It was no small logistical task to coordinate our trip to Orlando for Cru new staff training. Jim and I preferred not to be away from the kids for that long, so they joined us for a portion of the time. After squaring away Molly for the weekend (she spent a couple days with her old friend Nora), we made our way to the airport. This was Ruth’s first trip on an airplane since she was a baby, so she was quite excited.

Jim instructed her on what it takes to get a plane ready to fly, and she was an eager learner. Once on the plane, she repeated to me what was taking place. Just like her father, what kept her busy durning the flight was looking at the flight plan.

Once in Orlando, our training got underway immediately. Meanwhile, the kids rode roller coasters at Sea World and took advantage of the hotel’s miniature golf course. Jim and I found them during one of our breaks:

Sunday was Mother’s Day. We were given the evening off, so Jim had bought tickets to see the comedian, Tim Hawkins, perform at a local church. We laughed much.

Then on Tuesday morning, we brought the kids to the airport so they could fly home and get back to school.

It was sad to see them go, but we knew that we would not have seen much of them for the rest of the week anyway, as our training went from morning until late at night.

Our new staff group toured Cru headquarters one day, and one thing that really got me excited was the Jesus Film part of the ministry. Just last year, millions of people made a commitment to follow Jesus after watching this movie, which has been translated into over 1600 different languages! You can watch it online, or download the app.

Meanwhile, back at home, my mom was coordinating homeschool, baseball, and Cornermouse jobs. I knew they were in good hands! She and Derek shuttled kids to game…

after game…

after game.

Cornermouse had two substantial jobs that needed coordination. Mom went above and beyond by delivering one order into Chicago!

At the end of our ten days, Jim and I were officially commissioned as missionaries with Cru.

We are thankful to be part of such a solid organization that upholds Scripture and aims to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We also were encouraged to meet a bunch of great like-minded people from all over the country. Jim and I were among the oldest, as many of the new staff were newly graduated or newly married. Because we had rented a car for the week, we were the airport shuttle for a bunch of people early Sunday morning. Double buckle!

Our time in training helped fuel our excitement over what God has called us to do.