Motor Mouth

Moore's new trick!

Oh, Baby! A Glimpse Inside the Home of a Young Missionary Family

Posted on February 3, 2014 by chogministries | Comments Off

By Bryan Hughes

“No one told us that babies are hilarious!” exclaimed Jenny Mihsill. “The odd facial expressions, the loud bodily functions, the discovery of themselves and the things around them…”

Bobby and Jenny Mihsill are missionaries with Church of God Ministries and are the parents of infant son Moore. They will be serving in Côte d’Ivoire after attending language school in France, where they are currently enrolled.

Bobby is from India. This is his first missionary assignment, and Jenny is now serving for the second time. Navigating ministry and parenthood is something they admit to learning about as they go. “We may lean toward seeing ‘ministry’ and ‘family’ as two elements, but they are—and should be—integrated rather than mutually exclusive.”

However, being a missionary family is not always easy. There are many things to think about when it comes to bringing a child to the mission field. “There’s a whole other person to think about now!” they say. “His adjustments, his jet lag, and the new food and culture are things we need to be attentive to for him, in addition to our own adjustments.”

Often when missionaries begin serving, it can be difficult for the extended families who have to say goodbye. Bobby and Jenny have a unique and positive outlook about this. “We’re actually closer now to one set of grandparents, since they live in India.” Jenny estimates that they are now the same distance from each. “My family in the U.S. misses us, of course, but they have been preparing for some time for our move overseas and they are very supportive.”

Even with the challenges, Bobby and Jenny are excited about the opportunities for ministry, and for Moore, that come with being a missionary family. They are happy that Moore will be raised speaking three languages (French, English, and Khasi, the tribal language of Bobby’s home in India). “We also hope Moore will have a broad worldview because of his exposure to different cultures.”

These new parents know that God has provided their child as a blessing to their lives as a family. However, they also believe that God can use Moore as a way to help deliver the good news of Christ. “Children help open doors to connect with people on a different level,” Jenny shares. “I really want Moore to know that he is a missionary too, and an important part of who we as a family are called to be.”

Bobby and Jenny know that God has a plan for their son that is already being revealed in the softening of their own hearts. “The love we have for him gives us a glimpse of the love God has for us. Moore is a reminder of the trust that God has placed in us to be faithful to Him.”

Learn more about the Mihsills and the work of Global Missions missionaries atwww.chogmissions.org.

The Punch

Moore is often complimented on his good behavior. People say he’s a good baby. And he is. But little innocent Moore has a slightly rebellious side. This happened to show itself during his dedication service on June 30^th. He was so well-behaved as Pastor Ed gave the charge to us, the parents, and to the congregation. Then, it was prayer time and, with all eyes closed (but the video camera still rolling),  little Moore decided to stretch and POW! Watch closely!

What's in a Name?

Some friends and family have asked, "How did you choose the name 'Moore Samuel'?" We've had some wild guesses about the name "Moore." Since "Moore" is a well-known surname in the U.S., some have guessed that we named our son after a surname. Most people would not guess that it is a family name from Bob's side of the family. Bob's maternal grandfather's first name was Moore. Moore Wellson Laloo was a Church of God pastor for over 50 years in Meghalaya, India. He was an incredible man of God who loved God and his family. Grandpa Moore had a big influence in Bob's life, telling Bob the first Bible stories he ever heard and always showing love.

For those who knew Jenny's dad, you probably guessed that our son's middle name comes from Sam (Dunbar). Jenny's father's full name was George Samuel Dunbar, so "Samuel" was actually his middle name as well, but he went by "Sam." He was also a Church of God pastor for over three decades.

What do we call our son? We call him Moore; however, we will use the nickname "Sam" when we speak in French.

We thank God for two incredible men who profoundly influenced our lives and we pray our son will also be a strong man who takes after his grandfather, Sam, and his great grandfather, Moore.

March-April 2013 Newsletter

Mar-Apr 2013 Mihsill Newsletter

In the Kitchen with Bob

Here is a short, time-lapsed video of Bob cooking Indian food: curry, dal and alu chop...cooking, listening to music and dancing with a spoon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILHgd16dI0E

Along the Oregon Trail

Oregon, just the name of it sounds organic. Jenny grew up in Oregon and her immediate family lives in Woodburn.

 Oregon also reminds Bobby of his city Shillong and the state of Meghalaya (in India) with beautiful pine trees, waterfalls and the constant rain.  We flew into the Northwest at 11p.m. on January 24th, which was 2 a.m. Indiana time.

Display

Our first day, we went to set up our display at the Oak Park Church of God (GHOG) and met with the Missions Commission. We  set up our display and made sure that the technical stuff was all ready to go for the “How-To" Convention. If you are wondering what that is, it is a regional convention that the Oregon/SW Washington CHOG congregations put on annually to inform and train pastors and church lay leaders.

Hoodview CHOG

                                       

 On Friday evening, Hoodview Church of God hosted a missions dessert for us and we shared our passion over coffee, key lime pie and cheesecake. The pastor, staff and the congregation at Hoodview were amazing. They all gathered around us and prayed at the end.

Lunch at the "How To"

The second day in the early morning, we headed out to Oak Park CHOG in Salem and met some old friends and made new ones. The event started with a morning service and the guest speaker focused on urban ministry. There were powerful stories of lives changed in Salem. The attendees then broke in to sessions. We spoke during part of the first session and during the second session, we had the opportunity to share in Dr. John Johnson’s session “Call to Missions,” where we shared a little about our cross cultural experience.

We also shared at lunch and were introduced during the third session, which was led by Dr. Bob Edwards.

The convention was a blast and we made some new friends that day!

Morning service

Missions Commission

Jenny and Bobby speaking in the morning session.

with a representative from Aloha CHOG

Voodoo Donuts

The convention was over at 3 p.m. and on the way home, Bobby had to stop and get tacos from a local taco truck in Woodburn -- known to be the best taco truck around! Later in the evening, after we had a family dinner, we made a stop at a well-known donut shop, "Voodoo Donuts." You may have seen it in some food shows; Bobby saw it in Anthony Bourdain’s "No Reservations." On Sunday, we visited Mt. Scott CHOG and later in the evening we had coffee with friends and ate dinner with the Johnsons.

      We had the Monday free and decided to go for a site-seeing, destination Multnomah Falls. (See video/check link below) Tuesday, we met with Ben Shular and drove up to Centralia, Washington. On the way back, we got to have coffee with a good friend, Randee Doe. Wednesday, we flew back to a much cooler Indiana. We enjoyed our time on the West Coast!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31324378@N04/8434406600/in/photostream