food for fish

Today Alexis and I are celebrating our 2 years of marriage... Not much of a celebration... but we'll do something. I think anniversaries and birthdays should be paid holidays. It's been amazing, hard at times, but worth the pain. Not much else to say. Time to head home!

My wife is a seriously amazing woman of God. I don't mean that she is saintly, or a push over, or just a "nice church wife". I mean she seriously listens, obeys, talks, and has a relationship with God. It's her relationship, not mine, it's her walk and her talk with Him, it's personal for her, and she obeys when He asks her to. She listens for His voice on all matters, and is not afraid to bring up something that might be controversial.

Her passion for our work in Poland and here at home is nothing but excellent, and her love for people, even though it gets hard, never wavers. She may complain, but she doesn't give up, even when she feels like it. Her ability to be a lover, mentor, home-maker, wife, mom, and friend all at once is a feat that goes un-sung.

I thank God almighty for her, and I seek his face in joy for bringing us together, keeping us together, and allowing me to serve together with Him and her. Because of her willingness to learn, be stretched, and to love in spite of her feelings on things, we have become only stronger, and she has become a bright star in the sea of God's children.

Hey so here's the scoop on the whole laboring process.

Alexis was induced on the morning of the 8th (we had to wait due to so many others in the delivery process were in) she was suppose to be induced just after midnight, but instead it didn't happen until 8:00.

Laboring increased pretty normally, and her water broke around 1:30. Labor continued but contractions were not increasing to more than about 1 in 5 or 6 min... not cool when you want labor to progress. So they continued to up the potosin, but contractions just weren't doing much.

As it progressed Emma's heart rate kept dropping during the contractions, but would go back to normal right afterwards.

Alexis was so exhausted, and the delivery wasn't progressing very quickly, and in so much pain she requested an epidural (not what she had planned, but after that amount of time, I don't blame her). The epidural was administered, and it failed... only her left leg became numb (they think it was due to her spinal chord not being fully straight, and the epidural at the wrong point for her). Also, contractions were not getting close enough together for pushing to be effective and all of us were very tired (this is about at hour 20).

At around 3 in the morning, Alexis began to feel the need to push, with the nurse and midwife's instructions she did just that... for about 3 hours she did this and the baby just wasn't progressing.

Finally, after the heart rate dropped a bit too far for their comfort the midwife called in a doctor to assess things, within minutes the room was filled with nearly 15 people, a resuscitation team, a baby care team, a mother care team, plus since it was a shift change, backups for the that.

We had 2 and a half options, 1 vacuum, 1/2 forceps to increase the birth canal and help baby out (but the Dr. didn't like that idea for a few reasons), and the third, if the other two didn't work, emergency C-section... no one liked that.

So w/ the Dr's instructions on the vacuum process he told he had only three tries, and that if the third failed, we would have to go into a c-section.

Emma came out on the third pull! Praise JESUS.

Alexis is in Frankfurt until next Monday.... 7 days without her. Not long when compared to the first year we were apart and across the world from each other. But it's the longest since we've been married and it's significant with her being pregnant and all.

Thankfully I have a lot of friends to go do things with, and a lot of things around the house that I want to work on. There's a feeling of some kind of expectancy for this week, I believe it'll be spiritual... So that sounds cool!

More later... I've got the time and the thoughts flowing in.

I have a horrible time choosing gifts for people, most of the time I don't get anything, and if I do I get gift cards. However, choosing something for my bride, that's a different story... and a very hard choice as well.

I'm glad God figured out the perfect gift.

The news of 2007 is:

Alexis and I are having a baby!!!

Back on our anniversary we thought we may have been pregnant, although we were on the "pill", Alexis took a few different pregnancy tests, all came out negative. Then on our trip there were a few symptoms that we decided Alexis should see the doctor, so on Tuesday of this past week she did exactly that.

By Wednesday at 9am she found out, she is 12 weeks pregnant! Which means our little one has already been to France and Poland :P

The baby is due March 11th at this point. It's crazy, it's kinda fast, but we were ready to start trying in September anyway! So God's provision we know is coming!

Love you all! Thanks for your prayers and support!

You just gotta let your hair down. Sometimes, your hair comes down without you asking... With three babies in the house, and none of them in harmony yet, I've had to let go of some things. But we like 'em, and now it helps us keep the house clean.

