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 ;-)