Welcomes and Farewells

This weekend we hosted a Bienvenido and a Despedido for some of our SIM teammates.  We welcomed two new gals to the team and said farewell (albeit temporary) to a few others.    The Jeyechandren family is headed back to Australia for home assignment.  They have been such a blessing to us and we will certainly miss them!  David and Christine have been our mentors here and really helped to get us established when we first arrived.
It was a nice day, as usual, and the kids (and adults) were able to play in the park.

The Simplest Things

     Sometimes it is the simplest of things that remind us of home…Michigan, I mean.   This afternoon as I was working on the computer next to the open window.  And what to my wondering ears did I hear?  The sound of a lawn mower cutting grass near!   Yep, that's right.  Lawn mowers are quite rare here.  Generally there isn't enough grass anywhere to warrant using one.  Most grass is simple hacked down with a weed whipper.  I sat and listened to the mower for a few long moments and was reminded of summers back home.  Sigh.  A few moments later Jason entered the room.  I told him to stand by the window, close his eyes, and listen.  He said "I hear a lawn mower.  Makes me thing of summer back home."  :)

Minor Procedure

Lydia had a ganglion cyst so we had our team doctor, Dr. Allen, aspirate out the "gel" that was inside.  He told us there was a chance it would come back.  Well, three days later it was back.  So this last Friday, he tried again.  This time he injected some steroid in as well to prevent reoccurrence.  As of now, the cyst seems to be back.  :-(  It doesn't hurt her at all, but she does get teased about it at school.  She prayed tonight that God would just take it away while she slept so she didn't have to face another needle.  Amen Lydia!  I pray the Lord answers that prayer for her sake.

It's Been A While

     Some of you reading this post might be thinking, "Well, well, well, look what the cat drug in."
I know it has been a long time since I posted something here.  I apologize for that.  We really want you all to stay involved and up to date on our lives.  I am going to try to do better.  After we first arrived, life was crazy, internet was unreliable, and honestly, by the time 4:00 would roll around we were beat and just wanted to rest.
     So, let me breeze through these last 10 months.
     We have been blessed with a nice home, in a safe area, and very close to the kids school.  In fact, it is only a four minute walk away.  That has turned out to be a huge blessing.  We spent many initial weeks visiting markets and stores looking for beds, kitchen items, and other essentials.  For the first 3 months we ate our meals sitting on the floor and using suitcases or stools as our table.  Things here take SO much longer to do and rarely can one accomplish what they set out to do on the first try.
     Thank God that we have been fairly healthy for much of our time here.  We had a three weeks that were quite rough with several getting sick and Gracie had a recent mishap, but overall we are so grateful for the Lord's protection and granting us health and strength.

A month ago Gracie fell while playing outside and someone fell on top of her.
She then fainted and had a mild seizure.  She ended up with a massive headache and bruised ribs.  

     The kids are currently attending a local school that is all in Spanish.  That fact alone has made this transition a struggle for the boys.  There is five to eight hours of English taught each week, but we are supplementing those classes with our own English classes.  The schooling situation has caused us the most amount of stress of anything here.  It is not ideal it has been difficult socially for some.  However, we are still grateful to have this school near by.  It is the best worst option we have.  :)

First day of the new school year.

     Jason and I are still in language school.  We have class 4 hours a day and homework.  Language learning has been a fun and yet very humbling process.  I have been so impressed with Jason and how quickly he has picked up the ability to speak this language.  He does so well that I have to fight being jealous.   The Lord has to continually remind me that:
1.  This is not a competition…. (I HATE to lose)
2.  When I was four years old, I didn't speak great English and I had been hearing that language from birth and was fully immersed in it even in the house.  So, the fact that after only 8 months of Spanish learning I am not speaking like a pro is no surprise.
3.  I need to be completely reliant on Him and not my abilities … or INabilities as it were.
    We have been occasionally helping out at Arequipa English (and SIM ministry) and starting next month we will be helping on a more regular basis.  We are really looking forward to this!
    Jason has been meeting with and sharing Christ with our neighborhood security guard.  He asked us for a Bible, which we gave him, and he has been reading it!
    I keep busy with the kids, school, language, and meetings.
Okay, so that was a very quick update over the last 10 months.  I am attaching several photos too.

