Saying Yes

Our church recently made this amazing video with us, talking about God's call to this ministry, and what it really looks like to say "yes" and take a leap (or five or ten) of faith.

Don't Come To Us, We'll Come To You! Event Video

Here is the video from our second annual year-end giving event: Don't Come To Us, We'll Come To You!

Thanks so much to everyone who came and has viewed the video, and thanks to everyone who has asked questions so far! So much fun! We are excited to see how God might use this event to call together the remainder of our team!

The event video was broken up into smaller clips to make uploading and sharing easier, but this is the entire event in order!

DCTUWCTY Event 1

DCTUWCTY Event 2

DCTUWCTY Event 3

DCTUWCTY Event 4

DCTUWCTY Event 5

If after watching the event you have questions you would like answered - please ask them in the comments section of this post. We would love to hear from you!

FAQ's # 5 Who will the retreat center serve?

Who can stay at the retreat center?

Our retreat center is open to all ministry workers, from any organization or denomination. If you are serving God and working for His Kingdom, then you are welcome. We will be set up to host individuals, couples, families, and teams.

Are kids welcome?

Yes! We believe that the entire family is called into missions, and that the entire family should have the opportunity to rest and heal together. When stress and challenges are experienced on the field, this affects the kids too, so we are intentionally keeping them in mind as we develop the center. And don't worry - we get that parents also need time with just their spouse, or time alone to themselves - child care options will be available!

Community

I wanted to share this Henri Nouwen quote I recently came across because it beautifully captures the heart of our ministry - an intentional christian community where ministry workers and their families can come together with other believers allowing God to work in and through them.

~ Risa

FAQ's # 4 - How long will you be in Portugal?

How long will you be there?

The easy but honest answer is: indefinitely. We feel called to be in Portugal long term, so we intend on learning the language and culture, and settling into our new community. Many of our team mates have been on the field for decades, and at this time we anticipate that being the case for us as well. That said, we have learned to hold our timeline loosely, because ultimately, it is not our plan. Who knows what God may have up his sleeve?

So when will you be back?

This one is a little harder to answer. At minimum, we will be back in the United States once every five years for our Home Assignment, as required by our organization. Our first HA would likely begin in our fourth year on the field, and would be for approximately six months. We are hopeful we will be able to come back a little more frequently than this, but right now the ability to do that depends on a lot of unknown factors.

And what exactly is a Home Assignment?

HA is when we are temporarily assigned to be in our sending country instead of on the field. This is typically for rest, refreshment, education, training, family time, and reconnecting with our supporting people, churches, and businesses. If you would like to know more, our organization has written a great blog explaining what Home Assignment is, and what unique needs most missionaries have on HA.

TEAM: 8 Ways To Serve Missionaries on Home Assignment

FAQs # 3 - Why Portugal?

Why Portugal?

You might be surprised to know that we were the very first people to ask this question! We have always felt a pull towards Europe, but had assumed it would be someplace we could speak English, or German, or even really broken French - Portugal was not even on our radar. Then one day we came across TEAM's plans for an intercultural member care center on their website. The description sounded eerily familiar. We met with TEAM, and were introduced to their Portugal team leaders who just "happened" to be in Portland on home assignment. Their vision and our vision were clearly from the same source, and things started to come together from there.

Portugal, as it turns out, is a really great home for a member care ministry. It is a beautiful country to visit, and it is easily and affordably reached from all over Europe as well as northern and western Africa. It has a very temperate climate, similar to the Mediterranean, that is generally nice year round. So no matter where a person is coming from, or what time of year they visit, it is typically not too hot or too cold, and rarely has any kind of severe weather that could impede restful and restorative activities.

FAQs # 2 - Lacy Dog

One of the first and most common questions we get from people about our ministry is:

Is your dog going with you?

Our answer is, of course, YES!!!

This seems to bring relief to most people, and surprise to some. Lacy, our yellow lab, is an important part of our family, as well as a part of our ministry vision. We knew when she chose us, that she had the perfect personality and temperament to become a great therapy dog. Our hope is that she can help people feel comfortable at the retreat center, and provide the kind of extra care and experience only an animal can give.

