Author: Beth

So I went to get an MRI on Friday. I have a small adenoma that sits on my pituitary and it needs to be monitored with blood work and on-going MRI’s.  I’ve known about it since 2004 and have done a really poor job of keep up with it. You would think that when someone has something that could potentially grow in their brain they would check on that…right…..wrong. Not when you are fundraising, maintaining supporters, keeping house, training for the field and taking care of your children. Or so my list of excuses go.

As I think about that, it’s really not wise at all. It’s exactly the opposite of wise. If I’m not healthy and taking care of myself then our family will suffer. Admittedly, Ian and I have both neglected a lot of things over the past year and a half. It’s only natural when you pick up an extra full time endeavor like fundraising that things fall off of your plate whether you intend them to or not.

At my appointment on Friday the technician asked me when I’d had the last MRI and where I had it. I had no clue. I was trying to remember how many children I had when I had it done because that would at least give me a window of time. I explained to her where it was that I’d had it done most recently but I could not remember the name of the facility. She mentioned 3 such facilities in the area and still I drew a blank. It was not until Ian looked it up on google maps that we figured out the name of it.

As a family,  we’ve been going to lots of doctors appointments to get ready to leave because we want to have a very clear picture of our bill of health before going to a place where we won’t be able to fully communicate with doctors without a translator for quite some time. Thankfully my MRI came back clear and I have a prescription that I need to take to manage the adenoma and my blood levels.

Now that Ian is completely working from home for our ministry work, this has opened up time for us to take care of some of these neglected things while still maintaining our ministry pursuits. We are incredibly thankful for this time. We are running around like crazy between dentists, and various medical doctors, pediatricians and the like. But this is important, it cannot be neglected.

Now that we’ve been given this gift of time, we are spending lots of it these days thinking through how to build in important preventative maintenance into our lives to maintain not only our physical health but our emotional and spiritual health as well. We are trying hard to create boundaries so that we don’t get so far beyond our capacity and bust because nobody wins in those situations.

Tonight we are meeting with a friend of our who is an excellent organizer. She has volunteered to help us think through all of our ministry functions and divvy those out in a healthy and sustainable way so that things like MRI’s don’t get neglected again.

How about you? Do you have personal boundaries and ways to make sure that important goals and guidelines are built in so that they aren’t neglected?

 

 

Last Sunday we were at my parents’ church in Summerville SC. My dad is the pastor of Antioch Christian Fellowship and he surprised me by asking me to preach!!! Yes, me. So here are some pictures of my preaching debut.

I talked a lot about our year and a half of fundraising and things that I saw recurring in my journal. For example, when new people joined our team I was on top of the world and confident of our call and  then when we went weeks without a partner I wondered where God was. Through  preparing for this message and over this year God has really been teaching me that His love for me is not conditional on my circumstances or how I think he should respond. He is a loving God who is at work in ways that I cannot always understand but I know that he can be trusted. He has always been faithful and even if I suddenly have amnesia and cannot remember evidence of his past faithfulness I know that he gave his son so that I could have a right standing with Him.

I gotta admit, it was fun. Both the preparation and the actual speaking. Many of the people in the audience have know me since I was in fourth grade so it was an honor to speak to them. Thanks Antioch for giving me my first preaching experience.

Over the past month and half we have visited 6 different churches. Ian and I LOVE that because it’s like doing a little field research in our own language. On 5 of those visits our kids have been with us. One of the most stressful parts is leaving them crying at the door. We’ve tried to convince, bribe and have mainly had to drop and go which sometimes can just be…..hard. God has wired each of them differently and it’s simply impossible for one church to accommodate each of them well.

When we went to a small Bible Church in Chicago with a host family, Asher was drawn to the toys and loved the fact that he was the only baby so he did not shed a tear when we left. Our home church is Ellison’s favorite because she is connected to her small group and her leaders and nothing else is the same for her. If we are not going to our church we have to give her plenty of warning and allow her time to…….process.  Our Jude, however has had a hard time almost everywhere we’ve been and it is heartbreaking. Last Sunday when we went to our own church he totally melted down like a 2 year old and it was beyond stressful for this perfectionist mama.

