First Baptist Church of Harlingen

On Sunday, Erik had the opportunity to speak at the church he grew up in, First Baptist Church of Harlingen.  That afternoon we were able to reconnect with old friends and meet many new people from the church at a reception.  We enjoyed getting to visit with so many people and left feeling very encouraged. 

The Goodbye Tour

We are enjoying time with friends and family during these last two weeks before we leave for Kenya.  We are looking forward to a big family Thanksgiving and catching up with Texas friends!  Here are some pictures from our tour so far:

Homeless

We moved out of our apartment in Nashville on Saturday and are now homeless and living out of our cars!  We're so thankful for good friends and family who are housing us for the next few weeks as we are on our "Goodbye Tour." 

Our first stop was in Birmingham for our church commissioning.  Our church family truly surrounded us and loved us well as they prayed for us and sent us off.  We felt so loved and encouraged and it was great for the kids to see just how many people were supporting us and praying for us!  Our small group hosted a lovely lunch for us and it was fun to catch up and spend time together. 

A good blogger would have lots of pictures to document these events, but I've never claimed to be a good blogger.  :)

Just Checking In!

We now have a little over a week left in Nashville.  We have really enjoyed catching up with our Nashville friends, but the time has really flown by.  We will be moving out on October 30th and on October 31st we will be commissioned at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham.  We are so thankful to be a part of this faith family and are honored to be sent by a church that is committed to spreading the gospel around the world.  We are looking forward to a sweet time with family and friends.  We will then spend November at an orientation with Serving in Mission (SIM) and traveling to visit friends and family. 

Right now we are feverishly trying to get packed and once again we are purging things we will not be taking.  Please pray for us as we prepare and travel.  Also pray for our kids as they will be living out of their suitcases and abandoning their routine for the next several weeks.  Overall, they are handling this pretty well, but are showing some signs of anxiety.

We are so thankful for our friends and family who are encouraging us and praying for us as we prepare to move to Kenya!  We are dependent on God's faithfulness and rely on your prayers!  Thank you!

Doubts

Lately, I have been having doubts.  I've doubted whether or not I could really do this.  I'm not exactly the adventuring type - I don't even like to go on vacation.  Why would I go to Kenya?  I'm not really good with people - there are days that I don't even like people.  How am I going to do life and ministry with people from a different culture?  After 35 years of practice I've still not completely mastered English - how will I be able to learn Swahili?  Life here is comfortable and we are happy - why are we packing up our family and moving to Africa?  The list of doubts goes on and on and the journey ahead seems really hard and a little bit crazy.

Today at Bible study the teacher talked about how Lazarus had been dead and in a tomb for four days when Jesus finally came and instructed him to "Come forth" and Lazarus got up and came forth!  Our Bible study teacher pointed out that since Lazarus was dead he had no power of his own to come forth.  Lazarus didn't do anything special nor did he possess special skills that allowed him to conquer death.  Lazarus rose from the dead because his Lord called him and told him to do it.  It was the power of Jesus' call to Lazarus that allowed him to rise from the dead.

I've known that I need Christ in me to do what God has called me to do, but in my mind I thought it was Jesus + me.  Christ alone gave Lazarus life!  It wasn't Jesus + Lazarus.  It was Jesus alone.

Right now I'm feeling a lot like dead man Lazarus.  I don't have much to offer and don't really know what I'm doing or how I'm going to do it.  But today I'm leaning hard on the God who has called us to Kenya and trusting that the very same God who breathed life into ordinary Lazarus' dead corpse will accomplish His purposes in and through our ordinary lives.  I'm trusting that with God's call comes His provision and His power!

I may need some of you to remind me of this a few months down the road when I'm in the throes of culture shock and wondering how I will survive. 

Frequently Asked Questions - Part 3

Most of the questions we get are predictable and we were prepared to answer them, but we were initially caught off guard by what is probably the most common question we are asked.  The conversation is usually with someone who does not know us well and it follows a predictable series of questions that goes something like this:

"You're moving to Africa?"

"You have four kids?"

"Are you taking them with you?"

I'm pretty sure the people asking these questions think it is crazier to take four kids to Africa than it would be to go without them.

So just to make sure we are perfectly clear...



4.  Are you taking your kids with you?

yes

Frequently Asked Questions - Part 2

2.  How long are you staying?

We are moving to Africa indefinitely.  Our initial two years will be through World Medical Mission's "Post Residency Program" (a branch of Samaritan's Purse).  WMM helps us establish ourselves in Kijabe over the course of a 2-year period just after the completion of Erik's formal training.  We then have the opportunity to transition to a long-term mission sending organization.  We are very grateful to have the chance to to work with Serving In Mission (SIM) which has allowed us to begin making plans for continuing with them after our time with WMM is completed.  We plan to make Kenya home.

3.  What will the kids do for school?

We are so excited that the kids will be able to attend Rift Valley Academy.  RVA is a boarding school that serves missionary families throughout Africa.  It is located just up the hill from the hospital and our children will be able to attend as a day school.  We are so thankful that they will be in a Christ-centered school with a diverse student population.