How do you get a dog to Portugal? Does she have to go into quarantine?
Thankfully, Portugal is one of the EU countries that does not have any type of quarantine, so she will be with us the entire time, from our home here in Portland, to our new home in Portugal. She already has a special international microchip, and when we get closer to go she will have her very own pet passport and travel documents. Just like us, she will be flying there on a plane. We are hopeful to be able to get a direct flight from the east coast to Lisbon to minimize her travel stress.

What is a therapy dog, exactly?
Unlike a service dog, or an emotional support dog, who work with a single individual as their "person", a therapy dog is trained with their handler to provide care and comfort to anyone. These are the dogs you might see in libraries, hospitals, care homes, schools, etc. Dogs are naturally in tune with emotions, and seem to know just what people need in times of stress, sadness, or crisis.

How does a dog become a therapy dog?
Lacy current goes to work with Risa once a week. She is very good at her job of interacting with clients, and is working on proper office manners and behavior. Later this spring she will undergo a temperament and obedience evaluation to be certified by a therapy dog organization. To prepare for that we are working on loose leash walking and politely greeting people.

FAQs # 1 - Financial Questions

Hello dear readers!

When we are meeting with people, a number of the same questions keep coming up, so we thought, "why not post some of the questions and answers here?" So with this post we are starting a series as a place to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about our ministry. Our plan is to post a few at a time, every couple of weeks, so please stay tuned. We plan to discuss things like finances, what our roles in the ministry will be, who can stay at the retreat center, and even our dog Lacy! If you have a question you would like to see answered in a future post, please leave it in the comments below and we will add it to the list!

Our first set of questions deal with the financial side of raising support. We get a lot of financial questions because most people want to know where their money is going, and what kind of meaningful impact their investment is going to have. We totally understand because we feel the same way, so that is why we are starting with this topic!

FAQs #1: Financial Questions

How much of the money donated actually goes directly to your ministry?

Whenever we donate money, this is always one of our first questions. Where does the money go? Does it actually go to help people, or does it go to some administrator? When you donate to us through TEAM, 91% of your gift goes directly to us and our ministry. TEAM then uses the other 9% to cover administrative costs. TEAM's administration helps us in a number of ways including accounting, taxes, marketing, visas, medical help, member care, and other important logistics that we need in order to get to, and stay on, the field. TEAM currently has one of the lowest administrative percentages among US missions organizations. 100% of your donation is tax deductible.


What is a Pledge exactly?

When someone joins our support team as a financial partner, they make a pledge to give a specified dollar mount monthly, quarterly, or annually. Some partners pledge to start giving right away, and others pledge to start giving later. Even if a partner pledges to start giving in the future, the amount they have committed to giving can still be immediately counted towards our monthly financial goal. For example, we have to have 60% or more of our monthly support pledged before we can attend our next training, even if some of our partners are not yet giving.


Do I start giving now if I am a monthly partner? Where does the money go?

We have two different financial goals to reach before we are allowed to go to Portugal. The first is monthly support that our financial partners will contribute on a regular basis. These are the finances that will enable us to live in Portugal and run the retreat center ministry. The other goal is for our one-time outgoing expenses. These are the finances that we will use to get to Portugal and set up life there, covering expenses like visa applications, plane tickets, moving costs, purchasing a car, and language classes.

All monthly support and one-time gifts that come in between now and when we leave, will go into our outgoing expenses account. The sooner our financial partners start giving their monthly pledged amounts, the more quickly we can raise the funds for our outgoing expenses. 100% of both monthly and outgoing goals must be fully funded, not just pledged, before we can depart.

Don't Come To Our Event! Event Video

Here is the video from our Don't Come to Our Event! year-end giving event! Such a fun experience! special thanks to the Malones whose interview you will see in the second section. What powerful insight about the need for, and impact of, member care ministry!


Sorry about the delay in getting this posted, we were having some technical difficulties. 😳  Due to size, the video is in four sections - just follow the links!

DCTOE Event 1

DCTOE Event 2

DCTOE Event 3

DCTOE Event 4

During the event we asked the question - if you were to come stay at this type of retreat center, what are the top few "must haves" you would like to see included? We are very interested in your answer, and would love it if you would post responses in the comments section below!

