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