for others to find the same. We love finding community but have a harder time leaving the community open to newcomers. We like the safeness of our established communities, especially ones that look like we do, act like we do, and fall in line with how we think. But the problem with the church operating out of this perspective is that it’s not what Christ ever intended for his church. Christ intends that his church be the place where the doors are wide and open, all the time, and as the biblical evidence will support, particularly for the stranger. In my opinion and through my experience, I believe it is possible that the greatest exhibition of the gospel comes through acts of hospitality.

I know what it feels like to be a stranger and a foreigner at the most visceral level. It is a place that leaves one vulnerable and lonely. The past 3 occasions that I moved to a foreign land and found myself in the stranger seat once again, I did so as a pastor called to lead an International congregation in Europe. Prior to my first call way back in 1998, I had only a small understanding of the role of hospitality in church ministry. But through the 16.5 years that I was privileged to lead, alongside my husband who was my co-pastor in that adventure, the congregation of Immanuel International in Stockholm, Sweden, I realized that a congregation that lacked hospitality and community was empty of all that God truly wanted for his church. An ability to welcome the stranger and embrace the foreigner became the life blood of our ministry and I have a deep desire to tell the story of what’s happening through various International churches in Europe in order to help other churches strengthen their ministry to the outsider.

Immanuelskyrkan in Stockholm, Sweden is a unique congregation. It is a Swedish church that belonged to the Svenska Missionförbundet denomination, which is a sister denomination of the Evangelical Covenant Church in North America. Immanuelskyrkan is now part of Equmenia Kyrkan, a denomination that formed out of a merger of the Svenska Missionförbundet, and the Baptist and Methodist churches in Sweden. Immanuelskyrkan is situated in the heart of Stockholm and over the years began outreach ministries to the Korean immigrant community and the International English speaking populations in Stockholm. The desire on the Swedish church's part was to provide places of worship and fellowship for these immigrant groups who were moving into Stockholm for whom worshipping in Swedish was increasingly difficult. From the onset, the desire on the part of Immanuelskyrkan was to be one church with three language groups. My husband had done his seminary internship with the International fellowship and had seen this model functioning. He had fallen in love with the fellowship and developed a longing to return one day. Prior to my attending seminary, I had lived in Colombia, South American and while I was not part of an International church while living there, I was privileged to experience local Colombian churches who increased my view of the world wide church. So when the lead pastor job at Immanuel International opened up in 1998, and my husband and I were called to be the lead pastors, we were thrilled with the possibility that awaited us. In our minds however, we thought we'd sign a three year contract, spend five years at the most living in Europe and then come back to the US to continue our “real life”. Well, that initial three year contract turned into almost seventeen years with this amazing congregation and opened up my heart, my mind and my eyes to a world of Christian ministry that had been previously hidden from me in my mono-cultural world.

I can honestly say that what sat at the heart of our ministry was hospitality, being a welcoming community, a place where strangers could be seen and heard and be called stranger no more. The International church in Europe has transformed my life and throughout this narrative you will hear stories of others whose lives have been shaped and touched by these congregations. Within the walls of these congregations are expatriates and refugees worshipping and praying together. The International church has welcomed wealthy top dogs of multi-national companies to break bread with newspaper delivery men and taxi cab drivers. At the foot of the cross of Christ we found level ground, each of us a lonely sojourner in need of community, a wayward sinner in need of a savior. All who joined us found the deepest level of community and unity with people who looked differently than we did, who grew up in different socio-economic situations than we did, who came from religious traditions that were different than our own. And the great surprise was that it was not a recipe for conflict but instead a place where deep and unexpected connections took place. The ultimate gift was living into our dream of becoming a place that reflected heaven itself.

So join me on a journey from being strangers to becoming friends to ultimately calling one another brother and sister because of the deep bond that we formed through the love of God in Christ. Discover how God’s word guides and directs us to welcome the stranger and embrace the foreigner. Listen to the story of the people of God and allow your heart to be changed to reflect God’s own heart for the foreigner and the stranger.

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Reflections on the Year Gone By

The best way for me to reflect on the year that has just passed into the past is through the photographs on my computer. I take a photo most every day, and I take too many and don’t delete enough of them, (as you will see on this blog, too many but fun to share some of my favs).  It is a joy to locate certain experiences in my life through these random photos that remind me of where I was at any given time. So as 2019 starts, a desire of mine is to also write with greater frequency, not just post photos on social media so a look back marks an attempt at fleshing out some thoughts on the year gone by. Here’s a summary of our last trip around the sun. 

