Set to Jet, by Dana

We finally have our Bolivian work visas in hand and our airplane tickets rebooked.  We are scheduled to fly out of Helena, Montana on Monday, February 25^th, at 7 am.  While our first tickets read January 23^rd, the delay has brought many added blessings, bumps, and the occasional bright spot in the month of waiting.  Here’s a run down of our last month:

·         Host families:  We had rented our house out as of January 1.  So we’ve had two rounds of host families, the Connollys and the Garrisons, plus a quick trip to see the Bays of Kalispell and the grandparents on the ranch in central Montana.  We could not have asked for more cheerful families to show us kindness to us during this somewhat awkward time. (We often found ourselves answering  the same question many times a day... “What!  You’re still here?!?”)

·         School:  We had taken both the kids out of school, and were not able to reenroll Kellton in his former elementary school.  Not wanting our Kindergartener to miss too much school (read Mommy wants to uh, share his inexhaustible questions with the world) we put him in Montana City School.  Then surprise!    He was assigned the Kindergarten teacher he had reading lessons with this summer.  God had a good trick up His sleeve.

·         Home:  We have all learned new things during this season.  For me, the phrase, “heaven is my home” has often come to mind.  Moving out of “our house” (it’s God’s anyways, on loan to us), living in various other peoples’ homes, has made me really long for something a bit more permanent. I have been a broken record hounding the kids to be careful as we try and not glue, paint, sticker others’ homes.    However again and again, God has brought the truth to my mind that this world is not our forever home.

·         Health:  I think our family set a record for length of time with colds, and the number of people we could infect.  We got the Flynns, Connollys, grandma, great grandpa, all jokingly citing us as patient zero.  So slogging through illness has created an increased need in each of us to show a bit more grace and patience.  If only we were as potent to “infect” others with the spirit and love of Christ.

So we still need to pack/acquire/find a few more things, but for the most part, we are ready to leave for Cochabamba, Bolivia.  We hope you’ll follow our updates each step and pray for the upcoming new culture/language/ housing hurdles.  And let us know how we can cheer you on and pray for you as well.

Hurry Up and Wait

For months now Dana & I have occasionally run into people around town who have exclaimed with surprise, "I thought you were gone!  Aren't you leaving the country?," or maybe even, "Wow, are you back already?" So we've gotten somewhat used to assuring people that yes, we are still planning to leave, but there is a long process associated with this, and it takes time.

But then, in December, we actually bought tickets, and finally had an actual date for leaving.  January 23, 2013 took on real significance for us, as our plane was scheduled to depart at 7:00 am that day.  While it was still somewhat abstract at times, we knew it was finally all coming to fruition.  Except that it didn't!

Our kids get some time with the cousins.

Here I sit on January 24, still in Montana.  The kids are enjoying their extra time with Nana and Papa, and Dana & I are trying to be patient.  Our passports and visa application are still sitting in the Bolivian embassy, and we have no idea when to expect them back.  We have a travel agent working on options for re-issuing our tickets, while trying to minimize the change in fare.  There will be a $1000 change fee, in addition to whatever the change in fare is, so minimizing that is fairly important right now.  But at the same time, we can't really commit to a new itinerary until we know the status of our visas.  So yes, it's a bit of a vicious circle, and all we can do is wait until somebody has new information for us.

In the midst of this all, we've been reminded that the reality of working in foreign countries often includes red tape and rules that may not make sense to us.  Many people assume the holdup is a U.S. government issue, but if that were the case, there might actually be something we could do to push the process along.  But when it is up to a foreign government, well, let's just say we don't want to start off on the wrong foot.

One verse has come up through several different avenues in the midst of all of this, and has been going through my mind numerous times a day lately.  Psalms 46:10 says Be still and know that I am God.  "Being still" is not exactly a virtue in our society, and certainly not something I am comfortable with.  But here I am, trying to wait patiently and believe that all will come together in God's perfect timing.  I just wish He took my suggestions on what that timeline should be!

Straight From Our Kids

"What do your kids think about going to Bolivia?"  If I had a nickel for every time I'd been asked that...  Of course, if it was contingent upon having a good answer, I'd still be broke.  So I finally decided to interview the kids, and see what they had to say in response to a few basic questions.

Q:  What do you think about moving to Bolivia?

