Remembering Alex Elyjiw

(Last weekend, one of my best friends from growing up -- Alex Elyjiw -- was killed in an auto accident. I wrote up a little memory piece I'd like to publish here, in his memory.)

Oh yes... Boys growing up. Those pre-teen and adolescent days can be rough times, but it sure helps when you have best friends to spend them with. I had a lot of friends when I was growing up, but Alex was definitely one of the best.

Actually, I remember the entire Elyjiw family as a special part of my growing up. I always liked to come over to your house. Your parents were always fascinating, and I loved the art and craftwork you always had around your house—especially the Easter Eggs. It was a special place of respect for a heritage that you were fighting to maintain and protect.

I remember spending hours and hours together with Alex and George (and even Ken and Peter sometimes), building everything from hot air balloons to model airplanes and rockets. I remember lots of quick-setting “5 minute epoxy” and Popsicle stick patches. I wonder how many rockets we lost on top of the School 46 roof. My brother Ken reminded me of boomerangs (I never was really good with those) and firecrackers. We flew hot air balloons, heated over alcohol burners made out of tin cans... kites... bike races around the little parking lot at the school. We rode our bikes down the water culvert that ran along side of Browncroft Blvd into the Ellison Park valley. I remember playing with toy soldiers in the sandbox and woods next to Andy Smith's garage. ("Bombs Away!") Races down Doorchester. (What IS it about little boys and races?) I remember playing hide-and-seek after dark. Alex was creative, competitive, energetic, friendly, kind, and just a great friend to grow up with!

I think I remember the model airplanes the best. We would build control-line planes (the kind that you hold on to the wires and fly in circles) that were about the same size, and tie long streamers to the tails. Then, we would both start them up, standing at the center of the same circle, and fly them around together, with each one trying to clip the other's streamer with our propeller. It was some CRAZY flying, and we spent a lot of time laughing together as we tried to not get our lines too badly tangled! I think we had more than a few crashes, and we went through many tubes of quick 5-minute epoxy glue to fix them right there in the School 46 field, and then get them back up into the air.

I seem to remember one model plane that Alex (or George?) converted from a stick-and-tissue-paper design to a control line. I think he put too big a motor on it though. He started flying it, and before it had gone around the circle a half dozen times, the body (and gas motor) sheared off from the wing mounts and went spinning off into the air. We were rolling around on the ground and laughing for quite a while after that one.

I still have some of those model airplane parts down in my basement. I haven't touched them in years, but I don't quite have the heart to clean them out because they have so many great memories associated with them.

I remember the rockets too. We started out with kits from Estes, but quickly moved to designing our own rockets. I tried a couple of rocket sleds (strictly against the rules), and had at least one which turned out to be negatively stable. We had big ones and little ones (the “Mosquito”). We had big, important sounding count-downs, and then racing off on the bicycle to try to figure out where the wind had carried the rocket and its parachute, and wondering HOW we were going to get the fool thing out of the tree it had landed in. (Rake handles never seem to be long enough.)

I remember trying to do clay-mation movies with his 8mm camera. I know we spent hours, one frame at a time, slowly moving the clay figures and toy cars. I don't know if we ever saw the end results of that movie, but in a way I guess it didn't matter. It was the process that was important.

One thing I remember about Alex though was that, even though he was really competitive and played his hardest to be the best, in the end it didn't really matter who won or lost. We were just friends having fun together.

It's been a long time since I've seen Alex, and I have often wondered how you guys were doing. Though these are lousy circumstances under which to get back in touch, it's still nice to be able to look back and remember the really great times we had as kids, and to hear from you again. I'm glad to hear that, at least in the good ways, Alex didn't change a lot from back when I knew him.

A Tree Planted ...

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:8 (KJV)

If you've seen the new business card I just designed, it has a simple drawing of a tree on it. (see my web site for the logo.) For the most part, I simply put a tree there... because I like trees! I didn't have any deep underlying meaning or psychological reasons. I drew a tree, and there it was. My brother (the Graphic Artist and ArtGeek) figured out how to digitize it and make it into a business card.