January: We celebrated the New Year in Paris, France with our dear friends with whom we had had the pleasure of sharing in the ministry of the American Church in Paris for the previous 10 months. The first week of January saw us packing up that life and getting ready to return to the US once again. Winter in Palm Springs gave us a slightly different climate than winter in France and I enjoyed eating the fresh citrus from our grapefruit, lemon and key lime trees.

February: Working on the house and yard, working on our golf games and hosting Doug’s mom for a break from the Minnesota winter occupied our time. A trip to the coast with Doug’s mom to visit the mission at San Juan Capistrano and to watch the dolphins play in the pacific were highlights. Near the end of the month, we somewhat unexpectedly welcomed Ms Madeline into our lives and nothing would be the same after that!

March: March was largely dominated by adjusting to the nugget of love that had invaded our lives, but we still had some time for visits from friends, and a memorable and beautiful trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon with dear friends from London days. Watching the cactus bloom in our garden and continued warm temperatures were a delight.

Some silly fun at Easter. All dressed in clergy attire for Easter dinner at my cousins. 

April: Lots of golf, lots of Maddie, hosting a group of clergy who were on a golf holiday brought us much joy. I took a spontaneous trip to Chicago to attend a conference on two topics that are prominent in our churches and culture: Immigration and human sexuality. I took a couple of days to drive up to Holland, MI to see a couple of sets of friends and fell in love with this quaint town. I vowed to return in the summer with Doug and Maddie. After my parents died, we gave some money to our alma mater, North Park University, in their honor and I was able to visit the campus of North Park and see the wall of donors for the first time. Being back on campus brought back some great memories for me and I was able to connect with some dear colleagues and students from my days as campus chaplain. 

May: Our dear friend Scott, senior pastor of the Paris church, dropped by for a couple of days of rest in the midst of a busy travel schedule. We enjoyed the golf course and taking naps! Maddie continued to grow a lot during this month and we discovered that she likes to eat fabric when she’s alone, having discovered a couple of destroyed towels, a half-eaten golf shirt, a hole in our duvet cover and a completely decimated doggy bed upon arrival home once day. We still don’t know what motivates this so she can’t have any comfortable towels or beds with her when she’s alone.

June: The desert temperatures started rising, hitting triple digits much too soon. We prepared for our big road trip to Minnesota with Maddie. Our first stop was in Park City, UT to enjoy the company of friends from Stockholm days. Neither of us had been there and I love me a nice former Olympic host city! We found it beautiful and enjoyable. I do not think it will be our last trip there! We continued east, serendipitously meeting up with friends on vacation in Rapid City, South Dakota. Maddie experienced rain for the first time and thought it was rather strange to have water falling out of the sky! A stop for golf in Hawley, MN with a dear friend was a great way to start our time in MN. We enjoyed the time with Doug’s mom and Doug’s siblings and their families and Doug even attended his 40th high school reunion! We also attended the annual meeting of our denomination and met up with long term clergy friends who we had not seen in many years. I loved being in downtown Minneapolis and channeled my inner Mary Tyler Moore when I could! Reunions with friends always fill our hearts with joy and a special bonus was discovering that our dear friends from Oslo, Norway happened to be in the twin cities at the same time we were! They took us to the best deli as well and we plan to return there on repeat visits to MN! Sharing a meal with a couple I married many years ago always fills my heart with joy as well. Got to do so with 2 in MN and 1 in MI. I am proud of who these couples are as spouses and parents and it’s special to see how their lives have unfolded. 

July: Instead of heading straight west to begin our trek back to CA, we decided to head east to MI and check out Mackinac Island, MI. I had never been there and it was a lovely little stop. From there we headed south to Onekema, MI where one of Doug’s buddies directs a camp. What fun to enjoy the shores of Lake Michigan, encounter friends who were at the camp that week and take time to teach Maddie to swim! She took to the water like a Labrador would and never looked back! 

I fulfilled my dream of getting Doug and Maddie back to Holland where Maddie got to enjoy the attention of 3 fun children, one who shares her name and was part of the inspiration for naming her as we did! More swimming, watching Sweden in the World Cup, and deep and abiding time with good friends rounded out our time there. Connecting with yet another colleague from International ministry revealed to us how important those connections continue to be. But alas, inevitably, it was time to put the pedal to the medal and head west. The only social stop we made on  the way home was to see Doug’s cousin and his family along with his only living aunt and uncle. It was a special time as it is unclear how many more years will dot their lives. We listened to podcasts on this road trip and really enjoyed listening to stories like S-Town and Serial. We learned a bit about Route 66 as drove along it and that was pretty cool. We stood on the corner in Winslow, AZ and saw some fine sights. Maddie was a master traveler, making herself at home in the back seat. After almost 6,000 miles however, we were all glad to be home.