We would also like to know, if you were to move away to a different country, what comfort food would you miss the most from home?

Quick message about our Event tomorrow night!!

Video from our 2 week Vision Trip to Portugal.

Our Video for our church Hopecity!

Meet the Team!

Early on in our process of pursuing God's vision for our lives, it became clear that His primary method of providing direction and encouragement to us was through relationships. We have been shaped, challenged, and moved through His divine fellowship. We experienced this fellowship in significant ways on our vision trip, and cherish the gifts of love, collegiality, and wisdom we received from our new friends and ministry partners.

Amrei Wehmeyer is our team leader, spearheading the efforts for the member care center. Last summer she came out to visit us in Portland, and in a short time we forged a deep connection. In Portugal she was our family, host, chauffeur, tour guide, translator, and cultural interpreter. Es war auch sehr gut mit Amrei wieder Deutsch zu sprechen! We enjoyed the rhythm of life with Amrei at the center, and left feeling inspired and motivated for the next steps of our journey - we can't wait to join her in Portugal next year!

Amrei and the Hobsons at Multnomah Falls in Oregon

 

Amrei introducing us to Pasteis de Belem

Group photo at Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, Portugal

Boat ride in the park at Bom Jesus

The first people to greet us on our arrival to Portugal were Pedro and Ana Silva. They are friends of Amrei, and share a similar passion and vision for member care. They are currently helping Amrei get the center ready for guests. They had never met us before, but they and their kids welcomed us with open arms and hearts. They picked us up from the airport, provided us with a local phone, taught us how to cook local cuisine, babysat our kids, and taught us more in a week than we thought possible about Portuguese Hospitality.

Dining in the Courtyard with Amrei and the Silvas

Becoming fast friends

In Lisbon we got to meet with pastor Josué da Ponte, executive director of MEVIC, the only Portuguese missionary agency. In Ermesinde, we met with pastor Samuel Paulo at O Caminho church. Both Pastors were able to give us invaluable insight into the joys and challenges of ministry work in Portugal, from both a professional as well as personal perspective. Our conversations gave us a better understanding of the needs of Portuguese ministry workers, giving us a lot to process as we seek to create a helpful and effective member care ministry. We are deeply grateful for the time the spent with us, and felt humbled by their willingness to openly answer our many questions.

With pastor Paulo and the Malones at O Caminho church

In Braga we were reunited with our ministry area leaders Clark and Yvonne Malone. We first met the Malones three years ago when they were on home assignment in Portland. Our relationship with them marked the beginning of our big step towards Portugal. Amrei and the Malones introduced us to some of our other teammates - Leandro and Priscila Guarnieri with their kids, and Diane Rodgrigues. We even got to meet Diane's parents who were visiting from the US. If you would like to learn more about all of these amazing people, you can check out TEAM Portugal's website here. We were once again warmly welcomed and shared a wonderful meal together. Each person who provided a dish to share even made sure there were options to meet our dietary needs - speaking our love language already.

Leandro, Clark, Yvonne, Risa, Josh, Priscila, Amrei, Diane, and the TEAM kids

We also got to share a delicious meal with Anabela and Gabriel Pereira and their girls. The Pereiras are also friends of Amrei's who are helping to make this retreat center a reality. We enjoyed a long Sunday afternoon talking about food, community, and member care. They shared with us a bit of their own journey, which has a lot of similarities to our own. It was hard to end our time with these kindred spirits, and we look forward to getting to know them more.

Selfie with Amrei and the Pereira family

More new friends

by Risa

Shiny Threads

The last five or six years of our journey have had some difficult spots. Places in time where we felt uncertain and wondered where on earth God was taking us? And now over the last year as God has been more rapidly revealing his plan, we have been able to not only see His current direction, but also the threads that He has been weaving our story with all along.

About 20 years ago Josh and I sketched out what we thought would be the ideal blueprint for a bed and breakfast. A design with a common living space, and wings built around a central courtyard. Fast-forward to a couple of months ago when our teammate sent us a link to the on-line rental listing she thought might be “the one”. It was for a beautiful house that included a homey central courtyard. A building style fairly common in a place that until last week neither of us had ever been before.

