Our church caroled with the 19th Ward last Sunday. Trent and Evan represented the Munden's there. It was well organized and Trent said it went well.
They had a piano and organ accompaniment and Trent said they sung the songs really slow. Ha! Pretty traditional . . . . . our pastor was allowed to get up and give a message of his choosing. The main point he gave was to not have fear because Christ's gift was free and we can do nothing to earn it. Our youth pastor also did a solo song with his guitar. All and all Trent was pretty impressed by it. At the end the bishop of the ward encouraged his flock to attend our Christmas Eve service--he had gone to it last year and loved it and wanted his people to go to it too!!
We continue to enjoy our church and meet new people each time we go. A couple has invited us over to dinner but we have yet to go because of all the Christmas festivities going on.
And the biggest news . . . . I might have met a friend here in Iona. I discovered another new family had moved into the house across the street at Thanksgiving time (not directly across but kitty korner). They are from Germany, he is a doctor who is currently working as a nurse until he passes the board exam here. The mom stays at home with her four little kiddos!! So, I marched over there with a Christmas card as soon as I learned all this and introduced myself and we have plans to get together once life resumes as normal at our house.
We have several family members coming over this week and next but after New Year's all should be pretty quiet around here and Trent is leaving for a work trip. So, I should have time then to get to know my new neighbors!!
In other news, we are pretty exhausted. Jordyn continues to not sleep at night. At all. She is horrible and we have tried nearly everything to get her to sleep through. So, we'll just keep trying until we are successful. Until then, we are extremely sleep deprived. I'm happy I had enough brain power to even write this much!
Merry Christmas!!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
A visit to the LDS church
This coming Sunday . . . .
I've been kind of on and off about the church we have been attending; mostly because the music is so stinkin' horrible (it makes me want to scratch my eyes out) and music is a love language for me. However, the core of the church is really great so I need to get over myself and suck it up. Case in point: it was announced last Sunday that we are Christmas caroling with a LDS church in town--we are going to their church but our pastor has been given the pulpit to preach whatever Christmas message he would like. Yes!! Trent and I will be there with bells on. I'm so excited they are doing this and are engaging themselves like this. They have built a relationship with the bishop at this particular LDS church and this is the 2nd year in a row they are doing this. I want to invite all my Mormon neighbors to their own church to hear my pastor speak! :)
And on a similar note one of our very nice, lovely neighbors invited us to a LDS Christmas dinner here in town. Specifically she said, "I want to make sure you don't feel left out. Many people complain that the Mormon's in town are very exclusive and don't make others feel welcome if you aren't Mormon." Yep. You pretty much nailed it, lady. She is sweet and very genuine. I need to reciprocate. Trent said if we weren't busy that night (we had his office Christmas dinner that night) we would have gone and then invited every single one of them to our church or some similar church event.
Interestingly, one of Trent's co-workers told him the other week that he has attended the Calvary Chapel in town and loved it (he's a Mormon). He said he would much rather go to Calvary Chapel than his church but his wife is truly the Mormon in his family so he doesn't want to rock the boat and start attending somewhere else. Hmmmmm. It makes us wonder how many of these 'Mormon's exist.
Continuing in the mission field of SE Idaho . . . .
I've been kind of on and off about the church we have been attending; mostly because the music is so stinkin' horrible (it makes me want to scratch my eyes out) and music is a love language for me. However, the core of the church is really great so I need to get over myself and suck it up. Case in point: it was announced last Sunday that we are Christmas caroling with a LDS church in town--we are going to their church but our pastor has been given the pulpit to preach whatever Christmas message he would like. Yes!! Trent and I will be there with bells on. I'm so excited they are doing this and are engaging themselves like this. They have built a relationship with the bishop at this particular LDS church and this is the 2nd year in a row they are doing this. I want to invite all my Mormon neighbors to their own church to hear my pastor speak! :)
And on a similar note one of our very nice, lovely neighbors invited us to a LDS Christmas dinner here in town. Specifically she said, "I want to make sure you don't feel left out. Many people complain that the Mormon's in town are very exclusive and don't make others feel welcome if you aren't Mormon." Yep. You pretty much nailed it, lady. She is sweet and very genuine. I need to reciprocate. Trent said if we weren't busy that night (we had his office Christmas dinner that night) we would have gone and then invited every single one of them to our church or some similar church event.
