California Here We Come!

Before we left for Oklahoma, we decided that it might be a good idea for me (Tiffany) and the little guys to take a trip home to California at some point during our six weeks in "Cherokee land." We knew Tim's work load would be heavy and we thought that going away would give him a chance to really focus on his studies and for us to get a break from the conditions in Oklahoma. So, at this time I am in California enjoying the beautiful weather and visiting with family and friends. It is very difficult being away from Tim...we will be gone for two weeks and this is the longest we have ever been apart...so this is a bittersweet visit.

Now that Noah is a little older, this is the first year that we have been able to take part in festivites of the season. On Sunday, my parents and I took him out to Avila Barn to go on hayrides and search for a perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. He had a lot of fun and we were able to get some good pictures.

Trying to find that perfect pumpkin

I Found It!!!

Going on a Hayride!

Our days here in Oklahoma

We thought we would give you a little glimpse into what we are doing here in Tahlequah, Oklahoma...

I (Tim) and my friend and partner in this project, Phillip, meet with our Cherokee language helper, Ord Dreadfulwater, (yes, that is his name) every morning for two hours.

Then the rest of the day is spent processing the information and entering it into a filing system on the computer.Phillip and I work together as we try to decide what sounds we are actually hearing in the language.

We will use this data that we gather for phonemic (part of the process in creating an alphabet) and grammatical analysis over the course of our time here.

When we are finished here in Oklahoma right before Thanksgiving we will return to the New Tribes Campus in Missouri and for the next weeks will be working on formally writing up all our findings analysis conclusions.

Tiffany and Micah taking their own picture. I just have to put this in...aren't they cute!!

I (Tiffany) spend the days much as usual, just in not such an ideal situation. It can be difficult at times to even use the bathroom or get a drink of water since both are far away from our room. Noah seems to adjust quickly to anything that comes his way, but Micah has had more difficulty. They say babies pick up easily on the stress of their parents and there was a lot of stress that first week. His sleeping is still not back to normal, but hopefully he will settle soon.

In the weeks before we left Oklahoma I was doing a Bible study with several of the ladies here called, “Calm My Anxious Heart.” This study dealt with many of the things I had been struggling with…anxiety about my kids, the future, living overseas, etc. and reminded me of God’s truth and His grace. One of the first topics in the book was about being content in your circumstances. Wow, did I need to be reminded of that our first week here. We arrived here already a couple days late and so Tim had to jump right into his studies. I was left in a “house” that was not unpacked with a baby and a two year old while I was still very weak from being sick. I realized that I had a choice. I could become bitter and make life harder for those around me, or I could choose to be content. I could not change my circumstances, but I could change my attitude and perspective. The Lord had already supplied the grace that I needed to endure those rough days. That time was a real struggle and I realized that all too often I was depending on myself to get me through instead of the Lord.

Oklahoma at last!

Well, we made it! We arrived in Oklahoma Tuesday evening (Oct. 9th), just minutes before dinner was being served in the dining hall. That evening we quickly unloaded our trailer and began set-up in our new “home.” I had meant to get a before-and-after picture but in all of the chaos that never happened, so you will just be getting the after shots. The room was just what I had expected….big, concrete, and full of old metal bunks. We took a tour of a couple other rooms to see how others had arranged theirs. Things were a bit stressful because it was the kid’s bedtimes and we needed to work fast, but we got it done. We had the dilemma of turning one large room into sleeping and living quarters, with areas that the kids can sleep in, with at least some limit on light and sound. We split our room in half. You can see where we all sleep through our door of mattresses and upright bunk beds.

Noah has his own little corner on one side...

We are in the middle...

And Micah is in the other corner!

It is amazing how many functions a bunkbed can serve besides sleeping. When taken apart or stood on end they can serve as any of the following: a wall, closets, shelves, or a couch!

Our living room...

It took some work and imagination, but I think we are finally getting settled into our new home.

Here are some different pictures of our time here so far...

We are thankful to have bathrooms and showers...they're not the prettiest, but they'll do.

This is the lounge area in our building where we can do things in big groups and most of all the kids can run around and play!

This guy was caught trying to hang out in our room...but that is not allowed! You can see the cap to a water bottle in the picture. We also saw a tarantula outside yesterday and a few days ago we found a brown recluse hanging out in our room, too! I guess company is never hard to find :-)

Noah loves playing with his friends! The sand box is a popular hang out for the smaller crowd.

Well.....

We are STILL in Missouri! We were supposed to leave Friday, but as I mentioned in my last post Noah had come down with the flu. Well, Tim got it as well Wednesday night. We thought we might be able to leave Saturday and so we continued packing, but Micah was sick Friday night. Saturday night we did a last run through on the house, finish laundry, etc. all in hopes of leaving Sunday morning. Well, Sunday morning I am sick! This has been one long and drawn out move. We are getting pretty tired of living in a house full of boxes with most things we need in the trailer. I am feeling somewhat better now so if all goes well we will leave tomorrow, (Tuesday) morning. Praise the Lord for good friends who have our room in Oklahoma all cleaned out for us and many people expecting to help us move in. HOPEFULLY, we will be able to settle in quickly so Tim can catch up on all that he has missed. What a week!


Tiffany

Packing....again!

It seems to be the story of our lives. And to think, we have really just begun! In the four years of our marriage we have lived in nine different homes in four different states. Now we are adding more to our list! This coming Friday, (Oct. 5th) we are moving down to Tahlequah, Oklahoma for six weeks. This is where Tim will be practicing all the linguistic principles he has learned on the language of the Cherokee Indians. We are staying at a Cherokee Baptist conference grounds. We are told that our "home" for this time will be one large room with cinder block walls and concrete flooring.There will be one bathroom for all the men and one for all the women in our building. (About 10 families, more or less) All of our meals will communal and we are on teams to get a turn cooking. I am sure that this experience will be interesting to say the least. The place will be filthy when we get there, (such things as "toilet material" in the showers, etc.) and so we will have a lot of cleaning up to do before we can settle in. Our internet access will be very limited, (we will have to go to a local restaurant) but we will try to post pictures of the experience. Our mailing address will be the following:

General Delivery
NTM Tim and Tiffany Lanier
Tahlequah, OK 74464

We would also appreciate your prayers as we pack, travel, and settle in. Noah came down with flu like symptoms yesterday and we are really hoping that it avoids the rest of us!

Until next time!
Tiffany