At the beach before getting in the cold water.  Fun fact, the water here is
cold enough that penguins  live along the
Peruvian coast

We made it to the beach this past month.  The beaches
here and have large waves with strong under currents.

At the city center with a view of the cathedral.  Both our girls are quite a novelty here.  One Chinese and the other blonde and blue eyes.  Right before I took this picture a family had been so excited about seeing our girls that they asked if their daughter could have her picture taken with our girls.  Our girls obliged.  Then the mom wanted her photo taken with them.  Gracie especially thought this was pretty funny.

A local favorite….cui.  Roast guinea pig.

Riding the combo (a small bus) with Jason's parents.  The seats were full so we had
to stand…really close.  It's the norm here.

SIM retreat in Lima.  They had a foot washing "ceremony" to welcome the new
missionaries.  Our mentors, David and Christine washed our feet and prayed for us.  It was very special. 

As you can see, we get pretty excited when someone sends us a
card or package.  Just look at Lydia's face!

Made It!

We finally made it to Arequipa.  I was so nice to be greeted by the Arequipa team and see smiling faces.  What a great bunch a people.  They welcomed us to the guest house and helped us with all our luggage, fed us dinner, and even cleaned up the dishes!  :)
I am sorry, but I totally forgot to take photos.  Will try get some tomorrow.  Tonight we hope to get a good night's sleep.  We are all pretty tired.

First Days In Peru

After a busy weekend of good-byes and our commissioning service, we headed for Detroit.  We flew out of Detroit on Tuesday afternoon.  Our layover was in Atlanta.  There were some fairly bad storms in the area and once we landed, the airport closed for almost an hour.  We were very fortunate to have made it in.  Our flight for Lima was delayed of course, but we arrived safe and sound.  Our luggage however must have sat on the tarmac in Atlanta because it arrived in Lima soaking wet!
We finally got to bed around 4:00 a.m..  The next day, Wednesday, we spent with Robbye as she educated us on some of the ins and outs of finance here as well as helping us get a phone to use locally here.  Today we went to Interpol to be fingerprinted and then we had the opportunity to meet the SIM Lima team.  What a great bunch of people!  Afterwards we went to a shopping center for lunch and to look at mattresses.  Tonight we eat pizza (yes!!) with another missionary family.    Tomorrow we leave for Arequipa.  The airlines here only allow one checked piece of luggage.  So, most of our luggage is being sent down there today via bus or truck.  Praying that it all arrives!!
                                           Here are some photos of our first couple days. 

So, I know many of you were wondering….this was all our luggage

Waiting in the jetway.

Good -bye to the good ole U.S.A. and life as we know it.

Settling In For The Long Flight….side note…after the first half hour of flying Gracie said "I don't know why I was so excited for this plane ride.  There is nothing to do but sit!"  Yep.

Trying to sleep while blocking out all the light and city noises.

First Breakfast In Lima: Eggs, Ham, Bread and Papaya Juice.  And Yes, Coffee.

Thank goodness eggs are universal in taste.  Well, for the most part at least.

Squishing in for a taxi ride.  The smiles lasted only a few minutes before the reality of driving in Peru set in.  

A view of part of the city and the shopping plaza.  

One Last Time

Lately I have been feeling unprepared for all the good byes we are having to say.  I tend to tuck it aside to deal with and "feel" later.  It helps get me through the moment, but my psychologist friends/family  would probably advise me otherwise.  :)  I have had many small private moments of grieving though.  I know there is more to come as we see people we care deeply about and say farewell.
People aren't the only things we need to say good-bye too though.  Part of the good-bye process for us includes saying farewell to those places that have meant a lot to our kids, and places they have great memories and will miss after leaving the country.  So, we have begun our farewell tour.  First stop was Chuck E Cheese.  Our youngest REALLY wanted to go here one more time.  She had a goal to win enough tickets to get large round lollipop.  Mission accomplished!

