Wedding planning firsts

What I've got to report this week is just all wedding stuff! The first picture is Carolyn my invitation creator/producer. She and I have been working on the design and creation of these darn things for months. She did a great job and printed them last week. She was a great lady to work with!
Next was Michael and my first wedding/shower gift. It arrived sometime last week and Michael waited for me and we got to open our first gift together. Kinda fun, as you can see!
And finally while staying at a neighbors house and working during the day at Michael's house, I've been working on just about one main thing this week. Invitations. Amazing how much detail goes into these things! whew! So here's me sitting at Michael's house assembling invitations and writing address's. Can't wait to get them IN THE MAIL!
Finally, we also got to see our engagment photo's this week for the first time! you can see them at http://www.robertandkathleen.com/blog/ .
I got to attend Michael's church bible study and we had some really good fellowship there last night.
Next week after Jury duty on Monday (hopefully that's all) I have a few days at home and then head out to Connecticut for wedding planning stuff. Michael will join me out there too and will get to meet more of my CT group! See many of you in the next week or so!

I've actually been home the last week!

This last week I spent at home in the Temecula area. I was able to attend youth group this and last week and even got to spend some time with a student from youth group on Saturday. She and I got to go to the Wild Animal Park and spend the day, thanks to a Christmas gift of membership to the zoo from my brother. I haven't had a chance like this for a long time of spending a day just hanging out with a teen. It felt so good and I really enjoyed being with her doing something we both could enjoy!
On Sunday last, I helped staff a couple tables for some colleagues at their home church missions conference in Escondido. It was a very large conference and we had two big tables. I had a great chance to watch my colleagues work as recruiters and got to talk to a number of people myself. I also met a young lady preparing for missions aviation as a pilot for JAARS. We got teary as we talked about our passion for all things aviation. Nice to find a fellow female aviation enthusiast like my silly self! I couldn't help but be a little jealous as she's pursuing that job and learning aviation mechanics and has almost finished her CFI license (certified flight instructor). Very cool.
Things for the wedding planning are going well. All the big stuff is pretty much done and we're tweaking the little stuff now! It's something like 71 days and counting!
thanks for checking in again!
Dagney

news from CA

I have to catch up again. This time to tell some good news and answers to prayer! The NextGen retreat followed the Recruitment conference and it was at the NextGen retreat that lots of good stuff happened. I had asked previously for prayer regarding how I should move forward with the organization based on the direction that the organziation and specifically my department was going, and also based on my new station in life to come, as a wife.
We really got going Friday, the whole group of us plus our supervisor and the Director of Recruitment. We kinda started at the beginning and put all our "cards" on the table and thought through what we want to accomplish and how we might begin to do that. I was so impressed with our supervisors and their gracious way of handling our stress and our lack of focus. By the end of Saturday we had a list of goals, objectives and possible strategies to accomplish them. We set dates to review all of this and make decisions to move us forward this year.
I had some significant, and as I see it providential, conversations with my supervisor and the director over my feelings of insignificance in the work and real lack of work to do within the department. I was more than glad to hear that with the new changes in administration in our department and the renewed vision and focus that I not only will have a wider influence but am even being asked to participate in leadership roles that I otherwise would not have known about. These roles will be flexible enough to allow me to work from Michaels home once we're married and will likely move with me when he is reassigned.
I am re-energized. I feel appreciated for what I have to offer and I am excited about the direction that my department is taking!
Thank you so much for your prayers. I saw a direct answer to those prayers over that weekend and I am really excited.
These coming changes also allow me a bit more flex time right now as things are being reorganized, to spend the time I need on planning for my wedding and preparing to be married soon. August seems to be the month that I will begin to take a more active role in the direction of NextGen and will begin preparing myself for the tasks that I will be assigned in the revamped NextGen.
Thanks for checking in and thanks to the few friends who gently asked "so when will you update your blog"? Wedding planning......etc......(blah,blah)....I know not a great excuse, but it's the truth!
Learning along with all of you,
Dagney

