First Day of School

Hola!  Como estas?  (before you correct my Spanish - I haven't figures out how make the upside-down question marks and exclamation points on a computer.)

Our heads are swimming with lots of new words and hurting from trying to express ourselves in a language we don't really know.  Our teachers, Carola for Katy; Sonia for Mark; & Dina for the two oldest kids, are wonderful.  Sonia was very patient with me while making me listen and speak in Spanish.

We have been very impressed with the school and look forward to the point where it begins to be a little easier.  We will be at it again tomorrow.  I hope all of you are well.

Goodbye stinks

This is Sunday & I just now have the mental and emotional energy to sit down & write to you all.  Thursday was a very busy and long day... a day I dreaded for the last several weeks.  But we made it through what I think is the hardest part of our year away.... saying goodbye.  I REALLY hate saying goodbye.  However, even though goodbye really stinks, we had lots of blessings along the way. 

Blessing #1:  I was completely overwhelmed that we had such an amazing group of friends and family at the airport at 5 am to say goodbye.  While Mark & I checked our 11 bags and 4 carseats, several of them made sure everything had a tag on it with our names.... the rest of our help watched kiddos-- mainly feeding them cheerios, raisins and orange juice.  After we were all checked in, we spent a little bit of time with everyone before we headed to security. 

Blessing #2:  A cool thing that happened while all this was going on is that one of the workers at the airport was talking with our wonderful babysitter-- asking her all about what we were doing.  Our friend was able to share with her a bit about our faith in Christ and how we are relying on Him to get us through this next year of our lives.  She had many questions and I hope God will put someone else in her path who can continue to lead her as she continues to ask those questions.

Blessing #3:  Getting through security went pretty smoothly and our sweet strong kids trudged down to the gate with very heavy backpacks and rolling suitcases.  They were troopers, but going the short distance from security to the gate, we all quickly realized that getting through Atlanta with all our carry-ons was going to be a nightmare.  What to do???  We had a stroller intended to carry little Shirley Temple, but quickly realized it would be better used as a cart for the backpacks.  We arrived at the gate in Knoxville & boarded immediately.  The airline attendants took great pity on us and checked three of our carry-ons as checked bags all the way through to Guatemala City for FREE!!

Blessing #4:  The flights were very uneventful and as we landed & were trying to figure out how to get OFF the plane with all the backpacks (since our backpack cart, aka stroller, was waiting for us at the door of the plane), God provided someone on both flights who helped us carry some of the backpacks to the stroller!  One was even a friend of ours!!!  Little Monkey even did really well & slept much of the second flight. 

Blessing #5:  My new favorite song is Waiting Here for You, by Christy Nockels.  We landed, and SAILED through immigration.  Once we were through, a wonderful man brought a HUGE cart and ALL 14 BAGS AND ALL 4 CARSEATS ARRIVED!!!!!  Once we had everything, we were put at the front of a very long line (the kid card again!!) and taken through customs.   They put our bags through inspection, but most of the workers seemed much more interested in the Dancing Beauty, Shirley Temple and Little Monkey than in our bags (can you figure out my code names :-)).  While we were briefly waiting in line, a man behind us said, "Are you missionaries?".  I said, "Well, sort of.... my husband is working on a water project & we're moving here for the year."  He asked where we were from & when I said Tennessee he told me he had just been preaching in Nashville.  Right after we made it through all the baggage check, that man's phone began ringing & his ring tone was Waiting Here for You.  I was struggling to hold back the tears as Christy sang, "It's you we adore.  Singing Alleluia!"  Because in my heart I was definitely singing Alleluia at that very moment!!  Later I heard the same song walking through the mercado on Friday morning!!  I bought it from itunes last night :-).

Blessing #6:  Our teammates, Kris and DeeDee were waiting for us with a "Happy Birthday" sign for our Little Shirley Temple.  Once we got to them we also saw cake!!!  Because all she had been telling everyone was when she turned fwee she was going to Gamala, ride on a plane and eat cake.  It was a sweet thing as we saw Kris & DeeDee that her "dream" was coming true.  We loaded everything onto a mini-bus and started driving to Antigua.  Along the way we picked up Nina & Cata who greeted us with a huge pinata and two dozen roses!!!  We arrived at our house without any trouble and began to settle in.  It was a long day.... but we are thankful to be at our destination.

