Coming and Going
We have returned to Laos as interim country reps for MCC for two months. In February we were here ”record-sorting” for MCC. You can see our blog from that time at MCC Laos and Sites in Vientiane. It was nice to have had that experience so that we knew some of the staff when we arrived and we at least knew the physical surroundings of our house and office.
During our first three weeks we have been welcomed and been involved in saying good-by to a number of people. (Later there will be a blog specifically on one type of ceremony.) One of our responsibilities is to assist a local staff member in all the details of the IVEP/SALT/YAMEN program here. There are three young people who have been here a year and will leave this weekend. There have been parties with lots of good food and debriefing sessions. There have been financial reports to approve. We are usually given seats of honor and there have been speeches to make.
There are five young Laos people who will leave in a few weeks to spend a year in Canada/U.S./Indonesia/India. There are forms to complete. There are visas to apply for. There is an orientation to plan before they leave. And then there are two young people coming to Laos for a year from U.S. and Indonesia. There are again forms to complete, host families to locate, and questions to answer. AND there are two young people who have been in Canada and the U.S. this past year who will be returning home in a few weeks.
In the meantime we will be welcoming a new service worker in two weeks. Again plans need to be made for orientation, host family, and language study. And we want to continue to inform churches and young people of the opportunity for them in MCC’s young adult programs for the following year through informative sessions in the next several weeks.
However, we do not do this all by ourselves. We are assisting a young Lao woman who is trying to learn all the procedures/processes and is able to do much of the leading. However, she needs our support in the various tasks.
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- Welcome to us and farewell to a service worker
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- welcome for Sally Jo
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- lunch in the office
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- Ellen, Lena, Gloria at MCC staff farewell
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- MCC lunch at our house
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- Gloria’s presentation
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- Ellen’s presentation
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- YALTers’ sentiments!
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- Lena presenting
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- restaurant breakfast together
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- breakfast together at our house
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- debriefing activity
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- prayer for YALTers at host family
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- host family
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- pastors
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- Gloria with host family
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- Gloria at workplace farewell
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- more good food!
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- girls at Gloria’s workplace
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- prayers for Gloria
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- service at Lena’s farewell
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- pastors
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- and more food!
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- seats of honor with Bee, our MCC staff