A new month and a new perspective.

We have finally moved into our own home for the very first time. What a blessing it was to host our first guests, to cook our first meal together, to feel at home and at peace. Our communication has improved and our relationship is healthier thanks in part to the prayers of our hosts, the prayers of our friends and family, and the results of all those growing pains.

Mary remarked to me yesterday that she was looking for something she missed. As if there were something wrong and she couldn't quite find it. Thank God for that; at last we have broken the mold of repeated and unresolved mistakes and problems. Let us establish a new direction and habit of NOT doing those things. So much peace and contentment. We have been able to minister to friends in our free time and that has become fulfilling and fun. I find myself (I think Mary too) asking for and expectantly waiting on the next chance to serve.

We are now in the home stretch with school; Mary is on an easy semester with only three classes. One in person, one online and one the prep for her comprehensive exams. She only needs to be in Canadia (intentionally misspelled) two days a week now, praise God. We are counting down to the last school payment EVER. November 15th will be a (cheap) celebration day for us.

I am gearing up for classes in the spring Lord willing and pinging local farms for education/work on bamboo. More on that as it develops though a spoiler is in order. I have made contact with a pair of wonderful resources who are eager to teach me about aquaponics - conjunction of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (grow beds). These intellectual giants have all the knowledge I need to make it work in PNG four hours boat ride upriver from the end of the road. I am blessed with these guys. With their input my bible study group is going to help me put together a proof of concept!!! God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

When you pray remember us and the murky in between we are navigating just now. We know where we are and why we are here. We know where we are supposed to go. God has not seen fit to tell us WHEN to leave yet. It makes planning troublesome since we both wish to be obedient to His leading and have no clues to what long term decisions to make.
Pray that we continue our excellent progress in our relationship. It has made a big difference for us both.
Pray that the hearts of our tribe(s) are prepared for us especially in the midst of this awful drought
Pray for their provision in this time of hunger and thirst
Pray for the strength and joy of the presence of the Holy Spirit to be near us both when we are tired and especially when we are busy and liable to become distracted
We earnestly desire those of you praying for us to speak into our lives and admonish, correct, and teach us. If you see something, speak the truth in love! You are welcome and we need this.

You who are reading this know I am thanking our King for you right now. Know that your prayers are heard and answered in His time; you have only to look at this blog to see His hand saving us time and time again. I love you, brothers and sisters. I love you.

"Get Well Soon"

I was packing this morning, and found a folder full of cards.
    Some were from this Christmas,
    well wishes and updates from friends and family.
        Some were from our wedding,
        congratulations, notes of encouragement, advice, recipes.
            Some where from my time in the hospital
            after the whole Mt. Hood misadventure, "Get well soon!"
And good many were from Linda,
the mom of the family that has been hosting us.

I was packing this morning because we are moving.
    We have been asked by our host family
    to find another place.
        'Host' has often struck me as a strange word,
        but recently it strikes a more ironic note.
            Hosts have parasites. Parasites benefit at their host's expense.
            This is what we have done.
Our stay has been an unsustainable expense,
not in physical but in emotional and spiritual resources.

Those cards from Linda are witness to the hard work, prayer, hope, and tremendous energy that she has poured into this relationship. There are cards too from others in the family: the little kids, welcoming us warmly; the older girls, working hard to mend what they could when things went wrong. For a year and then some, this family has gone beyond anything I've ever witnessed in the realm of hospitality, graciousness, sacrifice, and hope.

Nobody writes stories where the bad guy wins in the end.
No one posts pictures on Facebook of late night shouting matches, deepening worry lines, or tears of frustration and disappointment.
And no one can capture the dreadful dawn of realization - nothing is working, the wound is turning gangrenous, the pieces can't be glued back together.

All is not well.
The build up of relational damage has long been over the threshold of what most families would call too much.

"Get well soon." What a strange phrase - as if the wellness of the body or soul could be brought about by sheer will power. But I confess to having believed this. If I only try harder, say more, say less, say the right thing, argue louder... I can out-will the crash of the waves.

 We are defeated, ashamed, depleted. A golden opportunity lies dashed on the sands, broken, wasted.

And yet...

The Christmas cards, Get Well Cards, Wedding Cards, and most of all the cards from our host family reassure me. All is not lost. We are loved, even when we don't deserve it. We are prayed for, even when we forget to pray. There is hope for us because people keep hoping.
All is not lost, because God is a seeker and a reconciler, a redeemer of broken things.

