The end of the week

Woo Hoo! Are we having some fun now or whut?

We have successfully made it to the end of classes on our first week here at ILC. Almost within moments we were moved into our spacious little apartment in Quad 10 and had a reasonable semblance of a schedule established. We get up about 5:15 AM and go for a walk down to the front gate and back - a distance of 2.35 miles according to mapmywalk dot com. We have time for a shower and devotions before heading to breakfast.

Speaking of food - even though we could eat all that we want in the dining room, we have chosen to continue our eating habit of trying to eat less. Salads, however, are in the all one can eat category. Biscuits and gravy, mac and cheese and pizza are not! But then they weren't before we got here. We are also no longer eating supper at 9:30 - 10 o'clock at night as the dining room closes at 6 pm.

Our classes have been VERY, VERY good. The folks here who are preparing us for the field have not just read a lot about being missionaries. No way. They, themselves, have all been there and done that before coming the the ILC. From the director on down, there is a passion for missions that is not only evident, but contagious. Kim, you were right about Elbert!

Last night we had an ice cream social with our affinity group. A good time was had by all until Derrick passed out the assignments, all of which are due before we can go overseas.

When I graduated (retired) from the Army, I thought I was finished taking physical fitness tests. Apparently that is not the case. This evening, we will go and take part in a "fitness activity" along with several other missionary folks, most of whom are younger than we are. Then, before we leave the ILC, we'll have another "fitness activity" to see if we have improved our fitness. Can you believe it? They expect us to actually exercise here ;~{b) Gee, I wonder how one says, "couch potato," auf Deutsch?

When our son Dan was about 4 years old he had opportunity to have a bone scan done. The docs injected a low level radioactive dye and about an hour later with the aide of special x-ray machine were able to see all of the places in Dan where bone growth was taking place. All of this past week and for the next seven weeks, I have the distinct feeling that if there was such a machine to measure spiritual growth, many of us here would be knocking it off the charts. Wow! Bless-ed be the Name of the Lord! 'cause it ain't us man . . .


Tune in again next week for another installment as we prepare for life in the fast lane

The "first day of school"

We began our day with a walk up to the end of MLC Lane . . . about 2 miles, round trip. It was warm and humid, but not hot and humid. As we were getting ready to go to breakfast this morning, we discovered that the wifi signal had diminished to the point that we were no longer receiving it in our apartment. We finished our scavenger hunt assignment and got it turned in and then went and found a wifi signal close to our apartment and got computer time before lunch. After lunch required a nap . . . just like little kids, we still get cranky before supper if we don't get our nap ;~{b) Our new neighbors arrived this afternoon shortly before supper.
We are back in the Global Center to get a good wifi for Paula's computer. She needed to answer a couple of emails and I needed to read my FPO material - a win win situation.
God has been so good to us, it is unbelievable!! We begin in earnest tomorrow having to rely upon His strength to stand firm. Not that we haven't done so already, but as we start our Orientation, along with being small group facilitators, along with trying to get all of the stuff done, and, and, and . . . wait a minute. No rights, no whining. (let the reader who has been here understand)
We got good news from our supervisor in Germany this morning. Our departure date IS September 24.

Tune again tomorrow when you'll hear our heroes cry out to God: "Not my will, O Lord, but Yours . . ."

ILC, Day One

We moved in today to our latest home. It didn't take long to get our stuff out of the rental SUV and into the apartment 10A, Quad 10, International Learning Center, Rockville, VA. A big thanks goes to Chris Turner whom we met moments before for helping to get us unloaded. Chris was also my ride back from the airport after I turned in the rental.
When I went to CIU, they used to talk of Syllabus Shock - a condition brought on by attending the first day of classes, collecting syllabi and then realizing the magnitude of the amount of stuff required. I felt something like that tonight before we went to supper. We began our assignments this evening by completing about 70 percent of the Search and Explore scavenger hunt. More tomorrow when the Admin Building is open ;~b
We are blessed beyond our imagination. We have a one bedroom apartment with washer and dryer, kitchenette and great neighbors. We have been assigned as small group facilitators (Syllabus Shock). The "cafeteria" has a wonderfull salad bar and we will have to keep a fitness log (I am not playing combat basketball).

Pray for the people living in Munich blinded by affluence and post modernism;

Pray for Paula and me as we begin our Field Personnel Orientation that we will not simply survive but that we will flourish spiritually;

Pray for our small group, most of whom we have not yet met, that we will form strong accountability relationships and that we will help each other to grow spiritually;

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Ray and Paula at the ILC . . .