We're all getting together in Orlando, Florida

Hello from Florida! I arrived last Friday night first, to visit my grandmother and then drove up to Orlando on Sunday to arrive in time to greet my co-workers and other recruiters from all over the States. This was a Tri-yearly recruiters conference. We really enjoyed this weeks activities. I played guitar and sang in a singing worship group, spoke with two other colleagues in a workship on "Engaging the Millennials" and assisted as a workship facilitator. I really enjoyed serving this group of missionaries in our organization. I benefited from the active time being a part of an event like this apart from the insights I gleened from listening to speakers and workshops.
We ended the conference today and after spending some time at the headquarters just catching up with others there we began our NextGen annual retreat this evening at dinner. For the next few days our particular group will gather to discuss the issues that we face. We will plan our next year and think over our goals. We'll even get to spend some time just team building as our team is spread out all over the United States.
I am praying over my role in our organization and how I will adjust once I'm married. I'd appreciate your prayers on my behalf in regards to this! Thanks! Just being with those in my organization and being at the headquarters reminds me of why I LOVE this organization. So inspiring to hear stories from all around the world.
Dagney

getting to know the Stone family

This last weekend, after a good solid week at "home", I traveled by train up to visit Michael. We got alot done, meeting with his Pastor and spending time with family as well as talking over wedding plans. The picture includes Michael and Me as well as his brother Jim and Jim's wife Tamara. Jim took us on a tour of a few local wineries in the Paso Robles area. It really was our first time doing the day with Jim and Tamara and long overdue. While we were at it we kept our eyes out for good spots for our California wedding reception.
I got to attend youth group for the second week in a row! wow! lol. We had a guest speaker who related to the students his high school testimony of being shunned by his local youth group. It was a stunning testimony and very applicable to our students right now. While visiting Michael this weekend, we attended his church there and I looked around for the possibilities of getting involved in youth ministry there. Looks like there is a small youth group and youth pastor so gonna have to have a talk with him!
Tomorrow I fly over to Florida, and after a brief visit with my Grandma Benny in South Florida, I'll drive up to Orlando and attend the weeks events. First the Tri-annual Recruiters convention followed by the Next Gen retreat over the weekend. I get back to CA on Sunday.
Prayer items are for the workshop that Ron, Tracy and I give on recruiting the Next Generation. Also that during this time as I ask God for direction about the next phase of my life married, that He would answer and show me how I should arrange my job description.
Thanks for looking in on me again!
Dagney

Catching up and getting ready for Recruiters Meetings in Florida

Hi Friends! you gonna faint? Two weeks in a row? Yup! amazing. So this'll be short since there is a lot less to report since last weekend. I arrived in CA from CT's 22deg weather to find San Diego a lovely 77deg! YES! I had a little adventure at the very start.
An old friend of our family had taken me to the airport before Christmas and I left my car at their house to avoid the very costly daily parking fees at the airport. After she picked me up at the airport and we got back and tried to start my car, nothing happened. Not just a little "turn, turn" of the starter, nope, nothin'! I am more than grateful that this happened at my friends house as opposed to the public long term parking at the airport! So we ladies were brave, got out the jumper cables and got it going.
I've been making regular hours at the office this week, writing a newsletter for all my partners and putting together my part of a workshop that my collegues and I are presenting at the Recruiters Conference the end of the month. The conference happens Jan 26-29 in Orlando, followed by our NextGen annual retreat over the weekend. Last year, as you might remember, we held our annual retreat here in CA at Big Bear mountain, amidst the snow. This year we all decided that sunshine sounded good and since we're already all gathered it more than made sense.
So I'll be away again, but back in CA February 1.
Wedding plans have been a bit overwhelming the last week or so, but it looks like the clouds are clearing as we get the big items into place. It's now starting to get exciting. It is amazing how complicated this stuff can become! As the wedding day approaches some changes will be happening with my job.
I will be spending some time and thought in prayer during the conference and retreat and I would appreciate your prayers as I ask God how I can be involved in Wycliffe part-time and what the next phase of my life will be. My financial support will be reduced significantly, but my prayer support will definitely not! The forthcoming newsletter will explain all that.
Thanks again for your interest and prayers!
Dagney

