Thoughts After One Week, and a Birthday for Dan!

we eat our breakfast in our dorm kitchen, then have lunch and dinner in the cafeteria. They are keeping us well fed (too well fed, in fact!)

It's been a wonderful week here, despite the surprise of winter wonderland weather!

The girls have had a great week at their new (and temporary) public schools. One week down, three to go.

Savannah is enjoying her teacher and the new friends in her second grade class. They go to P.E. three times a week, the computer lab once a week, and the library the other day. She was bummed I picked her up early for our group photo on Tuesday, because they were just getting ready for indoor recess. She thinks math is easier here ("they don't even do multiplication!"), and is in the Nancy Drew Reading Club which feels like a real privilege. Savannah came home on Wednesday speaking with a drawl - we think she has a knack for accents, and she's been perfecting her British English as well - with Welch, British, Kiwis, Aussies, South Africans, Canadians, Austrians, Dutch, and Germans here, there are many accents to work on, domestic and international!

Kylie, too, finds the math to be a little bit easier here, and has had a good time playing four-square in the gym. She has made two friends in her class: Bree, and Bri (both girls). She also asked me if I would buy ramen noodles for her snack time. I was confused by this and asked,
"Do you have a microwave?" "No, mommy, you eat them raw. They are SOOOO good!" Something new I learned!

They are thoroughly enjoying meeting new friends and picking on the 20-somethings. They got their nails done this week by one of the girls here in our class who has a soft spot in her heart for them, and they are having fun. Even waking up at 6:45 hasn't been too much of an adjustment, so we are thankful for this!

Our topics this week in class have been really good- grounding us in the foundations of the character of God (i.e. who do we serve and the need for all of our service to stem out of our relationship with Him and our communication from Him). The verse that has been really studied in depth this week is Exodus 34:6-7, what the LORD spoke to Moses as He was passing in front of him while on the mountain, at the time of the creation of the ten commandments:

The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.

Key points:

1. God is compassionate


2. God is gracious


3. He is slow to anger


4. He is abounding in love and faithfulness


5. He maintains love to thousands


6. He is forgiving of wickedness, rebellion and sin


7. He is just - all the punishing of the guilty can be left up to him- it doesn't go unnoticed.

So, the action becomes: how do you move from believing to TRUSTING? How do you not just say it, but LIVE it? While moving to Africa may seem like the extreme answer to this, really it's just an act of obedience. "Obedience is the opener of the eyes," a quote by George MacDonald has been hitting home to us this week. The more EXTREME of the acts of not just saying it, but living it, may be just reaching out to your neighbor (yes, the annoying one) with grace and compassion. We are challenged in those little, mundane moments as much (and sometimes more so) than in the big moves where we know God is in it.

Class has been revolving around topics such as this, with lots of good insight and discussion from all our cultural perspectives and experiences we bring to the table.

We were reminded that to LOVE someone means finding the BEST in them, and we certainly strove for that today with Dan celebrating his 34th birthday. He lead worship this morning (along with an Austrian and Cannuck) and that started his day off right. We also had a large Texan cookout tonight at the home of one of our Gateway leaders. Brisket, sausage, grilled chicken, beans, corn on the cob... a true cultural experience!

And we had some fun as some of the students planned and orchestrated a balloon popping obstacle course for him - with a little jesting of course, thrown in for good measure.

We are looking forward to our silent retreat tomorrow (the girls will go with another family hamster shopping and a day out on the town), and tomorrow night and Sunday we'll do our final reorganizing and packing to get all the stuff we're sending directly onto the ship (and won't need with us the next three and a half weeks here and our two and a half week outreach in Sierra Leone on land) packed and ready. They are loading the container starting Monday and it will get sent this week.

TTFN (Ta-ta for now!)

Public School for the Girls (and Tidbits on East Texas Football Culture)

As you can tell, Kylie was real sure of herself, and our decision to put the girls into public school for our month here in Texas. Why, you might ask? Well, basically we were advised by many people here at Mercy Ships who have seen families come and go through the Gateway program. Most families have put their children into the local school district and have been very warmly received and loved on during their time. So, Monday was the FIRST day we were waiting for.

Then weather rolled in on Sunday and the rain changed to sleet which changed to snow. So we checked the website and found out that school was two hours delayed. Supposedly most students come from rural areas and ride the school bus which is a 1 or 1.5 hour trip each way. Since it is Texas and they aren't equipped with snow plows and machines to salt or sand the roads, they wanted to make sure everyone was safe.

So, at 9:50am Kylie had to report to her new school:









No, we don't REALLY have a middle schooler, but in the school district of Van (town of 2400, school district of 2500), they have so many children, they have split up the schools into several: Pre-K through 1st on one campus, 2nd-3rd on another, and 4th-6th on yet another. This is the one they deem the Middle School.







