June 2009
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Omaha! After traveling in Asia this winter then finishing Servant Team application review, hosting board meetings, and launching the redesign it feels great to slow down a bit and welcome summer. Our neighborhood has come to life with children playing in the streets and neighbors mowing their lawns. At our house we are putting down some roots in the garden plot we dug several weeks ago and waiting for vegetables to grow.
Summer is a great time in the Word Made Flesh Omaha community. We eat lunch outside together on the sidewalk outside our office. We walk up to the Old Market for meetings; sometimes we stop for ice cream. The rhythms of community life: praying, eating and playing together come into focus. It is good to rest in our relationships with each other in context of work among the poor.
After about sixteen years the senior staff at Word Made Flesh was noticing that people were burning out, because of the intensity of the work. Our workers needed rest to sustain the movement. In an effort to nurture the vocations of our people and foster a community where Sabbath rest and renewal are honored, Word Made Flesh began to offer staff sabbatical in the seventh year of service. My supervisor, Daphne, has been with Word Made Flesh for ten years. She will receive sabbatical at the end of May and will be away from the community for about seven months. While I’ll miss her friendship and guidance, I am so glad she will have a chance to rest and explore her creativity.
For the rest of the Advocacy Team; Jara, Mandy, and I; this signifies a shift in responsibilities and a season of greater self-direction in our own work. After nearly two years in my position, I feel prepared to push programs forward in Daphne’s absence. Our workloads will be different and more challenging; we would really appreciate your prayers as we enter this time of transition.
Thanks for your support and all your prayers,
Marcia