Frequently Asked Questions - Part 1

We are going to be using the next few blog posts to answer some of the many questions we've been asked about our move to Kenya.  Feel free to add your questions in the comments section as well!

1. What will your housing be like?

Our housing will not be very different from what we are used to in the US.  The housing is quite modern and we will have running water and electricity (most of the time).  We do not know exactly where we will be living, but all of the physicians' housing is within a very short walk to the hospital.  We will likely be in a duplex or an apartment of some type.

Here is a picture of the apartment Erik and I stayed in when we visited last year.

An update

I know it seems that we've disappeared, but we're still here!  We are enjoying Nashville and a slower pace of life.  We are really enjoying having Erik home most nights and weekends and the kids are loving that they can spend more time with Daddy.

We're continuing to prepare for our move to Kenya and are trying not to get overwhelmed by all that we need to get done before we leave in a few short months.  We have a long "to do" list that lingers over us during our "free" time.

We have a week of orientation with World Medical Mission coming up in late August and are eager to learn more about this wonderful program that we will be affiliated with for the first two years we are in Kenya.  We will also have a week of orientation with Serving in Mission (SIM) in November as they will be our sending organization after we complete our initial two years with World Medical Mission.

We are also planning our "goodbye tour" the last two weeks of November where we can go to Texas and say goodbye to family and friends before we catch a plane from DFW to Nairobi at the end of November.  

We are so thankful for our family and friends that continue to encourage us in so many ways and are so thankful for your prayers.  Please pray for our kids as the reality of this is starting to hit them and they are very nervous about all the "unknowns" that are ahead of us.  

Graduation!

Today we celebrated Erik's graduation from 29th grade. He has participated in many graduations in his life.
Here are pictures from a few of them.

Kindergarten:  I really love the tie and the brown pants!

Undergraduate

Medical School

Tonight Erik was honored for completing his pediatric surgery fellowship. The department hosted a lovely dinner and we enjoyed having family in town to celebrate with us.  We are all so proud of him!

Home??

Two years ago we received a BIG surprise when found out we had a new baby and we brought him home from the hospital six days before we moved from Nashville to Birmingham.  Our Nashville friends really became the hands and feet of Christ as they came and brought food, packed and loaded our home, and cleaned  our house so we could keep it on the market.  I don't really remember much about those days, but I remember standing around with a newborn strapped to me just watching people pack boxes, move furniture and love on us in such a tangible way.  As we were going to bed that last night before we moved, Erik and I recounted all that our Nashville friends had done and were still doing to serve our family and we talked about how hard it would be to leave these friends who had become family to us.  I certainly couldn't imagine Birmingham becoming a home to us like Nashville had become home.

When we drove into Birmingham the next day we got lost trying to find our house and we continued to get lost EVERY time we left home for several weeks.  Even if I wasn't physically lost in this city, I sure did feel lost.  I had four kids ages five and under and we didn't know anyone.  I resented that Erik got to go to work and I was left wandering around this strange city - feeling lost.  It was also hard for us to adjust because we knew we'd only be here for two years and I didn't think that was enough time for this city to begin to feel like home for us. 

Here I am two years later with a house full of boxes as we prepare to move back to Nashville for a few months.  Once again I am amazed at the wonderful friends who are serving us and blessing us.  Friends that are partnering with us in ministry, friends that are helping with kids so I can pack, friends that are bringing food for us and friends that are committing to love on our family even when we are across the globe.  Somehow this city I was determined not to get too attached to has become home.  I'm not sure when it happened or how it happened, but I've grown to love the community that God placed us in during these two years and part of me isn't quite ready to leave it behind.

It is a bittersweet move as we leave behind one home to return to our former home.  We are looking forward to catching up with precious friends in Nashville and know that they will be a great source of encouragement to us as we prepare to make our new home in Kenya.

God has provided for us in amazing ways as we have journeyed with Him one step at a time and we are so thankful for the many friends who have loved us well along the way.

What to keep?

OK, I'm sure you guys are going to get tired of my packing and purging posts but that seems to be consuming my life right now!  Today I was working in the kitchen.  It was shocking how many of my Ziploc containers didn't have lids and how many extra lids were just taking up space in there. 

I've also been trying to decide what kitchen appliances we will actually be taking to Kenya with us.  We won't have room to take everything so we have to decide which things are necessities for our family.  Fry Daddy - so long.  Coffee maker - gone.  Electric can opener - who needs you?  Crock pot - bye bye.  Cookie press - why on earth is this so hard for me to part with?  Food processor - definitely keep.  Ice Cream freezer - certainly not practical, but I think it may be going with us. 

So I'm wondering:  What kitchen appliances would you consider to be necessities?

It's All Got to Go

We move to Nashville one month from today and will be moving to Kenya in about six months.  As we pack up our house I'm really trying to get rid of all of the junk, clutter and excess that we've accumulated.  This process has been a bit overwhelming for me.  

I used to say that a child can never have too many books, but the fifteen boxes of books we've gotten rid of over the past several months say otherwise.