We are broken. We are not well. As individuals and as a couple we have a lot to learn about godly relationship.
We have hurt the family that has given so much to us.
For them we are praying 'get well soon.'
May the damage that has been done heal quickly, may the dust of this turmoil be swept away and forgotten in new joys.
For us, please pray 'get well soon.'
We are putting our plans to go to PNG on hold for a little while. We asked God to make it clear if we should go, and we have taken this event as a red light. We have received a very sharp wake up call. If we are so ill equipped relationally - so damaging in a Christian community - how much more damage might we do when we are the only examples that people have of who Christ is?
Please pray for us as we seek relational wellness. This isn't about being 'ready.' We are willing to go as soon as God says go. This is about taking our calling to reflect Christ seriously. We need to grow in wisdom and humility. We need to learn how to fill the roles of husband and wife in a way that puts God on glorious and beautiful display. We need spiritual protection as well as hearts that are willing to learn and grow no matter how painful the lessons may be.

Thank you for your love and support. We are ever humbled and amazed by God's care for us through this blessed community. Please, keep praying and hoping for us.

God is good.

Exciting Times

Hi Everyone,
It's been a long time since our last post, but as you probably all suspect, we're still alive and kicking. Mary is immersed in the summer semester at CanIL; and for the first time in our married life, Ben is working a normal 8-5 job - human hours! We are so thankful for this provision.

That's not the exciting news though.

For the last two weeks we've been refining an idea, asking for advice and prayer, and slowly forming a picture of what the next step might look like for us.

PNG Sepik Region - photo courtesy of Curt Sharp

Here's the plan:
In January we fly to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for a 'scouting mission.' This means that we will spend 4-6 months in country with a few primary goals and questions that we hope to answer.
Goals:

• Begin to learn Tok Pisin (the language used throughout PNG to communicate between ethnic groups). 
• Assist Clemence Komnapi (a national* pastor and translator) in his work on a Bible Translation.

  

  Clemence and his wife are with the Salvation Army

• Complete a survey in the East Sepik/Sandaun Provinces that will determine if a cluster project** among multiple languages in that area is viable. 
• Network with people from the communities, Churches, and missions organizations that are working in that region.
• Get hands on experience working with community development projects in country.

Questions:

• Should we partner with a larger organization? And if so, which one?
• Is it viable for us to work and partner long term with the local network of believers as independents (sent from a Church rather than a missions organization)? 
• Do we need to pursue more training for Ben or Mary? And if so, what kind?

Soon!

Please pray with us about this plan. It isn't set in stone; it is only just emerging. We would love to hear your input, advice, questions, and concerns.

With love and joy,
The Grimms.


*The term 'national' in this case refers to someone who is was born and raised in country. Clemence is from the Yamano people of PNG.
** the term 'cluster project' refers to a translation or language development project that includes multiple language groups. In a cluster project, we would be working with people from 6-8 different languages, facilitating translation and literacy work and giving input when it is helpful. People from each language community would be responsible for the bulk of the work being done in their language. Many of these language groups are so small that large organizations do not consider it worth their time to do a Bible Translation or help them develop literacy. A cluster project provides the opportunity for multiple communities to take responsibility for their own Bible Translation, while providing them with resources and input that they would not otherwise have access to.

Shifting Gears

 Free of sickness, full of sunshine, and riding high. It has been a blessed few weeks since our last post. Now is the time when we become lazy; when it is easy to slack off and forget the hard lessons we learned under duress. I am convicted of the need to be diligent in my prayers and Bible study; also to ensure Mary and I are doing both together. There is a dynamic present in mutual Bible study and prayer that is absent when we do not regularly do this. I think of the Shemah which embeds the Law in every aspect of daily life. Whether with children, or waking, or sleeping, or walking in the way, or sitting in your house. God tells us to speak of these things in all these situations.

   We took the kids out for a hike at Chain Lakes in the shadow of Mount Baker. The water was mystic and felt either pleasant or bone-chillingly freezing. We all got a bit of sun and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I only wish I had put on a bit of sunscreen; still, I haven't lost any skin and I'm recovering. The kids were lovely little zombies at dinner, barely ate anything and were falling asleep with their heads on the table. It was adorable. I'm still gobsmacked that the two older boys RAN up and down the trail for seven hours. SEVEN. And I thought "I" was in good shape. Humble pie for one?

Moving into next week, I have finished my contract with my employer (May God bless them immensely for the good they did to me) and am out of work for now. I have spammed the greater Whatcom County area looking for work and am checking the online boards each day for new opportunities. Strangely, I am conflicted about how to feel. On the one hand, I am edgy and restless feeling the need for work. On the other hand, I remind myself of the many provisions and blessings God has showered us with. I remember He is the Provider and I name Him such when I pray. Part of me is excited about what He will provide next though I must frequently calm myself and wait for the answer.

