Sinking In

This is gonna be a multi-post week (even if we can't actually post this yet for a few days, and even if you'll actually get to read all these posts in succession).

Yesterday, June 19, we received part 3 of The Phone Call from headquarters. We are officially cleared for language school! We've been given permission to broadcast the news (believe me, it has been so hard not to hit that "publish" button! Once, I accidentally did, so I had to quickly go back and delete the post), but we wanted to wait until after we'd had a chance to announce our news to our home church on Sunday. In the mean time, we've told our family, a few of our closest friends, and several of our fellow field missionaries and other missionaries who have been in our shoes and know what this week means to us.

Yesterday afternoon, we were formally invited to Costa Rica to attend language school, and today I submitted an information form for the school admissions office to review. After it's been approved, and headquarters sends the check for our registration, we'll be officially enrolled in The Spanish Institute in San Jose, Costa Rica! Then, our airline tickets will be booked. The next big legal issues we have to take care of are our passports (an expensive proposition, especially since we're expediting them), and applying for student visas. Having a student visa as opposed to a tourist visa will enable us to remain in the country the full year without having to leave and return every 90 days. They are a bit more expensive than tourist visas, but well worth the extra cost when the convenience is factored in. In order to obtain these visas, we have to have copies of our birth certificates and our marriage license notarized (not the word, but I can't remember what the actual word is) by the Costa Rican embassy here in the States. Well, this is what I've heard we have to do. I fully intend to contact the language school for help with this one.

Some of our missionary friends, particularly those who have served/are serving on our Mexican field, have already given us some great advice about packing, what to take, what not to take, what kinds of things to do, etc. The Queen of Lists certainly is in her element! (Well, okay. My mom is probably the Queen of Lists....which would then make me the Princess of Lists.)

It's starting to sink in that this is actually happening. Wow! Yesterday we were shocked and excited. Mostly excited. Today, knowing the up-hill battle I'm facing as I struggle to learn a language with sounds that frustrate my tongue (thank You, Jesus, that it's not Mandarin Chinese), I am freaking out. Scared out of my mind! Aack! How can I leave all that is familiar and go to a place where they don't speak my language??!! And beyond that, how in the world can I live in the 3rd largest city in the world???? The thought of driving in Mexico City has always terrified me. It's one thing, however, to know that somewhere, off in a very vague future, I'll be driving in the World's Largest Parking lot. But knowing I'm a mere YEAR away from that reality..... Well, this is the stuff of nightmares.

On the other hand, I know full well that fear is not of God. It's! Not! Of! God! Fear is a tool of the enemy to keep us from doing what God has called us to do. And I'd rather die than let that happen. Seriously. I have the deepest conviction that the next two years are going to really stretch me as a woman, as a mom, a wife, and as a Christian. They are going to be the hardest two years of my life. But I have a feeling they are also going to be the most rewarding. When I come out on the other side, I'll be able to look back and see all that God has brought me through. The fear of driving. The struggles with learning Spanish. The shyness in meeting new people. The nervousness for my kids. The homesickness. All of it.

And I can honestly say that I'm excited to experience every minute of it knowing that God has something amazing planned for our family as we minister to those He has called us to. And as they minister to us in return.

Ready, Set, GO!

(Written June 18, 2012)

We got part two of The Phone Call from Bill Oden at OMS headquarters this morning. Our field director is very excited about the new plan to shorten our first term to two years! He'd really like to see us in language school this September.

What does all of this mean? It means, quite simply, that come the end of August, the entire family will be boarding a plane and leaving the country. (Gasp!) Instead of talking about "mights" and "possiblys", we're making plans and coming to some definite realizations.

• This year we won't have to decide which family to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's with. Because we will be spending those holidays in an entirely different country than everyone else. Preferably on a beach.

• I will be celebrating my 38th birthday next year with an amazing trip to the beach--and not the dirty brown waters in the Mississippi Gulf. My first-born will become a teenager in a foreign country.