Today at work, I went to open my lunch, and behold, I had no sandwich. I kind of laughed, thinking Alexis forgot, which was fine, I asked her in an instant message and she said that since we were running late she didn't have time to make one. Okay, that's fine. So I went to our break room and found instant "beef noodle" soup... yuck. It was okay, but, after about 3 min, it was yuck. Anyway, a co-worker asked me what I was eating and I told them what had happened, he came back a few minutes later and offered me half his sandwich... Awesome.

If God will provide my lunch through someone I really don't know too well, who is a good man, not sure where he stands with Jesus, but none-the-less, he is my neighbor, then he'll provide for the next $2,000 and much more for what he has called us to!

Alexis and I are at the Dentist right now. I haven't been for 3 years and she for 6; I have two more cavities and most likely need one of my wisdom teeth removed because it has a cavity and is coming in side ways. Overall though pretty good. I was a little nervous about going to a new dentist but I liked him. We'll see how Alexis is in about an hour.

Reason number 80 to get another car. Sitting in a dental office without much to do when I could be working or at least doing something else.

I actually timed that it takes just under 3 min to read this, please do :)

Hello Everyone,

A quick update on our Poland & France mission trip this summer; we are experiencing God's financial provision in his amazing ways, last month we raised another $1000 towards the trip, we now need just $2,860 (donation information below). We praise God for his work in all of this, and for the past two trips we have made with East Hill to the U-Turn summer camp to serve and disciple youth. Our excitement grows stronger with each trip, and our love for Poland, her people, and God's heart for them, grows stronger and more compassionate with each step we take.

This is, to date, the most expensive trip we have made, and in light of this we have done some praying and thinking about future trips. We are currently in the process of applying to be mission team leaders sent out of East Hill. This means that we will be leading teams to Poland on our own, giving us much more flexibility and allowing us to dig in deeper with the relationships we are building. Please pray for us through this process, for discernment in choosing team members, and in casting our vision and passion for our future in Poland. The most exciting part is that we are tentatively building up for a much less expensive trip (currently looks like $1,200 per person, verses the $3,000 per person for this trip) in February/March of 2008. As we plan out the details of this trip we hope to communicate a more focused vision for all of you to tangibly partner in.

Blessings and thanks for your prayerful support,

If you would like to financially support us:
Just $30 from each recipient of this email would pave the way for both of us.

Look to the right for "Poland Mission Information" and click on the PayPal donation button. Sorry not tax-deductible.

For tax deductible donations:
Send a check made out to “Mission Dispatch" to:

Travis & Alexis Mielonen
C/O Mission Dispatch
21911 76th AVE W. Suite 211
Edmonds, WA 98020--

Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is. – C. S. Lewis

Being disciplined is so hard. A few weeks ago Alexis and I wrote out our priorities, we took what God has called us to in this season and wrote out how we would process those things into a tangible real-life schedule. We put in our devotion times, our exercise times, our solitude times, fellowship time, etc... It has been about three weeks of "implementation", we certainly need to tweak it, well specifically my schedule, I find my after work exercise and devotion times to always be the things that get knocked out or diminished. However, even with that I have found that my stress levels are much less, which has lead me to being stronger against temptation, not just sexually but also in anger and frustration as well. So as long as I can get a hold on my schedule and be able to say no and yes when appropriate so that these priorities happen, I know I'll at least be more aware of stress. Even though we have pretty predictable schedules from week to week I'm seeing a need to sit down at least once every week and a half or so and go over the coming weeks so that we are on the same page.

Lord, thank you for putting these disciplines into our lives, your grace alongside discipline has proven to be a blessing that I know will continue into the rest of our lives. I praise you for your work and your love. In Jesus' name - amen.

I've been married for nine months now! It's absolutely awesome, and I can truly say that I can't ever go back. Although I am quite independent, and it drives me mad that I must communicate "my" entire life to someone else now... It's also so very comforting that someone cares for in a way that all other humans will never be able to. It's been a very bumpy road, God has been going over-time in drilling me to be a husband and head of a household, and many times I felt like a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, however, it is all worth it. I've been embarrassed, I've been very pissed off, I've been so selfish that if God were actually "strike 'em dead" kind of God many see him as, I would be dead.

I know there are many more bumps in the road, but they are all amazing bumps... just a hint of what it is to love as Christ loves the church.