Interestingly, one of Trent's co-workers told him the other week that he has attended the Calvary Chapel in town and loved it (he's a Mormon). He said he would much rather go to Calvary Chapel than his church but his wife is truly the Mormon in his family so he doesn't want to rock the boat and start attending somewhere else. Hmmmmm. It makes us wonder how many of these 'Mormon's exist.
Continuing in the mission field of SE Idaho . . . .
Monday, December 2, 2013
Thanksgiving week + end
Happy belated Thanksgiving!
We spent the holiday in Jerome with my family and then headed back home on Saturday. On the way we stopped in American Falls to see the Schutte's while they were visiting Jon's parents. Also, that got us home in time to go to church again. We would like to create as much continuity in our lives as possible so the kids feel like this is 'home'. Whatever that is. It was really strange to drive east instead of west to go home, but it was a lot shorter drive!
And as an aside, Jordyn doesn't like to travel. As soon as we got home she passed out and took a 3-hr nap then slept pretty well through the night.
Church: Sunday #4
We have decided that CCC (that's what I'll call it here) is our home for now. We really like the pastor and his messages. He is very 'real' and very ADD. I like it. They had a combined service instead of two morning services and it was jam packed. This church is ready to grow and they need to start making some serious changes to make it happen. They are too big to have one service without adding accommodations in other rooms or doing something different. However, we got a good glimpse into why some changes might not have been happening as quickly as needed. They had a short business meeting after the service and we stayed to see what was happening. Apparently the pastor's wife had been in rehab for several months and just returned home. And, the worship pastor had run off with his partner just a few months ago. So, they are dealing with some serious peripheral issues.
I told Trent afterwards that you can tell the Spirit is using that pastor because he is under serious attack from Satan. This guy is clearly spreading the message of Christ and is suffering the consequences from the world. So, we will make a more pointed effort to be in prayer for him and his family and this church.
More Mormon news
We continue to make interesting discoveries about our Mormon neighbors (nearly everyone here). Needing suggestions in these areas: 1) what book could we give them in return upon receiving a Book of Mormon from them? 2) questions to see if they are seeking to bring up in casual conversation (Krista H. is the master of this; and of course, Dave D)
Foster Care
We are seeking to get our foster care license here. I have no idea what this will look like--the age or when we will begin. However, the process is much easier than what I had anticipated. There is no limit on how long you have to live here to get your license. In Washington state you have to live there a year before you can apply to be a foster family. Then, their training program is the same as Washington's so we have already completed it. Today while cleaning out the office space I found our completion certificate for Pride Pre-Service. Gulp. This is happening too quickly . . . . I don't know if the Lord is opening doors quickly for us or we are being tested to see how much wisdom we have. I'm sure it will take a while to get through the home study, etc so we'll see.
What prompted this was I was on the website where they have WA, ID, OR's waiting children--kids who are able to be adopted immediately. I clicked on the kid who was the oldest (thinking, this one will time out first so they need a home first!) and read his profile. Usually they are very clear on the child's needs but this kid seemed like he didn't have huge issues but had been in foster care for a few years. Then at the bottom it said they would prefer a home in Idaho Falls because this child's grandma lives in IF and he would like to have contact with her. Another Gulp. It cut through my heart and I didn't think it was a coincidence. Whether or not we are to adopt this very child, I don't know but it hit me that we were to do something about kids like this. It's not glamorous or easy but we have to at least try . . . . .
Enough from the Iona home front.
We spent the holiday in Jerome with my family and then headed back home on Saturday. On the way we stopped in American Falls to see the Schutte's while they were visiting Jon's parents. Also, that got us home in time to go to church again. We would like to create as much continuity in our lives as possible so the kids feel like this is 'home'. Whatever that is. It was really strange to drive east instead of west to go home, but it was a lot shorter drive!
And as an aside, Jordyn doesn't like to travel. As soon as we got home she passed out and took a 3-hr nap then slept pretty well through the night.