August: Except the weather is really bad in August in the desert. High humidity made life pretty miserable and while we continued to play golf in the early morning, we spent a lot of time inside. So weird for me to want the summer months to go by quickly! Summer is a good time to get indoor projects done however and so we finally finished the guest bathroom.  It looks great and now I think all of the major projects are done! I mean, Doug will always want to have some project going but at least the big stuff is behind us! In the midst of all of this, I had a bit of a health scare. I needed to have breast biopsy because of some questions that arose from my mammogram. Fortunately, all came back completely negative and we rejoiced that I was not sick. It was a scary time but gave me some good perspective on life. Life is a gift. I want to enjoy it more and more. We took Maddie to the beach to get out of the heat and enjoyed our very favorite art show, the pageant of the masters in Laguna. Maddie got to learn to swim in the surf at the Huntington Beach dog beach and I know that a trip here will be included each summer. I also marked the passage of time by attending my 40th high school reunion.

September: The longing for cooler temperatures was in full tilt by September but it doesn’t really cool off much. We headed to Big Bear in the mountains above us and took a side trip to Alpine camp, the place near Lake Arrowhead where I grew up going to camp. I took an unexpected trip to Portland, OR to attend the funeral of a dear friend who died too young from colon cancer. The silver lining was staying with good friends we’ve met here at the country club who smartly spend summers in Vancouver, WA. Their hospitality was such a gift in the midst of the grief and sadness I was experiencing from Kristi’s passing. 

October: The golf course shuts down for the month for re-seeding so that opened up time to get other stuff done. We sold our black cart and acquired our new little red machine which runs much better on our hilly course. We continued to work with Maddie on her training and I worked hard on the book I’ve been writing about the church being a more welcoming presence for foreigners and other strangers. It’s been a good process for me and I am awaiting news on whether or not a publisher wants to pick it up. I’m grateful to the Louisville Institue for providing funding for me to pursue this dream and I am hoping and praying that I will be able to get it published one day. The heat finally started to break and we enjoyed amazing sunrises and sunsets across this vast and beautiful desert landscape.

November: Golf started up again, Doug went to MN for Thanksgiving but I stayed back to hang with Maddie. I baked pies and took the lead in caring for Maddie. A friend from Paris days came to visit and enjoyed experiencing the desert for the first time. Doug and I did an obedience class and Maddie responded really well and we learned a lot too. Unexpectedly but joyfully, we received a call from the All Nations Church in Luxembourg to come and work with them for 4 months from mid-February-mid-June in 2019. We are excited about this new adventure and look forward to seeing how God will use us and grow us during this season. And yes, Ms Madeline will indeed be coming with us.

December: The month that has just ended was filled with visits. Our former worship directors from Immanuel who also happen to be like family to us came from Sweden to spend the holidays with us. Another woman who shared in the leadership of our church and knew Ben and Anita well joined us for a few days after Christmas and we had a great time laughing, playing cards, being silly. We enjoyed taking in some Christmasy things here in the desert like dinner at the Mission Inn in Riverside and touring the crazy Robolights display in downtown Palm Springs. We rang in the New Year at the party at our country club surrounded by friends who we’ve come to really appreciate and enjoy. 

2018 was a busy and fun year and filled with re-connecting with people from various walks of our lives. We are now ready for new adventures in 2019. None of us ever know what awaits us when a year begins. Undoubtedly there will be joy and sadness, frustrations and hope. Through it all we hope to stay the course that we feel God wants us to be on and look for ways to serve and care for others, especially those less fortunate. We have decided on a church when we are here in the desert, Hope Lutheran in Palm Desert. It’s been a great gift to look forward to going to church again and are enjoying getting to know the pastors. 

Perhaps this reflection is more for me than any other reader. But as I reviewed this year, it made me realize how lucky we are to enjoy such deep friendships, some which span many many years. It seems no matter where in the world we find ourselves, a close friend from some season in our lives isn’t very far away. Our lives are so different than they once were without the constant rhythms of pastoral life determining our schedule. It’s a gift and a loss at times. The new community that we are a part of here at Mission Lakes brings interesting and diverse people into our lives and offers us such great recreational opportunities that we are very grateful for. It’s a great landing spot for us as we continue to traverse the globe, following the calls that come our way through the gracious hand of God.

We do wish you and yours a very happy new year. Peace where trouble lurks. Joy where happiness reigns. Gratitude each and every day.