QUESTION HOT SEAT WITH GARY AND DIANE

Welcome to week one of Gary and Diane on the hot seat where they will answer questions about their ministry, their lives and their relationship with God to give us a window into what God is up to!!  DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR QUESTIONS IN!  You can submit them anytime to dmasterino@artreads.com and don't be afraid to ask a funny question!  We're certain God has a great sense of humor so why wouldn't his servants???!

QUESTION:  What is the hardest thing about traveling for OMS?

Gary
The hardest thing is actually the travel itself.  The tension of meeting the schedules and then having to spend so much time waiting is very wearying, but as we are getting used to it. We seem to be finding ways of coping.  We always have reports, replies and correspondence to take care of and we have found opportunities to share our faith with fellow travelers.

It is interesting that in addition to sharing our faith, we have met more than a few fellow missionaries heading into Latin America as well.  It may be that we are just traveling to an area where there is a lot of missionary activity from the US, but  I know that meeting these other people and hearing their stories provides a lot of encouragement and affirmation to us. I hope we are doing the same with them when they hear our story and understand our mission focus.

Diane

I think the hardest thing is the packing. We have almost always driven everywhere we have traveled. Which means that I could take everything but the kitchen sink! But not so with our mission travel. There is a weight limit on our suitcases so that limits what I can take. And then, of course, there are my hair products! But I am getting better with each trip and learning what I will need to pack. One really good thing is the weather is pretty much the same all the time so I know what weight of clothing to pack. All summer stuff with maybe a light jacket for mornings. It gets to 60 at night and maybe 80 in the daytime all year round. I guess in the summer it gets hotter. They advised us not to come then!

The second harderst thing is the actual flying. While I am not afraid, it is not really fun. A necessary evil. But on the plus side, we do get to share our story with many different people in the airports and on planes. That makes it fun.