• When we leave Iowa at the end of July, I won't see my brand-new (well, as of July) nephew again until he is 2 years old (unless my sister and brother-in-law bring him to Costa Rica or Mexico City for a visit. Hint, hint!). That one's not a fun realization. It's one that has quite literally broken my heart to imagine. 

• Once we board that airplane in August, we won't see any of our family members for the next two years, unless they go to the time and expense to visit us. Thank God for modern technology like Skype, email, Facebook, and blogs! But the fact remains that, no matter how healthy my one remaining Grandparent is now, not one of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Will God call her Home while we're out of the country? I can't say. And I dearly hope not. But I will have to prepare myself for that goodbye, even if it's one that I don't end up having to make.

• We will have our work cut out for us, both in the packing process, and once we arrive in language school. I speak not a lick of Spanish. In fact, my pitiful 2-years of high school French continually pop to mind whenever I try to think of certain Spanish phrases, so I imagine this will be very interesting.

• Most importantly, we will need your prayers in the weeks and months to come. Desperately. There's the house to pack, garage to sort through, storage to arrange, luggage for six to amass, plane tickets to book, passports and visas to arrange, applications to fill out, legal details to figure out and arrange, many goodbyes to be said, and probably many more things than I can think of now. And that's just before we leave the country! That doesn't even include all the minute details we'll have to take care of once we arrive in Costa Rica. The lovely thing about the language school in Costa Rica is the Big Brother program. A current student will be assigned to our family to help us transition into life in San Jose. He or she will pick us up at the airport. Find housing for us prior to our arrival! Then, help us get settled into a new culture. As part of the program, we get to in turn provide this assistance to another incoming family during our stay in Costa Rica.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support of our family over the many months we've been at this. You've helped us reach this very special day. I still tear up every time I think about what today means. This is the fulfillment of a calling God placed on Troy's life when he was a teenager. The fulfillment of a calling God placed on my life as a college student. And the fulfillment of a calling God placed on our hearts as a couple during a missions trip to Mexico back in March of 1999.

We've been ready. We've been set. And now, finally--praise Jesus!--we are GOING!

The Most Incredible Development on the Most Incredible Day

My New Year's resolutions for this year were to be finished with my novel (getting there -- I'm perhaps halfway to that goal), and to be funded and in language school in Costa Rica. What if I told you that at least one of those goals had just become possible? And since I just mentioned that I still have at least half of the novel yet to write, the logical conclusion is that the goal reached was language school.

If you guessed that, you'd be right.

We had completely written off being able to leave in August, as we're still only at about 55% funded (and have been stuck there for about a year). We'd begun to make plans to pack up our belongings and possibly move in with my mom in Iowa, with the new goal of leaving for language school in January. To be honest, we'd both accepted this and were excited about six more months of getting our ducks in a row--making use of that Rosetta Stone software we've had on the computer forever, helping the children firm up their reading/spelling abilities, learning a modicum of self-control and getting in shape in the process. All things that would've made our transition to life in Costa Rica easier.

And then yesterday (Tuesday, June 12) we received The Phone Call from headquarters.

Would we be interested in a two-year term: 1 year of language school followed by 1 year in Mexico City? After the completion of those two years, we'd come home and attempt to raise funds for a full four-year term. The thought process behind this is that it is much easier for missionaries to raise support for a longer term once they've actually had some field experience. People like to hear those stories of lives changed. And new missionaries who haven't yet been to the field do not have stories of their own to tell. We can only borrow other people's stories, which is nowhere near as effective. After several years of fundraising, we have enough in our account, or enough already coming in, to support a two-year term. It has yet to be approved by our field director, but the departmental heads at OMS headquarters are very excited about this, so we're cautiously optimistic as well.

What does this mean? It means that at the end of August, we'll be flying to language school in San Jose, Costa Rica. It's happening. It's actually happening! We've got two months to get our stuff in order. This means we've got 12 years of stuff to sort through and either toss, sell, or store. We must get passports for the entire family. We must book tickets. And probably a number of other things we don't know about but are necessary when preparing to spend two years abroad (two years abroad!).

