Cheers and tears

You ever had one of those weeks that was just packed with events? That describes our last few days! On Friday, we had a lock-in with the youth of the church. (A lock-in is where the kids have to stay at the church all night, doing all sorts of activities EXCEPT sleeping...) We tried to recover our sleep on Saturday, and then on Sunday we had our goodbye dinner at Crosslands. Monday we picked up the Uhaul, packed it, and drove to Albuquerque. Before getting to Albuquerque, we had to stop by Henry and Casey's house to say good bye one last time. (They leave right near I-40, and it was a great time of fellowship!) By Tuesday, we were in Amarillo, and today I am writing you from San Angelo. We will now live in Texas with our families for the next two months before we fly out on August 4th.

 So the last week has been full of fun times, and sad times- sometimes both at the same time! (did I use the word time enough??) The lock-in was a blast, but it was kind of sad knowing it was going to be our last event with the youth! Our boys loved being at the church all night, even though they did go to sleep around 1 or 2am.

Sunday was a difficult day. We went to church, and it was difficult seeing and doing things for the last time. Erin and I found it hard to sing the praise songs without tearing up- partly because the songs are so meaningful, and mostly because we knew it would be a while before we would sing with our church family again. Then we had the big dinner after the service. It was fun talking with friends and hanging out. There was a lot of laughter and smiles at first- until they had a time of sharing after dinner had been served. This was the beginning of the end- the part we have all been dreading as a church family for months. It was touching to hear what our family had to say about us. It is hard to put into words what happened. We felt honored to be able to see how we had impacted the lives of our church family. I say church family, but in reality, our church was our family. Most of the families have watched our children grow up, and two in particular loved to spend time with them on a regular basis. We would drop the kids off and go on a "hot" date to Gallup (laugh, laugh- if you know anything about Gallup!) Another family we have known for over 20 years. We have been through a lot together! Our pastor was more than simply our preacher- he and his family became close friends. His son and Jace have become best friends over the years, and it was especially touching (read: gut wrenching-) to see the tears as the goodbyes were said. It was not all tears- folks made jokes (about me especially) and we were all thankful for the times of laughter. But there was no denying the emptiness we all felt knowing that this was our last day together. The only comfort we had was the sovereignty of God. We knew we needed to leave and walk in obedience on this new path, and our family at Crosslands knew they had to allow us to go. So we rejoiced in the way God worked, even if we were sad about having to be apart from one another. Even as I write this days later, it is hard to find words to express our feelings. It was an honor to serve, and very difficult to say goodbye. But we will meet again, and with modern technology, it is much easier to stay in contact and make the long distance between us seem shorter.

Have you ever seen the Duvall movie Get Low? (The analogy isn't perfect- but we were blessed to see what folks thought of us!)That's what I asked our church family when it was our turn to speak. Being able to see and listen to stories about how God used us in the lives of others was a privilege. I told our friends that we weren't dead yet- just going to the other ,side of the world! Another thought we had about the Sunday dinner was how great heaven will be- there won't be the need for goodbyes- we will all be together, glorifying our Lord! We ended the event with the church laying hands on us and praying for us.  Then we began the tearful hugs and last words to friends we won't see for about two years or so.  We all cried like babies, but that's okay.  I am still sad writing about all this, but there is a calm reassurance as well- to disobey and not go would be far scarier than heading to Indonesia!  So we are excited and sad at the same time.  It seems like a paradox, but it's not- don't worry, we aren't going crazy- I did that a looooong time ago!   It's late- I better close for now.

Thanks for your continued prayers!  We want to thank our family/friends out in the Thoreau area for the wonderful dinner and time we shared on Sunday.  Across the ocean, our friends in Indonesia have started getting work done on the house- things are getting ready for our arrival.  Cabinets, window screens, internet, etc. are all being worked on!  Our thanks goes out to Wendy and Courtney especially as they have encouraged, advised and helped us get the house ready!  Thanks!  We will speak at Angelo Bible Church this weekend- it's the church we grew up at- please keep that in your prayers!  I wanted to include a few pictures of the move- the kids tried to help as much as they could, and then they simply played around the truck!  God bless and good night!
--mekj

Jace wants to help!

This is Uhaul's smallest truck- a 10 footer....

Kadin helped too (he's taking a break here....)- we used about half of the space for our stuff..... 

Fun in Crownpoint

Today was our goodbye party with our church family.  It was a time of sweet and sad fellowship.  Before I post about that though, we wanted to share some pictures of the fun we had in Crownpoint.  The carnival came to town, and we figured, "When will the boys get to do this again?? " We have never gone to any of the carnivals we have seen set up across the reservation.  But we wanted to create a cool memory of Crownpoint, so we took the plunge!  It was extra fun because we got to do it with our adopted family and their grandkids. 

The boys loved this one ride, so I took a few pictures.  Kadin got sick on another flying/spinning ride and that was a whole other adventure!  We will discuss the goodbye dinner tomorrow or the next day....  I am too emotionally drained to post about it now.  We are so blessed to have a loving church family, and the chance to create memories of fun.  Thank you Lord! -mekj

God's plan and a Kite

As our move draws near, we have reflected on how gracious God has been. Erin and I can see how the move to the teacher housing in Crownpoint and then the move to Texas is God's way of gradually letting us learn to let go.