This past Sunday after another teary drop off for him we really wanted to get to the heart of his issues with going to children’s church. After church and before brunch with some friends we found a quiet moment to actually ask him why it was so bad for him to go in. He said “because I miss my Ellison, my Asher, my mommy and my daddy.” Um…my heart was so full. Jude is our second born and for as long as he’s been around there’s been Ellison assuring him that things are ok.

As I think back over our last few churches there is one other church that he went into without complaining and it makes total sense in light of his comment. It was a small church and basically all of the kids other than babies were together. He and Ellison really loved that a lot. The whole time they got to be with one another  and he felt safe and secure.

This coming Sunday we will again be in another church which just comes with the territory these days.  As we’re thinking about how to help him, we’ve thought about having some wallet sized pictures printed of our family to remind him that we love him and that we’ll be back soon to get him.

Have you guys out there with kids tried anything to help kids go into their areas at church? If you have some tips I’d love to hear them.

This summer we were on a campaign to get to 70% in order to get our visas. Confession: we had no idea what all that involved. Once we hit that mark we were pumped to start the process. And it has been quite the process.

Thankfully, we did not have to navigate this alone. The week that I went to Orlando for training we were able to make some calls to the Austrian consulate to get the ball rolling. A few things were getting lost in translation and I called on a friend of mine from Germany to make sure that we were understanding everything we needed to know.

We found out that we had to apply in person in Washington DC. We knew that it could take up to 3 months to get the visas so we wanted to go as soon as we could. The week after we moved in to our friend’s house we tried to plan in some rest before heading out to Illinois for training. After hearing about needing to apply in person, however, we knew it’d be crazy, but we felt like we had no choice but to get up there ASAP. So in a span of 7 days we moved, packed and flew to Washington, unpacked and packed again and flew to Chicago.

On my birthday, we boarded a plane on a quest for visas…..

We arrived in DC late that evening and crashed. We discovered the next morning that an 8 page application for each family member was required. Oh and by the way it was in German. Ummmm…. our whopping total of 3 german course were not sufficient for words like “Niederlassungsbewilligung.” We were able to get on Skype with our ministry area leader in Austria and managed to get them all filled in. Our next stop was to Kinko’s and Walgreens to print some pictures and additional documents we needed.

We arrived at the consulate by taxi at 12:30 and we must have looked over our documents 20 times and finally got it all together and turned it in before the 1:30 close time. Although we hoped we had everything in order, we found out that we needed to obtain Apostilles for a few documents before our packet was complete.

We were pretty bummed that we didn’t walk away that day completely done, but we were happy that we left the bulk of our packet and that we had fulfilled the requirement to apply in person.

With a few hours before our return flight home we took in a few sites of DC which we really enjoyed.

After returning home, we’ve done more running around (including a day trip to SC), and we finally got everything we needed and overnighted the packet to the consulate! We got word that our packet was complete and now we wait….

By now, our documents have arrived Austria and we are praying BIG to get a decision back soon so that we can board a plane and head that way. Here we are waiting again in this process. We know however, that in Him we can wait well  and we trust, once again, that His timing is perfect.

A few weeks ago we were at our sending agency, TEAM up in Wheaton, Il. Sending agencies handle the logistics of helping churches send missionaries. They handle all of our funding and benefits and also ensure that we are well emotionally and physically. Once you reach your destination, they provide support in your designated ministry area.

Going to our sending agency is another form of going home for us.  It refreshes and inspires us every time. These folks have trekked with us since 2006 as we’ve prayed and considered committing our lives to serving overseas. They have shown us nothing but love and grace as we’e walked along this path.

We just finished PhaseIV training where we got all the nuts and bolts necessary to begin life in Austria. When we chose TEAM years ago as our sending agency we were drawn to the people. These are our friends, Steve and Jane who we met at a workshop at our church. They sold us on TEAM long before we even really understood what a sending agency was. Over the past several years these 2 specifically have been there cheering us on, praying for us and encouraging us at just the right moments.