Our second place we visited was the Georgetown Ice Rink.  The boys especially enjoyed this.  They enjoyed sliding on the ice as much as skating I think.  They also got a kick out of watching how good  and fast their dad is on the ice.

And of course, we must include ice cream in this list of good-byes, so we made a trip to Little Dipper.  Over the years, we have biked there for ice cream and other treats.  There will certainly be ice cream in South America, but there is nothing like Hudsonville Ice Cream.  Hmmm… I wonder how well it would ship.

Moving Day

Well it's official……..We finally moved.  I'll admit,  I had a hard time letting go of this house.

It was my favorite home and one we had planned on staying in for a long time.  However, I knew almost two years ago that God was asking me to prepare to give it up.  And that day has finally come.  Even though we are sad to leave this house, we are very thankful that we were able to sell it now so that we can now focus on Peru.

A Month In Review

This has been a very busy and emotional month for our family.  Let's recap….
 *   Jason was in Africa for three weeks.  He had a very good, successful trip, albeit a tiring one.  Please continue to pray for villagers in Ambo.
 *  We had to give away Snickers, our dog.  That was heartbreaking.  Snickers was Adam's shadow and most loyal companion.  However, God brought to us a most wonderful home for the dog.  His new owners love him as if he was their child.
 *  We also accepted a contract on our house.  We were supposed to have closed already, but there have been a few hiccups along the way.  We are praying that the closing happens this week for sure.
 *  We had our moving sale.  That was really difficult as well.   I realize it is just stuff.  And I have let go of a LOT of stuff lately, including my home.  But it is still hard.  However God was SO gracious.  Thursday was our first day and we had many people come that asked where we were going, what we would be doing, etc..  Many were genuinely interested in missions and even paid a higher price for items!  I even had a couple people pray for us on the spot.  How cool is that?!
  *  Since the time we accepted a contract on our house till now, we have often been asked "So, where will you go in April?"  Our response has always been "We don't know.  We will see what God surprises us with."   My parents generously offered their basement to us if needed, but we just knew God was going to provide something.  Well, this week we have been told that a church, a mile down the road, has a house that is empty that we can use! Praise God!
  *  Support levels have risen 1% this month.  We still need to find more monthly/ annual supporters.  We are about 13% short of our goal.  We are still hoping to leave at the end of May, but that may not be possible if we can't get our support team built up fast.  Having said all that, we are still very grateful for all the support we have received and are praising God in all of it.

Out and About In Africa

From Jason….
I have just completed the field work for a project in Ethiopia. I joined a team of engineers from Engineering Ministries International that is consulting for Joy of Heaven, which is a non-profit directed by a Canadian-Ethiopian pastor. 

We had a great week of hiking the countryside to study the geology and seeking locations for potential water supply.  In this one week I have probably hiked 15 miles.  As you can see, the people enjoyed watching me do my work.
We will be providing a report that includes recommendations on school design, water distribution, water quality improvement, waste water planning, agricultural recommendations, etc. 
The Ethiopian people are so friendly and inviting despite living in such challenging conditions.   We sure are blessed in the U.S.!

Upward Movement

Well, a lot has happened since my last post.:
1. Jason, through Cold Water Intl., and EMI is working on a special Africa project….stay tuned for details.
2. We are now at 82% of our needed monthly support. PRAISE GOD! It’s so neat to see how He is working and moving. Speaking of moving…
 3. We have an accepted contract on our house. Woo-Hoo! We are set to close at the end of March and will be out by the 31st.

Typical neighborhood as seen from roof

Please continue to pray for us during this time. We don’t know where we will be living come April till our May departure. But we also don’t know where we will be living in Arequipa either. We are praying God will be preparing safe, affordable housing for us there. My “cherry on top” request is that it would also be quite close to a park or some semblance of a green space. We also need it to be close to our kids’ school. That is another prayer request. . .
We have applied for admission to a local academy in Arequipa but have not yet heard if they will make room for them. We also need the kids to be accepted as “alumnos libre”. 

