Merry Christmas

So it was pointed out today that according our blog... we're still heading to Pennsylvania. Uh, we're back.

Our trip south started on Saturday, 30 November. We drove into New York City that evening. The drive down was uneventful, which is to say it was good. Our stay in New York was excellent. It was really nice to reconnect with the folks of the Oversea Chinese Mission. The blessed us immensely. Kenneth continues to finish up the work they requested and hopes to be done in early January.

From New York City we journeyed to Carlisle, Pennsylvania and visited with the Logan family. This was a short but outstanding visit as well. Don, Heather, and Joy sang a lovely version of Chris Tomlin's "I heard the bells on Christmas Day."

We left Pennsylvania just ahead of the snow storm. We stayed the night in Elmsford, NY and were able to have a short visit with our dear friend Liz Ramos. It was nice to catch up with her and see how God is moving in her life. The next day we left NY amid a snow storm. It was slow going but we arrived home safely. The original plan was to arrive back in time that the kids could go to Awana... well, it was cancelled.

Since our return we've had various speaking engagements and meetings with supporters. As I type this tonight, it is Sunday night, 22 December. We have Hannah and Julie for a sleep over. We are realizing this is the last sleep over for the girls on this visit. We are amid the "lasts" for a lot of things. The last piano lesson. The last Awana. The last small group. We still have some "lasts" to go - the last church service. The last game night. The last family meal...

As we reflect on the last seven/nine months it remains clear to us God is and always has been in control of the path and events of our family. Numerous people have said, "...we'd like it if you stay - but we understand God is calling you to return to Guatemala." We've considered this a lot over the past months. We remain steadfast that God wants us to return to Guatemala.

We could not possibly thank all the many peoples who have blessed us over this time in the States and Canada. It is not adequate yet I'll offer a "thank you" to everyone.

Happy birthday Jesus! Merry Christmas to all!

-knme

Next visit - PA

We just concluded a wonderful four day visit at Oversea Chinese Mission church in New York city. Wow, what a wonderful experience! We're very thankful to the many members of the church who visited with us and made us feel welcome.

Aside from being able to share about our Guatemalan mission (Sunday morning) Kenneth worked with the IT team there on various projects.

Now we are visiting with the Logan family in Pennsylvania. We'll be visiting with them until Monday.

Destination Guatemala

So I just realized we had not made the big announcement via our blog. We will be returning to Guatemala on December 31st - just in time for New Years fireworks.

This has come with a lot of mixed emotions. But one thing remains clear: this is what God wants for our family. Since buying the tickets we have steadily become more comfortable and excited about the plan.

So - 54 days and counting.

Blessings.

Visiting Nova Scotia - First time since 2010!

Greetings and salutations!

For the first time since the summer of 2010 our family made the journey north to visit Nova Scotia. It was a difficult realization that Sara, our youngest, had never been here - she will turn three next month! Oh, the injustice.

Wolfville Basin, Wolfville, N.S.

Since being here we had the opportunity to enjoy the recent Nova Scotia Election. This was a very educational process for all of us. Also, we have taken the opportunity to fill the children in on some of the important Nova Scotia and Canada school topics they have not had thus far. School - oh yeah - we continue to home school the children - but with a Canada and Nova Scotia theme. One of the other cool experiences the children had was visiting the Fundy shore in Wolfville. There they were able to see the dramatic (and fast) tidal change in action... And poor Abigail was able to experience two yellow jacket bits on her neck [ouch!]

Peggy's Cove, N.S.

Every visit we try to get out to Peggy's Cove. It has been a family favorite since the beginning.

We have been able to reconnect with the Pastor of the church in Windsor. This was a great visit. We look forward to remaining in contact with them and, hopefully, building upon that relationship.

We have not yet seen everyone we wanted to - but we still have six days left. Tonight we visit and share with a local group called "Just Friends" and tomorrow we share with the congregation at Chester United. This coming week we will visit the capital and some other close family.

Somewhere in N.S.

Oh yeah - and the foliage has been very nice too!

All-in-all this trip has been amazing.

-knm/jr/ac/eb/sje


-- HOT OFF THE PRESSES --

As I was writing this post I received an e-mail from our mechanic in Guatemala. We had decided to rent out our car to another missionary family. After a week of use the car overheated and it blew the head gasket. So, we are now without that car. Our mechanic is sending us a quote to help us decide if it worth fixing. So, with the car dead and the van not quite ready (after the accident in May) we will be returning to Guatemala with no working vehicle... Please join us in praying for wisdom and provision for how we should handle this new challenge.

These are the Nights

It comes in the places we might not expect it - discomfort, homesickness, loneliness.  Just when we think the girls are adjusting it rears its ugly (yet really beautiful) head - MK reality.

Tonight was a big one.  We took the girls to a program at our sending church, where we have been attending while on home assignment.  There were a lot of kids there.  I am sure that some of them were new, they didn't really know what to do.  One of our girls though, felt like she was the only new kid.  She was the only one in her group who had not already been a part of the program, at this church or a different one (and thus the only one who didn't have a book - or get a book.)  She didn't know the Pledge of Allegiance since we don't say it at our international school.  She didn't know what the procedures and expectations were.  She did know where the bathroom was though, and went there to cry when she got totally overwhelmed.

These are the nights when telling her that being an MK is an amazing opportunity just won't cut it.  These are the nights when she just wants to fit in - and knows that she fits in better with other MKs.  I'm sure that on this home assignment (to a country that is no longer really her home) we are going to have many more "these are the nights" moments, please pray for us and our girls as we get through them together.

Canada Bound...

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.

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.