Every time we are in Wheaton, we’ve met so many people who greet us with a pure excitement for where we are going. I love rubbing shoulders with people who have walked in our shoes and can offer encouragement from a place of having been there. These people know what it is like to commit years of your life serving away from “home.” They’ve raised families in the jungle of Papua while acting as medical missionaries, they have begun churches in Japan, and loved on folks from places I’ve never even heard of. I look at them and their unshakable faith and trust in the Lord and I so desire to be in that place. They have taken big risks and in many cases the costs have been high. But, even through their struggles, they have an attitude and posture about this life that I so want to have. To answer His call at whatever cost. Wow!

Being in Wheaton was like a breath of fresh air. The opportunity to be with others who understand the why behind the going.  Whether it’s fellow missionaries being trained, those who have returned from their ministry areas and now work at headquarters, those in the mail room and special blog friends who just want to take you to lunch :-), they all get it and are genuinely excited to hear more. In many ways, there is a special type of community that I suspect we will only get when we come here.

 

 

Rule number 1 to being a missionary is to have a prayer card. Last week we must have been asked 25 times about one. It was cool because people want a tangible reminder to pray for your family. We got some magnets made almost a year ago but our picture is out of date and there isn’t a ton of contact information on it. With  our move approaching fast we realize that we need an updated card done ASAP. The major hold up has been getting another family picture done which for those of you with kids will know, is no easy task.

Last week in Wheaton, we made a new friend, Karlene from Canada. (side note- I could just listen to she and her husband talk all day long with their awesome accents). She overheard me saying that we needed a new prayer card and offered to take some pics for us.

I present to you….the making of a prayer card.

 

Asher: Cheeeeeeese

Asher: “Guys there are markings on this tree.” Jude: “My teeth hurt.”

Leaf Break!

Getting a little closer.

It’s really sunny down here….

Ok….crop out the paci and I think we’ve got a winner :-).

Last Saturday, we officially moved out of our duplex where we’d lived for the last 2 years.

We’d been apartment dwellers prior to moving here and we were so happy to finally have some outdoor space that our kids could play in and enjoy. It was a bonus that our neighbor’s daughter moved in with her daughter. Little Mimi was a built in play mate for our kids.

But our time is done here. The clock has struck 12.

On Saturday night, I was standing and looking at the empty rooms. All of our stuff was GONE. I sat there for a minute giving myself a chance to process that, and I realized that I actually wasn’t very sad about the “stuff” being gone. As much as I love putting a house together and all the fun that that involves I was surprised that I wasn’t sad at all.

What did make me sad, is that we are closing out a chapter of our lives. Although our house held our “stuff” it also holds so many great memories.

 

 

 

Our family will move and transition two more times before we inhabit a space that is “ours” again.  Ian and I have moved a total of 9 times since we’ve been married. Eventually each place feels like ours, but there is no permanence to any of them. For some people, I would suspect that moving around so frequently is annoying and a bit bothersome. Honestly, I enjoy the change and the challenge that creating a new space brings. I feel like this is a blessing, another gift from Him that has been preparing me all along for this specific time in my life. I have this built in reminder that I’m an alien here.   “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” Phillipians 3:20.

I will miss our yard, and our sweet neighbor Mimi.  I will miss all the fun times we shared in this place. I will miss all of my thrift store and craig’s list finds and my awesome pottery barn chair.

But I’m thankful in this moment to be reminded that stuff goes away but most importantly our family remains.

There are 3 little people looking to us to provide a home for them. Although we have no idea what the physical location will look like, we are trying as hard as we can to love them well and to teach them that home is where we are and the ultimate home is a place far beyond our imagination.

A few months ago when we heard that we had a training down in Orlando, we were pumped! We hoped that we’d be able to have some time to spend a day at Disney. And….

We did!!!! The day that we got to be there was on their 40th anniversary. It was truly such a magical day.

Here are the kids in the parking lot right after we told them that we were going. Honestly I think Ellison was hip to us the whole time but she played the part to make us feel like we pulled off a big surprise ;-).

