Janz Team Orientation

In the last two weeks, we've had a whole lot of things going on in our lives, but it seems like things are finally starting to settle down for us. After finishing packing the POD and cleaning our apartment (which was much more work than what we thought it would be) on June 14 we then left for Janz Team Ministries' Orientation in Winnipeg the next morning. The week at Janz Team Orientation went really well - as it was great to be able to meet the 27 new Janz Team missionaries who will be heading overseas this fall. We really had an amazing group of people at orientation and it was a lot of fun to be able to meet them in person after having so many phone and email conversations with them over the past few months. It also reconfirmed my excitement about moving into my current position with Janz Team Ministries as Mobilization Coordinator - as it really is a blessing to be able to serve these new missionaries as they respond to the Lord's call on their lives.

After a very busy and tiring week in Winnipeg, we headed to the Atlanta area (where we will be the rest of the summer) on June 22. Overall Caleb did fairly well with the traveling and the new situations he has been in over the past weeks - although the teething pain he experienced on the flight to Atlanta sent him over the edge a bit. We were packed into one of those "mini-jets" that was completely full with high-strung passengers when Caleb decided about halfway through the flight that he was going to have a complete meltdown. I'm sure those of you who have flown with kids can relate - but Sharon and I experienced a profound moment of sheer panic where we doubted whether Caleb would stop wailing at any point before we arrived in Atlanta. Thankfully, we were able to calm him down by changing his "ultra blow-out diaper" and giving him some Tylenol for his teeth. After the past few weeks of craziness we were super excited to be able to set up camp at Sharon's parents and count on being in one place for a while. We are also looking forward to the July 4th weekend as Sharon's brothers Mark and Tom are bringing their kids so that all three Smith-Maynard grandkids will be together for the first time. Knowing Sharon's mom, I can guarantee that we will have tons of pictures from that time, so hopefully that will excuse our negligence in taking photos over the past two weeks.


Janz Team New Staff Orientation 2008


A VERY sleepy Caleb waving good-bye