Elvis has left the building

Dear Friends, Family, and Prayer Supporters –

Well, as the saying goes, “Elvis has left the building!”
We left our house in Copperas Cove on Monday afternoon. We dropped off the keys with our property manager and drove down to San Antonio for a couple of days of peace and quiet. On Wednesday, we returned to Copperas Cove to say our last goodbyes and hug the necks of our prayer partners, Jimmy and Judy Auten.
On Thursday morning as soon as Paula was done with her dental appointment, we were back in the car and driving east. We made it as far as Memphis, TN on our first day of driving to the ILC. After driving all day Friday we made it as far as Roanoke, VA before we ran out of steam. On Saturday we drove to Washington DC to visit with Tim and Alesia Karcher. We got to spend about 2 ½ hours with Alesia as Tim had had a set-back in his recovery. We arrived in Richmond on Saturday evening.
Today, Sunday, was a busy day for us getting ready to head for the ILC. We even managed to drive out to the ILC to take a look around. We discovered that our cell phones won’t work at the ILC. E-mail and “snail mail” are going to have to be our forms of communication for a while. While we are there, our address will be:
Ray and Paula Milburn
16492 MLC Lane
Rockville, VA 23146

GOD IS GOOD all the time, NO MATTER WHAT! God’s timing is perfect and He is worthy of our praise, even when we are in the midst of spiritual warfare.

Pray with us as we praise God for His protection and care for us as we drove out to the ILC.

Pray for us to receive spiritual nurture as we work through our Field Personnel Orientation and that we will have open hearts to receive God’s blessings and open and eager minds to learn;

Pray for us as we will be part of the more than 260 adults and 115 children for training at the international learning center for field personnel orientation from July 27 through September 24 and for our travel arrangements to Germany immediately following our time at the ILC

Pray for our friend LT COL Tim Karcher. Tim is still at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There is still a long way to go for both he and his wife, Alesia. Read the latest update: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/timkarcher

Time to go

We are sitting on the floor in the dining room eating the remains of 1/2 gallon of Blue Bell ice cream. The car is just about packed and our house is just about empty. Yesterday was a great day for us. Our home church, 1st Baptist in Copperas Cove TX, sent us out to do missions in the same way that the church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabus. We were really blessed by the ones who came to stand around us, lay thier hands upon us and pray for us we answer God's call upon our lives.
When I came back from Iraq a year and a half ago, I wanted to just be planted in one place and not have to leave for 20 or 25 years. We have lived in our house for just 4 years and God is calling us to move on. We have practiced being sojourners for our entire married life, so the moving part has been . . . well, let's just leave it at practiced. Now we get the opportunity to go to yet another country that is not our home. This time we are going to reflect that Light which Isaiah wrote about.
Now I have to pack up the lap-tops and put them in the car. I can't wait to see and be a part of what God has in store for us.

July 17th Prayer / News Letter

Ray and Paula Milburn

Servants, By God’s Grace

Dear Friends, Family, and Prayer Supporters –

The time since our last prayer letter has not been very easy for Paula and me. We had been sailing right along getting our house ready for the property manager to come and take pictures. We had been doing the usual things like changing address, stopping our mail, setting up with the utilities to have them shut off, packing and repacking our suitcases . . .

On Thursday of last week, our mentor for our time at the Apprentice Learning Center in Germany called. Our 45 minute conversation was great until the last few moments. David told us that he had some difficult news to deliver to us: we could not bring our two beloved 12 year old poodles, Pancho and Salsa, to Germany with us. Only by the strength of the Holy Spirit were we able to get through the next few days. And God was in it with us.



On Wednesday, Paula went to see our dentist because she had chipped one of her crowns. The crown wasn’t just chipped it had failed structurally and needed to be replaced in the few days remaining before we got to ILC. In my last Prayer/News Letter, I asked: "Pray for us that we will seek and see more "Divine Coincidences" as we are getting ready to go to the International Learning Center (ILC)." Paula will have her crown replaced before we leave for ILC! Once again God has His fingerprints all over the circumstances.



Over the past 14 days, we have learned the practical side of GOD IS GOOD all the time, NO MATTER WHAT! God’s timing is perfect and He is worthy of our praise, even when we are in the midst of spiritual warfare.

Pray for us as we are commissioned by our home church, First Baptist Church,
Copperas Cove, TX this Sunday, July 19;

Pray for us as we drive out to the ILC. We will leave on Thursday, July 23 as soon as Paula is done at the dentist;

Pray for us as we will be part of the more than 260 adults and 115 children for training at the international learning center for field personnel orientation from July 27 through September 24 and for our travel arrangements to Germany immediately following our time at the ILC

Pray for my friend LT COL Tim Karcher. Tim is still at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There is still a long way to go for both he and his wife, Alesia. Read the latest update: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/timkarcher

I challenge each of you to Pray that our hearts will become right before the Lord regarding reaching the lost of this world. I read recently that only 2.5 percent (not quite $3 Billion) of all of the money collected by Southern Baptists last year (almost $12 BILLION) went toward supporting reaching a lost world for Jesus Christ through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program.

Ray and Paula Milburn

Jeremiah 29:11-14 I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen."When you come looking for me, you'll find me. I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."

Pancho and Salsa - we miss you

We had been sailing right along getting our house ready for the property manager to come and take pictures. We had been doing the usual things like changing address, stopping our mail, setting up with the utilities to have them shut off, packing and repacking our suitcases . . .

