Bittersweet Thoughts

So, the time has come and I can hardly believe it. We are DONE with New Tribes Training! For the last five years, one or both of us, have been involved in training for tribal church planting. We have been everywhere from the "barren wasteland" (j/k) of Wisconsin where the staple diet consists of brats and frozen custard,  and it is a normal thing to see houses painted bright green and yellow with giant Packer football helmets proudly displayed on the side....to the beautiful wooded mountains of Pennsylvania where we have wonderful memories of living for a time in a plastic covered house on the side of a mountain with a bucket shower, long walks to the outhouse, and glop for breakfast every morning....then to the Ozarks of Missouri, where the lake is practically right out your front door, the highlight of a trip to town is Wal-mart and McDonald's, and where in the summer you are bombarded in that same Wal-mart by people in their bikinis buying cartloads of beer for their parties on the lake.  Tim and I have had several discussions lately about the bittersweet feeling of leaving this place, the Missionary Training Center in Roach, and the final phase of our training. Here are some of the thoughts that I have had lately that I thought I would share with you about the things we are leaving behind....

What I will NOT miss.....

• Having to lug two overloaded baskets of laundry to the wash house where I then attempt to get everything washed and dried without going over my allotted time....and also hoping that I can run back and forth from the house while also attempting to take care of the boys. (Sometimes I am sure this is has to be impossible, but somehow it works. Thank goodness for Mondays and Sheila!)
  
• Getting to walk, again to the wash house, to take my shower. In summer it is a hot, sticky shower in the company of many varieties of bugs and it the winter it is often a cold/cool shower and if we are lucky we get to walk through snow and ice to get there!
• Living in the Ozarks. I know it is a tourist hot spot, but....
• Going to class and having homework for the last five years.
• Being able to sit in my bedroom and clearly hear my neighbors using the bathroom. (Don't worry Dylan and Angie, I only noticed this a couple neighbors ago.) :)

What I WILL miss....

• Being able to do all my laundry in two hours instead of one load at a time and it taking all day!
• I am having a hard time thinking about what I will miss about the shower, but at least I come back clean! Maybe the fact that at times I get to talk with a friend in the neighboring stall while we take our showers. I am always up for a chance to socialize!
• Being able to walk out our front door and take a walk in God's beautiful creation!
• Going to class and learning SO much from many people that I really admire. I will miss the discipleship I experienced this year especially. 
• Having wonderful friends right outside my door at all times! We can put the kids to bed and just take our baby monitor with us to our friend's houses because they live so close. I think this is the thing that Tim and I will miss the most. We are ending this training in the company of friends with whom we have traveled the country, gone through many trials, had our thinking challenged in many areas, served each other when we were hurting, prayed together, and worked together, etc. So many dear friends that I may never see again or at least for a very long time! We will leave this place and go off to the many different corners of the world. It has been difficult not to become discouraged about the many friendships we have made and then had to leave over the years, but I have been challenged to be thankful for friendship for the time that it is given instead of becoming resentful when it is taken away. I can spend all my energy resenting it or focus on continuing those relationship from a distance and to pour into the lives of those that come across my path. 

It is exciting and nerve-wracking to think that when we pull out of here in just a few days with all of our earthly belongings, we will be New Tribes Missionaries! We will be shifting our energies to building prayer and financial support for the ministry we hope to have with tribal people in Papua New Guinea. It seemed that this time would never come, yet here it is. This move has been harder for us than all the rest as it feels like the beginning of letting go. Letting go of all we have known and come to love. Letting go of the many people in our lives that we would love to to be close to instead of halfway around the world. What an encouragement to look back and see how faithful God has been to provide each step of the way and we know that He will continue to be faithful. The phrase from a well known hymn keeps going through my mind, and that is..."It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!"

The view on our walks around campus!

Swingin' with the Boys

A dear friend of mine, Sheila, and I decided to go on a walk the other day as it was beautiful outside. She has a sweet little boy, Nathan, who is six weeks younger than Micah. We brought with us our friend's little boys, Luke and Titus. With the five little boys it was quite the energetic walk, but a lot of fun. We took a walk over to the rope swing on campus and had a great time swinging and throwing rocks in the creek. 

Nathan and Micah in our stroller. 

Nathan is giving his mom a huge smile, but Micah just looks confused. 

My friend Sheila with all the boys!

Noah trying out the rope swing. He loved it!

With the days getting colder and colder, (it is supposed to snow today), our trips outside are getting more limited, but it is wonderful living in a place that a beautiful walk in God's creation is right outside our front door. 

