Coming in early October our family will be heading to visit Kenneth's parents and family in Chester, Nova Scotia. Our dates are not yet chiseled in stone but we're presently thinking 5 to 25 October. While there we're hoping to speak at a couple churches and possibly make new team connections in and around the area.
We've not been to Nova Scotia since Christmas 2011. It is long overdue.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Being of Like Mind
Our mindsets change in life - or at least they probably should. When that happens we tend to build relationships with people that are of a like mind with us. That doesn't mean that we just throw all other relationships away, it also doesn't mean that we will become best friends with all those people. Some of those relationships will carry us through a tough time and then wither, others will continue to grow. I have seen this played out in our lives so much during the last five years of this missionary journey.
Fresh in my mind, of course, are the relationships that we recently made with other families and care givers while Mom was in hospice. Will those last? It is too soon to tell, but I can already see that God had a plan in building those relationships even if only for a short time.
Another type of like mindedness was brought to the forefront of my brain tonight. It is sort of a missionary mind. Not like some holier than though thing - because believe you me, missionaries are no holier than other people. The missionary mind of been there, done that, got the T-shirt, and hey I can actually understand you.
I imagine it is much like how people of one culture tend to bond with others of that culture when they are put in a new situation. Sort of like how when there was a larger Indonesian population at our church, they tended to hang out a lot together. It's not that people of that culture don't want anything to do with the rest of the world, they just have shared experiences that others do not. It creates a link and a bond faster than it otherwise might.
Here is why I was thinking about that. We have spent four years overseas and had a hard time keeping in touch with people back here in the States. We never seemed to be able to connect via Skype as often as we would have liked. Though we did a decent job staying in touch with grandparents, the rest of the world sort of passed us by and vice versa.
We are, like many others, people who invest in the relationships that are right in front of us on a daily basis. That's no so bad, unless one of your children really needs a friend...a particular friend... a friend who can only be accessed via the amazing blessing of the internet. That was our story earlier tonight. Praise God the needed friend has parents who understand that exact thing. We sent an email requesting a skype date soon and got the response of "how about right now?" An evening of tears turned into a night of laughter, because another parent understood exactly what we and our kids were going through - because they had been there and on this thing we were of a like mind.
Also tonight we were reminded of the blessing of having someone around who has gone through something you are, and will be going through. When we were preparing to leave for Guatemala we became close to a family who were on furlough. To us they were some of the only people, if not the only ones, who could understand what we were going through preparing to leave this life behind. They were people who knew what it was like to visit churches, speak at dessert nights, pray that another person would sink their teeth into your ministry through financial and prayer support. They had been there. That was such a blessing to us!
It is a blessing for us, right now, to be that support to friends of ours who are preparing to leave for the foreign mission field. Little did we know that after four years we would be on a furlough and they would be preparing to leave. It is so great to be able to confidently, or maybe semi-confidently, answer questions they have and give advice about things to look out for. I am so thankful that we are being able to do that for another couple as someone once did for us.
So I encourage you - in whatever you are going through know that you are not alone. Somewhere out there is someone who has been there, or is there right now. There is someone else that you can talk to to help sort out your issues. Don't leave all your other friends behind, and don't get mad at them because they can't understand, go and find the ones who can and add them into your circle. You may not build a relationship that lasts a lifetime, but then again maybe that is just what God has in store for you.
Fresh in my mind, of course, are the relationships that we recently made with other families and care givers while Mom was in hospice. Will those last? It is too soon to tell, but I can already see that God had a plan in building those relationships even if only for a short time.
Another type of like mindedness was brought to the forefront of my brain tonight. It is sort of a missionary mind. Not like some holier than though thing - because believe you me, missionaries are no holier than other people. The missionary mind of been there, done that, got the T-shirt, and hey I can actually understand you.
I imagine it is much like how people of one culture tend to bond with others of that culture when they are put in a new situation. Sort of like how when there was a larger Indonesian population at our church, they tended to hang out a lot together. It's not that people of that culture don't want anything to do with the rest of the world, they just have shared experiences that others do not. It creates a link and a bond faster than it otherwise might.
