Monthly Archives: September 2014

Hey guys…we spent the better part of today working to get everyone acclimated to our new temporary living situation. Miranda and I went and got our badges for building access, washed a couple loads of laundry, and then we went on a short family walk, which ended in the twins asking to be carried because they were too hot. For the first half of the day, there were planes constantly taking off and landing, as many of our organization’s pilots get training here as part of their assignment preparation–maybe we’ll go over and watch one day while we’re here.

We also stuffed a LOT of envelopes–Phoenix, Cyclops and Wolverine chipped in with folding papers, collating envelopes and cards and brochures and such, until we ran out of envelopes. I didn’t get any photos of the assembly line we set up because I was busy managing the process. But we do have a photo of their finished work, all stacked up, stamped with return address and ready to be labeled, stamped and sent out.

We spent about an hour today working to get these ready–look for one coming to a mailbox near you soon! (If we don’t have your snailmail address, though, you won’t get one–we’d love for you to email it to us.)

Continue reading →

After 18 hours in the car–which included driving through the night, some Chick-fil-a breakfast, two roadside state welcome centers and more than a few potty breaks–we arrived yesterday afternoon to the JAARS center just south of Waxhaw, NC.

We arrived after normal business hours, so we used the “night drop” check-in to get the keys for our apartment: a 3-bedroom, 1 3/4 bath ground-floor (yea!) place which will be our home for the next month or so. There’s a playground right next door, and lots of fun new-to-us things to explore, like the recliner in the living room–if the first 24 hours is any indication, this will be an endless source of fascination and entertainment for the boys…they haven’t been able to leave it alone for more than 5 minutes since we arrived.

Here’s the photo for today–all of us, in front of our new temporary home: happy to be here safely, and to not be sitting in a car seat. Thank you, all, for your prayers for our travels.

Our place is directly behind us, the bottom right of four apartments. The nearest playground is about 200 feet away, just across the parking lot.

We are officially on our way to training at the JAARS Center! Please pray for us as we travel through the night and day tomorrow!

As new other-cultural missionaries preparing to leave our home, we are experiencing many goodbyes. Today, however, I’ve had one of the most challenging goodbyes I’ve yet experienced:  I said goodbye to my trusty, faithful companion for the last two years–the Grey Ghost. AKA, my Mazda3.

I had the Grey Ghost detailed today for the buyer. I felt it warranted a photo shoot at the local park.

He came into our lives two years and 24,000 miles ago when the heart in the Radio Flyer (our 2002 Mazda Protege5) went out (it threw a rod). We’ve celebrated a couple of birthdays, enjoyed a few fun road trips, and rocked out a lot of music. Now that we’re making the transition to our new season in life, we realized that we needed to pass him on to someone else.

Three pieces of paper–that’s all it took from us to sign him away.

We were able, however, to keep him in the family. Maybe that means we’ll be able to have some visitation occasionally. I wish him and his new owners another 100,000 miles of driving excitement.

Zoom-zoom, Grey Ghost…zoom-zoom.

This post began as a FaceBook status, but quickly became much too long for a status.

Those of you who know me very well may already know these things about me, but for the rest of you, knowing these things may help you understand me just a little bit better:

•    The state of my house frequently reflects the state of my mind. House in chaos=brain in chaos.
•    I LOVE old hymns. The depth of the lyrics, the harmony and intricate melody, the rich history of the song, and the memories of my grandmother singing them all get me in a deep-down, soul-grabbing way.
•    I care what people think. I know I shouldn’t, and this feeds my people-pleasing nature. I constantly seek to examine my motives and whom I am attempting to please, but this is an ongoing struggle for me.
•    I like to have a plan. When I have a plan, I (feel like I) can conquer anything. No logistical feat is too big; no plan is too complex. Everything can be accomplished if one can plan it out.
•    I am an introvert. I have become more introverted since becoming a parent (it probably has something to do with being surrounded by my favorite little people all of the time).
•    It is frequently my tendency to push myself harder than I should. I thrive in high-stress scenarios (at least for a while).