FINALLY!

FINALLY! Here are the pictures that I promised of our time in Oklahoma. I have done this three time and each time the computer has deleted it. Annoying! SO, hopefully it will work this time!

Here is what our room would have looked like when we arrived, (although not so clean!). These bunkbeds became our walls, closets, shelves, and couches!

You can see our "wall" in the background. It was made of bunk beds and mattresses, and draped with old sheets and blankets. It worked quite well!

NOW, these are a few pictures of the time me and the little ones had in California. This is Noah and Micah enjoy the soft carpet at Nana and Papa's house. Anything is soft after concrete!

Noah had a blast feeding the ducks with Nana. Micah just looked puzzled at the strange creatures in front of him.

Noah getting a haircut from a friend of ours. Not his first, but it is always fun. He does a great job sitting still.

BACK in Oklahoma....After Tim picked me and the boys up at the airport, we found a playground and Noah had a great time running and playing with Daddy again!

We all missed him.

Micah is getting SO big!

Some of the Cherokee ladies at the church we attended while we were there made earrings and bracelets for us ladies as gifts. Mine were big and red! Noah enjoyed "wearing" them and walking around saying, "I'm Kerokee!" (Cherokee)

Packing up to go home! You can see the volleyball court in the background where the kids loved to ride bikes and run. This is right outside our room.

And speaking of Cherokee, today was Tim's LAST day of linguistics. He turned in his big (60 page) write-up on the Cherokee language today! What a relief. The last week or so, we saw him for meals, but there were times when he left the house before 8am and didn't come home till 2am! We ALL learned a lot...about ourselves, our family, and about the great God who is sufficient in all circumstances. Thank you to those of you who prayed for us during this time.

Tim has two, two week long classes left, Bible translation and a wrap-up on church planting. Then it is packing and traveling home to California for Christmas!

Tiffany

Bloodshot eyes and a crying baby!

These last couple of months have been very exhausting. With all of the moving, travels, not to mention normal baby developments that disrupt sleep, Micah has NOT been sleeping well. The last week or two he has even been waking up and crying for two hours at a time! Nothing we did or didn't do seemed to make a difference. I even talked to his doctor and he couldn't understand what was going on. He told me to try giving him some tylenol before he went to bed to see if that helped. Well, last night he sleep for 12 hours straight! I haven't felt so good in a very long time. He has slept 10 hours from time to time, but it was always just before another move and so it didn't continue. 

Earlier this week a blood vessel even broke in my eye because of the lack of sleep and stress! My left eye looks bright red and very unpleasant. I was reading my Bible last night and a devotional book I have been going through with some other ladies here on campus and I was reminded that what is in my life right now is from God and He has given it to me for a purpose. He has been reminding me over and over again that regardless of what my circumstances are, He has given me the grace to act like His child in the midst of the trial and not give into my fleshly attitudes. I don't have a "right" to have a bad attitude, to be inpatient with my children, and rude to my husband. I am to "walk in a manner worthy"  with "all humility, and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." (Eph. 4:1-3) It doesn't matter if I have had three hours of sleep or eight! 

I read a quote by Andrew Murray that I found really encouraging....

"In time of trouble, say, 'First, he brought me here. It is by his will that I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.' Next 'He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.' Then say, 'He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow." And last, say, 'In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows.' Therefore say, 'I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for his time.'"

While a baby that won't sleep is a small trial in comparison to the death of a loved one, ongoing sickness, or many other things allowed into the lives of believers, it is what God has chosen to give us at this time and we can accept it gladly and willingly, resting in the knowledge that His grace is sufficient and the lessons He is teaching us are more valuable than sleep. 

While Micah seems to now have chosen sleep over crying for hours, who knows if it will continue. Whether or not, we know that we can rest in our Almighty God.  To Him be the praise and glory in all things! 

On the Road Again...

Yeah! We are home.....at least for awhile. We arrived back in Missouri Saturday evening just in time to unload a few things and have dinner. Some friends prepared dinner for us and bought a few groceries for our breakfast the next morning. Other friends had a yummy smelling candle burning in our apartment to welcome us home and some yummy cookies. How encouraging to be surrounded by such good friends! We had plenty of help unloading our trailor and then the work began of trying to settle in again and make another place feel like home. It is a little bit of a challenge as we are unpacking, yet packing at the same time. In four weeks, Tim will be done with classes and we will be moving home to California. Always on the move! Micah had his four month check-up today and he is growing so fast! He has not been sleeping that well the last several weeks with all the moving and the doctor laughed and said, "No wonder!" Already in four months of life Micah has lived in four houses, three states, taken four plane rides, and traveled who knows how many miles! That is a lot for a little guy to take in!

