Assignments on My Mind

How would you define career? I kinda see career as the thing that takes up a person's time for which he or she is trained or being trained... or maybe it's just something that a person does to contribute to society (or even just themselves, I suppose). I'm not really sure. Anyways, for me, I like calling better, or maybe assignment. Beyond my role in WMPL Communications or my training in Linguistics, I recognize a string of "assignments" in life to which I am held accountable. These are my passions. My burdens. My joy.

Assignments on My Mind

• Set the Lord and my husband in the center of my life
• Create a place of refuge and love for those who live in and visit our home
• Recognize and act in ministering to needs at Hope Lutheran Church, Minneapolis and the Church at large
• Seek opportunity to share Christ with and pray for those who don't know Him and to encourage those who do
  
• Communicate the mission of God and the message of the World Mission Prayer League to the best of my ability
• Pursue information and opportunity for service in Bible translation/engagement

I found this list of 5 Career "Super Foods" from this random article by Lindsey Pollak. As I think about several somewhat-career-like issues in my life, these sorts of lists are helpful for me.

1. Daily Goals. "[S]et small, daily goals that will keep you moving forward. Big goals are important, but small goals get the job done."

(Check out this blog post.)

2. News. "[I]t’s crucial that you keep up with world news, national news and the news of the particular industry you want to join. We live in the Information Age, so the most informed people are the ones who are most likely to succeed."
3. Coffee. "While the actual caffeinated stuff helps a lot of people achieve their career goals, what I mean here is getting together with people for coffee -- also known as networking."
4. Mentors. "They are people who have “been there, done that” and are willing to share their wisdom to help your career grow. To receive the maximum benefit from a mentor, be sure to set up regular meetings... bring specific topics or challenges you’d like to discuss for each session."
5. Responsiveness. "With the amount of e-mails, LinkedIn requests, Twitter direct messages, voice mails, text messages and IMs we all receive, it can be hard to get back to people in a timely way. But those who are responsive -- especially to important requests and time-sensitive opportunities -- really stand out from the crowd."

No plan can succeed...

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." --Proverbs 21

I am 9-10 months away from getting on a plane headed to Nigeria where I will be serving for the next 2-3 years, Lord willing. Please pray for me and for LBT as we are working out the details of my assignment.

FYI: Nigeria has over 500 languages and is an area of greatest need for translation work. http://www.wycliffe.org/About/Statistics/GreatestNeed.aspx

In the meantime, I'm finishing up my studies and heading home in June! (for a little while at least)

Assigments...

Now that I am approved as a missionary by LBT, the craziness begins. This fall semester is wild, and I'm so grateful for your prayers and all the encouragement I have received. THANK YOU! I'm beginning to contact people about speaking in churches and groups. This is a long and difficult process--filling my schedule September through December with speaking engagements. Please pray that the Lord will guide me to the right churches and to people who will be receptive and willing to listen.I have moved an hour north from where I was to help a dear friend who's expecting. She and her husband already have four boys, and she's having many complications with the pregnancy. I've become a live-in nanny (probably through December). The kids are extremely cute, but they are definitely a handful. Pray that I have patience with them, and pray that the Lord gives me wisdom regarding discipline and daily instruction.On top of these two practically full time jobs, I will also be taking a directed study in Hermeneutics. My plans have changed quite a bit this past week or so, but I have peace in the Lord's faithfulness and control. I am learning so much. Thank you again for you prayers, love, and encouragement. Please keep me updated on your life.

Nanny time!

There are some big changes!As most of you know, I have been living with my parent for the past year which has been an incredible blessing. This may change very soon. A married couple, Micah and Jennifer are very dear friends of mine who I've known for many years, and they have come to a very challenging point in their life. I feel like the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to help. I grew up with Micah in Bangladesh and I consider his family as my own... our families are extremely close.The situation:They live about an hour north of where I live now. Micah and Jennifer are expecting their 5th child. Pregnancies have always been tough for Jen and this one is the worst so far. She has a blood condition which causes the baby's blood to clot. For that reason she must be on a blood thinner. This time that treatment caused internal bleeding within the uterus so had to be discontinued. This places a higher risk on the baby. Jen is feeling absolutely terrible physically. She is unable to eat or drink properly, and the 4 boys they already have are a handful. She normally homeschools, and Micah works full time. Their world has turned inside out, and they are desperately in need of help and prayer.PLEASE PRAY!Despite my assignment to do partnership development (prayer and financial support raising for my upcoming ministry overseas) this fall from LBT, I have been given permission to ALSO help Micah and Jen. The situation is still being discussed, but I may live with them until December while I am doing traveling and speaking on weekends throughout Minnesota (Micah works full time during the week). This will make my schedule completely full, but I trust the Lord's provision. I don't know what all they need, but with 4 little redheaded boys, hospital runs, cooking, cleaning, possibly homeschooling/school runs, I'm sure I'll keep my weekdays full. On top of this, I have to speak on weekends and hopefully some weekdays at churches about LBT and Bible translation.AGAIN, Please pray for Micah and Jen, the baby, the boys, me, and this situation. Please email me at ruthlee86@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments. The Lord's blessings on you.