Because of our unique situation, we get to prepare and say goodbye in stages. This is gracious of God. We have been allowed to transition to a smaller house, with less things, and now we get to say farewell to dear friends we have known for years. But next we get to see and live with family, while we have even less items to bring along. We will then get to say goodbye to our family. So we can see how the Lord is allowing us to transition in stages rather than all at once. Heck, by the time we finish the summer bouncing around between family, we may be ready to have a place of our own! (even if it is on the other side of the planet!) It's just neat to see how God has figured the whole process out, long before we had a clue about what was going on!

Next, I must ask a question - when was the last time you flew a kite with your dad?

This past weekend in Angel Fire was a great blessing. We found two kites to fly, but there were too many trees around the house to get them going properly. So we all headed to the park. Once there, the boys promptly forgot about the kites and instead headed for the playground. But dad and I were determined to get the kites going. With 20mph winds, the task was not too difficult. So dad and I got to play with kites together, while the kids played at the park! It was great! Of course, the kids did come over once both kites were airborne, so we got to create another memory with kites and grandparents. It was a fun time!

Finally, here's the latest - I finished my 450page history book, so now I am rereading it and going to take notes. I am also looking for a good book on the various eastern religions, hopefully from a Christian perspective. Please continue to pray for me as I try to catch a clue about Asian History!

Our house is in boxes, with the remaining furniture to be taken tomorrow. (it's kinda hard to cook without pots and pans!) We pick up the Uhaul next week.

We were able to visit and say goodbye to our dear friends in Cuba on the way home from Angel Fire. We visited for several hours before heading home. Without their help, we would never have been able to sell our house. (they are the owners of it) God placed them in our lives from the time we moved out to NM. Looking back, it's easy to see how our deep friendship was all part of a larger plan. (what an amazing God! and he has planned out the interactions in the whole cosmos -not just my life! )

Jace cried about moving for the first time. Last night both boys just broke down, shortly after putting them to bed. Some of the emotions were just because they were tired, but Jace actually voiced some concerns about the move. We were able to talk with both kiddos and reassure them. (it's good that Jace is able to talk a little about this stuff, so this is an answer to prayer, even though it's sad to see.....)

School is over! Actually, I have two service days left, but the grades are complete, and my room is almost ready for inspection! Praise God for this year. (we wonder what would have happened had I not been transferred to Crownpoint..... but then it was all part of His master plan!)

That's about it for now! God is taking us through the process, and it's a fun ride! Please continue to pray for us. The Visa process should start in a few weeks, and that will be the next big adventure! Have a great rest of the week! Hopefully one day I'll learn to blog shorter posts! God bless! -mekj

A few pictures from the trip

We thought folks would like to see some pics of our trip to Colorado.  There's the boys before entering the mine, at a waterfall outside Silverton, by the big bear at Honeyville, and the view from Molas Pass.  Enjoy!

Busy time

Sorry for the delay!  Every time I thought about blogging, other things came up - mainly the need to sleep!  The problem with going so long without updating everyone is that there is so much to say! 

Thanks for your prayers for the school.  Most of the teachers have been placed in local elementary or secondary positions, so it looks like no one will lose their job.  I am aware of only two teachers that still need to find placement.  This is an answer to prayer.  Continue to lift up the situation - it seems there's a new rumor every few days! 

Our family is doing well.  The boys are starting to verbalize their questions about going overseas, and it's a good time to explain things and prepare them for the move.  Kadin misses the lake house, and Jace is starting to figure out that a move is coming.  (it may be the boxes and sleeping bags have tipped him off!)  But overall the boys are adjusting well.  We keep telling them it's okay to be excited and sad at the same time- a hard concept for Kadin and especially for Jace.  Erin and I are also doing okay.  We have now had our goodbyes with several friends and family.  (last Monday a friend from Wyoming; this weekend- Erin's relatives in Colorado; tonight, our dear friends at the lake)  The long weekend trip to Colorado was a mini vacation for our family.  We had a lot of fun. We stopped at the train museum in Durango, saw tons of waterfalls, and visited family.  On the way back we went on a mine tour.  The boys loved it, although Jace was a little scared at times!  I was able to spend some quality time with the boys, including teaching them the art of dirt clod wars.  (Erin's cousin had tons of dirt at the house, and the clods were lonely without being thrown!)  While in Colorado, we were able to visit with most of her family and with our friends that have lived overseas for many years. (it was fun talking with them.... they were the first couple to see the benefits of moving because they had already lived overseas as well.)  I was also able to talk with a family member that's been to Singapore 27 times!  He gave some great tips on safety and planning.  The trip was truly a blessing. 

I better wrap this up!  We want to thank everyone that has given financially to help us on this journey.  Please know that we are encouraged and grateful for your support.  As we get closer to leaving, we are reminded about the importance of prayer.  We covet specific prayers for our physical health and protection.  We ask too for you to pray for our spiritual protection.  We cannot act alone; We need opportunities and wisdom that God alone can provide.  God bless, and thanks for your prayers! -mekj