Mary will be starting a punishing summer schedule with three classes and three days of the week very full just with classes, not to mention homework. We expected this but after a month of break, its like putting on cold, wet clothes. Two more semesters and we are mission ready. Wow, to say it like that puts our study and training on urgent status. I suppose no amount of practice would "get us ready"; but I can't shake the thought that there is an ocean of prep I need to do before I can be effective in my role as the tribe nutritionist. Mary is unperturbed about all of it; for her this is the end of a very long wait. The first step onto foreign soil will be the start of the real race. For her, she has been getting ready to play in the big game for ten years and only now is the wait over. I am encouraged and humbled. Every day brings her new momentum to pick up the pace, get just one step closer to the goal line.

We are struggling to find enough money to purchase the solar charger for our brother in Papua New Guinea and ask that each of you prayerfully consider whether God would have you contribute to this. Our brother would not need to leave the village every time he wants to recharge his laptop meaning more time for translation and more time for work. We have about 400 to put into it and are in a holding pattern until Ben finds some work. Thank you for your prayer and obedience to His direction.

For all of you who have been with us in prayer and financial support we thank God for you each day. We are humbled by the magnitude of what we are going to do and inspired by the adventure of it all. Someday, we will come back here for a missions trip to bless and disciple and be discipled,  adventuring back home, doing the kingdom work, and reconnecting with the church. The work never ends, but then, it is never NEVER boring.


May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you all,

Ben and Mary Grimm

Goodbye May

We are goobers.

 On this day a year ago (June 1st), we headed north, dragging all our earthly possessions behind us in a small Uhaul trailer. We met the amazing family that has hosted us through the year, and we wondered at all the windmills and the tall Dutch people in this area. It's crazy to think it's been a year, or that May is already over.

Scoping out Mt. Adams

The month of May began with attending a beautiful wedding and climbing Mt. Hood for our own first year anniversary. The rest of the month has been a little nuts. We climbed Mt. Adams the day before mother's day, did not wear sunscreen (definitely a mistake), and showed up at the parents looking like Botox gone really wrong. Aloe Vera is a magical plant. That is all.

Highest summit together.

Exploring waterfalls and lakes with Sarah

Despite being red and swollen, we had a grand time celebrating both our moms and getting to see the rest of the family.

On returning home we had some great times with dear, dear friends, and also a time of renewing fellowship with our generous host family.

It was a blessed week in all respects except a nasty fever that hung with me for eight days before manifesting as what we all hoped it wasn't - the dreaded Chicken Pox. 

You know how they say that it's much worse getting CP as an adult? 'They' are absolutely right.

I think I had 500 blisters.

photographic proof

The lovely Megan was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal weekend of spotty, coughing misery.
She came up to visit over labor day weekend, and we had a wonderful time being sickies in Canada and watching Pixar films. By the way, you know how they say you can't get them again if you've had CP once? Lies. Ben got a very mild flare up of the virus (even though he had it as a kid), probably because of high exposure to a certain other person. hghm.

Thank you Megs for keeping us sickies company!

Now the evil Pox have nearly run their course, and we are almost well again.
This month has gone by so quickly, I have hardly hat time to reflect, but there are a few things I want to mention.

Our host family has practiced unswerving patience and graciousness towards us. It has been such an incredible blessing, truly beyond words, to receive their generosity and to learn about what obedience, intentionality, and godly love look like. Through ups and numerous downs, they have continued to hope and pray for us during this season of our lives. We are so, so thankful to them, and to the God that rules all of our lives for placing us in such an unimaginable position with such incredible people.
So in your prayers for us, please also pray for our host family. We continually pray that God will rest His Spirit in their home and that He will bless them generously for the many blessings they have poured out to us.

Another thing: THANK YOU, to all of you beautiful people who have come up or stopped by to visit us up here in northern Washington. We have been so blessed to fellowship with dear friends and family. It is really great to come down and visit, and we really, really enjoyed our time in the Portland area and in Grants Pass this past month; but it is something else all together to have friends visit us up here. So, Thank you. :)

And two more prayer things:
We are currently in touch with a national born Pastor in PNG who is working on a Bible Translation for a nearby language group. We asked him what his needs are and he said that he has needed a solar panel for a long time. The language group he is working with has no electricity and so he must leave them and go out to a larger village every time his computer battery runs down. I can't imagine what a hassle that would be or how discouraging at times to only be able to work for short time periods due to technology failing. So Ben and I have been praying about getting him a solar kit. We are wondering if any of you would be willing to partner with us in this. The one we are looking at cost about $600. Here's the web address below. Also, if you have ideas or suggestions about an alternative solution, we'd love to hear them!
http://www.goalzero.com/p/211/sherpa-100-solar-kit