Here is why I was thinking about that. We have spent four years overseas and had a hard time keeping in touch with people back here in the States. We never seemed to be able to connect via Skype as often as we would have liked. Though we did a decent job staying in touch with grandparents, the rest of the world sort of passed us by and vice versa.
We are, like many others, people who invest in the relationships that are right in front of us on a daily basis. That's no so bad, unless one of your children really needs a friend...a particular friend... a friend who can only be accessed via the amazing blessing of the internet. That was our story earlier tonight. Praise God the needed friend has parents who understand that exact thing. We sent an email requesting a skype date soon and got the response of "how about right now?" An evening of tears turned into a night of laughter, because another parent understood exactly what we and our kids were going through - because they had been there and on this thing we were of a like mind.
Also tonight we were reminded of the blessing of having someone around who has gone through something you are, and will be going through. When we were preparing to leave for Guatemala we became close to a family who were on furlough. To us they were some of the only people, if not the only ones, who could understand what we were going through preparing to leave this life behind. They were people who knew what it was like to visit churches, speak at dessert nights, pray that another person would sink their teeth into your ministry through financial and prayer support. They had been there. That was such a blessing to us!
It is a blessing for us, right now, to be that support to friends of ours who are preparing to leave for the foreign mission field. Little did we know that after four years we would be on a furlough and they would be preparing to leave. It is so great to be able to confidently, or maybe semi-confidently, answer questions they have and give advice about things to look out for. I am so thankful that we are being able to do that for another couple as someone once did for us.
So I encourage you - in whatever you are going through know that you are not alone. Somewhere out there is someone who has been there, or is there right now. There is someone else that you can talk to to help sort out your issues. Don't leave all your other friends behind, and don't get mad at them because they can't understand, go and find the ones who can and add them into your circle. You may not build a relationship that lasts a lifetime, but then again maybe that is just what God has in store for you.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
How do you wait?
In my quiet times this week I have been reading Isaiah, and struggling with it. I wanted something comforting to me during this time with my Mom. I wanted that time in the morning to prepare me for my day with words of wisdom, but I was getting "Woe to the land of the whirring wings," and "In the year that the supreme commander came to Ashdod." I thought, "really Lord...chronologically reading the Bible through this year just is not working for me." But then today it hit me.
This is an excerpt from my journal this morning.
'Waiting. We are waiting for Mom to go to heaven. We are waiting for Christ to return. The people of Isaiah's time - if they believed his prophecy and frankly whether they knew it or not - were waiting for those prophecies to come true.
I want to be an active "waiter" living each day I have here with a passion for Christ and a joy that spills over onto others.' That is how my parents are waiting for this time of pain to end for Mom. We are not a quiet, crying, bemoaning family. I know that others can see our joy even through this pain. I know that through her desire to serve others, even as she approaches her eternal home, my Mom is bringing joy to all the people that she sees each day.
We are all waiting for something. As a believer in the salvation of Jesus Christ, a follower of Him, I should be actively waiting for his return. There is a line of a song that just popped into my head "'til He returns, or calls me home, here in the love of Christ I stand." I love that line, and it is okay to just stand sometimes - in fact it is needed - but I don't want to be a passive waiter, I want to be an active one.
The question is - How do you wait?
Here are some verses that spoke to me this morning - I encourage you to grab a Bible and find some that speak to you.
"O Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1
"You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, and a shade from the heat." Is 25:4a
"The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth." Is 25:8
And my favorite of the morning: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal."
How do you wait and in whom do you trust?
-jre
This is an excerpt from my journal this morning.
'Waiting. We are waiting for Mom to go to heaven. We are waiting for Christ to return. The people of Isaiah's time - if they believed his prophecy and frankly whether they knew it or not - were waiting for those prophecies to come true.
I want to be an active "waiter" living each day I have here with a passion for Christ and a joy that spills over onto others.' That is how my parents are waiting for this time of pain to end for Mom. We are not a quiet, crying, bemoaning family. I know that others can see our joy even through this pain. I know that through her desire to serve others, even as she approaches her eternal home, my Mom is bringing joy to all the people that she sees each day.
We are all waiting for something. As a believer in the salvation of Jesus Christ, a follower of Him, I should be actively waiting for his return. There is a line of a song that just popped into my head "'til He returns, or calls me home, here in the love of Christ I stand." I love that line, and it is okay to just stand sometimes - in fact it is needed - but I don't want to be a passive waiter, I want to be an active one.