And PS. No babies... yet. :P

I know I can do the things that need to be done, but I just don't want to do them, but I want them done. Things like writing support letters, printing them, stamping them, sending them, buying everything that needs to be done for them. Scheduling time with people to talk about missions. The list could go on and on, I had plenty of time to do it yesterday after work, but since it was after work I was fried and simply wanted to rest, and that I did, sort of, if you call investigating ATSC and QAM HDTV signals resting... Tonight is booked, date time with Alexis, but I feel under preasure to get this done!

Just in case anyone forgets, we are moving to Poland, depending on God's timing anywhere from 4-5 years (or whatever He makes it). For some reason I have this thing inside, something that makes me think people don't care about our vision for Poland. I guess it's all of the "oh that's cool" reactions, with hardly (I'm counting 4 so far) anyone showing any more interest than they would a little child who wants to be an astronaut, and actually I feel like that child would get more attention. I'm stopping here, one because we're at a friends house, and two because I want to sound upset, well, because I am, and I do not want to cover it up with what I know is the truth. I know what the truth is, and I also know how I feel. All we want is to have some people show some strong interest in the vision. Remember I know the truth, I know that this lack of interest does not change our calling.

Father, hear our cry for this nation, raise up people to come along side with support and to support. Thank you for those that are showing more than a casual interest. We know it is your will, praise you Lord for who you are and all that you are doing now. In Jesus' name I pray for a passion of your name in Poland and for Poland. Amen.

Ever desired something so badly, so deeply, yet you knew it was the wrong thing? Ever desired something so badly, so deeply, yet you were afraid of it, even though it was right? Ever desired something so badly, so deeply, yet you were apathetic to go after it? Ever feel like your desires make you insane? Ever do what you either hate to do or don't want to do, and you don't do the things you really desire to do? What shall we do as human beings? Stop doing. We are not human doings, we are human beings. So, stop doing, and start being.

I desire to have an amazing, wonderful, sex life with my wife. Why? Because that intimacy is something that I can only say is a touch of heaven's love. I desire to be myself, and be comfortable being quirky. I desire to stop doing things for myself, and start being myself for others. I desire to walk by the power of the Holy Spirit, and stop walking by the fears of the enemy. I desire to sacrifice my will for His, not so that I can simply "do" more works, but so I can live simply in His will that I know is good.

I desire simplicity.

So I am having one of those nights, where I don't know which way is up. I feel stressed, but when I think about it, I cannot think of anything that is causing the stress. So, then I wonder if it is the enemy “just” pushing my buttons, or if it is “simply” the fact that I am feel physically exhausted. When all of those things happen my journaling/life lesson doesn’t happen, such was the case today, which in turn created a number of other issues (that longing to connect with God didn’t happen, wasting time on nothing particular and really not that exciting either, etc, etc). The list can on and on.

Simply put, I feel defeated, and the fact of the matter is, the enemy is the root cause. My sin nature wants to satisfy the flesh, and my spirit gets the short end of the stick. This could easily turn into a depression time, and at the moment it’s a ticked off time (in which my wife gets the short end of the stick, hence a fight with me tonight). Bottom line, Travis no feel good. Travis need to do priorities.

Father, so much inside of me is spinning around, it feels as if something nasty is about to be birthed out of me, or as if I could puke the black plague out. Lord, I need you, and I know you are here. I thank you for your Holy Spirit, that you can bring my flesh under control when I cannot. Lord I am asking for your wisdom and your fellowship. I thank you for this venue of venting. May you control my lips, my heart, and my spirit, multiply your fruit in me, and may your humility guide me. In Jesus’ name – AMEN.

Well, I was going to link to a video of the weekend before Christmas service at our church, but they don't have it on the website anymore. We now have to pay to see old services... I would like to know the rational behind that one. Anyway. My wife did a wonderful dance/sign language interpretation to Celine Dion's "A New Day has come", maybe I can get some video of it at some point. Anyway the words are great and you can apply it to the new year.

A new day has...come
I was waiting for so long For a miracle to come
Everyone told me to be strong Hold on and don't shed a tear
Through the
darkness and good times I knew I'd make it through And the world thought I had
it all But I was waiting for you
Hush, love
I see a light in the sky Oh,
it's almost blinding me I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears Let it fill my soul and drown my
fears Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun A new day has...come
Where
it was dark now there's light Where there was pain now there's joy Where there
was weakness, I found my strength All in the eyes of a boy
Hush, love
I
see a light in the sky Oh, it's almost blinding me I can't believe I've been
touched by an angel with love Let the rain come down and wash away my tears Let
it fill my soul and drown my fears Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun A
new day has...come
A new day has...come Ohhh, a light... OOh