As often happens though, on further reflection, I decided that there was something meaningful about the image of a tree. In both Jeremiah 17 and in Psalms 1, the image of a "tree planted by the waters" comes up as a picture of those who put their faith and trust in the Lord. When the hard times come (drought), the deep roots sunk into the ground along the stream continue to refresh the tree, and it does not wither.

I'm not usually a big fan of the KJV, but in this verse, there is one word that really hit me. Many translations use something like, "It will not be anxious during droughts." However, in the KJV and several other translations, it uses the term careful.

What jumped out at me is the picture of someone who, during a time of drought or famine, is very careful about how they live or spend their money, or careful to store up food for hard times, to hide it from others so they don't take it away. To be careful is the opposite of being extravagant, or even generous. You are always calculating, figuring, measuring, thinking about what you won't be able to get in the future.

In contrast is the one who puts his trust in the Lord (or in Psalms, the one whos "delight is in the law (or word) of the Lord"). When the hard times come, and they always do, that man or woman will not lose the green in their leaves. The tree may still be "stressed", but it will continue to bear fruit. In terms of energy, bearing fruit is a very extravagant process in plants, but it is necessary for the continued life and reproduction of the plant. In the bigger scheme of things, bearing fruit is necessary for the survival of the entire ecosystem, just as in the Church, being fruitful is the secret of continued ministry and growth. If we do not bear fruit, we will not grow.

Lord, I want to not be careful in the time of drought!

OM Trip Report - April 2008

Sometimes it's good to have a reminder of why we're doing all this work to join the team in the OM USA Headquarters. Since it had been over a year since my last trip down to volunteer down at the OM USA Headquarters outside of Atlanta, and since my schedule is a bit more flexible now, Sue and I decided that it was a good time to take another trip there. For about ten years now, I have been taking a week off during the summer to fly to Atlanta and spend a week working with the team in the computer department, usually on short term, high intensity projects upgrading some part of the system there or installing some new piece of software. These are the kinds of things which the team could possibly do themselves, if they had the time, but they are so involved in the day to day activities of just keeping things up and running that they can't take the time to step back and deal with the disruption of “fixing” something. That's where my skills, and the extra time that I can spend come in handy. In addition, Sue and I wanted to get a chance to talk with some of the people in the office regarding our efforts with developing our support base and Partners, and to look at some possible apartments or housing alternatives. As far as the technology, even the behind-the-scenes pieces are vital to the smooth running of the computer systems.

1. Security: I was able to implement some changes on their network with regard to maintaining passwords and security.
2. Network Equipment: There are some issues with older pieces of key equipment on the network (Cisco switches) showing signs of possible failure. We were able to spend time meeting with several computer vendors to evaluate alternatives for upgrading these components before they decide to give up the ghost.
3. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: One problem with complicated systems is that people tend to know their little piece, but they don't understand how they fit into the bigger picture. While I was there, we spent considerable time gathering many of these smaller pieces and putting them into one place – a network diagram showing how all the components work together. It's one of those pictures which look deceptively simple once you are done, but can be a huge help to the people tasked with keeping the system running day to day.

I was also able to look into some apartment complexes in the area. There are several complexes as well as houses for rent within a reasonable bicycling distance from the office, all of which take pets (i.e., Polly can come with us). Please pray with us regarding options in housing – it will definitely be one of our largest expenses there, and there are many factors to consider. It was also a great encouragement to talk with some of the other people on the team there. Everyone there knows the trials and triumphs of raising support, and it was good to hear some of their testimonies of the Lord's faithfulness, and creative ways that they have used to work with supporting their ministries. Support is still a major prayer concern for us, but the mountain doesn't look nearly as intimidating when you can see how others have made it through.

Sue was busy too...

