Wow.

I feel like the last seven days have been one long day. It's been great, but I'm a little fatigued.

Friday 18-Jan I got on the train to Chicago where the next day I helped Devon Church, take apart and reset their sound system. We shifted components around, bought a new component and tuned up the room. Just as important, I brought a line tester and my sister Beverly had the job of testing all of the audio cables. Nearly a full third of the cables had shorts in them.

They seemed generally happy with the results, and we did a sound check for praise team.

Sunday 20-Jan, I enjoyed assisting with worship (bass guitar and vocals) with Beth Hedges (guitar and vocals), and then had the privilege to preach.

It was a productive weekend, and I felt like I was able to make a contribution to Devon. I also had a chance to talk about our mission to the Czech to lots of people.

Then the weekend turned just a little surreal when my 6pm train was delayed until 9:30. Then I fell asleep on the train. When I woke the train wasn't moving. I fell asleep and woke up again, and the train wasn't moving. We pulled into the station about 2am. I'm thankful for cell phones, because I was able to call and wake Marge at home when we were getting close to Kalamazoo.

Thankfully Monday 21-Jan was a Pfizer holiday, but even by Tuesday I was still groggy. Tuesday night I had the opportunity to present our missions call at the home of my high school choir teacher Mr. Barber. It was fun. Afterword, his family sang this gorgeous song that Mr. Barber had written. It made me miss all of the great choir music we had in high school.

Wednesday night, we had my high school orchestra teacher over at our home, and that was a great time. Mr. Marsceau and I have lived in the same town for years, but for a number of years just fell out of touch. I was cool to reconnect.

In the midst of all this I managed to make phone calls and talked to a pastor in Nebraska.

Saturday, it was all day and into the evening on my son's jazz band. The product of that day is at www.shadestunes.com. That brings us to today.

I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow so that I can recoup, and try to catch up on some mission paperwork that is due.

Adam

Quick Update

I'm quickly jotting this note before I leave for my "day job". I'm truly thankful for my job and the management is very supportive of where I'm trying to head. That said, it's becoming quite difficult to give my employer my 100% while I'm there at work and then turn around and do the same thing for missions preparation while at home. My employer has offered a new benefit of Flexible Working Hours. I'm discussing this with my manager, and then will make application for the benefit. My application will be to work 4 ten hour days Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri. I would stay home on Tuesday and work on missions. This could really be a help.

I'll be in Chicago this weekend at Devon Church. Saturday, I'm helping them reset and possibly upgrade their sound system. Sunday I'm preaching there. I'm not there as a missionary candidate, but the pastor encouraged me to speak freely about it and hand out prayer cards. This is a church in which I have a developing relationship. I'm leaving by train Friday afternoon.

There is a group of six adults at Bethel that are working to make cold calls to churches for us. They call and find churches that are willing to receive an information packet. I send out the packet and then make a follow up call. Pray that God would raise up a few more contact team members, and that the Lord would guide us to the churches He has for us.

We are starting one of our required classes next week. It is in Bible study/interpretation. The text is called Grasping God's Word. I'm looking forward to the study, but not the extra responsibility of keeping up with the work.

It seems lately that Marge and I at least once a week suffer from insomnia. Up in the night thinking or fretting about .... you name it. We both need a good night's sleep. One of the biggest worries is how our house will sell. We plan to put it up for sale once the kids start summer break from school.

Please continue to pray for us.

I really enjoy visiting with people in their homes to explain how God has called us and where we are going. If you would like a visit, please click this link and send me an e-mail.

Adam M Parmenter

A Good Weekend

Had the opportunity to show our mission presentation to a coworker and her family from work.

Sunday there were more expressions of support and encouragement for our efforts to reach the field.

Momentum is building. It makes me nervous and excited.

At the same time, finding churches that are willing to have us come and speak is proving to be a challenge. In Michigan, budgets are tight, and often churches are already supporting numerous missionaries. Could God be using this circumstance to move us toward a different geographic area to raise support?

Marge and I have been doing some thinking about that. We are testing the waters in some other areas. Keep praying for us.

For now, it's back to work at Pfizer. Pfizer is going well for me. The work is challenging and it keeps me busy. On the down side, I know that at any moment the layoff notice could come. Pfizer is just that predictable right now.

I hope that you all have a great week.