Finally, this past month we had the privilege of meeting a young man from Egypt named Samuel. He shared his testimony with our Church and we got to meet with him at a home group and hear more about what God is doing in his life and in the lives of other Egyptian believers. He is part of an incredible house church movement throughout the Middle East including over 11,000 house churches in Egypt alone! These home churches are a solution to the many Muslims coming to Christ who are legally not allowed to enter an official Christian Church building. It was so exciting and inspiring to hear about what God is doing in the Middle East. It is also sobering to learn of the intense persecution that many of these new believers are experiencing. We were convicted to be more intentional about sharing in the joy and suffering of the larger CHURCH, the body of Christ that is working His will in every nation of the earth. Please join us in prayer for our brothers and sisters, and if you are interested in learning more about what is happening in the Middle East, check out ICR - International Christian Response. http://christianresponse.org/
They have been partnering with the house church movement for over 13 years now!

Okay. Thanks for your patience in reading all the way to the end. Thank you for your love and support. God has supplied for our every need and we look forward to seeing how He will provide for this next semester. This has been and is and will be a grand adventure! Thanks for being a part of it.

Love and blessings,
The Grimms. :D

Mt. Hood - Spring Adventures Part 3

Mt. Hood - Oregon
Summit - 11,239ft. 

This is Mary's happy climbing mountain face. :D

We camped near the lodge Friday evening, with our alarm set for 12:30. Our climb officially began at 1:17am on Saturday, May 4th. The moon was bright and everything was still and very beautiful. No headlights needed.

First time doing a night climb.

We both found a really good rhythm, and found ourselves passing one climber after the next.

We summitted earlier than we anticipated.

We were a little under dressed for the high winds and the freezing temperatures at the top. After huddling under the poncho for a few minutes, we decided the sun would have to rise without our encouragement.

A view of Mt. Jefferson from 2 miles in the air.

We summitted at 5:20. Just in time to watch the dawn.

Hot death - literally!

"I am now guilty of taking a selfie. I am eternally shamed."

We survived and did not break rule one.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Tubal Cain - Spring Adventures Part 2

Mt. Buckhorn and Tubal Cain Mine - Olympic Peninsula, WA

Waiting for the Ferry to Port Townsend

My good friend Haley came up for a visit the weekend after my finals. Naturally, we headed into the mountains.  This was my first time exploring the Olympic Peninsula. This place is a seriously awesome playground for backpackers! 

Our first adventure was camping overnight in a parking lot because we missed the last Ferry on Friday. In the morning we made crappy camp coffee and ate grapefruits and waited.
I really like ferries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found a mine!

Next adventure was finding our trail. We may have gotten lost on some dirt roads going in the wrong direction before we made a route correction and got to the Tubal Cain trail head.

The name is from an abandoned copper mine. Yes, we looked for a shaft. And yes, we found it! Too bad neither of us packed headlamps.

In too deep. We decided to come back with headlights.

We agreed to explore it the next morning. We went as far as Haley's dying phone battery and a desire to keep our feet dry would safely allow.


Haley did a little research and found that the mine had been abandoned due to its remote location and the diminishing hope of finding gold somewhere in its dark recesses. It goes back about 450 meters into the mountain, and there is a bunch of old equipment lying around in the surrounding area.

Also, if you're ever exploring here, there is the wreck of a B17 further up in the canyon. We didn't get to that this time around.

The trail to the pass and a view of Mt. Buckhorn

Back on the trail we headed for the mountain pass. Since we had gotten a late start we weren't feeling too ambitious.

However, I've found that many grand adventures begin with, "Let's just see how far we can go."
In this case, the answer was, 'all the way to the top.'


Look at that lovely mountain. Don't you just want to stand on top of it? 

Sure. Why not?

We took our time, hiked at our leisure and still had daylight to spare. The weather was beautiful. The trails were fantastic, and this first look at the mountains on the peninsula left its mark.

Up and Up!

 Kudos to Haley. She hates snow traverses and is afraid of heights but she muscles through it because she loves mountains.
She wrestles with her fears and inhibitions, and she comes out victorious and stronger than ever.
Haley inspires and encourages me, and I am so glad to have her as an adventure buddy and friend.

View from the top!

Mt. Buckhorn is 6,988 ft tall. The climb is easy and very rewarding.
Look at all those mountains to climb!
By the time we got back to the mine shaft, we'd completed 17 miles. Not bad for a late start and unambitious beginnings.

This is definitely an area I would come back to. What a great hike! I am thankful for a God who delights to delight us, and for friends to go adventuring with.

Prepare for Snow - Spring Adventures Part 1

Golden Ears - BC, Canada

Early in the spring semester, Ben and I hiked up Golden Ears, our goal was to see how far we could get.