All of these facts are important for you to keep in mind as I tell you about my day and what God has impressed on my heart tonight.

We are coming off of a long couple of weeks.  Dale was in Angola for 2 weeks during which key technological devices malfunctioned, I had important doctor’s appointments to find out the results of a massive amount of testing and receive official diagnoses for Wolverine, began experimenting with medications for his needs, got pretty sick, and spent time with family visiting from out of town.  Throw preparation work for ICC Training in a couple of weeks and attempting to keep up with Partnership Development, and you have a recipe for one Overwhelmed Mama.

After Dale’s arrival yesterday morning on the red-eye from Luanda, Angola, we took the kids to my amazing parents’ house while we had lunch with our representative from a partnering church.  We got home before rush hour in time for dinner and bedtime. We helped a friend prepare to move, visited the Apple store in an attempt to fix the aforementioned technological failure, and visited our alma mater, Houston Baptist University for an Alumni Association tailgate party to celebrate the opening of our new football stadium.  In all of this chaos, our children had enough.  Let’s just say they were not their usual selves and were pretty out of control by the time we got to HBU.  Adding to their craziness were heat, overstimulation, and cookies.  After we finally arrived home and everyone was finally asleep (including my jet-lagged husband), I made a feeble attempt to keep up with the housework before sitting down.

Our schedule is not firm, my house is out of control, I feel like I am disappointing people left and right, I have made and discarded so many plans it is comical, and I can’t remember the last time I had quality alone time during the waking hours.

This is where my reflection begins. A series of beautiful hymns cued onto my playlist including “Blessed Assurance”, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus”, and “Just As I Am”. God spoke to my overwhelmed, anxious heart with His words of peace and assurance. The familiar lyrics continue to echo in my heart and mind and waves of peace wash over my soul.

As I sit here with the dishwasher swishing and the dryer tumbling in the background, I am reminded once again that this calling is not about me. It is not about us. It is about a holy God who has planned these moments in our lives for his glory. The same God who controls the galaxy controls my days. The familiar words of Psalm 46:10 come to my mind. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Therefore, I am sitting here tonight in peace and patient anticipation of what God will do in and through us during the next days, weeks, and months as we transition into full-time service with Wycliffe. I don’t have any more information about the date we will finish our partnership development, who God will call to complete our financial partnership team, or what date we will get on a plane to fly to Germany. However, all of that matters so much less which I remember that it’s not about me, my plans, or my agenda. It is about God’s Word, His Plan, and His agenda.  My job is wait.  My prayer is that He will show me what He is teaching me in the waiting.

This is Soyo. It’s as far north and west as you can go in Angola without crossing the Congo into the DRC. I’ve spent about four or five months here and in Luanda over the last 4 years.

The photos in this post are nothing special—in fact, the only distinguishing characteristic many might be able to discern is how incredibly unremarkable they are. But for me, they represent the parting shots of two cities which have played a significant role in my life in the last four years.

As you read this post, I’ll be arriving in Houston from Luanda, Angola. Right now, as I write, I’m sitting in the Taag Airlines lounge listening to a deafeningly loud chime announce the departure of yet another flight. I’m tired and I miss my family, as I’ve not seen them for nearly two weeks. But I’m also a bit sad to be leaving.

Continue reading →

It has been a little while since we posted, so I just wanted to check in very quickly with some updates on what we have been doing.

Dale is finishing what is probably his last business trip to Angola.  This is a destination he has visited frequently over the last few years and has become very familiar to him.

We have been busy reading and preparing for our upcoming Intercultural Communications Course (ICC) that is scheduled to begin October 2 in North Carolina.  We are very excited about the course materials and are particularly enjoying Cross-Cultural Servanthood; Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer.

In addition, we have been busy with school, visiting with cousins from all around the country, field trips, doctor’s appointments (to get everything settled before we leave), getting the house ready, and selling things in preparation for our departure.  We even had family photos taken with all 19 (!!!) of us.