Basically that means that they will not be enrolled with the Dept. of Education and therefore exempt from certain classes so that we can supplement with US standard classes.

Housing in Arequipa

Our friend, Sue Querfeld, had given us this
very good advice last March when
we were visiting there. They did a great job of  
navigating their children through the Peruvian
school system. God willing, we will be able to do the same.

Only By His Might And The Mite Of Others

As I mentioned on my last post, we have postponed our departure to May because we are currently short of our goal for 100% support by February. However, we feel SO blessed by the support we already do have! If you are current supporter, I just want to say a mega “Thank You!”. Our support level has gone from ZERO to 71% in only 5 months! We are amazed at this, really. And it hasn’t been because of anything we have done. All the praise and glory go to God. He has put his kingdom work in Peru on the hearts of His people. Our job has just been to find out who those people are, and to also faithfully share the vision for ministry with anyone who will meet with us and listen. We know that we will never get to 100% by our strength and work, but by God’s. It is God’s might that accomplishes it….and yours! Okay, not your might, but your “mite”. It reminds me of the time when God told Moses to prepare the build the tabernacle (Exodus 36:6). God, through Moses asked the Israelites to contribute. And boy, did they! Widows brought their mites, those who had more gave generously. If a person didn’t have money, they used their talents to make fine linen to give, or to make other valuable items. In fact, the Israelites gave SO generously that Moses finally had to say “We have enough”. Wow! I can’t wait until we can say “We have enough”, but until then I am going to say “Thank you for giving to the Lord! Thank you for giving your mite…and more!” To God be the glory forever and ever.

Update!

So, a quick update…we will not be leaving for Peru in February as we had hoped. Our new goal is to be in Peru by May. I say this with a mixture of disappointment and relief. I am disappointed that we won’t be there in time for the kids to start the Peruvian school year. We had really hoped that they would be. Not just for academic reasons, but for social ones as well. The relief comes in knowing that God is in control of all of this. It is either because of His protection or His provision that we are not there yet. I am at peace with being in His hands. I know He knows what is best. Several have asked why we don’t just go ahead and leave in faith that the support will come in once we are there. SIM, very wisely, requires that we raise 100% of pledged monthly support before we can leave for the field. But praise God, we are at 71%!!!!

Timothy Training at Calvin Seminary

Marcy and Jason had the privilege of taking part in Timothy Training (TLTI) at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids. TLTI focuses on training lay leaders on how to build healthy and well cared for congregations. We participated in the hands-on training with seminary students from 9 different countries. This training will be a useful tool for our ministry in Peru.

Thank You!

Our fundraiser was a success! We were so busy that we forgot to take pictures of the event. Bad blogger, I know. Thanks to everyone who attended or ordered take out that evening. It was such an encouragement to our entire family. We raised over $1,500 and gained new monthly supporters. Praise God!

Hey Y'all

We are having a fundraiser at the Pizza Ranch!  Please come and eat supper at the Pizza Ranch in Hudsonville any time between 4 - 9p.m.   If you can't make it, you can take it.  All take out orders count too.   A portion of the proceeds goes to

support our ministry.
Our hope for this fundraiser is not only to raise money, but also to raise support.  No, I did not just repeat myself.  There IS a difference.  Money is just that…money.  Support is more than that.  It's about relationships, communication, and prayer.  Don't get me wrong, money is definitely needed.  However, support is also vital to us.  We would love to connect with a lot of families from the community and our kids' school and let them see how "their community" and friends are supporting them too.
We hope y'all can come and support us!

When:   Monday, Nov. 10  
              4:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Where:  Pizza Ranch -- 
            3492 Chicago Dr.  Hudsonville
              (616) 669-7030

You Want Me To Do What?