This lovely little 5,600 ft. peak stares me in the face every day as I drive to school. How could I resist the invitation?

Cascades from the side of Golden Ears

I'm not sure why some humans are born with the desire to stand on top of things and some are not.

We set out early in the morning, prepared for Canadian style trails and snow (Just FYI Canadians do not believe in switchbacks. I may have mentioned that already).



It was a beautiful day, overcast but relatively warm. The hike is 15.5 miles round trip, a long approach through forests along a beautiful river. We had a lot of fun and did indeed find snow! :)

A view of the summit.

Ultimately we turned back from the summit, due to the icy conditions. We learn!

In all reality, I think we are both more cautious on the others behalf than we are for ourselves. Fortunately, when we hike together this has the effect of keeping both of us from doing stupid things... ish.


  

Not today.

 We'll be back for this one in the summer.

Overall, a great little hike. Long enough to stretch your legs, cover some country, and feel good and tired at the end of the day.

Also, we have decided that ice axes would be a good investment.

Life Update

We are well. Mary just finished her third semester at CanIL (two more to go). We are debt free, thanks to Benjamin's hard work, the immense hospitality of the Mock family, and the gifts and prayers of so many dear friends. In short: God is taking good care of us.
We are coming up on our first Anniversary (May 4th)! It has been a painful and grace-filled year. Please pray for our relationships with people here in Lynden, WA, especially with our generous hosts.
Mary will be in school through the summer. Ben will continue to work for POSX until his contract runs out at the end of May, and then we'll see if they want to keep him or not.
Please pray for the good people at Sunrise Baptist Church and Auburn Household of Faith who have embraced us in prayer and community.
We believe that God is directing us to go to Papua New Guinea. So far, we don't know what the process or structure of getting there is going to look like. We don't have sending organization yet, but both of us have a lot of peace right now, knowing that God will direct us in His own time.
God is good and we are filled and poured out, broken and remade according to His good purpose.
Thank you for your love and prayers.

Ben and Mary Grimm

Hope

You know that feeling when you get woken up out of a deep, deep sleep? It's as if you are being pulled bodily out of a very dark, very comfortable place. It is unpleasant, uncomfortable, and you can't help being a little irritated even before you actually surface. This happened to me recently, and the raw discomfort of that sensation has been lingering with me.

Last night a friend was talking with me about hope.
She said, "Hope is suffering."
My mind immediately went to that waking sensation.

Hope is not the same thing as optimism.
Hope is like that uncomfortable transition rising up out of a deep sleep.
"The evidence of things not seen."
The evidence of a woken world. Something far more tangible, vibrant, and breathtaking than the soft dream world I cling to.

People often say that our lives are only a moment, a breath before the span of eternity. If this is true, than the analogy is even more potent. That transition, truly only takes a moment.

This year has been one of suffering. Hope.
Painful changing, painful communicating, painful working towards better things that we hope for but do not yet experience. Hope is what keeps a soul, a relationship, a marriage, a world alive. Or rather, it is the evidence that soon we will truly be AWAKE!

Ben and I have been so blessed in this first year of our marriage (anniversary coming up May 4th!).
We are learning to hope. We are learning how painful that can be.
It feels like this invisible barrier that keeps me from throwing up my hands and saying, "Enough!" It compels me to work through things when I would rather sulk or stew. It gives him the patience to weather my 'righteous anger'. God promised us, and we promised God, to love, to cherish, to hope. Now we are in the thick of it and finding that easy answers are few and far between.

This life is breathtaking.
As in, you just fell off the swing and got the wind knocked out of you, breath taking.
Or you hiked to the top of a rise and discovered Middle Earth spread out in glory before you, breath taking.
This God. He's a little nuts by all the standards in the book. He loves asymmetry, complex math, and these human creatures that seem to have a knack for screwing up just about anything. He laughs a lot, and He also cries a lot. He is deeply passionate about everything. And He is GOOD, like we've never even seen. His woken world... I can't begin to imagine. I just know that coming awake from sleep is uncomfortable. Hope is uncomfortable.

It's okay to be skeptical. Anyone who would willingly choose to be in a constant state of change and discomfort is a weirdo. I confess to this wholeheartedly.
Serving God isn't a side hobby, and the payoff in this world is sketchy at best. One minute we've got every good thing, the next we're wandering in the wilderness babbling about faith and water.
But, that's also true to how the rest of creation lives. I mean, any religion that promises eternal spring or perfect equilibrium, must not have been paying attention anytime during the last 12 months. It's a nice thought, but it sure isn't real.