While I was gone, Sue took some time to go to a long-arm quilting class. She has wanted to do this for a long time. While she was learning, she finished a baby quilt that she has been working on for over three years! In addition, Sue was able to keep up her work ministering to the residents at the Winton Road Heritage Christian Services home, as well as continuing to work on our Support goals. Overall, the trip was a great encouragement, both to Sue and me, and to the people there in the office. The team there is very anxious for us to get there, as there is much work to be done, especially as the entire OM USA team continues to grow. The need is urgent, and we keep pressing forward to be able to join in the work!

Missions Conference

One other note to add here is that we will be speaking at Grace Covenant Church's Annual Missions Conference, which will be from April 23rd to the 27th. Sue and I will be speaking at the meeting on the evening of Friday, April 25th at around 7:30PM. For those of you who are in the Rochester NY area, we would love to see you there! The church is at 224 Chestnut Ridge Road (zip: 14624). There is a dinner at 6:30PM that same evening, though you need to make reservations ahead of time for the dinner. Please call us (585-235-5822) for more information.

Please Pray for us:

• continued diligence in raising our support
• speaking at the GCC Missions Conference
• wisdom in looking at options in housing

Off to Atlanta again

Well, I'm here in Atlanta again for another trip. I am down here for two weeks this time, working on projects on the network. We are going through an Exchange migration, though I have to admit I'm not exactly contributing much to that effort. (It's not that I'm trying to slow it down... I just don't know anything about Exchange to know how to make it work!)

One of the things I have been able to contribute this round though is a comprehensive architectural diagram of the network topology, which is a huge help in figuring out how things are working. Hopefully, that will assist in identifying performance bottlenecks. It also gives us an idea of where we are at as we look to upgrade parts of the network, both to replace aging hardware (before it dies on us), and to support the ever growing needs of the office. (You know, those pesky graphic arts and media people with their terabytes of video data ;-)

Ultrasound Updates

Mindy and Phil just sent out another update with their Ultrasound pictures (as of Feb 21). The pictures are getting more and more detailed. (No more amorphous bean-shaped blobs...) They even have a 3-D rendering of the images.

I'm put the pictures here on my Web page. They are in a powerpoint presentation, with some key features labeled. (If you don't have MS Office, the document also opens very nicely in OpenOffice.org)

Tales of the Tryons Vol3

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 12:12,13

Well, seems like it's time for an update!
Still Moving Forward: Since Christmas time, our number one focus has been on developing our Partner team. We are currently at around 1/3 of our support goal, so we have definitely been making progress, though at times it seems painfully slow. We have presented our OM vision 28 times. We currently have 97 prayer partners, of which 26 have pledged regular support, and another 20 have given one time gifts. We are grateful for each of these people who have said that they are standing behind us. I'm definitely chomping at the bit, waiting to begin work at the Operation Mobilization office, but it seems that the Lord has some more lessons He wants us to learn before we go. One of the lessons we have been learning is that, right now, our real focus has to be on ministry with our partners, and our dependence has to be completely on the Lord and His Grace.

In the Storm: One of the stumbling blocks in front of selling our house (one of the requirements for our moving to Atlanta) has been the condition of the roof on our old house. We had to replace one section this year (roughly a quarter) when it started leaking badly. The north facing part of the roof was still in good condition, due to the fact that it gets very little sun beating on it. However, the largest (south facing) part of the roof was very old, and the shingles were curling badly. We knew we needed to replace it before selling, but given the current prices on roof work, we were NOT looking forward to the bill.

Well, we had a serious wind storm here in Rochester in January (75mph winds). There were a lot of trees and power lines down in the area, and some people took several days to get their power back on. Thankfully, we didn't have any tree damage, however the wind did peel off a couple dozen shingles on the southern side, enough so that the roof REALLY needed to be repaired before we could sell the house. We called up our insurance company, and after taking a look at it, they agreed to cover the damage. So, God sent a storm to damage our roof so that we could get the money to replace it.

(Hmmm... I guess sometimes God DOES speak in the storm.)

Grandma: In other developments, our daughter, Melinda, just announced to us at Christmas that she and Phil are expecting their first child, due in late July. We, of course are delighted to have our first grandchild, though I have to admit I'm still trying to get my brain around the concept of being called "Grandpa". However, I have been assured by multiple current grandparents that you don't have to be "old" in order to have grandchildren, so I guess I don't have to worry about hanging up my keyboard yet.