Obedience.  That is a word that I tend to reserve solely for children.  But the reality is that we are all children, God’s children.  Just like we expect obedience from our own children, so God expects obedience from us.

In Jeremiah 7:23 The Lord says, “Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.  Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.”

Instead of obedience though, I sometimes want to compromise with God.  If He does what I ask (or need) then I will do what He asks.  “God, if you heal me, then I will lead that Sunday School class.”   Have you ever done something like that? 

God doesn’t want compromises though, especially when it comes to our hearts and allegiance to Him.  These past two years, God has really been working with us on our obedience.  It has been a process of stretching us, searching our hearts, and bringing us to a point of submission to His will.  Once we are submitted, then and only then can God really go somewhere with us. 

1 Samuel 15:22 says, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying to voice of the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice.”

Sometimes obeying does mean sacrificing though.  I realize that in that passage Samuel is referring to the literal action of a sacrifice, but it is still relevant to us today.  For me, selling my house (favorite house ever!) is an act of obedience AND a sacrifice.   Being submitted to God and being obedient to his call often means valuing the things of God not of man.  We will all be sacrificing in this missions process: us, our kids, parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers, etc. 

However, what we give up in the process pales in comparison to the delight that The Lord receives from our obedience. 

What is God asking you to do today?

LAUNCH DAY

Today we officially launched our support raising journey.  I use the word journey because that is what this really is.  It won’t happen quickly, and it won’t always be easy.  But the people and the relationships we will build along the way will be the most 

wonderful part.   In fact, this past 

weekend, we have met with some great people.  I didn’t ask permission so I won’t name names, but the people we stayed with last night sure have the gift of hospitality.  I mean, it takes a special person to host our crazy bunch.  The kids said it was much better than a hotel and they really wanted to stay longer.

This morning we spent some time at our previous church in South

 Carolina, Chapin Presbyterian.   They invited us to get up and share a few minutes about what we will be doing in Peru.  It was good, but a little nerve wracking!  We had an amazing reconnection with the Pastor and his wife, along with several others.  As we leave SC, we head home with sense of being blessed.

SIMGo

What is SIMGo you ask?  Well it is a two week training time at SIM headquarters in Charlotte, NC. for newly appointed missionaries.  The whole family is involved too! 

Fun at Carowinds Amusement Park

Swimming at the YMCA

Everyday our kids attended prayer/chapel with us and then they went to the MK House to their own classes.    They did do some learning but they mostly had a whole lot of fun.  Bob and Gayle Murray and their daughter Amy drove all the way down from Michigan to help out with the kids program.  They are our regional directors and wanted our kids to get to know who they were.  Isn't that cool?

SIMGo training focused on the biblical basis for support raising, how to take care of donors, the necessity for prayer support, and how to transition to a new culture.  It was also a time for us to get to know SIM leadership better, and how things work once we are on the field.  We also had a time to share our testimony.   We enjoyed getting to know all the other terrific families who are preparing to go on the field as well.

Oh, and did I mention that           
we also had to had to get some of our immunizations while we were there?  
Some of us handled it better than others.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The BEST part of SIMGo though was really getting to know all the home-based missionaries and staff there.  We met so many wonderful people.  People who are ready and willing to pour into us and into our family. 

 In fact, they even made a cake to celebrate Adam's 13th birthday!  Amy and Meg made another cake for just Adam and the teens too along with a really neat candy card.  It was so nice.  

 We are grateful to have Charlie and Tami Thorsen as our coaches.  They will be mentoring us as we prepare to go onto the mission field.   And we would be remiss not to mention Bob and Carol Givens who have been a huge source of encouragement for us all.

                                                    THANKS SIM!!

All SIMGo Missionaries.  It was a GREAT group.

IT'S OFFICIAL!

We have been accepted as long term missionaries with SIM.  We are so excited to begin this journey!  We hope to be in Peru by early next year.  The next step though is taking some classes and then attending SIMGo in Charlotte in July.  Please pray for God’s provision in His way and in His time.