whew! all things New Year

well loyal friends. My life has been crazy and getting time to sit down and post a blog didn't happen. So where have I been and what am I up to.
First the BIG news (that to most isn't really news anymore) December 5 Michael proposed in his airplane at 5,500 ft and we got engaged! Our wedding is planned for May 16, 2009. That may also explain why I've been so busy!
Then Dec 9-12 I went to Waxaw North Carolina to take the last of our recruiter training. I was able to share my fun news with my co-workers and to see the famous aviation facility! To be honest I was all choked up when it was my turn to take the tour. I'd dreamt of working as a pilot for them while in college and there is a special place in my heart and mind for them. I was so glad to have a fellow pilot friend who actually flew for them and now works in Southern CA as a recruiter, who took me into the hangar after the group was gone so I could take some pictures with the planes. :-) I was so excited!!
December 18 I left for home and the holidays. There was a feeling of enthusiasm for the celebration and for Michael's arrival on the 23d but there was also a feeling of dread for the goodbye's and departure of my brother and his family. I wanted time to fly and I wanted time to STAND STILL! We as a family tried to soak up all available time and appreciate every last minute but the post Christmas separation the day Michael and I were leaving for Spain was gut-wrenching. I was especially grateful to have Michael as a part of this difficult time and learn to lean on him instead of my brother when I hurt. Perfect time for that.
We left for Spain taking planes and a train and getting a glimpse of the Old World. We were there to visit Michaels brother Jeff and his Spanish family including two little nieces. We were in Zaragoza most of the time and at the end of our trip got to see Madrid for a day. Surprisingly, the area of Spain that I saw, looked a lot like Southern California!!
Michael and I departed company in London Heathrow airport and while he flew to LA I had a 7 HOUR layover!!! Sooo, I took the Underground to downtown and looked around snowy London and got the stamp on my passport! (woohoo) I left for NYC and got to CT again late Monday night, just in time to celebrate Epiphany or Three Kings Day to the Spaniards.
I have been spending the last week here doing marathon wedding preparations and am due to leave for home on Monday the 12th. Whew!
Hope that's a good catch you upper! Will have ministry news forthcoming in the next blog but for starters I'll be leaving for Florida and the tri-annual recruiters conferences Jan 23. I have a 45min "seminar" that I share with my two co-workers on recruiting the Next Generation and I'm assisting with the worship times by playing the guitar and singing. I get back to CA again Feb 1.
Happy New Year everyone and thank you for your interest and prayers for our organization on my behalf!
Dagney

Thanksgiving trip

Hello friends! As you can imagine the reason I didn't post a blog last week was it was Thanksgiving! I traveled back to CT on Tuesday and stayed until Saturday am. We had a great Thanksgiving Eve service at Calvary on Wednesday night hearing stories of thanks and appreciation of what God had done in our many lives over the year.
Our family this holiday included my brothers family, his in-laws the Sarris's and our long time friends Jenny and Jonathan Nelson from Virginia, as well as friend Bill Robbins (who's missing from the picture).
We fit in a quick trip to the tree farm to cut a Christmas tree and then a quick run at the mall for a jolt of holiday craziness there! I flew home the next morning. Since it was Saturday and I arrived in CA early, I jumped on the Surfrider train up to San Luis Obispo to visit my boyfriend Michael and his family. Stayed through Monday to visit and attend his Bible study group and then headed home on Tuesday via the train. Somehow I picked up a cold while enjoying my time with family and friends (I guess the cost of such gatherings) and I'm slugging away at this cold so I'll be better for the holidays to come!
This week I've got a prayer request for you regarding one of my WI kids. She (who will remain nameless) is really struggling with a difficult home situation, not able to get a job and not having transportation. "Stuff at home is really hard and I don't think she's getting any encouragement for her faith. She says that things have just gotten worse since I left and she feels like she just can't please anyone. Please do pray for these students. I really miss them and I am grateful for such things as Facebook that keep me in contact with them fairly regularly.
On another topic that is similar, I've really been impressed with the girls in my youth group here. They are much much busier than my WI kids, but that just comes with the territory here in SoCal. What impressed me last night at youth group was how solid and serious they are in their faith. Not that they don't struggle and all, but they (my particular group of girls) really have a handle on what it means to stand up to peer pressure and to resist the daily onslaught of influences around them. They do have each other and we talked about the influence that good friends have on one another, but they have a strong sense of what is right and what pleases God. I pray that God will protect them from our enemy and the inevitable attacks that he will try to wage on them in the future. There are others in our group that are not so "lucky", who struggle just like my WI kids with difficult family situations and really hard lives. I do still love teens and am moved by their struggles. Please pray for this next generation, that they will be able to recognize the Truth and to fight off our enemy!
Thanks for checking in and thanks for your concern about what is going on in my life and ministries!