Here we are outside of space mountain. I had NO idea what I was in for….Let’s just say that was the last time I saw those sunglasses.  Ian got me good and when the ride was over,  Jude immediately announced that he never wanted to do that again. There were parades all day long! We later on found out that is not usual it is because of the anniversary.  Although Asher looks a bit unsure in this picture, he loved waving at all of the characters from a distance. Ellison’s face here shows how much in awe she was. We were at the park from 9 till 9 and we were surprised at how well they did. Asher took naps in the stroller.

 

The kids waited patiently in lines.

 

We made memories that I hope last for years to come. I must now say that the magic is real and Disney did not disappoint. Not one single bit.

This morning, I am incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to attend this workshop. Sometimes you walk away from a “required training” with a few tidbits that may be helpful somewhere in the distant future. I am walking away with a toolbox of things that I will need to consider when making decisions to educate our kids abroad.

One of the most important things that I heard was that we should ignore our ministry pursuits in our decision to educate her. Meaning; we shouldn’t look at her school as a window to meeting more people and we shouldn’t feel like we have to exercise our “big faith” in sending her into something that she is simply not ready for. Doing that could actually damage her own faith which would be devastating.

We are blessed with 3 good options (2 strong and 1 maybe) option for how we will school her. Some of it depends on when our visa will be obtained and some of it will depend on laws concerning how foreigners educate their kids.

My to do list has certainly grown from this week. In case you’re interested here are some items that we have added to our list.

1. Books- There are books and articles from this seminar that I want to read before we go. One of them is called “How am I Smart.” It is a book on the 7 intellegances and learning how we are hardwired. It has incredibly fascinating information and practical tips to nurturing your child’s “smarts.”

2. Ellison’s German- We have contacted 3 german language tutors to work with Ellison one on one in Atlanta. We will be meeting with them and starting lessons within in the next week.  We had always intended for Ellison to attend a national school because we love the people and culture of Austria and want her to be exposed to that. It’s also a sure way that she’ll learn German. The biggest takeaway from this week was realizing that we need to take a hard look at the negatives of this option by sending her in unprepared in terms of language.

3. Take our time- I was thinking we had to land and immediately put her in school. As things progress, this will more than likely not be the plan. We were encouraged to really look at schools, understand ALL of our options and most importantly pray. Again opts of this depends on our visa situation.

Thanks so much for praying. It was amazing how much more peace I had throughout this week and I know our family was covered by you this week.

 

Early this morning I boarded a plane and headed to Orlando for the Pre-Field Education Seminar for the week. This seminar is designed to, “equip parents to understand, plan for, and meet the educational needs of their children,” while serving in foreign missions.   I was really looking forward to attending because I have a ton of questions about the logistics of putting Ellison into school once we arrive in Austria. After only 4 hours together today, I see that I’m going to walk away with even more questions and honestly my mind is churning…I’m anxious.

Truth be told, Ellison is our family’s test case.

We have no idea how she will do and we are doing the best we can to educate ourselves on the options and make the best choices for her. No one in their right mind would want to put their child in harm’s way but if this is not done correctly that’s exactly what we will do. It’s not as simple as throwing her into a German speaking environment and expecting her to flourish. We want to set her up for success and truly make this the best transition that we can.

I had so many takeaways today. Some of them left me really excited, some have left me scratching my head and quite honestly some of them made my stomach do flips.  Before spiraling out of control, I had to remind myself  that I am to take a position of utter trust in the One who brought us this far.

Before the session this afternoon was kicked off, the facilitator reminded us of this story in Matthew 19: Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, ¹⁴but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵And he laid his hands on them and went away.

I was reminded that as much as I love Ellison, her father in heaven loves her so much more.  I can place her in his lap and I believe that he will “put his hands on her.” He will keep her right where she is supposed to be and he will guide us as we seek him.

Friends, if you are prompted, I would love for you to pray along with me? Pray that God will direct us as we wrestle with questions about what school will look like for her. We don’t know what all of our options even are at this point (due to legal issues in Austria). Pray for wisdom this week as the facilitators guide each of the families here as we all make important decisions about our children.

I’m powerless over so many details at this point but I’m still trusting…..