When we got married we registered for two sets of dishes, two sets of flatware and three sets of glasses.  I have no idea why I thought I'd have a use for all of that or that I'd even like it when we finally had an opportunity to use it, but we got carried away with the registry gun at Dillard's and now I'm trying to find good homes for these barely used dishes.

Goodwill really loves us as they have been the recipient of many boxes of  clothes, towels and toys over the past few weeks.  In fact, I keep taking our stuff to different drop-off locations because I'm afraid they'll start to recognize me and when they see me coming they will laugh and say something like, "I wonder what the Junk Lady is bringing for us today?" 

A few items have me stumped.  Should we save them?  Should we just give them away?  Could we make any money off of them?  Here is one of them:

This is Erik's Garbage Pail Kid collection.  He has hundreds of these cards that he has saved from the mid-80's.  I'm so glad Erik is no longer attached to these and is willing to give them up, but I don't really have time to go through them all to see which ones are valuable.  I think I may have to recruit a certain 7 year old to help me with this task.

I'm actually really looking forward to being free of all of the junk - especially the Garbage Pail Kids!  I like the idea of living more simply and having less clutter in our lives.  I'm just not sure I like the process involved in getting there.

We're still here!

We haven't disappeared from the blogosphere, we've just been a little busy.

Erik will be graduating from 29th grade at the end of June and as the end is finally in sight, we both have a bad case of senioritis.  After 9 years of training, we are really looking forward to being done!  After he finishes in Birmingham, we will be heading back to Nashville for a few months where he will be working at Vanderbilt until we leave for Kenya.  We don't know an exact departure date for Kenya, but it looks like it will be November or December. 

The move to Nashville is bittersweet for all of us.  We loved living in Nashville and are excited to return, but we really hate to leave behind the relationships in Birmingham and our church home here.  We would really appreciate your prayers for us as we have lots of changes and transitions in store for us. 

Questions from a 4 Year Old

Today while riding in the car my four year old asks me, "Mom, will we have breakfast in Africa?"  I said, "Yes."  He said, "What about lunch and dinner?"  I said, "We'll eat lunch and dinner too."  After a few minutes of quiet he asked, "Will there be kitars (guitars) in Africa?"  I said, "Yes, there will be guitars."  He then said, "OK, that sounds good then."  Apparently, all of his fears have been relieved!!

I wish it was that easy with our older two kids who are beginning to express more concerns about going and they have some very real and reasonable fears.  I would love to be able to tell them that everything will be perfectly fine and that there won't be any problems, but none of us can really promise our kids that.  Instead, we're just trying to point them to the promises of the God who called us to Africa and remind them that He will never leave us or forsake us.  We appreciate your prayers for our family during this time.

Pictures!

We thought you might like to see some pictures of our future home.  Erik and I had the opportunity to visit Kijabe in May and here are some of the pictures from our visit.

This is the entrance to the mission station.

 

This is the security entrance to the hospital.

 

the clinic entrance to Kijabe Hospital

 

entrance to the BethanyKids Pediatric Ward

 

the Operating Theatre (OR)

 

the scrub room

 

emergency triage

 

recovery room

 

back entrance to hospital

 

BethanyKids is building a duplex on this lot and we have been told that one of the units has been designated for our family.  Our friends Megan and Rhett, who moved to Kijabe in November, took this picture so we would have a "before" picture.  The kids have already spotted a good climbing tree!

The Radical Experiment

We just wanted to let you know about what our church is doing over the next year and invite you to join us if you'd like to.  We are making a commitment to an intentional pursuit of Christ as individuals, families and as a church.  Specifically, we're committing to:

1. Pray for the entire world over the course of the year.  We'll be using the Operation World website as a daily guide for our individual prayer time and a book called Window on the World as a guide for families.  I'm really looking forward to teaching our kids about what is going on in other parts of the world and guiding them as they learn to intentionally pray for the entire world.

2. Read through the entire word over the course of the year.  The Bible reading plan that we are using is unique in that it is chronological from creation to new creation rather than just following the order of the books of the Bible.  You can follow along with us at the Radical Experiment website.  We're only on day 2 so you're not too late to join in.  A Family Worship Guide is also available so you can lead your families in a weekly Bible lesson, scripture memory, song and prayer time. 

3. Give our money sacrificially for urgent physical and spiritual needs around the world.

4.  Spend time in another context - either across the globe or in another part of your city.

5.  Be involved in a local church.

It sounds like a lot, but it is all part of pursuing Christ and we are excited to have a church body to encourage us and to hold us accountable.  We'd love it if you'd like to join us as individuals, families or small groups.  The Radical Experiment website will be updated weekly so you can follow along in prayer and Bible reading.  You can also listen to the weekly messages that will go along with our reading for the week prior. 

As we look at the year ahead and all that God has in store for our family, we are amazed and humbled.   As we approach this year, we want to be intentional about pursuing Christ simply for the sake of knowing Him more.  If we accomplish anything else, it will simply be overflow.