Anyway. All this to say, life is uncomfortable. God is too. Pain happens. So does Joy. Ultimately, although none of us want to go through extreme discomfort, I'm pretty sure no mother would wish her baby to simply remain in the womb forever, and most sleepers do not wish to remain comatose.
So may God speak over your Life.
May He speak words that pull us out of deep slumber into waking.

May He speak words that make us hope.



MaryG

New Every Morning

We started this blog as a way for us to keep track of God's many blessings and for keeping all of our dear friends and family up to date with our wanderings and adventures. But God has been running so far ahead of us, there is no way to keep up with what He's been doing.
It never ceases to amaze me what an adventure life is when you live in obedience to Him. It is also beyond me to translate into words some of the things He has done in us and for us.
We are so thankful to the family that has hosted us for the last eight months. Their generosity and hospitality have made it possible to stay out of debt while I finish my Masters. We are continually blessed by their prayerful decision to host us and the grace and kindness they show us each day. Talk about living what you believe!
We are thankful for Ben's new job. He is now working days (a huge answer to prayer, for him).
We are thankful for the community of believers in this area. God has been working in my life to heal some of the hurt and resentment I had built up towards the Church. God's vision for unity and truth within the Body of believers is very much alive! In the short time that we have been up here, I have seen some things I had told myself could never happen in today's Church. I repent for being a self-righteous cynic. God is good, and His Body is very much alive and active. I am humbled and blessed to be a part of it.
We are thankful for the generosity of so many in our community. I started this year with anxiety about our financial situation. Ben told me it was a great opportunity for God to show off. He was right! God has provided for us abundantly through our dear family in Christ. At every turn, He meets us with another surprise, another display of His grace and goodness. He is indeed "showing off" proving to us beyond a shadow of a doubt that our lives are in His great and powerful hands. Nothing comes to us that is not from Him, and nothing is taken from us that He does not release.
To this last point, some of you know that this year has held pain for us as well as joy. Even in grief, especially in grief, we have found God to be all sufficient. He is the giver and the taker, and what He does is good. He comforts those who mourn. He lifts up those who rely on Him for strength.

Please pray for God's continued provision and guidance.
Right now it looks like we may be in Papua New Guinea as soon as this time next year! We are praying about partnership and accountability with the many Church communities that have encouraged us and built us up through discipleship and prayer. We are continually blessed by God's provision and direction so far.
We are thankful for this time in our lives, for the adventure God has given us to live, and for the work He is doing in and through His people.

Love and Blessings,
Mary (and Ben)

Of Hand and Foot and Torso

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,'"

For many years I have struggled with the whole concept of organized Church. Line up a few bad experiences as a kid, a life of perpetual transition from one place to the next, a negative gut reaction to authority, and a tendency to get a little self-righteous or just bored around sleepy communities full of good people and you have a snapshot of my bad attitude with all the excuses needed to justify it.
The problem is...

Well the problem is God.
He has this thing about the Church. He loves it like His own flesh and blood. Or... like a groom loves his bride. He writes poetry about it. He brags about it.
In short. It's really hard to talk to God and not have the Church come up.

I've tried all the usual - being deeply connected with a small group of Christian friends and saying that is Church, ministering alongside other Christians and saying that is Church, reading the Bible a lot and doing my best to live it and saying that is Church, basically doing all the 'Faith' things that are personally fulfilling and saying that is Church.
But God doesn't let me get away with anything. He's patient. But He's not stupid, and I'm not fooling Him with any of my excuses or my attempts to substitute parts for the whole.

Some parts of the body are not as beautiful as others.
Your palms will never be as lithe as your fingers; your belly button could never compete with your eyes. But you can't pick and choose, only keeping the beautiful or interesting parts. God calls the Church His body. If I am in Him, I'm in the Church. It would never do for the fingers to be cut off form the torso. It will never do for me to isolate myself from the larger body of believers.

So.
Here I am 'going to Church.' Or more appropriately, joining the Church in meeting together for fellowship. It's still a struggle for me. A discipline in hope and faith - to believe that God's big story of redemption, making the messed up stuff whole and beautiful, is not only possible for me but also for the larger Church.

Ben does not seem to struggle with this like I do. I bring apprehension; he brings anticipation. He seems to think that every believer is excited about what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives and in the world. He walks up to people like it's natural to ask them about prayer needs and then actually pray with them. I am hyper aware of barriers, both real and imagined. Ben is barrier blind. So, while I have been creeping around the edges of our new community, Ben has gone jostling right into the center.

A typical conversation on the way to Church:

"I just don't feel connected. No one's invited us to dinner. No one even notices if we aren't there... Rawr, Rawr, Rawr, Rawr."


"Well, let's pray about it... God, please help us to find ways to connect to and serve this community!"