On Thursday, July 9, we learned that we could not bring our two beloved 12 year old poodles, Pancho and Salsa, to Germany with us. Needless to say, we were devastated! We had to make some very difficult and painful decisions about what we would do with the dogs. Over the weekend, as we prayed about it with our kids, our daughter Mary said that we shouldn't wait. On Monday evening, the lady with whom Paula had spoken at the vet clinic on Thursday afternoon returned her call at almost 7 pm - the vet's office closes at 5. Although they were extremely busy, the veternarian had an appointment at 11:15 the following day. We arrived at the vet clinic a few minutes early to fill out the paperwork. The folks at the vet clinic were all very compassionate and caring. The technician made sure that we took a lock of hair from each of the dogs before the veternarian came in. Salsa laid her head in the crook of Paula's arm and drifted off to sleep. Pancho just laid his head on the table and went to sleep. The vet and the the tech left us alone with our beloved little companions . . .

The very next day our dentist, former Sunday School teacher and friend told us, "The crown isn’t just chipped, it has failed structurally and must be replaced! When do you guys leave?" Over the Fourth of July weekend, Paula noticed something wrong with one of the crowns on her teeth. July 15 was as soon as our dentist could see her. One look and he knew that the crown had failed and required immediate replacement. Because of he is extremely busy the earliest appointment was July 23 and he could seat the new bridge on July 30! We called the ILC and told them what had happened and asked if we could arrive a couple of days late. We emailed the director and and asked for a delay in arrival. On the morning of the 16th when we hadn't heard from the director (yet) by return email we called the ILC again. Going to Virginia to have the work done was quickly becoming our only option.

Then the phone rang. If we could come in Friday, the 17th at 8 AM, our dentist could do the prep. The dental lab would do a "rush job" and bring the new bridge from their lab in Dallas to our dentist's office on July 22. Our dentist would then seat the crown on July 23. He also explained that there would be no cost to us because the crown had had a flaw in it Paula will have her crown replaced before we leave for ILC!

God has His fingerprints all over the circumstances of the last week. He was with us when we learned that our little canine buddies would have to stay in Texas. He was with us when we left them at the Vet Clinic. He worked out an extremely complex dental undertaking. God gets all of the Hero points because it has been only by the strength of the Holy Spirit were we able to get through the last several days. And God was in it with us. Once more we get to testify that God is good; all of the time. No matter what!

Ich bin ein . . .

Yesterday Paula and I took the placement test online for our language school. According to their website, inLingua is a challenging language learning experience. No kidding! I am so proud of Paula! For someone without any formal language training, she not only got through the placement test, but scored well enough to get a placement in the A1 level!

"Your test resulted in a placement level of A1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. On completion of level A1, you are able to give information about yourself (name, origin, nationality, where you live and work). You can make yourself understood in conversations and ask and answer questions on familiar topics. You are able to write a postcard and fill in your address, nationality etc. on forms. When people speak slowly and clearly, you can understand familiar words and simple sentences which relate to yourself or your immediate area of life. When reading, you understand familiar names and words as well as simple sentences."

I was placed at the end of the A2 level in spite of my "advanced degree" in TEFL.

"Your test resulted in a placement level at the end of A2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. On completion of level A2, you are able to make yourself understood in everyday situations, exchange simple information and formulate simple needs. You can use simple sentences to describe your family, people you know, your living situation, your education as well as your present and future occupation. You are able to write short notes, memos and simple personal letters. You understand short, simple everyday texts (e.g. advertisements, prospectuses) as well as spoken information dealing with very familiar matters from your everyday life."

This puts us one step closer to reaching to lost of Munich with the love of Jesus.

"ERF" streaming audio

Yesterday we began dragging ourselves into the 21st century. We got an iPod! This thing has more bells and whistles than we can ever learn, I am sure. We managed to get through the download process with iTunes and sync up over 2000 pictures that are on Paula's computer WOW our very own electric photo album!! This morning when she logged on, iTunes discovered and connected Paula's computer with the streaming audio from ONE of the Christian radio stations in GERMANY: Evangelish RundFunk (ERF) . . . woohoo now we can listen to Christian radio in German! Es ist ausgeseichnet!

Well, here we go . . .

Today we decided to set up our BLOG. Neither one of us is really sure about how to go about it, but we thought that we ought to at least get started.

We , Ray -n- Paula, are embarking to Germany as missionaries. This has been a long time in coming. Before I retired as an Army chaplain, we determined that we needed to continue ministry. Like so many of our generation, we took off for Europe, in a sense, "to find ourselves" and to seek God's direction for our lives. While we were living in a castle in rural Austria, we met some folks who encouraged us to begin the process of one day returning to Europe as missionaries. Well, here we go . . .

Over the course of the next several weeks, months and maybe even years you will probably notices changes to our BLOG. That is because the BLOG, not unlike it's authors, is under construction. We have been putting out a PRAYER and NEWSLetter for the past year or so. We will continue to sent it out for a while, but eventually we will post the Prayer/Newsletter online in our BLOG.