Sabbatical report by Linda Steber: June 2012

First, thank you for affording me the opportunity to take advantage of sabbatical time. Ten years

ago I had a shorter one of about two months. Being able to take the full three months is truly a gift. It was

made even more special in that this month of June marks 20 years of ministry partnership between DCPC

and me.

Taking Sabbath means many things. It means the world will go on without you. It means that God

is really in control so it is a risk to our pride. DCPC did, in fact, do just fine while I was gone which is

comforting and humbling at the same time. It means that rest and reflection are necessary for life. I was

able to take full advantage of both. It means that God is enough and life should be in balance. I hope I

found some of that on sabbatical.

I was able to study, relax, reflect, and spend needed time with family. The first portion was spent

in Nicaragua studying Spanish and meeting with our partners and mission co-workers. It was a great 3 ½

weeks where I was able to see a different side of Nicaragua. I hope I learned more Spanish so that my

communication skills improved and will benefit our mission not only in Nicaragua but close to home with

our outreach to Latino immigrants. I learned more about the people and history of Nicaragua. I met a

variety of people and was able to see both Nicaragua and the US through new eyes.

I got pretty good at navigating on the microbuses and checking out the area. Rosemary Klein and

Jean Braxton of Davidson accompanied me on this portion. We spent a lot of time with the folks who

work at CEPAD and our mission co-workers, Leslie Clay and Carl Agsten. Carl even signed us up for a

5K race in Managua. When we go to visit our partners we only see one side of Nicaragua. We see the

abject poverty and often have a feeling of hopelessness. This trip helped us to broaden our understanding

and view so that we don’t see Nicaragua as only a place of need but also a place with resources. There is a

danger in only thinking of a place or people with one point of view.

Carl and Leslie were great hosts in many ways. We were able to experience some of their

ministry of accompaniment with the people of Nicaragua as they have an open heart and home. They

have a wonderful ministry and I am glad that we support them through our Global Missions Fund.

We also went to the Kilambe area to meet with our ASDECK partners and to set up the trip for

the partnership team that is visiting right now. We spent two nights up in the mountains and saw the San

Jose school repair and where the team is working right now. We still have many issues about sharing

resources and how we can truly have an equal partnership when we have so much more in money but we

are poco un poco (little by little) learning to work together. We were able to help pass out the uniforms

made by Juana Videa to the scholarship children in Kilambe.

I returned from Nicaragua at the end of March and fairly quickly left to go to Chattanooga, TN to

be with my mother for Easter and to continue helping to clean out her home of 54 years. In February we

needed to move my mother into a memory care unit so I was glad to have the time to help my siblings

with sorting and cleaning. Mother is doing well in spite of a few falls but she seems to be settled and we

have at least sorted what we needed to do in her home. I was able to go to Chattanooga 3 different times

during my sabbatical which would not have happened otherwise. Also on Gary’s and my trip out west we

were able to stop by my aunt’s home in Texas. She was my father’s sister. At the time she was under

hospice care and she did die about a month later. I was able to represent my family at her memorial

service in May. It was certainly a gift to see her again and to spend time with cousins far away

For much of April Gary and I drove across this beautiful country to the Grand Canyon, Zion

Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Mesa Verde National Parks. I had never seen any of these amazing

places. They all had such great parts. One of the parts that I didn’t really expect was the fascinating

culture of the Pueblo, Hopi, Navajo, and Ute people. We have much to learn from these ancient cultures. I

am already planning (in my head) a trip to Northern New Mexico to explore more of the Pueblos. We

took a very interesting side trip to Canyon de Chelly and to a Hopi pueblo which is the oldest

continuously inhabited city in the US. We hiked a lot and took in great scenery and star nights. It was a

relaxing time drinking in God’s good creation.

In May I worked on the classes I will be teaching in Montreat for the Worship and Music

Conference for the next two weeks. I also went back to Chattanooga and flew back to Texas for my aunt’s

memorial service. I had hoped to write an article on mission education but the time for that did not

happen. I was able to read two books on Nicaragua, The Country Under my Skin and The Death of Ben

Linder. The out west trip took me to the library to read more on the Native Americans of the Southwest. I

read many encyclopedias and informational books as well as a Tony Hillerman mystery set in the Navajo

Nation. I also read Mormon America which is informed by my trip to Utah.

There were two concepts that seemed to weave through all of these experiences, context and

sustainability. It is important to understand the context and culture no matter where you are. Taking time

to listen helps you understand how and why things are done a certain way. To go into Nicaragua and tell

people to do things the way we do them may not work in that context. In fact, we may learn from a

different context. Reading scripture in Nicaragua is always different for me and I gain new insights from

a different context. In the panhandle of Texas, I kept noticing the very short power poles which looked

funny to me but then I realized that the constant wind would snap off the higher poles I am used to. Right

next to these poles were huge wind farms and oil wells.

Sustainability has to do with natural resources and not starting something that cannot continue.

The National Park service out west has done much to work on conservation and sustainability. Water is

such a huge issue out there that we in the east have no idea how much water we waste daily. Our VBS

theme is water this year and I gained many insights into the water theme. In Nicaragua we really do not

want to start something that won’t continue so we guard against just sending money. The trips and

relationships are important as we share our lives with each other.

Again, thank you for the gift of time and Sabbath. Life is precious and a gift from God and

Sabbath confirms that for all of us. I hope my renewed energy will serve God and DCPC well.