Kylie went in with a smile on her face, and didn't even want Dan to walk her to her new classroom- she went willingly with her counselor, Mrs. Hutchins.







After her first day, the report was that it was "good, but frustrating." She had a moment where her teacher was correcting papers outloud, and Kylie fell behind. So, either Kylie needs to pick up her game, or the accent plays a part in the processing. She also was worried about remembering to say, "Yes, Ma'am" or "No, Ma'am," but that did not seem to be an issue, on the first day anyway.







Another mile down the road is the "Elementary" campus where Savannah is set to attend. Unfortunately, her teacher was out for the first day at a workshop, but had left a note for her welcoming her to the class and apologizing for missing Savannah's first day. I think she'll have a wonderful time in this class. Two girls were very helpful and made her feel welcome, and they got to play basketball in the gym, so she was thrilled with that, too!

While being introduced to the school on Friday, our new friends The Holmes' were telling us bits and pieces about the community and the schools. I found this part about football fascinating, so I wanted to share it with you:

EAST TEXAS FOOTBALL INDOCTRINATION

So, I was told that in Van, the football players don't have to go to school on game days (so they can mentally prepare for the game). Also, each class in the early elementary school has "adopted" a player, and that player comes into the classroom and talks with the class about football (and life, I suppose). That way, each student feels integral in the game and desires to attend the game and see how "his/her" player performs.

When our little friend Katie was in kindergarten, her teacher's son was on the football team, and he became their "pet" player. When he was out with an injury, many kindergarteners were in tears. And so begins the legacy of the love of Texas football.

While we were here this fall, the first news to greet you on the Tyler paper was the high school football score and review from the night before:

(I guess this shows a bit of the faith I had that we'd be coming back here, and blogging about it, since I took this picture for that very purpose!)

Photos of our Time at Gateway

We made it! Thursday night we arrived at the Mercy Ships headquarters, nestled in East Texas between Van, Garden Valley, Lindale and Tyler. Here are some pictures we took between then and now.

The girls at the entrance gate

The girls posing at the giant anchor

The end result of a group/team building exercise

Kylie hard at work with her group, trying to stack the cups with the rubber band and strings

Savannah's group was also still hard at work

Savannah getting decked out for the chocolate bar relay race (another ice breaker)

Alicia, our school director, is on the left here in the International Lounge

Going on a walk through the campus (pre-snow; pictures to follow)

with new friends Miriam (5)and Betty Lou (1)

A look at the Oasis Cafe (dining hall) and the water tower

Some sisterly love

The weather that has greeted us since Sunday!

Here we are, freezing!! Today I think the high was 19 degrees! Yikes! I thought we were packing for tropical Africa??

The rain to sleet to ice to snow did make for gorgeous scenery though.

Here's the view from out our dorm window - not too many cars in the parking lot this morning- even the schools were two hours delayed due to the weather.... more about the schools in the next post! Stay tuned!!

Arriving at Gateway

It's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks!

View Larger Map
We visited friends and family in Colorado, spending Christmas and New Year's there tidying up last unfinished bits and pieces. Then it was off to El Paso, Texas to catch up with some of our dear friends from our days of meeting, dating, getting engaged, and working with King's Kids. It was a sweet time!

Yesterday we spent eleven hours driving across the state of Texas. Dan felt like he was out of place without any Wranglers, boots, or gun racks. We learned via a billboard that Judgment Day is coming (5.21.11, in case you were curious), and saw more oil rigs, windmills, and vet clinics than we've seen in a long time. We also had the pleasure of seeing a cattle auction/steak house combined.

The girls thoroughly enjoy our long driving days because it means a break from their (oh-so-strict) normal rule of one movie per day, after chores. What a difference roadtrips have experienced with the advent of portable dvd players!

After replacing a radiator in Denver (thank you 1-800-Radiator for the great deal!), we experienced smooth sailing and no car problems. So, we are grateful for arriving here.

It started to set in yesterday- all the fanfare was done, our visiting and hype was over....
We Are Actually Doing This!! Time for excitement!

The girls were thrilled to see our living quarters for the next month- they have a little room with their own beds, own closets, and had fun finally UNpacking and setting up house for a month. We will have dinner with some new friends tonight and they begin school on Monday.

Our classes will begin tomorrow (Saturday) and today more of our classmates will be arriving and getting settled in. We hope to explore the grounds today and familiarize ourselves for our stay over the next few weeks.

Our computer keeps kicking us off internet when I try to upload photos, so I'll post this, and try to add some pictures to it in a minute.

The Girls' Perspective

While some have asked what we are going to do with the girls (yes, they are coming with us), the rest of you understand that this is a family endeavor and the girls are very much a part of this decision and the reason we are going. We have come across these writings the girls have done (on their own!) and decided that this week they can speak for themselves.
Kylie Grace - age 9 (until Friday!)