Great-Grandma: Speaking of grandparents (and soon to be great-grandparents), one serious item for payer is Sue's mother's health. We just found out on Valentine's Day that her 85 year old mom is having plenty of heart trouble. She has been having tests for a couple months, and discovered that she has total blockage of two main arteries, and her heart is now working at 50%.

After prayer and careful consideration, she has decided to go ahead with bypass surgery. It has just been scheduled for Tuesday, February 26. Sue and her brother, Peter, are currently working out the details of flying down to Venice FL to be with her for the surgery, and for the recuperation afterward. Her mother has always been physically active, even teaching a water aerobics class at the community pool where she lives, so this has been quite a shock.

On a technical note: I am playing around with some different formats for this letter. I've seen people send prayer letters both in ordinary "text" form, as well as html mail, or an attached PDF. Regardless of whether or not you understand what those terms mean, please let me know if you receive and can read these letters. Personally, I tend to get wrapped up in the technology, and sometimes forget that there are ordinary people out there just trying to make sense of these silly computer things.... ;-)

Praises:

1. Our growing list of Partners and their desire to invest in the Lord's work through us.
2. Becoming grandparents.
3. God's continuing provision financially in our journey to OM.
   

Prayer Requests:

1. Continuing encouragement and tenacity in building our Partnership team.
2. God's hand over Sue's mother in her coming surgery and recovery.
3. Health and strength for Melinda and the little life developing inside of her.
4. More opportunities to present our vision of serving with Operation Mobilization.
   

The temptation at this point is to view this time period when we are developing our Partner team as just a bridge we have to get over, rather than seeing God's hand working in us and through us. What I am beginning to experience is that God is still working day-to-day, often putting us back in touch with other members of His body whom we have not seen or heard from in many years. We are learning that, no matter what circumstances the Lord puts us in, that's exactly where He wants us to be at this moment, and we are still to find our strength in Him!

Blessings to you!


Chuck and Sue Tryon

Here Comes the Sun!

Woot!

Today was the first day that I actually noticed that the sun was still up at 5:00PM. I guess the days really are starting to get longer again!

In the Storm

Another interesting bit, to file under, "God's Creative Ways to Provide."

One of the stumbling blocks in front of selling our house (one of the requirements for our moving to Atlanta) has been the condition of the roof on our old house. We had to replaced one section this year (roughly a quarter) when it started leaking badly. The north facing part of the roof is still in good condition, due to the fact that it gets very little sun beating on it. However, the largest (south facing) part of the roof is very old, and the shingles are curling badly, and we were thinking that we needed to replace it before selling.

Well, we had a pretty serious wind storm here in Rochester last week. There were a lot of trees and power lines down in the area, and some people took several days to get their power back on. Thankfully, we didn't have any tree damage, however the wind did peel off a couple dozen shingles on the southern side, enough so that the roof REALLY needed to be repaired before we could sell the house. We called up our insurance company, and after taking a look at it, they agreed to cover the damage -- enough to go over that entire section of the roof. (They aren't paying to replace the entire roof, but we weren't expecting them to.) It's not a huge amount of money, and there's a deductible we still have to pay, but it's a lot more than nothing, which is what we had before.

So, God sent a storm to damage our roof so that we could get the money to replace it.

(Hummmm... I guess sometimes God DOES speak in the storm. ;-)

Our Purpose

Foreign Missions have always been an integral part of the purpose of the Church, as embodied in the words of Christ to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In the beginning, this commission was seen as going out and preaching the Gospel, but as the Church has grown in its understanding of the harvest field to which is has been sent, this quickly expanded to all manner of ministries, from medical help to education to economic development and training, all to the purpose of touching both the physical and spiritual sides of the people we are pointing toward Christ.

