{"id":1013,"date":"2016-01-26T09:36:39","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T13:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-ketcham\/?p=1013"},"modified":"2016-01-26T09:36:39","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T13:36:39","slug":"what-is-home-assignment-furlough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/angela-ketcham\/2016\/01\/26\/what-is-home-assignment-furlough\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Home Assignment (furlough)?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Flight\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As time marches on and we continue to prepare for our time of home assignment (starting June 2016), I thought I would share some thoughts.<\/p>\n

Home assignment, also known as furlough, is a time for reconnecting with ministry partners and churches, meeting and connecting with new<\/strong> ministry\u00a0partners and churches,\u00a0addressing any medical\/health\/education\/other issues,\u00a0rest & refreshment.<\/p>\n

What home assignment is NOT<\/em>:<\/p>\n

it is not<\/em> vacation.\u00a0 We spend hours upon hours a week calling, setting up & preparing to share our ministry with others.\u00a0 This is WORK!<\/p>\n

it is not<\/em> always fun.\u00a0 Spending 12 hours in the car with carsick children to go to a 2 hour church service is hard. (But SO WORTH IT!)<\/p>\n

it is not<\/em> cheap.\u00a0 Because we are spending our time in ministry, WE STILL NEED SUPPORT.<\/p>\n

What home assignment IS:<\/p>\n

Connecting<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 It not only reconnects us (Joel & Angela) with our friends, family & church(es), it allows our children to reconnect as well.\u00a0 And this time around, allows our youngest, Gabriel, to meet our friends & family for the FIRST time ever!\u00a0 This is a big deal after living overseas for 7 years.<\/p>\n

A time to address medical\/health\/other issues.\u00a0 <\/strong>There are a number of things that we ‘put off’ while waiting to return to the USA.\u00a0 This time of home assignment will give us the chance to address some of these concerns.<\/p>\n

A time for humility.<\/strong>\u00a0 It is NOT<\/em> easy to ask for money.\u00a0 But that is exactly what missionaries do.\u00a0 We ask for prayer, encouragement (like e-mails, letters, phone calls,\u00a0texts, packages, etc.)\u00a0AND<\/strong> <\/em>financial support.\u00a0 We can’t do what we do without the body of Christ working WITH US<\/em>.\u00a0 It’s humbling.\u00a0 Really, really humbling.<\/em><\/p>\n

A BLESSING!\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Hopefully as much to you, as it is to us!<\/p>\n

So there it is.\u00a0 Just a short version of what home assignment is and is not.\u00a0 Really, there is more.\u00a0 So much more.\u00a0 But you get the idea!<\/p>\n

Please be praying:<\/p>\n