Stacy Penrose Pastor’s Wife Hutchinson Friends Church
I’m grateful for this opportunity to share about Ivan’s Christmas break travels and some of the people he connected with to share about what he’s been up to in Southern California. As I sit here on this beautiful evening, listening to the birds chirping outside my dining room window, I contemplate where to start and what to share about all that Ivan did while home in December. For those of you that may not know, Ivan has been out in California as a missionary in training through a partnership with EFM and NCP (North County Project).
His original internship commitment was for a year, (January-December of 2025). He extended his time to focus more on how he might use what he has learned about disciple making in the context of the already established church. So, that being said, Ivan was home over Christmas and a little extra. I enjoy sharing my children with others that love them, but also desire to protect our limited time as a family. I was charged with filling Ivan’s calendar over his break with speaking engagements, group meetings, and individual coffee dates. All of that, while also giving space for family time and sleep. I’m hoping I did a pretty good job at doing both this time around. Perhaps I will get to do more scheduling in the future. . . .
Ivan’s trip home to Kansas began early in the day with a flight out of John Wayne Airport and into Eisenhower, with a connecting flight somewhere in the middle. He landed in Wichita in the evening and was promptly taken home to Buhler to catch the remaining part of the youth group’s Christmas party. He enjoyed an interesting “Mystery Dinner” with a couple of lively sixth graders whose energy and love for accents matched his inner sixth grader.
That fun evening came to an end and Ivan was finally able to catch a few winks, waking early the next morning to speak to a room full of middle schoolers at an FCA meeting held before school started. He spoke to them about Jesus being our perfect example of how to live and how we ought to seek to serve others rather than our own selfish desires. He encouraged them to read the Gospel accounts to learn for themselves how Jesus wants us to live. I have to say that in all my years, I have never seen middle school kids so locked in, so still, and so quiet. Thursday ended with a birthday celebration for Shawn, which involved playing some kind of board game and eating some yummy food.
Friday came quickly, and with it came quite a bit of driving. Ivan and I began our day just after sunup with a trip to Haviland. While there, we enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee with a good friend who was willing to share some personal insight into how one might approach evangelism to a certain cult group that Ivan has run into quite a bit. This meeting was such a blessing to both Ivan and me, as he gained an inside perspective, and I was encouraged by how awesome God is.
After coffee, we drove into Wichita to catch lunch with my best friend from my college days at Barclay, Elizabeth Simmons, who is Auntie to all of my kids. She not only knows Ivan well, she lives the life of a disciple maker, with experience overseas as well as in the United States. She is always excited for an in-person ministry update and asks very thoughtful questions, (the ones I don’t know to even ask).
Next in line was a stop for dinner with Tony and Stacey Wheeler at their lovely new home. Libby was able to join us there while the other two family members had to stay home due to illness. Our time with the Wheelers was a joy as usual, with storytelling and dreaming of what the next season in Ivan’s ministry might look like, specifically what the six months that follow might include and his heart and desire for the already established church. It was a full day of meeting with people to gain insight, sharing ministry updates, and just sweet fellowship. We hated to have it end, but our pillows called to us and Saturday was quickly approaching.
While Friday was a lot of driving, Google Maps confirms that Saturday was almost equally as long in driving time. The morning did not begin as early and we were able to sleep in a bit longer to let the poor boy’s body on Pacific time catch up a little. To be honest, I have no idea as to what time Ivan’s day started, I just know that it began with board games played with extended family (actually, the boys). After the LONG-lasting board game (the exact reason that it was just the boys playing), Ivan, Libby and I had a nice, long drive out to Glen Elder Friends Church with Graham and Tasha Taylor where Ivan was invited to share ministry updates. Of course, we enjoyed a wonderful time of food and fellowship. The group that was present was full of great questions not only about what Ivan has been experiencing and learning, but also about what it might look like to be a disciple maker in rural Kansas.
Sunday was a day of reconnecting with people and relaxation, as Ivan didn’t have any responsibilities at church (except he did get to play the drums). After church we went out to lunch with the extended family that we are so blessed to live close to and had so much fun laughing and catching up together. It is amazing to get the cousins together as it has become less frequent with them getting older and some of them transitioning into this adult stage of life. To top off our fun outing with the family, we ran into Nick and Charla Shaffer and Ivan was able to shake hands with another Home Missions person! I am continually reminded of how awesome our people are and just how blessed we are to be raising our family with such a wonderful, supportive extended church family!
Monday through Saturday we filled our time with dentist appointments, family fun, preparation for Christmas Festivities, coffee with friends, and rest. The two remaining Sundays that we had Ivan home he spoke at two different churches, bringing the message in the morning and then more of a ministry update and teaching later in the day for anyone from the area that could make it. At Plains Friends Church with John and Betty Jean Penrose, Ivan’s message was titled, “The Kingdom of God: Jesus’ Main Message” and in the evening, his talk was, “The Great Commission: God’s Command to be Minister.” At Hutchinson Friends, Ivan spoke in the morning on, “Incarnational Implications: Gospel, Discipleship, Sacrifice” and in the afternoon shared more of a ministry update, answering a whole host of questions. And, to round out his visit, we enjoyed a meeting with Lead Superintendent, Thayne Thompson, and a New Year’s Eve celebration, as well as a speaking engagement with the discipleship group at the Christian school that Libby works at, a date day with each sister, and time with a few different friends.
In pure Ivan fashion, he met every new experience with a willingness to learn and grow. He also never missed an opportunity to challenge others to examine their thoughts and beliefs to make sure they actually do line up with the truth that Jesus taught and lived. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read Ivan’s ministry updates, I highly recommend you take the time to read and be encouraged by his words. He truly has a heart for the lost, and an even bigger heart for those of us that may be missing out on living our full calling God has placed on our lives as His followers. May the truth of scripture, and the passion of this young man that I get to call son, penetrate my heart and mind toward Kingdom living, and may it do the same for each one of you. If you would like to access any of his updates as well as videos of the teachings I mentioned, I will add the links below.
Ivan, along with Nick Ward (NCP Mentor) and Viany (NCP Apprentice) will be in Kansas at the beginning of March to help facilitate the Personal Evangelism course. Nick and Ivan helped last year and had a great experience, and they look forward to being a part of it again this year. While here, they will be bringing the message to Hutchinson Friends Church on March 8th. If anyone is in the area and would like to come, we would love to have you join us: service starts at 9:30 am.
To conclude, I want to be very transparent and let you all know, this is probably the fifth time trying to get this written, and four out of the five times, I have been moved to tears as I think of the growth, the hard seasons, and the amazing faithfulness of the Lord. How He works in and through His people to teach us, stretch us, and make us into who He has called us to be. It is remarkable to not only be a part of this wonderful journey, but it is a joy to partner with so many who have made this parenting thing survivable. And now, since the feelings are starting to come out of my eyeballs again, I think this is perhaps the perfect spot to stop! Blessings to you all!
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