The question is - How do you wait?
Here are some verses that spoke to me this morning - I encourage you to grab a Bible and find some that speak to you.
"O Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1
"You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, and a shade from the heat." Is 25:4a
"The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth." Is 25:8
And my favorite of the morning: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal."
How do you wait and in whom do you trust?
-jre
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Immigration Update
Safe Arrival
My parents and I left Chester, Nova Scotia at 5:30am Atlantic time and arrived at the border station in St. Stephen New Brunswick at around 12:45pm AT, Thursday.
The drive through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick was uneventful but did provide ample time to ponder my situation.
Joy's parents and I drove from Calais, Maine to Dover, New Hampshire - arriving around 6:45pm Eastern time.
Many thanks to all who have been praying for our safe travels and crossing into the States.
The drive through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick was uneventful but did provide ample time to ponder my situation.
Joy's parents and I drove from Calais, Maine to Dover, New Hampshire - arriving around 6:45pm Eastern time.
Many thanks to all who have been praying for our safe travels and crossing into the States.
The Situation
So what happened you ask? Well quite simply this: The United States government is taking serious the "resident" part of the "Legal Permanent Resident" (LPR) card - otherwise known as the Green Card.
Last summer, when we flew up to New Hampshire, one of the CBP agents mentioned that I should consider filling out a form because my time out of the States might cause trouble with my Green Card - but he did not mention which form it was. Well, upon landing in Houston on this trip I found out.
Apparently in 2009, before we moved, I should have submitted form I-131 (Re-Entry Permit.) This would have been good for two years and would have permitted me to come and go between the US and Guatemala for periods over one year (up to two years.) When I was physically out of the US for more than twelve months they said I could have been considered to have voluntarily abandoned my resident status.
After explaining the situation to the agent in Calais, Maine - who, for the record, was wonderful, helpful, polite, and professional - he said my LPR status was fine and I could pass without problem but I did need to complete the process (and receive the re-entry permit in hand) before returning to Guatemala. Honestly, at one point my parents and I thought he was going to deny me entry to the States.
The paperwork is in the mail heading to the processing station in Texas. At this point there is no way of knowing how long this whole process will take. The instructions for the I-131 suggests starting this process two months before your desired travel time... so this may take a while to complete.
As mentioned above the I-131 is normally good for two years. However, in circumstances where the applicant has been out of the States for significant time prior to filing the application approval may only be granted for one year (if at all.) This is what I'm hoping for - one year. This would allow me to return to Guatemala to be with my family. It would also give Joy, the girls and I time to pray and consider what our next step will be.
If anyone knows of an immigration lawyer who would be willing to advise us please let us know. Unless other options are unveiled to us we see the following as our choices (assuming my I-131 is approved for one year):
Last summer, when we flew up to New Hampshire, one of the CBP agents mentioned that I should consider filling out a form because my time out of the States might cause trouble with my Green Card - but he did not mention which form it was. Well, upon landing in Houston on this trip I found out.
Apparently in 2009, before we moved, I should have submitted form I-131 (Re-Entry Permit.) This would have been good for two years and would have permitted me to come and go between the US and Guatemala for periods over one year (up to two years.) When I was physically out of the US for more than twelve months they said I could have been considered to have voluntarily abandoned my resident status.
After explaining the situation to the agent in Calais, Maine - who, for the record, was wonderful, helpful, polite, and professional - he said my LPR status was fine and I could pass without problem but I did need to complete the process (and receive the re-entry permit in hand) before returning to Guatemala. Honestly, at one point my parents and I thought he was going to deny me entry to the States.
The paperwork is in the mail heading to the processing station in Texas. At this point there is no way of knowing how long this whole process will take. The instructions for the I-131 suggests starting this process two months before your desired travel time... so this may take a while to complete.
As mentioned above the I-131 is normally good for two years. However, in circumstances where the applicant has been out of the States for significant time prior to filing the application approval may only be granted for one year (if at all.) This is what I'm hoping for - one year. This would allow me to return to Guatemala to be with my family. It would also give Joy, the girls and I time to pray and consider what our next step will be.
