Inspire, Fall 2001

(Alumni Profile: Larry'92N and Kate Rockey Gross'91) Vacationing With A Purpose Larry '92N and Kate Rockey Gross '91 with their children (left to right) Elya, Micah, Jocelyn, and Kaitlyn W hen you think of summer vacation, what comes to mind? Beaches, amusement parks,or camping? Have you ever thought of taking a"Vacation with a Purpose"(VWAP)? Years ago,Larry'92N and Kate Rockey Gross'91 were challenged with the VWAP concept,and it has literally changed their lives. The Grosses related,"Our first time looking into a VWAP was with missionaries from Quito,Ecuador,whom we met at our church in Sacramento, California." However,amidst ajob change and a move back to Washington state, their VWAP didn't work out. "The next time we thought about VWAP,we were ready for an extended break from two years oflong work hours at the company where Larry worked," they explained. "We considered where we could spend a VWAP.Kate contacted Bobby and Jen Sainato Parschauer'91, who were appointed to Word ofLife(WOL)Austria and arrived there in August 1997. Planning five months in advance, we scheduled our first trip to Austria for February 1999." Taking their nine-month-old son with them,the Grosses left their two-year-old and four-year-old daughters with family and headed to Austria for ten days. While in Austria, Larry and Kate helped with the youth winter camp,handled some business affairs for the organization ofWOL Austria, did some computer work,and facilitated a Bible study for the WOL staff. This first VWAP had such an impact in the Grosses'lives that they committed themselves to doing more and to including their children."We believe,as Christians,that we are stewards of what God has given us,including money,time, talents, and family," they stated. With that in mind,they decided it was time for Larry to start his own electrical engineering consulting business."Many factors were involved in this decision, but one key factor was the possibility of more opportunity for short- term ministries," continued Larry and Kate."Our VWAP concept took the next step. It was no longer limited to a one- or two-week vacation." In mid-2000,Larry and Kate decided to plan another VWAP for 2001,but this one was going to be longer and they would take the kids. With the children out of school,the summer was the best time to be gone for an extended period of time. Planning began by addressing the financial issues, the language issues, and the availability issues. Financially,they decided to support themselves.They took German 101 at a local university to help with the language issues. Working with the Parschauers on the timing,they made plans to help with the summer 2001 construction project. They would spend three and a half weeks in Austria, and Larry would help with construction while Kate would help with meals for the work crews. When asked to share their reason for including the children, the Grosses replied,"Just like we want to expose our children to various sports, music,and other activities, we want to expose them to different ministries and missions. We want them to realize that there are many types of missionaries and ministries beyond our own stereotypes. We want them to understand through VWAPand through other local ministries that we are stewards of all God has given us. It's hard for us as adults, but even harder for kids to realize that it is OK to give up some personal things to be a part of God's ministry. Vacations are important for families. Vacations are a time when everyone gets a break from what they do on a day-to-day basis and does something different. We want to be together as a family for key vacations. We do take those typical vacations and visit family or go camping,but sometimes we want to have a specific eternal purpose for the vacation. Including the entire family helps with the logistics, but it also has value in rearing our children." If you are considering a VWAPfor your family,the Grosses suggest the following: Before deciding where to go: 1. Look for preplanned,scheduled ministry opportunities(such as Word of Life's Nehemiah network). 2. Financially support the ministry. 3. Get to know the ministry and the missionaries. 4.Let friends and family know ahead oftime so they can help with finances and other logistics. 5. Research the culture or ask the missionaries for do's and don'ts. Continued on page 26 Inspire 21