I woke up yesterday questioning whether or not this was ever going to happen. And then by the end of the day, I was already thinking about what spending Christmas in a tropical location will be like, and what it will mean to watch both "Hobbit" movies dubbed over in Spanish (oh, I devoutly hope that's not the case. I'd much rather watch them in English with Spanish subtitles). Deep in my spirit, I can sense God saying to me, "Oh you of little faith. Why did you doubt Me?"

It's a day I will never forget for as long as I live. A most incredible day.

God's Funny Sense of Humor

Sometimes I think God has a funny sense of humor.

Today, the kids and I were in a neighboring city getting gas before my son's guitar lesson. After I'd finished filling the tank, a woman approached me, explained that her card was declined, and asked if there was anything I could do to help her. For some reason, it didn't occur to me at the time that I could go inside and pre-pay for a few gallons of gas for her--enough for her to get home. All I could think of was the $1 I had in cash. When I explained to her all I had was $1, she repeated her question. I reiterated that I really only had $1. For some reason, I just assumed she was asking for cash. It really didn't occur to me that she was asking for more. She walked away, and I got in the car. Now, our weekly tradition is to get beverages to take to the lesson. But I felt funny about going inside and getting drinks for everyone when I'd just told her I only had $1 in cash. So we went to another gas station. I have to admit that it still hadn't occurred to me that there was more I could do for her. Yes, I was that dense. As I was paying for our drinks, however, it finally hit me. And I felt horrible. We had to drive by the first gas station on the way to the church where our son has his lessons, and I noticed her car was still there. To be honest, I knew God was nudging me to help, but I was being stubborn at that point. My stubbornness lasted the rest of the way to the church. Once we realized we were there ahead of the teacher, I knew what I had to do. We turned around and drove back to the gas station. I got out and was walking over to her car when I saw a man filling her car for her. Someone else had done what I should've done to begin with.

The whole way back to the church, I apologized to God for being so dense. He gave me the perfect opportunity to help someone, and even some extra money with which to do it, but I just didn't get it. I wasn't prepared. So I told Him I'd be more prepared to help the next person He sent for me to help.

And boy, He didn't let me forget it. Here's where I think He has a sense of humor. In a recent blog post, I admitted to my tendency to be selfish with my belongings, or share them only grudgingly. Especially with our neighbors. Just whom did God send for me to help? The neighbors. Troy was out with a friend, and a dear friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in several months was hanging out with me at the house. We were just trying to decide which movie to watch when the neighbor's daughter came to the door. Her Mama wanted to know if I'd drive her to the nearby Fred's for a few items before they closed. With Troy gone, I wouldn't have been able to do it. But as my friend was visiting, I knew there would be someone with the kids while I was gone. And yet, my first reaction was to roll my eyes and grumble about taking 20 minutes away from my time with my friend.

Then, God gently (He's always gentle with me--even when I don't deserve it. I should take that lesson to heart with my own children. But that's another post for another day) reminded me of my promise from earlier in the day. To be ready to help the next person He led my way.

See? Sense of humor. I think it might take awhile before my first reaction is "sure, I can help".  I'm a work in progress. And I'm thankful that God is patient.

With a wonderfully funny sense of humor.

Cancun Chronicles

What started out as a stand-alone novel (and could still be, really) will end up being a series. I hope. As of now, I am tentatively planning on calling the series "The Cancun Chronicles", as all of the stories will be based in the imaginary town of Cancun, Colorado, and will involve some of the same characters. Not very original, I know. But thinking of creative story titles has never been my forte.

The second book in the series is actually a story I began writing when I was sixteen years old. I dearly wish I still had those notebooks. It would be interesting to read what I wrote over 20 years ago. Anyway, today I am plotting out characters and story-line details to this second story, to be called "The Roommate" (keeping with the R-words in the title).

I'd really love to have at least a third book in the series, but right now I'm fresh out of ideas. When I first began writing the second book back in high school, I'd originally intended for the lead male character to get in a wreck, develop amnesia, and disappear, with almost everyone believing he'd died or abandoned the family. The next two stories would be about his daughter's search for her father. But I've since decided that is way too soap opera-ish for my taste.