"Dear Hannah, I may move back to colorado if we don't go to mercy ships. I don't mean to make you mad but I think of you alot of the time, but I also think about other things too including a lot of my amazing, scary, wonderful, embarressing, and eciting adventures in africa. You are one of my true friends, a one who comforts me when I'm sad, you enchorage me when I'm sad, and a one who wants to play and make our friendship deeper. Missions is something that has changed my life. We are lucky that we have parents. Some of the kids in the orphanage don't. But they still are happy and brave. I hope this letter will help your feelings about Africa better.

Yors true, Kylie"

Savannah Joy - age 7

"Savannah

I am thankful for everything god has in mind for us when we go to africa on december 18. We are going with Mercy ships a ship that gives surgerys for the worlds forgotten poor."

We are blessed to get this glimpse into our girls' minds and see what God is stirring up inside them too. While this week is full of the bitterness of goodbyes and the beginning of transition to starting over, we are encouraged to know that God is IN THIS and He is good. We have all been changed by missions and we are excited for what God has in mind for us.

Preparing for Gateway

The balancing act continues for us as the countdown for Gateway approaches. We have less than two weeks left in California - two weeks full of finishing up school, AWANA, swim clinic, small groups, work, side jobs, and all our regular routine. And two weeks of the continuing to par down, sort, pack, give, sell, and wait.

Complicating life for us is the fact that it's winter where we are, and where we are headed temporarily. We won't need snow boots and ski caps and gloves and scarves in Sierra Leone, but we will need them in Colorado, and we might want them in East Texas where the weather will be in the 20s-60s fahrenheit range for our stay there in January.

We got an email today with our schedule for Texas - we have been asked (and were wondering ourselves), what will you do for a month in Texas? What sort of training will you be doing? We will be in class from 8-4:30 every day, with evening sessions again from 6-8:00pm a few nights a week. Our topics include:

• The God We Serve


• Kingdom Principles


• Principles to Live By


• Communication with God


• Conflict Resolution


• Basic Safety Training


• Fire Safety


• CPR


• Living & Working in Harmony


• World View Issues


• Tensions in Working with the Poor


• Cross Cultural Communication


• Transformational Development,

as well as team building activities, silent retreats, and preparing for our field service practicum, which will be in Sierra Leone.

This school will have 35 students, from 11 different countries. Not including our 7 and 10 year olds, the students range in ages from 19 to 74! It's never too early, or too late to serve our amazing Lord! Check out the states or countries of origin and the job titles of our classmates.

One of the beautiful things I love about Mercy Ships is that your gift can be used for the glory of the Lord in a simple way. I may not be a nurse or a doctor or an anesthesiologist, but I can use the gifts & resources that God has blessed me with, and put them to work in part of a bigger scheme. While I have not yet been assigned to a job role, I'm sure this will be part of our work in Texas - helping them to identify my skills and put me in the right role there. So, for now, my job is to help get my family there, be organized, and stay sane!

So, we continue to sell off our things (the Camry sold this morning, the piano should be picked up any moment), and trust that God's perfect timing is never late and He knows that selling our fridge and washer and dryer earlier rather than later would be a huge inconvenience. So, we wait and learn patience and dependence on Him!

The Irony of Stuff

I find myself thinking a lot these days about the dichotomy of this crazy world we live in. Stuff. Especially as we enter into the "Holiday Season," we are being bombarded by advertising telling us we need all this great stuff. We start to believe that we'll feel better, be happier, and live easier with all this stuff. Maybe that's true for the first few days of getting a new purchase. But then you have to worry about it breaking. Insuring it. Updating it. Getting all the do-dads and accessories to go with your stuff.

And then what happens if you want to move across the world and live in a ship's cabin with your entire family? You have to get rid of all the stuff!! What happens when you can barely even give it away at your garage sale!?

You would think the burden would be lifted as you finally get those things you want to make your life simplier. But we are finding the exact opposite to be true. The burden is lifted when we are freed up from owning all this stuff. When those dressers or tables or chairs or kitchen items or wall hangings or (I could go on for quite awhile here, but I'll spare you...).... walk away with someone else, that is where the freedom comes in.

Update:

Thank you to all of you who have helped us during the past two months- watching the girls, contributing financially, praying for us, and encouraging us along this journey. It is definitely a big decision with lots involved. Slowly, but surely we are making it! Here's our current status:

• Thus far we have 51% of our total funds pledged! We are happy to headed in the right direction there!


• Most of our furniture & possessions have been sold - still to sell are the piano, acoustic amplifier, armoire, fridge, washer, dryer, cars.


• Our home has a renter, and our doggy has a new owner!


• We have been offered some storage space with a few friends & family to house our keepsakes.


• We have been communicating with a family on the ship who went through this process a year ago, and have been helping us walk through all the practicals!

Please keep us in your prayers over the next four weeks as we wrap up all loose ends in California - it is a bittersweet time as we say "see you later" to some dear friends and train up replacements in areas of work and ministry.