Get ready, get set, go go go

I just read a newsletter from good friends of ours. They spent their last month in the States. One of the first things they mentioned was how busy things feel here.  I have to say that I totally agree. We are in the "mess" of working, camp, and trying to unpack.  I keep telling myself I wasn't on vacation, I moved. I have not had much "extra" time to organize and unpack. Mostly I tell myself that because it makes me feel better.

Thursday marked a official month that we have been  back in Pennsylvania.  If you followed our blog you would see we've been quite busy.

How have we been feeling? It's confusing to be in the place we are in.  We hold our hearts tightly and experience emotions at odd times.  What will Goodbye look like this time?  Can I really do this again?  Do we invest in relationships again? What activities do we choose to do because they will be the last for perhaps 3 years?

I personally am enjoying the "greenhouse" of working at Good News Camp. It in some ways feels like a "mini" Esperanza. The children enjoy being cared for, playing games, singing songs and learning about God's word

.

What are our next steps?

We've had a month to re-adjust, start jobs, meet with friends.


Our main focus is now fundraising.  We are looking to fill up our calendars! I know this seems counterproductive when I was just talking about being so occupied.

We are excited to tell our story. We want to share things and pictures that haven't been posted on the blog, and re-connect with those who have chosen to support us through our last term.

Our MST is changing. If you have an excitement for what we are doing, we would love to talk to  you. Fundraising is a big job and really we can't do it alone.

A Little Q & A

I have started to notice the "out of the honeymoon" stage has come into our lives recently.  One thing that Nathanael said he really would miss about Belize is the laid back lifestyle.  Here we have much to do, and it feels like less time to do it in. 

We are working on being as clear as possible with you, so I thought I'd have a question/answer post.


What are we doing?

Nathanael is working for North Penn School District's ESY (Extended School Year) with two students. Spring is working part time for Child Evangelism Fellowship's Good News camp, and a homecare agency.  The children go to daycamp where Spring works, and are involved in outside activities as well.  We are still working on unpacking and organizing. 

How long will we be in PA?

That is a good question and if you know the answer please inform us.  Really our answer this time is similar to last time. We have to raise all of our funds before returning to Belize.  The earliest we could leave PA is January 2017.  Fundraising could take longer than we expect and we might not leave till June 2017 or June 2018. 

Are you on furlough?

The short answer to this one is no.  Since we were mission interns through Eastern Mennonite Missions, our term ended with us returning June 21st.  Nathanael started his job here June 22.  We have committed to another term with EMM but right now we are working, fundraising, homeschooling, and planning for our next term.

Where are you living?

We have the huge blessing of living with my parents. My children were able to return to the same house they left in August 2015.  We are grateful for the adjustments my family has been willing to make to allow us to stay here. We still own our house in Lansdale, and that is rented. 

What are your next steps?

We had a MST meeting this past week. Some people are changing their positions, or have had to leave the MST because of other commitments. We are praying about people to join in the vision with us. The main goal is for the MST to come alongside us in our efforts to fund-raise

Most obviously our next step is fundraising. We are working at filling our August and September schedules.  We are looking for opportunities for ways to share the vision God has given us.

If you have a unique way for us to share (meet with your friends for dinner, speaking at MOPS) we would love to have a conversation with you.  If you have a passion for missions and want to be involved in our MST, please feel free to contact us. Having a MST is an important part of what allows us to minister.  It is a way to be involved in missions right in your backyard.

Pictures are from our time at Global Fair. We didn't have a table this year since we just arrived in PA 2 weeks prior to Global fair. We did enjoy seeing old friends, good food and getting re-connected.

Thank you! Thank you no really THANK YOU!!

Thank you to those who financially supported us:
You made it possible to:

•   eat every day
•    travel and reach a greater population, training sign language interpreters
•    have internet so we could connect with others, conduct school, send financial reports, and even do YouTube channels!
•   have furniture to sit on, beds to sleep on, and a table to eat at
•   work with other people on a medical team in Dangriga
•   meet new Deaf people
•   communicate and befriend shop owners in our community

Thank you to those who supported us through prayer
You made it possible to:

• serve in church
• reach people with the word of God in Church
• teach Sunday school
• babysit for Friday night Bible study
• open doors with the ministry of education
• start an interpreter training program
• function as a family in a new place
• continue on even as we missed friends and family
• make connections with others

Thank you to those who sent us care packages
you brightened our day, pockets and sometimes stomachs
 we were able to get things we really wanted and sometimes needed

Thank you to those of you who connected directly with us through facebook, instagram, e-mail, skype, or texting.  You made us feel like we weren't alone.

Thank you to those who helped prep our house before we return.  You made us feel like we had a place to stay.

Thank you to the people who welcomed us home at our "Hello" party.  We were so blessed to reconnect and share a little about our journey

Thank you to the people who have blessed us with out us asking, both financially and spiritually.  who have listened, provided services (without accepting payment), helped us, watched our kids, and loved on us.

Thank you to our MST who "held down the fort" at home. Thank you for coordinating for us, praying, connecting us to the right people, and caring for our kids. 

Thank you to Hopewell as our sending church for being the one who supported us as we found our calling and walked with us in this journey; then welcomed us back. 

We realize that no matter how hard we try or how many times we say thank you it can't be said enough. We appreciate everyone who has impacted our lives this past year.  Each one was a blessing and a gift to us.  Thank you for the blessing you decided to sew into the Kingdom of God and the growth of the Deaf community in Christ. 

The videos are from last weekend when we were able to attend the Moyer Family Reunion.  What a great time to spend catching up on each other's lives!  The children enjoyed running around the farm and playing with cousins.

We are here...

I had a conundrum over the title.  We are back seems appropriate, yet some things in Pa have changed.  Our church for example has huge parts that we had never visited before.  We are still finding home as a family, so that one was out.

No matter what the title is, we have arrived safely in Pa.  After a lot of packing, storing, re-packing, selling, and throwing away, bus trips, plane trips, and sharing beds; we made it here.

The children rode in our van with Nathanael's step mother and my mom while my brother drove us.  (and the luggage).  Nathanael insisted our first stop be to get a cheese steak.  We had great intentions of stopping at Pat's or somewhere famous. We ended up at a random pizza shop but from Mark and Nathanael's description the cheese steaks were awesome. I held out for Trader Joe's.   At the cash register, Nathanael was told he had to use the chip in his credit card. Mark explained to the cashier that we are "foreigners" to which the cashier laughed, until he explained why.  We also made a thrift shop run before we made it to my parent's house.

My mother was a bit worried as we hadn't communicated to her and she couldn't figure out why it would take us so long to get from the airport to Sellersville.  We have since made successful trips to the library ( I have to limit my kids to books, reminding them we will return to the library soon!), grocery shopping, several thrift shops, and Five Below.

We were delighted by the MST who gave us a welcome home party.  It was so nice to spend time talking and learning more in person about what has happened in the past year.

Nathanael, the kids, and I have really started into a "normal" summer routine for us.  Nathanael has the privilege of working in ESY (extended school year). The children are at CEF daycamp for most of the summer along with doing other activities.  I am working at CEF camp this year along with starting a homecare job.














We are thankful for the privilege of having a break before we have started "back" into our routine in PA. We are so thankful to those who have been helping us with this transition...more about that in our next blog post!