A New Direction: Two Businesses and Mission work as well

When God closes a door, he opens a window - jump!!  And I did.

"What in the world?" I can hear you thinking "...is she up to now?"  

I decided to take that final step in becoming a completely, independent business woman. And in that I have created my company so that both the left & right sides of the brain are happy.  

The creation of M.A. Harbeck & Associates was originally intended to be solely for the purpose of running my legal nurse consulting business.  God had other plans.   He has also blessed me with collaborating with Garborg Designs on Christian book cover designs.  Let me recommend this wonderful photography team!  In the past 5 months, we have created 3 new book covers (my costume creations, their photography & graphic productions).  Samples of this work can be found by Googling: "A Bride for Noah" and "Circle of Spies".  I am currently not at liberty to discuss the 3rd but will post that as well. 

M.A. Harbeck & Associates was recently premiered at the Reptile Convention in Brookfield, WI.   I was able to network with approximately 120 attorneys from the MidWest.  I will also be at Minnesota Justice Conference in August, 2013 - for all of you attorneys out there, please stop by my booth.  I look forward to meeting you.  

Mission work:  

As a board member for the Isaiah Connection (please see isaiahconnection.org),  I will be stepping up my responsibilities in the field.  I was  blessed to be able to participate as a team member this past February, 2013 on Moloka'i serving the community with demolition, building, yard work, painting, etc.  It had been 3 years since my last visit. Thank God for others who are able to go every year.  The good news I experienced during my stay, was a stronger feeling of hope in a community that has been trying to recover economically for the past 10 years.    

In July, I will lead my first team into Honduras. I have never been there before and ask for your prayers for guidance, strength and a blessed trip as we do medical & construction work in San Antonio de la Cuesta.

Other trips on the horizon: 

2013:  Australia (depending on Pastor Joe's deployment to Afghanistan)

2014: Nigeria, Moloka'i, Israel

As you note, Pastor Joe is currently set to deploy laster in 2013 to Afghanistan.  I ask that you pray for him and his family during this time of transition and disruption of  there day-to-day lives. 

That's it for today.  Happy Mother's Day!

Mary

A Lost Moment in TIme

Since you know I don't sit still very long, here's what's new:
Most recently I was recognized for my design and sewing abilities by the Guthrie Theater in Mpls., MN.  That was a nice nod to a home-schooled stitcher!  I have done costuming for large scale productions for Normandale Community College, Friendship Church, actors for the MN Renaissance Festival and other independent projects.  What's on the cutting room table now?  Something I haven't done in years - drafting patterns from a simple, non-scale drawing.  Amazing the skills that lurk in the back of mind, sitting on a dusty shelf just waiting to be used again.  This project is in cooperative with "That's Original" photography owned by Ms. Alex Cox.  Alex drew the pictures and gave me a brief story line.  It's amazing to see them come to life.  Not me, this is definitely God at work! Whom, I should tell you, I have multiple conversations with while in the work room :) I am looking for additional stitchers to help with this years Christmas production, so if you like to sew ~ this is a rewarding volunteer opportunity.
2nd on the list of accomplishments is the completion of 33 hours of classroom & passing a test (reminiscent of the Nursing Boards) to obtain my Certified Legal Nurse Consultant certification.  More on this at another time. Just know it is an accomplishment that will take me further (hopefully, not down the rabbit hole)!
Last but surely not least,  I am on another scouting party! We are off to China and Australia in October to set the imprint of 2 more mission outreach programs.  I can't believe it has been 2 years since we left Israel and Ireland.  Ireland has not blossomed, but Israel is taking off with small groups working on the kubtiz outside of Tiberius.  Many people ask me if you have to be Christian to do mission work with the Isaiah Connection (see www.isaiahconnection.org).  No, you don't.  The mission of the this organization is to come along side and serve. Not our agenda, the agenda of those we go to assist.  Whether it is construction work on Moloka'i, helping the elderly in Israel, or doing medical work in Nigeria, we go to serve.  It is an excellent use of one's VPTO!

Home again...