"Mow."


Ben is good for me. God is good. 

(to be continued)

Molly Pitcher Dinner, a formal military ball, put on by my Guard unit Dec2013

God truly answers prayer

Not obliquely, not vaguely, not on a ridiculously long timeline. This is God touching our lives.
So here are the exact words of our prayer requests from 29Dec:

1. What kind of education Ben should pursue (he is a personal trainer)

   I have been introduced to a set of leadership courses for ministry put on by my church. There is also a school in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea(PNG) which has medical training; something I have been looking into.

2. Whether we should attempt to secure visas without Ben having a degree

    PNG is one of the few countries which does not require immigrants to have a bachelors degree.

3. Financial provision for the coming semester, this will be the largest hurdle yet!

    Ongoing, but we have made it through the first month and I have been hired at a job which both pays more and suits my abilities much better. Also, we have had commitments for support made by friends and family that are helping already.

4. Wisdom for Ben in communicating better and to be the husband God wants

    I have learned my place better as the one who needs to have a plan; to have vision. Also, I am learning to identify the bad habits I have been using that cause tension between us. It is easing the friction between us and helping us to love each other better.

5. Patience and wisdom for Mary in being a good helpmate for Ben

    Mary has become better at letting me lead and being persistent and patient in helping me to overcome my many character flaws while trusting more and worrying less.

6. We are currently looking at a laptop for her; please pray God will provide what we need to facilitate her education

   Our friend just GAVE us a laptop. GAVE. I am blown away. 

Every prayer request. Every one has received special, tender attention from Abba. I have no words to describe the absolute sense of contentment in where we are. Whether the bank balance showed .76 or 1,700.00 we have been cared for every step of the way. 

I declare without reservation that our blessings stem directly from our obedience. 

When we received instruction, we followed regardless of what circumstances dictated. No money? Don't care. Not legal? It just happened. They always say 'no'? YES. Several times more expense than income? Try zero debt. 

Blessing after blessing after blessing. There has been a cascade of opportunities to trust; to have faith in the Provider. Tough situations, real tear-jerkers and anxiety wrenchers.  They keep getting more adventurous too. We have been in an every increasing spiral of craziness ever since we started dating and despite the insanity of saying so we are eager for more. No matter how impossible the hurdle, we have been carried over every one in ways we could not have imagined. 

If you are not stirred to your core by this I urge you to ask yourself: Why not?  Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable, to step outside the familiarity of your routine. That is where God works. In His plan. He doesn't need you: He wants you. We are extras in this play and He loves us so much He is giving us a spot on stage when He could just make everything from nothing. Wouldn't you like to see the adventure he has planned for you today?

In His grace,

Ben and Mary Grimm

Little Things... Like Car Break-Ins and Time-Warping

This morning I woke up and the car keys were nowhere to be found. I dragged Ben out of peaceful unconsciousness to search frantically for them, my mind ticking off the minutes before I would absolutely miss my first class at CanIL.
We determined they must be locked inside the car.
Neither of us knows how to break into a car.
Turns out no one in our host family does either.
Thankfully, there is only so long that you can stand around a car with a hanger and a stubby knife in the quite Dutch town of Lynden before the police show up.
They do know how to break into cars.

Off I zipped down the road running calculations in my mind. It's 8:16. My class starts at 9:00. If I make it through the border without having to wait in line, and if there is no traffic on Hwy 1, and if the train is not holding up traffic at the intersection of Glover Rd., and if all the lights are green, I should be able to make it just in time for Tone Analysis.
But the lights were red, there was a line at the border, and a big wreck on Hwy 1.
This is probably the 3rd or 4th time that I have earnestly prayed, "God, please warp time for me."

It was 8:24 at the Canadian border with two big transport rigs and a line of cars in front of me. I turned my clock off so I couldn't see it anymore. I've found I waste a lot of mental energy trying to will time to slow down. I may still be in denial that this is out of my control.

I may waste a lot of mental energy trying to control a lot of things that aren't actually in my control.

"God, please time-warp me. Please help me get to class on time."

8:55 I am setting my backpack down in class, only the second student to arrive.
The math doesn't add up.
Call it what you want. I am extremely grateful.

I am grateful for the generosity of one of the girls at the house for offering me her car in case we couldn't break into ours.
I am grateful for nosy neighbors and skilled police officers.
I am grateful for the apples and the apple crisp that some fantastic person left in the common room at school.
I am grateful for Tonal Languages - as ridiculously complicated as they make things - and for someone with the expertise to teach me how to analyze them.
I am grateful for my husband, who simultaneously teaches me the need to give grace and the blessedness of receiving it.
I am grateful for this crazy, beautiful life with all its mess and all its glory.
I am grateful for God who transcends time and the littleness of my nature and who makes catastrophes into miracles, whether they are miracles of finding grace in relationship or time-warping on the way to school.