In addition, as the world has grown more and more dependent on technology, so the Church has learned to use technology in its mission. Printing presses made it possible to physically hand people the printed Word of God. Christian radio reaches deep into areas where it is physically or politically impossible to travel. Aircraft have made it possible to reach deep into remote areas of the globe, to contact people groups which have been isolated for hundreds of years.

As the complexity of our understanding of this Mission has grown, so to has the realization that missionaries to not work in a vacuum. Missionaries no longer hop on a ship and sail off on their own to the dark shores of Asia or Africa. A system of support and services had grown up around people going out on the field, much as a military operation depends on a vast infrastructure of people and services to support the individual troops crawling through the mud on the "front lines." Missionaries need both the spiritual and practical support of a "home team," providing everything from recruiting to education, training, financial book-keeping, communications, prayer, encouragement, coordination, strategic direction and a host of other services.

Computers and Information Technology have taken an increasingly important role in this support structure, just as they have in the rest of society. Computers and digital communication technologies have taken on a key role in shrinking the world. At one time, when a missionary sailed off to a foreign field, it was often the last time that their family heard from them. At best, letters could take months to circle the globe, if they reached home at all. Today, with email and blogs and VoIP, communication is practically instantaneous. A missionary's support and prayer team can know of his or her victories, as well as their trials and struggles, in almost real-time. Strategy teams back in a missions headquarters can coordinate rapid responses to international disasters such as floods or earthquakes, reaching out with the hands of Jesus to people who desperately need not only the Good News, but a meal and a safe place to spend the night.

The USA Headquarters for Operation Mobilization is one such center of operations, providing a launching point for hundreds of both short term and long term missionaries, and ensuring that they have both the spiritual and technical support for the work that they are doing. The headquarters provides logistics and coordination, tracking of donors, office support, HR services (payroll, accounting, health care, etc.), communications such as newsletters and bulletins, as well as Technology and Multi-media.

I have had a long association with the OM USA Headquarters, first through friendship with several of the people sent out from Grace Covenant Church to work full time at the headquarters. I have worked for many years with the former head of the IT department, Ron Tenny, first by helping with small tasks, communicating remotely by email and phone, and then starting about ten years ago, spending a week of vacation each Summer to go down to the Atlanta office to work on short, high priority projects. All this time, the clear direction from God has been to act on the "input" side of the financial equation, earning a substantial income from my professional positions here in Rochester, and then funneling a substantial portion of that income to others who were God's hands and feet in the field. However, about three years ago, Sue and I made the decision to start taking the necessary steps to leave our positions here and join with the OM USA team there full time. There have been several "mountains" in the way of this move, such as financial responsibilities, but one by one, these mountains have been, "cast into the sea."

Our role at the OM USA Headquarters will be primarily focused on using my skills in computer technology, network administration, as well as doing whatever else the Lord may put in our path, to support the members of Operation Mobilization as they minister God's Grace across the globe. I will be serving in the computer department:

• Building secure, reliable, scalable computer networks.
• Providing consulting to other smaller offices around the world.
• Building and maintaining hardware (networks, computers, servers).
• Training and helping a broad user community in all aspects of their use of computers and technology.
• ‏Building and maintaining software systems, especially as they relate to communications (email, word processing and office systems).‏

Of course, entering that kind of environment is to step into the possibility of serving the Lord in an endless variety of ways, as there are often opportunities to go on short term projects or special assignments, however our attitude is to be used by the Lord in any way He sees fit. There is a constant stream of ministry workers who go through that office on a regular basis, moving on and off of the field, and all of these need a place to stay for a while, and more likely than not, fixes and updates to their computers and laptops!

At this point, almost all of our other obstacles have been overcome, except for our monthly support. We still need a team of people who will stand with us, both in prayer and encouragement, as well as financially, committing to support us on a regular (monthly?) basis. Since my assignment at Xerox has ended, this now allows me to dedicate more time contacting potential partners, to share with them our vision of working full time with OM, and to present the opportunity of partnering in our ministry.

This is both a scary and an exciting time, but also a time when we really need to learn what it means to depend on the Lord and His provision, and His guidance. This is a dream that has been a long time in coming, but which is finally beginning to take shape.