So it's been a while since I have written anything here.  Funny how life just keeps going. The old verb-age about it going faster as we get older seems to be true.  
 The bad:
The end of 2010 was not a great one.  Our beloved Tim is now a saint after an amazing 7 year battle with brain cancer.  We rejoice that he is in heaven with God, the Father.  Though, it makes us all impatient to be with him.   

2011 was a year of buying the wrong thing.  Thank goodness that phase is over.  We also saw the deterioration of dear sweet John, my brother in law. Lewy Body dementia was the criminal.  It was a disease I had never seen diagnosed or treated as a healthcare professional.  I am awed at my sister's love and perseverance.  John is now in heaven with Tim and our dad, Walt.  Along with another half dozen friends that passed in 2011.  

But lest you think it all sad and no sun shine, let me lighten the mood: 

2010 we did get to Israel & Ireland to plant 2 more mission sites for the Isaiah Connection.  Israel was definitely an eye opening, learning experience.  From experiencing religious persecution (nothing too serious ;)  to standing where Jesus taught. I don't have the vocabulary to describe it.  Awesome isn't even close.     

An 1700's stone found while grave-yard hopping with cousin Wade

2011 was my year for travel.  :0)  Ireland, camp, and a marvelous 10 day car trip with the lovely Miss Katie.  We attended the family reunion in Delaware (yes, that is a state in this country) and drove down the coast to Virginia to visit more with the grand Dinsmore clan!  I was blessed and have been continued to be blessed with being able to visit them almost every 2 months.  God is great! 

Mom Mom... explains alot.  Genetics, a wonderful thing!

At Valley Forge Chapel ~ Which great Grandpa Ross helped build

My grandparents house buildt in the 1770's

So enter the Year of the Dragon! 2012!  Yes, I feel like I swallowed a dragon ~ scales and all.  I am beginning to feel like an old car.  Things keep falling off. Ok, let's make that malfunctioning.  I have talked myself into everything from a dissecting aorta (of course this was while I was walking around the room trying to get the pain to back down) to an exploding intestine! I love coming out of the hypochondriac box on occasion!  It's like looking for that one sock to finish matching up the rest of the socks in the basket ~ the answer to where it is (or in this case) what the heck it is, is being elusive. We have ruled out heart (whew, dodged that bullet) and have found a small polyp/stone in my gall bladder.  Why not take out the gall bladder you say? Mostly, I am partial to all my parts and would prefer they stay in situ or at least connected.   Two other things: 1. I asked the surgeon "are you a mechanic or a parts replacer?" (Thank you Walt for instilling that in my head.... funny how things like that stay with us always. "Listen to the travel problem" - that's Dora~ism or "Charles Martel defeated the Moors at the battle of Tourres in 732" - Mr. Vaugh) 2. My diagnostics look like a duck, but they don't quack like a duck.  Hence, the HIDA scan to see if it truly is the gall bladder misbehaving.  I have a bet with myself that it is truly esophagel spasms and the gall bladder stone is the non-part of the equation. Rather liking nursing board tests.  I hated those.  Get to the point people and stop trying to be coy. Which I did at work with an email to the director of the treasury and got my hand slapped because they owe me money. I love corporate America. .... But I have wondered off topic (imagine that).  So, currently we are in a holding pattern (Negative Ghost-rider, the pattern is full....guess we won't be buzzing the tower tonight) and will be there for "3-5 business days".  Thank goodness I don't have attacks everyday. And this is far from being critical.  Just a bloody pain. 

I will close for the night.  Just feels good to be writing again :)

Missions 2010

The Israel 2010 Mission Trip certainly has had an interesting start..... or should I say full of pot holes to dive around. Doesn't matter. God has it. I am extremely excited for this adventure. A small band of us will come along side a Messianic church in Tiberius, Israel for 8 days of prayer journey, rooftop ministry, theater and following the footsteps of Jesus. We will plant the seeds of Isaiah Connection's newest ministry location. We will swim in the Dead Sea, rededicate our lives to God in the Jordan River and enjoy wonderful fellowship. After that AMAZING journey, we head north to the cool, misty glens and crags of Scotland (well, you didn't think we'd get on the other side of the pond and not visit the home country, did you?!?). Pastor Joe is working on finding us a church to set again the seeds of ministry in another country. We will also spend time seeing castle ruines and debriefing from our 8 day adventure in Israel.

