Goodbye Cali

Our time in California has now come to a close. It was so wonderful to spend three weeks visiting with family and friends. What a blessing. We got to visit my grandmother, go backpacking, visit my cousin Jenny and her family in Visalia, my college roommate and her family in Davis, make a trip to Mexico, visit with Mary and Brent Adamson, spend some time enjoying the waves at the beach and put in a good amount of time in the games department with my parents. Anyone who knows my family well knows that this is a mandatory activity in our household. My mom treated us with delicious homemade meals and I think we all probably gained a little weight, but most of all just enjoyed being together teasing, laughing and doing life.

It is a little surreal to think that it will be two years before I have the opportunity to enter my childhood home again or walk back through the doors of the church I grew up in. I am sure the time will go by quickly, but I can’t help but think about how things might change or be different in that two year period of time.

Change isn’t always good or bad, but it always involves a loss. A loss of what was to the evolution of
what will be. Sometimes change is much anticipated and a cause for excitement – getting a new job,
moving to a new home, getting married – other times it is not so desired which makes the sting of the
inevitable loss that much harder to carry. As I said goodbye to my parents this morning I stand in the
wake of change that holds both characteristics. Moving overseas to serve in ministry is something I
have worked towards for over a decade. It has been a prayer, a dream and it is now becoming a much
anticipated reality. I can think of nothing more satisfying or fulfilling than doing what the Lord as asked of you. At the same time however, saying goodbye comes with a loss. It will be years before I am back home again and possibly years before I see some of the most influential people in my life. What will they be like? What will have changed never to be the same again? What will I miss out on? I have found that this guessing game only makes the goodbye more painful. I have also found that I am more and more thankful for modern technology which will make communication and staying in touch with those back home so much easier. Without that promise to stay connected I think I might absolutely fall apart. As technology inept as I am, God knew exactly what generation I needed to belong to and I don’t think it was an accident that my husband works in IT.

The goodbyes are done, the tears shed and now it is time to look forward. We are currently flying to
North Carolina for a 10 day orientation with Samaritan’s Purse. I am so hoping that this is a time not
only to be filled with good information and to have many of our questions answered, but also a time to be energized and gain momentum about moving forward into what God has planned. I am excited to meet the other people in our Samaritan’s Purse “class” of post residency program. People who have the same heart desires and also will be setting out to move to another country soon. I am hoping that we come out of this 10 day period more excited and ready to serve than ever before.

When we return to Michigan we will have to hit the ground running. While we were gone in California our house sold! HUGE PRAISE! But that also means that we will have approximately 8 days to sell all of our things, put a few in storage and pack our lives up into 7 suitcases to move overseas. This is also going to be the time when we will be trying to see and say goodbye to many of our friends and church family in Michigan. I don’t think sleep is going to be a common commodity for us when we return. We will also be going out to Washington DC to visit my brother Kevin during this time. Whew....maybe we are going to have to hit the ground sprinting. Prayer for endurance would be much appreciated!

We Might Be Crazy

The summer is in full swing and with that comes all of the many preparations it takes to move our lives overseas.  Starting out this journey we knew there would be challenges and obstacles to face, but neither of us understood the magnitude of what lay ahead. It has left us sometimes wondering if we might be crazy :-)

Getting rid of our things, selling our home, trying to secure insurance and consolidating our lives down to 7 suitcases is an exercise in simplicity and letting go of our stuff, but it is the saying goodbye to family and friends that threatens to rip our hearts out. As we travel around the country we savor the times we get to spend visiting and connecting with some very special people.  With this though, comes the inevitable goodbye and a heavy heart. Dan and I are so thankful that God has given us each other so that we don't go through this process alone.  It is indeed bittersweet. 

As we think through this whole process and take in the enormity of what we are really doing we have both realized that this probably is the worst career and financial decision we would be making at this time.  Yet, we are doing this to ourselves.  Why?

There is something within us, something deeply driving us and we just cannot shake the feeling that if we do not press on ahead that we would be making a terrible mistake.  We know it doesn't make sense.  We know that from a human perspective we are making absolutely all of the wrong decisions, but does that matter?  If we truly feel God pulling us towards this do we have a choice but to march on ahead despite the apparent insanity? Wouldn't it be better to be insane for the sake of Christ than to make perfect sense for the sake of ourselves?  That is where faith comes in I guess.  Faith that is crazy in this present time is the absolute opposite of chaos for eternity.  That is what makes this all worth it.  Following after the call that we believe God has placed on our lives for no other reason than knowing He is God and therefore, how can we refuse?

Neither of us have ever taken a step of faith quite this big and are struggling through it just as anyone else would.  We need prayer to get us through.  Please don't think of us as big faith giants.  We are not.  Over and over again we are reminded of just how little our faith is and just how much we depend on the prayers of others to carry us forward. Every piece of furniture we sell or article of clothing we give away hurts just a little bit.  However, could we live with ourselves if we decided to not do what we felt God was asking of us on account of our stuff?  That our sofa, car or even our home were more important than Him. THAT is crazy and yet at times it almost feels more comfortable to think the opposite. 

The other day we looked at each other and realized that we are newly married, unemployed and soon to be homeless.  Underachievers?  Maybe.  It certainly feels like that on many fronts, but if this is truly the journey that God desires for us then we would want it no other way. That doesn't mean, however, that there aren't many days where we sit there asking ourselves - are we crazy? 

Kapsowar, Kenya

Whew....now that I am done with boards and have a moment to breath I thought I would update you on exactly where it is that we will be serving for the next couple of years.  Dan and I will be working at a small mission hospital in Kapsowar, Kenya.  It is located in the Northwestern part of the country in the mountains at 7,400ft. The hospital has 126 beds and three mobile maternal and child health clinics.  The hospital delivers approximately 300 babies per month and has an X-ray department, laboratory and pharmacy. The next closest city to where we will be staying and as well as the local grocery store is about two hours away in Eldoret.

Kenya has two national languages - English and Swahili. Those that have been educated generally know both.  The people that lives in the Kapsowar area are known as the Marakwat which are part of the larger Kalenjin family of tribes.  Their native language is Kalenjin, which is spoken at home and by those who have not had the opportunity to go to school.