K: I would be kind of excited because our friends have a Wii.  Excited to learn to speak Spanish.  For 3 years I’m not as excited.

S: Good.  ‘Cuz a gato is in Bolivia.

Q: Do you know where Bolivia is?

K:  No.  Do you know where it is Dad?  (long pause) Somewhere around a city close to the Sun I think.

  

Q: Is there anything you’re afraid of?

K:  You wasting all your money getting a new house & furniture & especially the stove.

S:  Dan & Daryl are a "kinda-know" right now.

Q: What are you excited about?

K: Get to see Nana in Bolivia.  And Michelle.

S: Kitty.

Q: You met Dan & Daryl.  What do you think about meeting their kids?

K: I’m excited about that.

Q: What do you think I should ask?

K: Are you excited about moving into a new house?

        -I’m excited about that.  I hope it will be a bigger area around our house so we can blast off rockets.

 

Q: How long do you think it will take to get to Bolivia?

K: Like three days.

Q: If you could take just one thing with you, what would you take?

K: Puppy (his beany-baby dog)

S: Soft kitty, little kitty, & blue blankey.

K: Daddy, you should ask me if I’m excited about growing up.  When we come back, I’m excited to be 8, ‘cuz then I can do things on my own without my parents.

Mom: What do you want your new teacher in Bolivia to be like?

K: Kind of blond hair, like Mrs. S.

Q: Why are we going to Bolivia?

K: We’re going to be missionaries. Because you like helping others.

S: To speak Spanish.

Q: Is there anything else you want to tell me about Bolivia?

K: It's gonna be fun going on the plane.

S: I liked it when you guys were at Bolivia, and I was at Nana & Papa’s.

Q: Thanks for the interview.

K: Could you write down even more please?  How about I ask you questions about Bolivia.

Interviewing each other after we were done.

Unemployment... And Beyond!

I am unemployed.  And I have been reminded of this today by pretty much everyone I have run into!  In my case, this really is a good thing, as it is an indicator of our progress toward Bolivia.  However, I find myself struggling with a variety of insecurities, and trying to project a confidence and excitement about everything in our lives. 

The image I'm afraid others have in mind.

So yes, I’m excited about being able to focus on fundraising, packing our house up, getting it rented out, connecting with friends and family, and generally getting ready for our move to Bolivia.  But being the fiscally conservative person I am (read tight-wad), I can’t say that I am truly “excited” about living on savings for a couple of months.  At the same time, I am proud of the fact that we have been disciplined enough to set aside money that can be used during this time.  I’m excited about actually moving forward, but I’m also a little overwhelmed by the thought of packing up for three years, with a two suitcase per person limit.  And while you would think we would be used to it by now, and I am truly looking forward to seeing more of our friends and meeting new ones, I’m nervous about getting up in front of three more churches in the coming month, not to mention still scheduling 1-on-1 appointments, etc. 

One area that Dana & I have been 100% in agreement upon is our general excitement for our kids in getting to be a part of another culture, learn the language, and grow up knowing the world is large, but they still have an important part to play in that world.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t have some stresses around all of that too.  Kellton started Kindergarten this fall, and while he seems to be doing well, he struggles with change and adapting to new situations…  Not that he’ll have to deal with any of that in the coming year.  Stori is such a fun little girl, but she has a stubborn streak and a wild side that we know are going to challenge us at times.  But we love them both so much, and can’t help but be excited about this as a family.

Overall, I would describe our attitude as “tempered excitement” right now.  We are absolutely looking forward to this challenge.  Yet, I’m pretty sure there will be days we feel we made the worst decision ever.  The good news is, we are very confident that three years from now, we will be very glad we stepped out in faith.

Picture of the... year!

Congratulations to my little brother Brett and his wife Micki on the birth of their new twin girls!

Another perspective on Missions in Bolivia

Daryl Collins is one member of the missionary couple we are planning to join in Bolivia.  This is a great video to see a little of her fun, crazy personality, as well as a great insight into their willingness to break out of the box and do missions in a way that reaches people right where they are.  Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/50089703?action=share

Sorry I can't get the video to show here, you'll have to follow the link.

Bless Sports Ministry Video

This is Hans Finzel, president of WorldVenture, with Ariel, who helped start Bless ministry in Bolivia.  This project is really taking off in Cochabamba, and has a lot of potential to impact the community.