lots of hosting

After returning from our organizations regional recruitment meetings, I was honored to host some friends from out of State! First the Allinghams arrived. They are friends that I met in Wisconsin last year when I worked for the EFCA in Youth Builders. This couple and their little boy John are precious friends and of emotional encouragement to me. It was a pleasure to host them and show them CA! My boyfriend Michael even took Steve for his first surfing try. The guys did great but the water was sooo cold! In the middle of the Allinghams visit, another friend arrived, this time from Atlanta, Georgia! Jenijoy is a special friend of the last 8 years or so and has visited me everywhere I've lived during our friendship. She stayed on after the Allinghams left and I enjoyed her company until last Wednesday. After a full day at the office, as opposed to at home I left on Friday morning to go to Texas for a friends wedding. Michael took me to see his last assigment at Ft. Hood and I got to meet a mirade of his friends and his Bible study leaders.
This week I'm concentrating on working from the office and am staying with Jennifer, my San Diego friend who lives about 5 minutes from work. This way i can cut out those long commutes! I'll be in Temecula for youth group on Wednesday night, then back to San Diego again on Thursday. Next week is the Thanksgiving holiday and my parents are bringing me home for the holiday. We are all trying to fit in as much time as possible with the Lee Pitts family before they leave. If you are attending the Calvary church Thanksgiving service, I'll likely see you there!
Prayer items for me are that I can begin to narrow down the ideas that I have to two or three reasonable working items. Also that I would be able to write at least one rough draft of my chapter for our resource book, this week! Thanks for checking in again!

Missions conference and Recruitment meetings

Last blog post I was still in Connecticut. As of now I am in California again. As for the conference in CT, I was happy to be included in the weekend activities, to meet up with some missionaries that Calvary supports that I didn't know about and a few others that I knew but hadn't seen in a while. My own brother was included and that was pretty weird!
I arrived in CA last Monday afternoon and booked it back up to the mountains where I met fellow recruiters for our bi-annual recruiters retreat. Always a good time of reconnecting and refocusing. For me this time, it was actually a bit difficult as I was caught in the middle of a time of development for my ministry in our organization. We are just now really deciding and developing the programs that we want to see available so it's hard to report on that kind of work. We did gather more up to date information on what our organization is doing to further the work of Bible Translation and it was encouraging to hear that we will be starting a significant initiative to actually see the Bible translations of the world begun soon!
Right now I have a family from Wisconsin visiting me and another friend from Georgia arriving tomorrow. There are web seminars to attend throughout the next few weeks and a new idea brewing in my head that may become reality this year! My resource book for teens about missions is coming along. The other two girls who are working on it with me are doing well also! So far so good!
I haven't connected in person with my students in youth group but have texted a few of them this last week. Seems that everyones lives are just racing along. I am so grateful for texting, as it really does keep me in touch with my girls better than anything else does! yeah, yeah, I know... "technology"!