We Have Made It!

I am sure Katy will post much more soon, but I wanted to let everyone know that we have Made it to Antigua and begun to settle into our new home for the next five weeks.  The house is great and we are getting to know Kata, Nina, Kris & Dee Dee much better.

Our day of travel went very well - Mich better than I had anticipated. Our God, by your prayers, placed many gracious people in our path to help us and expedite our journey.

Checked Bags

We are almost packed. 6 people in Guatemala for the year equals 11 checked bags plus carry-on. (you may want to add the three bags we have already sent plus the two coming later)

Thanks to all who provided bags.  They have been a huge blessing.

Mark

We're packed & ready

Well.... not so much.  But the tiniest of us seems ready to go!  We were thinking of trying to save a bit on airfare & see if we could pass her off for luggage, but decided that might not be the best idea.  Actually, we are no where close to being packed & ready.  It's currently 2:45 in the morning & I'm wide awake because I'm thinking about all the details of what we still need to do.  We have 5 days left and the task before us seems insurmountable, so we need your help...  Please PRAY specifically:

• that we would have discernment in knowing what to take and what to leave behind
• that we would have TIME to pack and the time we have would be multiplied
• that we would fit our necessities into 11 bags, 6 carry-ons, and 5 backpacks (or less) :-)
• that we would find time to finish up last minute details at our house
• that details of selling our car and lending our van would be taken care of
• that bags would not be lost in transit
• that we would make it through customs in Guatemala with previously mentioned luggage, 4 children and two very weary parents 

These are the things keeping me up with worry tonight.  Also, please pray for our little man.  He was diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday.  It's not bad-- he's still been playing and everything-- and he's on a tough round of antibiotics... but we would love for him to get to feeling better before Thursday.  And we pray that no other members of the family get it. 

Thanks for your prayers.  We need you warriors standing with us!!!

Hoping in the looking forward

I would very specifically ask that you please pray for our little man.  He is really struggling right now.  People keep asking him if he is looking forward to Guatemala & I realized the other day how abstract of a question that is for seven year old.  He has NO IDEA what to look forward to....

All he knows is what he's looking behind and leaving.  Tonight, Mark & I walked up to the hill near the house and enjoyed some wine and sunset with Mark's parents and friends.  We had our dear friend come watch the kiddos so we could have some time without them.  Our little man really struggled with us not being in the house with him.  And I, as his momma, am struggling with how to love him through this process.  I shared a bit about this as we said goodbye to our chickens... the hard and sad of the letting go.... and I will tell you that the last few weeks have been excruciatingly painful for my heart and his.  The girls are rolling with it and Mark.... well... he's an engineer :-).  But little man and I are sensitive and emotional and we see the hard things and we dread them and we don't always hope or trust so well.  I'm trying to help him hope and look forward.... even if it's just a blind faith.  Because we have a God who is able to paint THIS!!!  So what have we to fear???

An engineering masterpiece and the nomadic life

You may think that the title of my blog refers to the amazing work Mark will be helping with in Guatemala.... getting clean water into the bodies of people who desperately need it.  While that is an engineering masterpiece and a wonderful one at that.... that's not what I'm talking about.

What I'm talking about is the amazing task that my brilliant husband accomplished of squeezing all of our belongings into a 9 ft. by 20 ft. area of our basement.  We moved out of our house last Saturday.  The day before I heard him building something and I was thinking, "Is this really the time for a woodworking project??  PACK, ALREADY!!"  I went downstairs to see what he was up to & he said, "I'm building a frame for the couch."  "Huh?", I said.  He proceeded to explain that with our two couches, he was building a frame so that one could stack on top of the other, therefore conserving our precious space.  So, we now have boxes stacked floor to ceiling, about 4 large boxes deep and all of our furniture moved out of our house!!  WHEW!!  We're exhausted.

