A letter from Tracey King-Ortega in Nicaragua
March 8, 2013
Dear Friends,
Peace and warm greetings to you from Nicaragua! It is hard to believe that I am coming to the end of another term as a mission co-worker with the PC(USA). I have now been in mission service for 12 years and have been serving as regional liaison for Central America for 7 and a half years now. Thank you for being part of the journey through your support and prayers.
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Catherine on a work trip with me to Guatemala eating her favorite fruit.
In my role as regional liaison I strive to facilitate faithful and effective mission involvement in the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica by connecting with our local partners, supporting and encouraging my fellow mission co-workers, and serving as a resource for U.S. Presbyterians interested in mission or already engaged in mission in this part of the world. Another important part of our call as mission co-workers is to interpret our work and God’s mission back home in PC(USA) congregations and presbyteries. Normally we try to do this over a six-month period back in the U.S. at the end of each three-year term, making ourselves available to churches and presbyteries all over the country interested in hosting us. However, as a regional liaison and living reasonably close to the U.S., I have been able to fulfill this work of interpretation in bits and pieces, extending already planned trips to the U.S. to visit churches here and there. This option of spreading out my time in the U.S. has been a blessing for my family, saving us from long periods of separation due to the fact that my Nicaraguan husband, who works in the public sector, would not be able to join me. But now, due to the surprises that life throws at us, I will be spending an extended period of time (approximately four months) in the U.S., specifically in southern California.
The surprise isn’t that I am pregnant (we’ve been hoping for that), but that I am pregnant with twins! After many consultations, lots of reflection and much prayer, my husband and I have decided that because of the increased risk of this pregnancy and some of the limits of healthcare in Nicaragua it would be best for me to give birth in the U.S. Because it is twins, my travel is restricted earlier in the pregnancy, bringing me to the U.S. in mid-April to wait out the pregnancy there. My mom, who lives in southern California, is more than happy to have my 2-year-old daughter and me stay with her during that time. And, God willing, my husband will get a leave approved at work and be able to join us for the latter two months of our stay in the U.S.
Tracey four and a half months pregnant with twins and her daughter Catherine riding her favorite cow.
At least for the first couple of months, before I get too big and uncomfortable, my hope is to take full advantage of this time in southern California to connect with local churches and share about God’s mission in Central America. Though my physical presence will be limited to southern California, I would still love to reach out and connect with others in other parts of the country. And with today’s technology, I believe that could be possible. My hope is to also take this opportunity of my being in the U.S. to find other creative ways of connecting, e.g., Skype-ing into worship, a Sunday school class, a mission committee meeting, Bible study, or youth group meeting. If you’re interested in talking through the possibilities and maybe setting something up, please let me know as soon as possible so I can begin to make plans. The best way to contact me is by email to tracey.king-ortega@pcusa.org.
As I prepare to relocate for a time back in the U.S. after many years away, I ask for your prayers for my family and me. I also hope that it will be a great opportunity for me to connect back with the church that sends me, sharing the joy and challenges of participating in God’s mission, thereby deepening and expanding my community of support through renewing old relationships and building new ones.
Again I want to thank you for your faithfulness in supporting me with your prayers, notes, and financial gifts. They are truly essential in making my work possible, but significant for me are the personal connections I’ve been able to make over the years. As I go through this “high-risk” pregnancy and anticipate the birth of two new members of our family, I’ll admit that the list of worries is long. I often feel quite overwhelmed by it all, but I am often reminded that I am not alone. This past week I had the opportunity to meet up with a delegation visiting Nicaragua from Lake Michigan Presbytery. As I shared with them my joys and concerns surrounding this pregnancy, the leader of the group let me know that he and many others back home are going to be holding me in prayer. Wow! In that moment a powerful sensation of calm washed over me, and I knew that what he was saying was true. Because of the mission work that I have been involved in over the years, and the connections I have made, I am truly blessed and am far from alone. Knowing that I am being held in prayer by a community of people committed to serving God near and far allows me to trust that my children and I will be cared for. Thank you for being part of that community.
Blessings and peace,
Tracey
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 12
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