Happy Birthday Global Trellis!!

(Birthdays seem worthy of two exclamation points!!)

I spent an afternoon last week practicing parking with my 15 year-old-niece. A moment ago she was a baby, and now she’s old enough to operate a potentially deadly machine! The line from Fiddler on the Roof is apropos: “I don’t remember getting older, when did she?” The same could be said for Global Trellis. Has it really already been a year?

Indeed it has.

In Leviticus and Numbers, as God helped the Israelites know who they were and how they were to be, festivals, feasts, and celebrations were key. Life is hard (um, just look at the history of exile and the book of Lamentations!) AND yet we are to mark and remember and raise a glass to all that God has done in the messy middle of reality. It’s easy to dismiss the power and role of celebrations or to downplay these anniversaries in the midst of the urgent or the heartbreaking.

So, I thought we’d use Global Trellis’s Birthday as a mini-mid-year reflection and celebration. I’ll list six questions and then answer them for Global Trellis.

1. Last August where were you? What were you doing? Who were your teammates/coworkers?

2. What has happened in the last year that you can see as developmental growth?

3. What’s surprised you in the last twelve months?

4. What’s been hard?

5. What do you count a “success”?

6. What are your hopes for the next twelve months?

Answers for Global Trellis

1. Last August where were you? What were you doing? Who were your teammates/coworkers?

I was in Denver, Colorado in the exciting middle of launching two new endeavors: a book for those in their first year on the field and this digital recourse. At that time only the web developer (yay Ted), an amazing graphic artist (yay Karen), and my supporters who caught the vision for Global Trellis.

2. What has happened in the last year that you can see as developmental growth?

So much! So as not to bore you, I’ll limit myself to three things.

—Greater clarity. A year ago I had hopes and dreams for Global Trellis, but now now a year in, I am (thank the Lord!) more clear on what GT is and how to serve you. I have taken five online courses that have helped me so much.

—A team of specialists! A year ago, I was the only writer and voice because anything new has to start somewhere. I had the idea of five specialists; what has blown me away it to see how God has kept expanding the scope and adding more specialists!

—Reworked the website. Thanks to people being confused and asking questions about the first version of the website, interacting with the resources is easier than ever. (Thank you for asking questions and sorry for the confusion!)

3. What’s surprised you in the last twelve months?

Again, I’ll limit myself . . . but trust me, when I say, this life of ministry is full of surprises! Right?! I have been surprised by the opportunity for online debriefing (Debriefing COVID-19), wonderful people I have met this year (don’t you love how ministry opens doors to relationships!), and the absolute JOY of trying new things (like inviting people to sponsor the January challenge, experimenting with Facebook Live parties, and designing challenges. Turns out I love, love, love designing challenges!)

4. What’s been hard?

Well, to be honest, the most annoying part of the year has been Globaltrellis.com being in what I call “Facebook time out.” You might not have noticed, but since early March if you try to share anything with a “globaltrellis.com” tag (so a workshop, course, or article), you get a nasty message saying that “it violates community standards.” Long story short, in early March, I wrote this article about the Velvet Ashes retreat (which I love!!!) and offered a coupon code with a discount. The words “coupon code” and “discount” triggered a spam filter. I have done all that I can (submitted forms), and now, like many the world over, I wait.

And wait. And wait. For a digital site like Global Trellis, this is like not having a visa to a large, well-loved country (Facebook). Ugh. (I find myself wanting to minimize in my answer; not simply own that this has been hard. The truth is, I feel unfairly labeled with no recourse to do anything about it. It’s been annoying.)

5. What do you count a “success”?

Oh my word! So many things :). Again, I’ll limit myself to three. First, you! The fact that you are reading this and able to benefit from the wisdom of the specialists, the training in the workshops, join in the challenges, and develop yourself for the call God has for you! You are by far the main “success!” Second, that the rhythms work! Small drips via the blog posts, focused monthly training, and quarterly challenges are developing cross-cultural workers. And finally, that I love what I’m doing. (Isn’t it lovely when you can say that? I haven’t been able to in every season of my life, so when I can, it is worth noting and celebrating and holding loosely.)

6. What are your hopes for the next twelve months?

If you haven’t guessed by now, I dream big :). So, what I am willing to share publicly at this time is that I hope more cross-cultural workers will discover and use Global Trellis . . . and flourish, even in weird, soul wilting seasons. I think God’s definition of “flourish” is different from ours. I also hope to launch a course for those of you on home assignment/furlough called the “Sabbatical Journey Course” — stay tuned! And I hope to continue to learn from this first year and provide content that meets your needs even better in the upcoming year.

How about you? Take some time and answer these six questions. Thank you for an amazing first year and helping Global Trellis to truly be a trellis supporting cross-cultural workers the world over . . . whatever the stage and season the Lord has you in.

On behalf of the specialists, the support team, and me, we love you and are grateful to be a place to help you add rungs to your personal and ministry trellis. Thanks for a great first year and here’s to many more years! Amen and amen.

God bless,

Amy

P.S. This month’s workshop “Support Raising on the Field” is ideal for people who already have a support team . . . no matter where in the world you may be right now. Get it today before the price increase at the end of the month.