Church: Sunday #4
We have decided that CCC (that's what I'll call it here) is our home for now. We really like the pastor and his messages. He is very 'real' and very ADD. I like it. They had a combined service instead of two morning services and it was jam packed. This church is ready to grow and they need to start making some serious changes to make it happen. They are too big to have one service without adding accommodations in other rooms or doing something different. However, we got a good glimpse into why some changes might not have been happening as quickly as needed. They had a short business meeting after the service and we stayed to see what was happening. Apparently the pastor's wife had been in rehab for several months and just returned home. And, the worship pastor had run off with his partner just a few months ago. So, they are dealing with some serious peripheral issues.
I told Trent afterwards that you can tell the Spirit is using that pastor because he is under serious attack from Satan. This guy is clearly spreading the message of Christ and is suffering the consequences from the world. So, we will make a more pointed effort to be in prayer for him and his family and this church.
More Mormon news
We continue to make interesting discoveries about our Mormon neighbors (nearly everyone here). Needing suggestions in these areas: 1) what book could we give them in return upon receiving a Book of Mormon from them? 2) questions to see if they are seeking to bring up in casual conversation (Krista H. is the master of this; and of course, Dave D)
Foster Care
We are seeking to get our foster care license here. I have no idea what this will look like--the age or when we will begin. However, the process is much easier than what I had anticipated. There is no limit on how long you have to live here to get your license. In Washington state you have to live there a year before you can apply to be a foster family. Then, their training program is the same as Washington's so we have already completed it. Today while cleaning out the office space I found our completion certificate for Pride Pre-Service. Gulp. This is happening too quickly . . . . I don't know if the Lord is opening doors quickly for us or we are being tested to see how much wisdom we have. I'm sure it will take a while to get through the home study, etc so we'll see.
What prompted this was I was on the website where they have WA, ID, OR's waiting children--kids who are able to be adopted immediately. I clicked on the kid who was the oldest (thinking, this one will time out first so they need a home first!) and read his profile. Usually they are very clear on the child's needs but this kid seemed like he didn't have huge issues but had been in foster care for a few years. Then at the bottom it said they would prefer a home in Idaho Falls because this child's grandma lives in IF and he would like to have contact with her. Another Gulp. It cut through my heart and I didn't think it was a coincidence. Whether or not we are to adopt this very child, I don't know but it hit me that we were to do something about kids like this. It's not glamorous or easy but we have to at least try . . . . .
Enough from the Iona home front.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday #3 and Book of Mormon #1
It has been beautiful here! Sunny and cold but no wind. We are able to get out and enjoy ourselves for a few hours each day. Trent took Friday off so we had a 3-day weekend with him and went to town and got some Idaho Falls culture. Fun!
Yesterday I officially received my first Book of Mormon. One of the gals on my Soul Soup team who has lived in Idaho Falls said I would receive several of these while living here, complete with highlights and notes. Yep, she was right. Trent and I have discussed stacking them by the front door table to display them so people can see how many we have received. Or maybe not . . . . .
It was one of our adorable next door neighbors who brought it over. However, on hearing we were Baptist during our last visit they did contact some of their friends who are Baptist and got us their names and phone numbers and which church they attend. While simultaneously inviting us to a Mormon service. She mentioned she has attended an interdenominational Bible Study before with Baptists in attendance and she said she learned a lot (I bet!). It was CS Lewis who said 'There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devil. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.' It's how I feel about the Book of Mormon--I should give a read and look-through but I don't really want to study it at all. I should know what it says that I don't agree with and I should also have memorized concretely (and believe in my heart) what I believe.
Sunday #3 was much better. We braced ourselves for the Maranatha Singers Worship Band and prayed about the experience (and for those involved in the service) before we arrived. The music was bad as anticipated but focusing on the sermon we did much better. The message is spot-on and delivered well. Jesus was the very focus of all of it and we were edified by it. Fantastic. I think they might be at one of those break-points that the size of the church is such (300 or so) that if they don't make some critical changes they won't grow anymore. The point isn't to get big but I think they have the potential to bring many more seekers and disciples into their fold. They're primary focus is outward: very missional, and small groups are part of it although not at the very center of what they do.
Anyhow, this week went much better in general. We are definitely getting into a groove. I am doing preschool at home with the kids to give us some familiarity and a schedule. I'm pretty horrible at it and we usually end up outside planting bulbs or dancing but it's fun! Next month we are going to do Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. and that excites me.
We learn things about little Iona each week that we love. I told Trent that if we meet some friends, I might really like this place! But, we still miss everyone . . . .