I kind of feel like a nomad right now.  That's really hard for me because I really like to have my nest.  We are thankful for the space we have at Mark's parent's house & they have been very welcoming.  But when I hear, "Mom, where is my underwear?  Where are my pajamas?  Where are my shoes?"  several times each day it has made me realize that having a place for things is important to simply make daily life function.  So, I have worked hard this last week to make it feel a bit like home for our kiddos.  We have clothes stored in under-the-bed boxes and drawers anywhere we can find them, but it's feeling a little more livable.  However, I still feel a bit like a nomad knowing that we'll be here for less than 2 weeks, in Antigua for 5, on to the mountains... you get the picture... then next year--where do we go??  As my sister said to me on the phone the other day:  "It's hard enough to be leaving everything familiar for a year, but when you don't even know what you're coming home to.... that makes it extra hard."  I'm thankful to know that my emotions and my stress level match that feeling of "extra hard" and she confirms that my feelings are really normal.  But life certainly feels extra hard right now.... and extra uncertain.... so with that come lots of extra tears.  Thankful for my patient, loving husband in the midst of the flood.

We went to Memphis for a conference last week for a few days and had the opportunity to spend a few days with Ginger & Kevin.... who spent the last year of their lives in the Ulpan Valley.  As Kevin said at dinner the other night, "If you weren't really scared walking into this, we would wonder if you were really looking at reality."  But the encouraging thing is that they are on the other side of their year and they are thankful they did it.  So in the midst of my uncertainty and scared... I'm going to hang on to that bit of encouragement.

We have a contract!!!!!

I know I should not be surprised by God's faithfulness.... but I am.  I have continued to be amazed over and over again, not simply by his faithfulness, but that he is faithful even in the little details.  Here are some of those details: 

1. We had been praying very specifically that we would have an answer about our house by June 15th.  We knew that by the middle of June, we would need to be figuring out other options if our house was not going to sell in order to cover the cost of our mortgage.
2. We were not sure how we were going to store our stuff, but we were trusting God to work out that detail.

Well.... in his wonderful way, the Lord killed both of those birds with one stone (so to speak :-)).  Some good friends of ours, Tim & Susan Tucker (Tim works with Mark at Cannon & Cannon), approached Mark on Friday, June 8th and said they would like to come look at our house.  We were surprised that they were interested, but welcomed them to come take a look.  They came the following day and again on Monday, June 11th.  They said they were really interested, but would like a week to pray about the decision.  We were happy to give them that time, knowing that they were not making a quick decision, but really seeking wisdom.  So, on June 15th, Mark went to Atlanta for his wilderness medical training and on his way home on June 17th, Tim called and said that they would like to buy our house!!!!!  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!  It was a great phone call!!  Item number 1, check!  We've been in discussion for the last several weeks with them working out a contract, having inspections, etc., but as of today, we officially have everything signed (and the for sale sign is now longer in our yard!!)

The Tuckers have a home they are trying to sell in Hardin Valley (it's a great house if you know of anyone looking in that area.... we can connect you), so they are going to lease our house until theirs sells-- then they will buy ours.  In the meantime, and until we return from Guatemala, they are graciously letting us store our belongings in our/their basement!  Check off item number 2!!!  Some items that are really large, they are even letting us leave as is (like the massive picnic table Mark built me for our 10th anniversary and the baby grand piano that has been in our family for quite some time!!)  Those items they are going to babysit for us and we'll retreive all such items when we return from our little excursion to Central America.

This house is certainly a major thing that is really hard for me to let go of... it has been in my family for 45 years.  It is where I was born and raised and I brought two of my own babies home to this house.  It is really a great house and has filled our minds with many happy memories.  But, again, the Lord has made it SO VERY CLEAR to us that selling this house is His leading... so we follow.  In that knowledge, I have to trust that His plans for our life are better than my plans.  I could really try hard to make my plans work, and that might turn out okay, but HIS PLANS WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER!!!  We are so thankful for the Tuckers and we are prayerful that their time living in this home will be blessed with many years full of happy memories.