Connecticut

I'm settled into a visit to CT. I arrived last Friday night with Michael and I'll be here until this coming Monday after our missions conference at Calvary is over. Michael came to visit my close friends and family here in CT, staying about 30hrs and leaving Sunday early in time to get back for work Monday morning! It was a light-speed visit! We managed to get him out to see the Fall colors and do some pumpkin picking before filling our house with a group of friends and feeding him the real "stuff"...(Italian sauce and spagetti and meatballs, made by Joe Corica).
Since he left I've been visiting with my Grandmother Charlotte, who is up from Georgia for the week. This Friday - Sunday is the Calvary Church Missions conference. My prayer for that time is that I'll have one great 2 minute story to share at church and a good "connecting" Sunday school class on Sunday morning between services. The conference ends after church on Sunday.
I return to CA Monday and I'm due up at Taquitz Pines in Idylwild that evening for our Recruiters retreat. When that ends on Thursday I'll be receiving my good friends the Allinghams as guests in town for the week.
I ought to have lots of good pictures for you in the coming days. My November promises to be a busy one!
If you attend Calvary Church in Trumbull then I'll look forward to seeing you there this weekend, starting Friday night! Thanks for stopping by to catch up with me!
Dagney

Friends from NY and friends with airplanes!

Last week was a pretty full one! Don and Elaine Eli were out here in California visiting their son and my friend Doug, and they stopped in Hemet to see me and join me for dinner at my house! It was a neat experience to have friends from out East here at my house in CA. In fact, Elaine was one of the first two people I met my first night at Calvary Church in Trumbull. She was also the first youth group leader of my first small group in high school in CT. It meant a t for them to visit. The very next day I joined some friends in San Diego and volunteered for Fri/Sat/Sun at the Miramar Air Show with the Warbird West Museum. I helped "man" the MiG-21 cockpit that they use to raise some funds for their other airworthy aircraft by charging people a couple dollars to climb in the cockpit. Of course I love being around the airplanes and it is my privilege to know these fun people. Particularly the owner of the museum, Jim Ostrich who has been so kind to include me in the museum's various activities. He has blessed me in the area of aviation and continues to, as well as in the area of my local relationships. Without being of the same spiritual persuasion, he has certainly been a kind of "dad" to me here in San Diego. I was able to continue to develop these relationships during the weekend.
Youth group has been quite different this year. Our youth pastor left in June and we now have a somewhat permanent intern. The group has dwindled to around 30+ every week, but my group of now "Sophmore" girls has remained mostly the same. One friend of the group of girls just lost her Mom to a deadly disease as of this Sunday. Please pray for Samantha and her family. She is so young to lose her Mom and this circumstance has really affected those that know her as they watch her deal with the pain of it. My girls have been doing something special to encourage her. The Lord has blessed our conversation times in small group the last few weeks and I have left youth group totally charged up about how He chooses to use me. It's really exciting to watch the girls "get" new concepts about God! The last picture on this post is our group of leaders that met after youth group this week.
For work, I was able to meet with a young lady who is interested in working for my organization in the area of journalism. We have both had a lot of fun discovering the ways she could serve. She has agreed to join me and another recruiter as we begin to write a book that we hope will be a resource for youth pastors to teach their interested students about missions. We began working on this book last week and will meet next week to keep the writing going! I also met with a group of youth ministry workers from the LA area, this week up in Lake Arrowhead. I was able to enlarge my circle of influence and learn about what God is doing in youth ministry in this Urban area. Met some really amazing people! Wow, some people are seriously motivated!
I stayed with a relatively new friend Jennifer for the first time this week. She has offered to let me stay at her house which is near my work which would allow me to shorten my commute some during the week. We had a good time connecting and she has graciously allowed me to stay when I need to.
Well, that was probably enough to read! I will be traveling to CT next weekend in order to see family and to attend the missions conference the following weekend!
Thanks for checking in again! There was a lot to write about and there were some things I left out!
Dagney

Office stuff getting busy!