If anyone knows of an immigration lawyer who would be willing to advise us please let us know. Unless other options are unveiled to us we see the following as our choices (assuming my I-131 is approved for one year):
- Guatemala: give up my LPR status and surrender my Green Card. This path would mean that any time we return to the US or pass through it I would have to enter as a tourist. I would be permitted to spend money but not make money. We would likely have to change all our support and bank accounts and remove me so that the IRS could not say I was earning income. It would also mean that while in the States as a tourist I would have to leave and re-enter every 90 days. Should we decide to leave the mission field and return to the States to settle I would have to start the LPR status anew. From what I've been told and read this process would be more difficult the second time.
- Green Card: give up overseas mission and return to the States. This is not the path either of us want to go down. Joy summed it up pretty clearly the other night, "I don't want it to be God's will for us to move back." - but we have said all along that we want to follow God's path for our family and bring glory to Him in the process. The prospect of closing up in Guatemala and coming back to the States is more daunting that when we moved to Guatemala nearly four years ago. I won't list out all the challenges here as I'm sure they are well known.
I am also asking for prayer for Joy and the girls. Until this is resolved and I can return to Guatemala Joy is doing both single parent and full time teacher jobs. She has decided to suspend all her private piano lessons until I return, which will help.
Abigail, Emma, and Sara are adjusting but it has not been easy. This past week was Holy Week in Guatemala so they were off school. On Monday they will return to school. This might make the schedule a bit more full but it also might give them something to distract them. Please pray that they start sleeping better at night.
Please join us in praying that we can see God's plan through all of this - that He would make everything plain to us and that we would not fight Him - whether Green Card or Guatemala.
In Christ,
-knme
Maribel - Kidney Stone
Please also be in prayer for Maribel as it looks like she has kidney stone(s.) She has been off since Wednesday but hopes to return to work on Monday.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Immigration Debacle
Greetings from Chester, Nova Scotia - Canada.
This is Kenneth writing. I am in Chester with my Mom and Dad for the funeral of my amazing Grandfather, Norman. He passed peacefully at home two Sundays ago on 17 March. He had just turned 88 in late January. It has been a great time visiting with my parents and with my family who is in the area. My time here is short and will be leaving tomorrow. Thank you to all who have been praying for my trip, my parents and family, and Joy and the kids (who remained in Guatemala.)
When I landed in Houston I was notified by the Customs Border Protection (CBP) Agents that I needed to take care of some immigration paperwork before I could return to Guatemala. This process will begin tomorrow when I cross the border back into the US. Please be in prayer for my parents and I and Joy's parents as we travel to meet up near the Canada/US border.
Please continue to pray for Joy and the kids as they remain in Guatemala.
I'd also like to ask that you pray for my parents, brother, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins as they move forward after my grandfather's passing.
Many thanks, once again, who are praying and supporting us.
In Christ,
-knme
This is Kenneth writing. I am in Chester with my Mom and Dad for the funeral of my amazing Grandfather, Norman. He passed peacefully at home two Sundays ago on 17 March. He had just turned 88 in late January. It has been a great time visiting with my parents and with my family who is in the area. My time here is short and will be leaving tomorrow. Thank you to all who have been praying for my trip, my parents and family, and Joy and the kids (who remained in Guatemala.)
When I landed in Houston I was notified by the Customs Border Protection (CBP) Agents that I needed to take care of some immigration paperwork before I could return to Guatemala. This process will begin tomorrow when I cross the border back into the US. Please be in prayer for my parents and I and Joy's parents as we travel to meet up near the Canada/US border.
Please continue to pray for Joy and the kids as they remain in Guatemala.
I'd also like to ask that you pray for my parents, brother, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins as they move forward after my grandfather's passing.
Many thanks, once again, who are praying and supporting us.
In Christ,
-knme
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Russian Roulette Leap Frog
What an apt description for traffic on CA2 here in Guatemala. The highway is 2 lanes most of the way, with a solid yellow line that means, well, not much. If there is even a remote chance that you might be able to get around the large truck in front of you slowing you down, you take it. It really looks like leap frog, or maybe frogger. The roulette part, well, you can only imagine. Half the time we watched as cars got just to the front of the big truck and then had to zoom into the lane as an 18 wheeler came barreling around the bend in the other lane. We, of course :-), were much more cautious (though I'm not sure that's saying much...)