Yesterday I officially received my first Book of Mormon. One of the gals on my Soul Soup team who has lived in Idaho Falls said I would receive several of these while living here, complete with highlights and notes. Yep, she was right. Trent and I have discussed stacking them by the front door table to display them so people can see how many we have received. Or maybe not . . . . .
It was one of our adorable next door neighbors who brought it over. However, on hearing we were Baptist during our last visit they did contact some of their friends who are Baptist and got us their names and phone numbers and which church they attend. While simultaneously inviting us to a Mormon service. She mentioned she has attended an interdenominational Bible Study before with Baptists in attendance and she said she learned a lot (I bet!). It was CS Lewis who said 'There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devil. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.' It's how I feel about the Book of Mormon--I should give a read and look-through but I don't really want to study it at all. I should know what it says that I don't agree with and I should also have memorized concretely (and believe in my heart) what I believe.
Sunday #3 was much better. We braced ourselves for the Maranatha Singers Worship Band and prayed about the experience (and for those involved in the service) before we arrived. The music was bad as anticipated but focusing on the sermon we did much better. The message is spot-on and delivered well. Jesus was the very focus of all of it and we were edified by it. Fantastic. I think they might be at one of those break-points that the size of the church is such (300 or so) that if they don't make some critical changes they won't grow anymore. The point isn't to get big but I think they have the potential to bring many more seekers and disciples into their fold. They're primary focus is outward: very missional, and small groups are part of it although not at the very center of what they do.
Anyhow, this week went much better in general. We are definitely getting into a groove. I am doing preschool at home with the kids to give us some familiarity and a schedule. I'm pretty horrible at it and we usually end up outside planting bulbs or dancing but it's fun! Next month we are going to do Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. and that excites me.
We learn things about little Iona each week that we love. I told Trent that if we meet some friends, I might really like this place! But, we still miss everyone . . . .
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Article
I loved reading this article. Ministering to Mormons. I'm not sure where he got these statistics from but I'd like to find out: 'When I learned that Utah, apart from Mormon wards, is actually the most unchurched area in America, it grabbed my heart. Only one percent of the population attend an evangelical church. Utah is one of America's greatest mission fields. There is a smaller percentage here than in places like Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq.' Eastern Idaho has a higher per capita Mormon population than Utah so what is like where I live??
Please share if you have any similar articles for me to read. Whether it be about LDS or Muslim or Buddist!
Please share if you have any similar articles for me to read. Whether it be about LDS or Muslim or Buddist!
Moved. But not settled . . . .
November 20, 2013
I want to start this blog as a way to communicate with my church friends of yore in Tri-Cities. I have fully immersed myself in a Mormon dominated community and am quickly praying and seeking the best way to minister to our LDS friends. I will probably only privately extend invitations for certain people to read this but I also want to write in a way that if our LDS friends stumble upon this blog they will in no way be offended.
So, please feel free to comment with suggestions, admonitions, accountability questions, and the such to me!
As of yet we have tried two different churches and both we were a bit disappointed with. The first had worship music exclusively from the 90's and we're pretty sure it was all the same bad worship album. The sermon was OK--we are so used to Scripture-packed sermons that when there is only a few verses presented it seems slim. The second we tried this week (we had previously tried this church already during our house hunting extravaganza) had a sermon that openly mocked other religions. The pastor was overtly sarcastic and we were not impressed. Back to the drawing board. I think we might go back to church #1 and land there for a while until we can find a church we truly feel we belong at (and try not to cringe at the music). It's hard 'church shopping' with kiddos. I honestly didn't really think this through. We have uprooted our children and know no one here and then hop around churches trying to find which one is a 'fit'. Especially Evan doesn't appreciate this. He is our child that loves a schedule and predictability. So, we are rethinking how we can find a church that will fit us. 'Bethel--Iona' is on the list of possibilities. I listened to one of Dave's sermons while folding laundry yesterday and started crying . . . . oh how I miss my church! However, this move also reminded me of one of our Perspectives classes and the teacher reminded us that our definition of home should be something different than what we normally expect. I can't remember what he said (I need to dig up that lesson now that I have all my beloved books unpacked!) but the idea was our home is in heaven and here on earth is very temporary. We shouldn't be in love with where we live, we should be more concerned with living in God's will and being where He wants us.
