Day 26: Furlough (PURPOSE)

This is part of a series on FURLOUGH. To unpack the details of Furlough, for us specifically, this will be a series of 3 posts (though not immediately within the 30 day challenge). We plan to address the following:

Length of Time
Projected Date
Furlough vs. Vacation
Funding Furlough
Purpose of Furlough
Location of Furlough

Today's topic is a big one, so we'll just tackle one topic in this post.

Let's talk PURPOSE

Furlough is not one long vacation, or continual begging for money. Furlough is: times of rest and relaxation both spiritually and physically; it’s traveling; it’s reporting to prayer and financial supporters what God has done through us in ministry; it’s more traveling; it’s spending time with family and friends; it’s parenting kids in unfamiliar territory; it’s increasing one’s ministry skills through education or special training. It’s all this and much more!

Rest & Renewal

Taking time for rest and renewal is a very valid purpose for furlough.  After the initial culture shock of living in Hawaii wears down, there remains a certain level of cultural stress (that I'm told never goes away). Stepping away from our work physically will allow us the opportunity to rest fully... well, as fully as parents of toddlers are able to "rest."

Reconnect

As you know, our family is on the mainland. Our relationships with our families and close friends is of extreme importance to us. A primary focus of ours will be fellowshipping with these people.

Report

Just as Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14 and 15 reported to churches from Antioch to Jerusalem on “what God had done through them,” so missionaries report today to their churches. As of right now, we have 3 supporting churches and a host of personal funders. We are always developing new relationships and are eager to share God's work with others. We will work first on scheduling church visits, then with individuals who are in close proximity to one of our many destinations.  We would love to know if you or a church you are a part of would like for us to visit/share with you.

Education

During the last several years of ministry, Eric and I have found that our best times of reflection come during a scheduled break. This might come through reading, studying, writing, or attending a conference. All of these facets of education have great importance to us, though it's unlikely we will have adequate time for everything!  We often find that intentional scheduled moments for reflection fill us with a renewed sense of purpose and passion.

In an upcoming post on furlough, we'll hash out some of the details.