Adam

Can't Sleap

It's nearly midnight on the first day of the year. My family and I celebrated New Years Eve at home, watching a movie, playing cards, and the grand anti-climax of watching the ball drop in Times Square. I enjoyed it.

Tonight is my last day of freedom before returning to work, and I'm too wound up to sleep. Everything is crowding into my brain. In 2008 we expect to raise the majority of our financial support. How could that be possible. We want to put the house up for sale March 1, how will we get it ready to sell? How can it sell in this market?

I'm even jittery about going back to work tomorrow, because even though I'm doing well at work, my heart is in Ceske Budejovice where I belong. Even so, I'm a little worked up about coming potential cuts in our department (again).

How will I do as a missionary? How could an eccentric goofball like me ever do it?

So, all this is swirling around in my head when I would rather be sound asleep. It doesn't help that I've been battling a cold all week.

I'm not unhappy by any means, and I've been fighting back the doubts with the 23rd Psalm and meditations on the Lord, but I would rather just be asleep. I have no doubts whatsoever as to my calling, and I know that God will bring it all into place at the time He deems right. It's an exercises in faith that I'm glad to have. It's just not all that conducive to sleep.

Adam

Back Home Again

It was a weekend of reconnecting with friends from my childhood. We went as a family to the annual banquet at the high school where I grew up. Stayed over night at the house of one of the teachers, because he also goes to the church where I grew up.

We visited Sister Lakes Community church in the morning, and spoke to their missions committee in the afternoon. Sister Lakes Community church has steadily grown over the years, and it continues to serve as a place where people come seeking God's forgiveness.

It was a great weekend.

Devon Church, Chicago, Illihnois

Michael and I boarded a train for Chicago, and Marge and Maryellen took the weekend off. Michael and I had a pleasant trip on Friday. We met my sister Beverly at the union station which was as crowded and chaotic as always.

I had been asked to come and teach on running sound. The seminar I taught was called "Sound Principals: Ministry Through Technology". When we arrived at Devon Church I noticed their mural. It says, "We will not hide these truths from our children, but will tell the next generation the glorious deeds of the Lord."

That's a powerful, life changing promise.

It was the first time I had conducted a Sound Principals seminar, but the people that came had lots of questions, and it was an excellent time of learning and discussion.

The premise of the seminar is that in the body of Christ we all impact the group. We either add value to each others lives or generate waste. It's the "value chain" principal of manufacturing. To a degree it certainly rings true in our lives as believers.

It also is true for the components in the audio chain from the microphone to the mixer to the front-of-house speakers. At each point in the audio chain we can add value to the sound or create something that hinders the listener (waste).

I was thrilled at how well the presentation was received. It was also the first time that my son Michael has served as my "tech" on the road. I gave him the outline and he put together the PowerPoint presentation. I like that, because I'm really not good at creative presentations. I'm better at the design side, but never can get it to translate onto the screen. Michael made a great team mate.

We stayed over night and enjoyed leading worship with the worship team at Devon the following day. It was another chance to play bass guitar. In the train station going home, having a bass guitar strapped over my shoulder was a conversation starter.

Adam

Quiet in the Midst of the Busy

I'm busily working away at my desk. It's nearly lunch time, so I thought I was stop to leave a note hear in the blog.

All around me is the combined noise of busy, productive employees and the animated banter of a Friday in the office. Work is fairly busy for me now, so I put on my headphones and listened to a group from Cedarville College called Heartsong.

They were singing a familiar hymn:

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene
And I wonder how He could love me a sinner condemned unclean
How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be
How marvelous, Oh, how wonderful is my saviors love for me

He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own
He bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone
How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be
How marvelous, Oh, how wonderful is my saviors love for me

When with the ransomed in glory, His face I at last shall see
Twill my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me
How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be
How marvelous, Oh, how wonderful is my saviors love for me

It sent shivers down my spine as I worked while my soul worshiped the Lord. Suddenly I realised that I was in this little island of quiet and worship in the midst of the happy clamor of my coworkers.

It is quite profound. God's fearsomely beautiful holiness somehow comes closer into view, and it's all I can do, but to find a quiet corner somewhere and weep over Jesus sacrifice on the cross, and God's kind provision of life.

It's quite real yet quite invisible to those around me.

Adam