I finally finished the decorating (for the most part) of my office in San Diego. There is a part of it that I can't show you, as it reveals the name of my organization, but just know that the wall facing the door has big mirrored letters of my organizations logo on the wall. Very cool! I've been busy with new ideas and with meetings. I've attended a number of webinars online to improve my skills in doing my job.
My youth group girls and I have been getting along really well. God has blessed me with some fabulous conversations in the last few weeks. Conversations that I go away from amazed at God and so thankful that He chooses to use me to speak through. I love, love, love watching and witnessing students grasp how wide, and tall and deep is the love of God! He is an amazing and intricate God!
This week I have the opportunity to spend time with my aviation friends as I volunteer at the Miramar Air show! I met these friends last year at this very event! Pray for me to be the gentle witness that I must be and that my life and actions prompt questions about who I follow. I love aviation so this is my favorite pastime and these are wonderful caring people!
Next week I attend with my supervisor, a meeting our youth ministry folks from San Diego, up in the mountains for Tues-Wed. We will have the opportunity to pick their brains and to share our missions ideas and opportunities with them!
Thank you for your interest in my ministry! Please continue to pray for one of my girls's friends who is losing her mother to cancer this week. She desperately needs the constant tangible presence of God to be her comfort. Pray that my girls will be that tangible presence of God in some ways that He will give them the wisdom they need to be a blessing to her as she mourns.
There are so many students who need our prayers. I have even had Facebook conversations that have prompted me and other to prayer. So many needs it's a good thing that our God has his ear and heart on every single one!

Arizon trip

I've added two posts this week. The first one is below and I added that on Wednesday. This one is to update you on what happened since I got back from NC.
Last week from Tues-Fri I was in Catalina (ie.near Tucson) AZ. Our organization held some Child Safety Seminar classes, which I along with my colleagues attended on Wednesday. Thursday we met to discuss the future of our camping programs as well as to try to better define our dept.
In the evenings we shared meals both at our recruiter friends home one night and a retired organizational member the next. We got to watch 2 fabulous sunsets in Arizona! The desert in the southern part of our United States is absolutely beautiful. AS you can see!
This week at work I've had a lot more to do. I'm keeping up with a number of new recruits in my specialty age group and we are starting work on some new ideas. Which I will tell you about as i have a better idea of how it might work out. if you know anyone who might be interested in a short term mission trip to Cameroon, Africa next summer. We are in the beginning stages of planning one. Let me know!
Youth group on Wednesday was so much fun. I ran the game, which is not my favorite thing to do, but I used a game we used in Russia and it was alot of fun. Our group has dwindled in size. There are probably a number of factors why. One of them being we lost our youth pastor earlier this summer so we're starting up again fresh. We have a tiny little budget too, but that is normal for youth groups all over the country! Gotta get creative!
I finished my office finally, so next week I'll post pictures of my "other world"!
Thanks again for checking in! andPS> don't forget there are two posts this week. I want you to meet Michael my boyfriend.

Official introduction to my blog friends

This blog is primarily for the "dissemination" of information to my partners, of my mission activities. But knowing that you my partners are also my friends I want to introduce to you my boyfriend "Mike" or "Michael" as I call him. We've been dating since the end of July and he has met both my parents, but not Lee yet.
So, a little info for the inquiring minds. Yes, he is a believer and originally from California. He's a little bit younger than me (27mths) and works for the Army. For now he's stationed at California Polytechnic University as a Professor of Military Science in the ROTC unit. He has served 14+mths in Iraq as a helicopter pilot (yeah, for those that know, just like Dad!) His intention is to make the Army his career, but there are a number of options out there for him when it's time for a reassignment. You could pray for him and his family as his mother is facing serious health issues and we don't know how much longer she has until our Father calls her home. His Dad has been gone since 2006, so many of the responsibilities of his family have fallen on Michael.
We have tons in common, aside from aviation and the military and I look forward to introducing him to y'all when the time permits! He is coming to CT in October, but because of his work and the flight schedule he won't be able to make it to church this time. He will get to see the Lee Pitts family and my "home town". Maybe those of you in CT will see him over the Christmas holidays!
Thanks for checking in. Ministry news will be posted in a few days! All is well!