May your day be full of the joy of life and little things that matter. May your heart be full of gratefulness to the Giver of every good thing.

Diving off the deep end

I hate asking for help. There is a very loud, very pessimistic voice in my head that says that nobody really wants to contribute and even if they did, it isn't fair to ask them. Another voice - my pride - says, 'You can do this on your own. Drop school for a couple semesters, work and save up for tuition.' People are being bombarded right and left with pleas for money. Mine is no different. I am passionately pursuing a path that I can't afford and I want others to help me get there.

Ben says, "Mary, this is an opportunity to trust God beyond what we can see or plan for."

Deep breath.

I can always ask for prayer. That is something I know to be powerful and effective. Please pray for us during this coming semester. Nothing is clear but the next step and God has provided for that. So, as a good friend of mine put it, we are trying to 'live in the green light.' That is, go in the direction God gave us until He says stop.

Four tuition payments of $1,710.84. Due each month, the first one now. By the grace of God, we have enough for the first. But what about the second, the third, the fourth? What about car insurance and taxes? What about repairs, and gas, and oil, and....

Another deep breath.

This is an adventure blog. I realize I usually write about past adventures. Well, this is one I don't know the end of, and I am honestly kind of freaked out. For more reasons than one.
Right now I am trying to finish my Masters in Linguistics in order to go into a place where languages are as yet unwritten and create a written language, a program for teaching reading and writing, a working dictionary, literature, and finally - the ultimate goal - translate the Bible for a people who have never read God's Word in their own language. Of course I won't be doing this alone, but how that looks is still unclear. All I know is that it is good that people should be able to read and understand the Word of God in their own language.
Ben is still praying about what God wants him to be doing and how to be preparing. We are both praying for direction, purpose, guidance, clarity. I am prepared to wait and support as God directs Ben and prepares him for His purpose. So far, this is the step that God has placed in front of us. He has given us a place to live, thanks to the generosity of a wonderful family up here in Northern Washington. He has given us a car, thanks to the generosity of Ben's mom. He has provided for us to go through two semesters debt free. This is the third, and He has provided for the first payment.
Ben has a lot more fun with this trusting God thing than I do. He get's excited when we get into places that only God can get us out of. Me? I'm just trying to quell the anxiety and remind myself of every time - every single time - and there are so many, that God has come through in bringing me along in His purposes.

Please pray for us.
If you are open, please pray about supporting us. If you tithe, would you consider donating a monthly amount to our mission? If you do not feel led, please don't feel pressured. God has set us on this road and He will provide for us.
You can email us at mowen10@georgefox.edu if you are interested in supporting us or just encouraging us :) .
Our mailing address is PO Box #808, Lynden, WA 98264

Here's to the next adventure. I am a little terrified at the thought of advanced phonology and tone analysis. I am even more terrified at the prospect of translating God's Word, accurately and well, into another language.
God is good. That is all.

Unexpected Encounters

On the final day visiting down in the Portland area for the holidays, we spent the last hours with our friend Jimmie.

Coffee? Sure. We're all pretty much broke, so let's scrape the bottom of the barrel for a house coffee and some time to catch up.
We were on our way to Shari's when a little coffee house caught my eye. "Hey, turn around! What about that place?" We pulled into the next door parking area and trooped inside. There was a couple lounging on some comfy seats in the corner, and a jolly looking man with a beautifully tended, long white beard sitting on a stool at the counter.
We were informed that the shop was closed for the day but that they still had a little house coffee left which we were welcome to if we wanted some. We helped ourselves and ended up conversing for a while. The couple was celebrating their anniversary. The man with the beard was the owner.
Somehow our goal to go into missions and my master's studies at Trinity Western University came up. The owner said he had almost gone there!
But wait, it get's even crazier.
He had supported and was good friends with a missionary pilot, now in Papua New Guinea! See, this guy had planned to go into Ministry as a Pastor but ended up choosing to dedicate his time to his family and start his business. His little shop had opened months before the economic downturn and yet somehow managed not only to survive but to thrive during those trying times. "You can't see it, but the rafters and door posts of this place are covered in written prayers and scripture verses." This man with his cozy shop and his welcoming attitude is one of the simple saints. This is the term I use to describe those who live their lives in simple, beautiful obedience to Jesus and generosity to everyone they encounter - no frills, no pretensions, just faith and love.
We walked away amazed yet again by the crazy encounters God lines up for us in our adventure with Him!
Oh, and the name of the shop?

It doesn't get better than that.