We had a long ride home, being stuck behind numerous trucks. The trucks made me think of our friends back home. I thought "Gee, there goes a truck carrying bananas (literally tons of them) that our friends are going to pay too much money for." I also thought of all our North American friends and family when we finally reached the safe road - safe for us, but would still be considered psycho by northern standards.
All in all it wasn't a bad drive. The last hour we had to do after dark (thanks to the bananas and sugar cane) but we arrived safely. Anyone who has driven our roads after dark understands the miraculousness of that. The highway has no street lights. Lights on cars are also relatively optional. In that one hour we passed 16 cars that had either no tail lights or no head lights. Then there are the random drunk people staggering around in the road, thankfully this trip we didn't see any of those (of course that doesn't mean they weren't there.)
We arrived home to a meal made for us by Maribel, our house helper. She is the best, she even made a cake for Ken's birthday. I wish I could clone her and give a copy to everyone I know.
On a sad note...we learned while we were gone that Ken's grandfather passed away. Please pray for the Eisner family during this time of grieving. Kenneth will be leaving Thursday to return to Canada for a week to be with his family. Pray for safety for him, and also for the girls and I as we stay behind here.
We had a long ride home, being stuck behind numerous trucks. The trucks made me think of our friends back home. I thought "Gee, there goes a truck carrying bananas (literally tons of them) that our friends are going to pay too much money for." I also thought of all our North American friends and family when we finally reached the safe road - safe for us, but would still be considered psycho by northern standards.
All in all it wasn't a bad drive. The last hour we had to do after dark (thanks to the bananas and sugar cane) but we arrived safely. Anyone who has driven our roads after dark understands the miraculousness of that. The highway has no street lights. Lights on cars are also relatively optional. In that one hour we passed 16 cars that had either no tail lights or no head lights. Then there are the random drunk people staggering around in the road, thankfully this trip we didn't see any of those (of course that doesn't mean they weren't there.)
We arrived home to a meal made for us by Maribel, our house helper. She is the best, she even made a cake for Ken's birthday. I wish I could clone her and give a copy to everyone I know.
On a sad note...we learned while we were gone that Ken's grandfather passed away. Please pray for the Eisner family during this time of grieving. Kenneth will be leaving Thursday to return to Canada for a week to be with his family. Pray for safety for him, and also for the girls and I as we stay behind here.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Hug the Kids a Little Tighter
We have been blessed as a family with the gift of a weekend away, just the 5 of us. We actually can't remember a time when that has ever happened, and we know it hasn't happened since me moved to Guatemala. In the midst of our demanding ministry we have started to lose sight of our family and having fun together. Prayerfully this weekend will be a time when we can really reconnect together and recharge ourselves.
As we prepare for this weekend we are extra blessed and happy to have this time, because we know that it can all too quickly be taken away from us. We ask you to please join us in prayer for the Dave and Melinda Evans family. Two of their children were in Abigail's Kindergarten class, but they have since move to the Dominican Republic. Melinda, the mother of seven children (four of whom are adopted and with special needs) passed on earlier this week. It was completely unexpected to us, but certainly not to the great I AM. But please, be praying for comfort for this family and for people to come around them and help take care of those children.
Please, hug your kids (or grandkids) a little tighter tonight, remember to cherish the time you have with them, pray for those who aren't with you, and pray for the Evans family.
As we prepare for this weekend we are extra blessed and happy to have this time, because we know that it can all too quickly be taken away from us. We ask you to please join us in prayer for the Dave and Melinda Evans family. Two of their children were in Abigail's Kindergarten class, but they have since move to the Dominican Republic. Melinda, the mother of seven children (four of whom are adopted and with special needs) passed on earlier this week. It was completely unexpected to us, but certainly not to the great I AM. But please, be praying for comfort for this family and for people to come around them and help take care of those children.
Please, hug your kids (or grandkids) a little tighter tonight, remember to cherish the time you have with them, pray for those who aren't with you, and pray for the Evans family.
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