This will be my 2nd official outing with Isaiah Connection and I look forward to helping expand their territory.

Swimming in Miami

Funny I start this one thought and it comes out completely different than what I thought it would

The older I get, the faster time goes by. Interesting cliche. 7 months of 2009 are already gone and what is different now from the beginning of the year? Even since the beginning of July. The economy is still sliding that slippery slope. Our friends and neighbors are in greater need and the government is increasing taxes to destroy what savings those of us that still have jobs have. Last night we gave away another 27,000# of food stuffs into our community. Where on one hand I know we, as a collective whole need to do more, as an individual I am appalled at the gaul of some people. Recipients of the Mud drop received roughly 10-15# of free food each and they were complaining because someone got a Butter finger they did not. Is that what our countries mentally has really boiled down to? One minute you're worried about getting food on the table and the next greedy enough to begrudge someone a mini candy bar? Setting government mentality aside for a moment - what happened to common sense and good judgement? Are we truly the ugly Americans that other countries view us as?

Government/politics/icky bed fellows..... Is anyone else out there concerned the current administration has got us so far in debt that we will never recover? Or worse yet, civil unrest and possibly civil war are just around the corner as those of us not brain washed with "reality TV" and "sex on the tube" put our collective feet down? I saw a sign on the back of a semi truck today: "America - love it or leave it" my next thought was "couldn't we just deport those that, under the definition of treason, should be hung for destroying our country? You know, the country that was founded based on a Nation under God. " Ok, off the soap box before I get to upset and start talking about the idiotic health care reform bill...... morons.

The brighter side of life - kinda of a baring of the soul. I thought God had put on my heart that it was time to find someone. Seems it was my brain confusing my heart. Not that I don't occasionally wish for someone special but hopefully after putting this on paper my heart and mind will be on the same page (all puns intended). I just don't think its in the works. According to the Book of Matthew, some are meant to be single. Then I offer up the valid points of - exactly when would I find time to commit to someone? Is there anyone out there willing to keep up with me? Seriously. DMAT, DMAT deployments, DMAT store operation, Mud In Your Eye Outreach, mission trips,costume director for the church Christmas program, raising a wonderful daughter, keeping up with my mom, working, working at camp, fixing things around the house, landscaping/gardening, quilting/sewing and now sailing. Not bragging, sometimes I really need to look at everything I am doing and ask myself if I am not crazy? Or just living life. Dad would have been 87 this past Tuesday. He died the day after he turned 65 after battling cancer for 5 years. He had things set for retirement with Mom and then he was gone. Did he wait to live? Yes and no. Where as he was heavily involved with the community, he didn't take enough time to stop and enjoy the world. Or at least from my point of view. Now I see my 25 year old nephew into his 5th year of battling the same disease. I guess I get melancholy this time every year. Life is so short. There is so much to do - to walk in Jesus' foot steps, to see what a great world God created for us to explore, to get to know each other. Ever wonder what it is God put you here for?

Time

Time to write...

It is almost the 4th of July and time to Celebrate our Independence! Many blessings to consider: we live in a free society, taxes are not completely outrageous (ok I'm too tired to argue politics at the moment), health care is obtainable, we have decent drinking water.

It has been a fast few months since returning from Moloka'i. Prom, life, end of term hysterics (from daughter... not really, just extremely tense... even more so since the college has lost some of her grades... sound familiar Uncle Mike?) work, Mom's surgery, Tim's surgery, camp nursing, church and working on the trip to Israel. Life is full and very good.

No new deployments which is good - called twice for Mexico, sorry no thanks. Lungs are bad enough. Hoping for another non-eventful year but don't expect it to be so.

Currently, recovering from pneumonia. Guess it was time to experience that again. Spirits are high but concerned about missing a week of work. Life goes on.

Stay strong in your faith,
M