And there it was, like a shiny metallic thread woven in with all of the other colors of our story. A thread that had been there all along, but had to catch the light just right in order for us to see it. It is these shiny threads along with other affirmations we have received along the way that help us to keep saying yes and walk through the doors as He opens them.

Pictured below is the first house that will be home to the member care retreat center. The main house has three+ bedrooms, a large kitchen, and cozy living spaces. Around the courtyard are an outdoor kitchen, a laundry room, and space that is still being developed. At the center of the courtyard is room to relax and a growing garden.  

by Risa

The sign into the village where the center is located

The front of the house

The ground floor living room

The kitchen

Downstairs bathroom

Stairs between the three floors

Hallway between bedrooms

One of the three individual bedrooms

Upstairs bathroom

Attic living/bedroom

Views from the attic balcony of the courtyard, neighborhood, and surrounding countryside

In the courtyard

Holding The Container

When people ask me to explain the counseling process, I most often describe the Existential-Humanistic intervention of “holding the container”, which I learned from my friend and colleague Bob Edelstein. Counseling is the creation of a safe space within which a person can do their work. An integral part of this space is the counselor being an unwavering, unflappable presence. Clients feel free to truly be themselves, and no matter what they bring up in their process, they know their counselor can handle it.  This keeps the focus on the needs and experience of the client.

I think of a retreat center as being the same way – a safe and sacred space where guests can be themselves and feel free to examine their life and ministry with authenticity. For some, this may be a space to rest, relax, and enjoy what the area has to offer. For others, it may be a space for training, coaching, or counseling.  For all, it will be a space that provides opportunity to connect more deeply with God, and to experience the love and care of a community of believers. The focus will be on whatever God has brought them to the center to experience.

As things slowly start to take shape for our ministry, I think a lot about what it may look like to hold the container for God's global workers. I look forward to the unfolding of God’s plan with great anticipation, and feel honored that He has chosen us to be a part of it.

by Risa

The American Dream?

Growing up I always heard about the American Dream… I know that it is about religious and political freedom among other things, but often I related it to the “rags to riches” story where the lowly peasant, through hard work and perseverance, makes it big in the US. They end up with the nice house, nice car, and a great business. Even though my parents often supported and directed me to do what I love, it still seemed as I grew up, that the nice house, nice car and a good career, was what I was suppose to aspire for. I was to go to college in order to get a good job that would turn into a career. As I progressed in that career, I would purchase a house and a nice car, get married and raise my 2.5 kids. This is what the American dream felt like to me. And yet, now, having had that, I find myself working towards a much different direction. I find myself with a different dream.

A couple of years ago, we sold our house, much to the dismay of friends, family and co-workers. Many wanted to know where we were buying our new house. Many were interested in how we were “upgrading”. Many were surprised we were moving into a Christian community and becoming renters again. To give up being a homeowner was like giving up part of the American dream. That thought was reflected in many of the conversations we had. People could not understand how we could leave that sense of security.  What many don’t quite understand is that I am beginning to find my security somewhere else.

Selling our house was just the beginning. I am now looking at leaving a career that I have done for over 20 years. Well, leaving is not really true. I will still be using my skills, but instead of working for a paycheck and promotions, I will be using it to serve others. Many have had a hard time understanding why I would choose to leave a fantastic job. To be honest, I struggle with it sometimes too. I love where I work. I love who I work with. But, to be completely honest, I love God more. He is calling me.

That’s the most important part that I hope to try to explain to people. We aren’t crazy. God is calling us. Our house was great. My job is fantastic. But I believe that God has something greater in store for us! I’m led to a story I grew up with in the Bible. A story of a man called by God, who didn’t know where he was going, or how everything was going to work out, and yet, he went. I’m not comparing myself to Abraham. I only wish I could have faith like that. But like him, I don’t know exactly where we are going, or how it will all work out, but I trust God. My dream has changed from gaining more stuff and building my own security in finances and houses, to leaving it all behind and following him. To serve, instead of being served.

When the disciples followed Jesus, he said, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matt 8:20). I find it interesting that the disciples still followed Him. They knew something amazing was going to happen. And so, I leave behind my house and my career, to follow Jesus, because I know… something amazing is going to happen.

by Josh