Considering the fact that I have yet to finish the first book and write the second, I think I have some time to figure things out.

What's Mine is Yours

On Friday the kids and I were listening to the radio while running errands. The DJs were talking about households in which married couples have separate checking accounts and each pay a designated amount of the monthly bills. To be honest, I’m not a big proponent of this. Granted, I understand there are circumstances where this is necessary. And can be healthy. But in a typical marriage, I just don’t see the point. What if one of the spouses makes more than the other? Do they have to pay more of the bills? How do you determine who pays what? And once bills are paid, how do you split the extra left over at the end of the month (assuming there is). What about homes where only one of the spouses has an outside job? You can’t put a monetary value to what the stay-at-home spouse does in the home. Cooking. Cleaning. Taking care of the family. And, in many families we know, educating the children at home. How do you affix a price for all that they do, especially when they’re not contributing anything financial to the pot? This just places way too much emphasis on money, in my opinion. I prefer to see all money earned deposited in a shared account with all expenses coming out of that shared account. That way, it’s not my money. It’s not your money. It’s our money.

Today, I’ve been thinking a lot about sharing. We drill into our children’s heads from a young age the importance of sharing. But no matter how many times we tell them, it’s something they struggle to comprehend. I mean, let’s face it. Sharing is hard. My 37th birthday is coming up in about a month and it’s a concept that is still hard for me! You want to borrow any of my movies, books, or CDs? Fine. No problem. What’s mine is yours. On the other hand, if you expect me to share my stash of M&Ms with you, you’re gonna get your hand slapped. For real. Jenny doesn’t share chocolate. So when I say, “what’s mine is yours”, I don’t really mean it, do I?

But aren’t we as Christians supposed to hold our possessions loosely? Including our chocolate? (As painful as this notion is.) If this is so, then I need to quit glaring at Troy whenever he helps himself to a handful of M&Ms. I need to quit hiding “my” goodies from the family. And here’s another one that is personally hard for me: I need to stop rolling my eyes and heaving that deep sigh when our neighbor comes to the door again to borrow some sugar, the phone, salt, batteries, toilet tissue, or any of the many items I’ve loaned over the years we’ve been here. Yes, I often feel like her own personal convenience store. But that’s something I’ve got to work on. Something God’s been speaking to me about (and with sometimes multiple-times daily knocks at the door, He’s had many opportunities to do this) over these months. The painful truth is, if I view everything I have as His--which it is--then I shouldn’t have a problem giving it away or lending it in the first place.

Because it was never even mine to begin with.

And that includes M&Ms.

Deceptive Appearances

We've heard all of our lives never to judge a book by it's cover. That appearances can be deceiving. So why is this a lesson many of us have still to learn? Recently, I witnessed someone critically eying our electronic devices and the TV screen we were using to project missionary video clips. Without even bothering to ask me about them, I heard a muttered "must be nice to be a rich missionary".

Appearances are deceptive, after all.

What they didn't know was that almost all of our electronic devices have been generously given to us over the years. And the TV screen we were using? Purchased used from a friend of ours for a price below retail to replace our 20-some-year-old TV. The one device we actually purchased was for work purposes, to be used in place of the iPhones and Blackberries so prevalent today. Like the iPhone owned by the grumbler, in fact. But what do I know? Maybe someone gave them that phone and is paying the monthly fees on their behalf.

Appearances are deceptive, after all.

When you see someone using their iPhone or iPod during church, do you assume they are playing games or texting? I know I've been accused of such behavior. (First of all, I don't text. It annoys me. By the time pick out a message, it would've been faster to just call.) Perhaps, like me, they are using the Notes app and taking notes. Or keying in prayer requests as they are made. Or perhaps they have a Bible on their device and are following along in the Scripture passage.

Appearances are deceptive, after all.

We judge people on height. Weight. Level of fitness. By how much or how little money they have. By the clothes they wear. By their race or color. We judge people based on their appearance. But what if we're wrong about them?

Appearances are deceptive, after all.