My first and most interesting conversation with a Mormon happened to be with the guy I hired to pick up the massive amount of leaves that was in our lawn. I was out front talking to him and he blatantly said, "There's a difference between a Mormon and someone who is LDS. I'm just Mormon." He is currently attending BYU-Idaho. I must reek 'non-Mormon' (surprise, surprise) because everyone I meet instantly knows we are NOT Mormon. Hmmmm. We have had several people stop by our house and outright ask if we are LDS. When they find out we are not they smile and say 'Oh. That's ok!' I'm glad because I'm living here no matter what. There are two Mormon churches within one mile of our home and the community we live in is only 1800 people. No joke. The per capita of Mormons is higher in Eastern Idaho than in Utah. They're everywhere and obviously not all of them are happy with their religion and are seeking. I guess what I'm wondering is what are some non-threatening questions to ask to get that information out of them if they are willing to share??
Our second more interesting conversation with some neighbors that stopped by was Trent explaining to them our small group concept at Bethel (and many other evangelical churches). They didn't understand at all. They kept thinking we did it with high schoolers or middle schoolers but not with families just like ours. When they finally got the concept they were completely intrigued. Something to think about.
Probably enough for now . . . . Love to all.
I want to start this blog as a way to communicate with my church friends of yore in Tri-Cities. I have fully immersed myself in a Mormon dominated community and am quickly praying and seeking the best way to minister to our LDS friends. I will probably only privately extend invitations for certain people to read this but I also want to write in a way that if our LDS friends stumble upon this blog they will in no way be offended.
So, please feel free to comment with suggestions, admonitions, accountability questions, and the such to me!
As of yet we have tried two different churches and both we were a bit disappointed with. The first had worship music exclusively from the 90's and we're pretty sure it was all the same bad worship album. The sermon was OK--we are so used to Scripture-packed sermons that when there is only a few verses presented it seems slim. The second we tried this week (we had previously tried this church already during our house hunting extravaganza) had a sermon that openly mocked other religions. The pastor was overtly sarcastic and we were not impressed. Back to the drawing board. I think we might go back to church #1 and land there for a while until we can find a church we truly feel we belong at (and try not to cringe at the music). It's hard 'church shopping' with kiddos. I honestly didn't really think this through. We have uprooted our children and know no one here and then hop around churches trying to find which one is a 'fit'. Especially Evan doesn't appreciate this. He is our child that loves a schedule and predictability. So, we are rethinking how we can find a church that will fit us. 'Bethel--Iona' is on the list of possibilities. I listened to one of Dave's sermons while folding laundry yesterday and started crying . . . . oh how I miss my church! However, this move also reminded me of one of our Perspectives classes and the teacher reminded us that our definition of home should be something different than what we normally expect. I can't remember what he said (I need to dig up that lesson now that I have all my beloved books unpacked!) but the idea was our home is in heaven and here on earth is very temporary. We shouldn't be in love with where we live, we should be more concerned with living in God's will and being where He wants us.
My first and most interesting conversation with a Mormon happened to be with the guy I hired to pick up the massive amount of leaves that was in our lawn. I was out front talking to him and he blatantly said, "There's a difference between a Mormon and someone who is LDS. I'm just Mormon." He is currently attending BYU-Idaho. I must reek 'non-Mormon' (surprise, surprise) because everyone I meet instantly knows we are NOT Mormon. Hmmmm. We have had several people stop by our house and outright ask if we are LDS. When they find out we are not they smile and say 'Oh. That's ok!' I'm glad because I'm living here no matter what. There are two Mormon churches within one mile of our home and the community we live in is only 1800 people. No joke. The per capita of Mormons is higher in Eastern Idaho than in Utah. They're everywhere and obviously not all of them are happy with their religion and are seeking. I guess what I'm wondering is what are some non-threatening questions to ask to get that information out of them if they are willing to share??
Our second more interesting conversation with some neighbors that stopped by was Trent explaining to them our small group concept at Bethel (and many other evangelical churches). They didn't understand at all. They kept thinking we did it with high schoolers or middle schoolers but not with families just like ours. When they finally got the concept they were completely intrigued. Something to think about.
Probably enough for now . . . . Love to all.
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