Well, we hope to post some more pictures here soon of our time in Oklahoma now that we have good internet access again. It was such a learning experience in SO many ways. Please be praying for Tim's Cherokee language helper Ord Dreadfulwater and his wife Jennette and their salvation. Hopefully Tim will get a chance to tell you more about Ord and his time with him, but we just wish that we would have been able to have more time with him. Ord still holds very tightly to his believe in the spirits and is very antagonistic towards "white man" and his religion. He is a friendly guy and seemed to really enjoy working with Tim and Philip, yet they could never be sure when he was deceiving them as he has been known to do to students in the past. What good practice for the field because this is exactly what the tribal people do as well!

Until next time!

Back in Oklahoma

Well, the boys and I made it safely to Oklahoma and are settling back into the life here. Out of the forty students that were here, there are only about twelve left now. The students that left were doing a different program than Tim and other linguistic students. (For those of you who remember when Tim and I did the Polish practicum, this program was similar- just in Cherokee) So it is MUCH quieter around here. Although, a couple of days ago we were host to several hundred ladybugs that decided to move in with us. They poured into the hallway outside our room and we had to walk quickly and carefully to avoid them dropping on our heads or cruching under our feet. If any of you know the smell of dead ladybug you know how horrible it can be. YUCK!!! Many of them came into our room as well, but some quick action on Tim's part with bug spray and a broom kept it somewhat under control. We had to deal with this same problem when we lived in Pennsylvania (there they would drop into our dinner) so I think God is trying to prepare us for the road ahead. A road fill with bugs. Again....YUCK!!!

On a happier note, it is very nice to be back together again as a family. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend together and now Tim is back to the grindstone. The next several weeks will be very intense, maybe even more so when we return home, but the practice that he is getting is invaluable. While Tim will not be using the Cherokee language in our future ministry, the practice that he is getting in analyzing a language will be a great help and save time later on.

I really enjoyed seeing many of you on my visit home and we look forward to reconnecting more during our more extended stay come December. Tim's classes are done December 2oth and we plan to begin our travels the 21st....hoping to make it home in time for Christmas! My parents are coming out and bringing their van to help us move home and my mom and I will be flying home with the little ones so that our travels will quicker. We would appreciate your prayers in the of the work and adjustments that lie ahead- especially for the kids.

Tiffany

Tribute to a Jewel

With Tiffany being gone the past week I have spent a lot of time thinking about her and reflecting on our relationship. As much as I despise being apart from her I am thankful for the fresh awareness and perspective that her absence brings. I fall in love with her all over again every time we are apart. Whatever pride I have cultivated suddenly vanishes with her departure because I realize how small of a man I am without her.

My heart cries the words of King Lemuel as my wife fills my thoughts…

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:10-12

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” I remember the days before we were married and before we even knew each other well. I was determined not to be swayed by a relationship as I prepared for Bible School. I thought God would be for me in that but my little world was shattered by the person I least suspected as being my future wife. I marvel at God’s hand in choosing for me the most precious gem to be had. I cannot imagine being married to a woman more precious than my wife. Thank you, Lord for choosing for me the perfect companion, a jewel beyond worth. It is all of your doing and none of mine.

“The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.” There is no one in the world that I trust more than Tiffany. In her absence I’ve learned how much I long to confide in her with every area of my life. I never realized until she has been gone how much I do desire to talk to her about even the smallest things in my life. I love sharing even the dull moments in life with her. She is my companion and the embodiment of “best friend.” It is only in knowing her that I have come to understand what it is like to know someone so deeply and have a friendship that is so sweet and so desired.

“She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” Time and time again I have been awed by the selfless service of my wife to me and to our family—and it is not only service but joyful devotion to our needs. I could not be more thrilled to have her by my side as we go through life raising our children and serving the Lord. Simply her presence is a reinforcing strength providing courage that I lack without her. Her wisdom often exceeds what I can muster. But of more benefit is how God has gifted us and given us the ability use our strengths as one. She is the joy of my life and I could ask for no better partner and co-worker in life and ministry.

Tiffany, “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” I love you with all that I am. I find no greater joy in life than loving and serving you. Thank you for your unrelenting faithfulness, your unwavering devotion, and your truest friendship.