First Day of School

Starting the 2012-2013 academic year here in Michigan was the last thing we would have thought when we left our home in Italy the beginning of the summer.  A support deficit that was realized in our final two weeks of our scheduled furlough, was what caused us to delay our return.  However, as we see the ever working, merciful and caring hand of God in our lives to work for our best and His glory--these added months are what our bodies, minds and souls needed.  This forced delay and temporary encampment through the end of the year will be used for rest, restoration and refueling to prepare us for the work God has called us to in Italy.

You might wonder how our kids have handled such a dramatic and last minute shift in their lives.  We praise the Lord, that they have embraced the changes and although they still desire to return home, they joyfully and with great courage have entered an entirely new school and structure of learning.  We are so thankful for the wonderful school district and very friendly and helpful staff to make this transition as smooth as possible for our kids.

Samuel is in the fourth grade and his teacher is Miss. Sabon.  He has passed his assessments with high marks and measures at an advanced proficiency level for reading and writing.  Never having received any formal English teaching, this was a pleasant surprise to us to know he is keeping pace with the American standards.  All you parents of MKs...keep encouraging your kids to read in English, it does pay off!

Pray for Samuel for his continued transition and adjustments.  He loves school and loves to learn, but gets really aggitated when he falls behind.  He seems to be struggling a bit to keep up with English dictation and copying from the board.  We so appreciate the phone call from his teacher this week, to discuss the issue and seek to understand how best we can all help Samuel.  He is our perfectionist and so desires to please his teacher, that he is too hard on himself if he feels he is not doing it 100% correctly.  Pray for wisdom as we encourage and help him see that his best is enough and we love him no matter what, just as Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.

Emma is in the third grade and her teacher is Mrs. Scholma.  She too is enjoying her school experience.  A little less motivated on the homework side of things, but as her confidence grows in reading English this will hopefully become less of an issue.  Emma has qualified for additional English Language Learning help and also has been placed in a reading group.  What a help for her to have some individual tutoring to help accelerate her English comprehension and expression.  I have had the privilege of helping out in her classroom and it is fun to see her interact with classmates and be a part of her education.  Tomorrow I will go on a class field trip with her. (Go here to see Emma as the Star Student and here to see Mamma helping out in the classroom).

Luca is in Kindergarten and his teacher is Mrs. Lyon.  At first we registered him for 1st grade since that is what he would be in if in Italy.  Upon assessment it was clear he needed to be in Kindergarten.  As it turns out Luca has the same teacher as Samuel when he went to Kindergarten for the fall semester back in 2008!  Initially Luca was pretty unhappy about not being in 1st grade.  He too is enjoying school, but  every Thursday night he says he wants to stay home on Friday.  The days are long and he is tired come the end of the week.

Adjusting to classroom rules was a hard part for him as well.  I received a call from his teacher on the 2nd week of school when Luca got a "red light" for not raising his hand nor using his indoor voice after repeated instruction and warnings.  I love that the teachers call and keep us parents aware of behavioral or other difficulties with our kids.  We can immediately address the issues with them at home, which is so crucial to helping the teachers and children.  By the end of the week Luca came home with a certificate for being a good example in Art class and then another one the following week for sharing his toys.  He is finally learning his letters and desiring to try to read and write more too.

Thank you for praying for our children regarding this fall semester.  No doubt the transition back to Italian schooling will be tough for them after what they are experiencing here.  But when that time comes in January, we pray they will embrace the transition and that God's grace will cover them just as much then.

*As a side note.  This has been a transition for us parents as well.  We miss not seeing our kids for 1.5 hours during the day for lunch, but then again we have a lot of uninterrupted time now during our days.  The other thing is that the kids were shocked by the American lunch schedule.  15 minutes to eat a meal is mighty tough for them to get used to!  Riding the bus is a huge deal for them and quite the fun experience for them.

Twelve Years

Praising God and rejoicing in the 12 years of marriage he has given us!  So thankful for His grace in our lives.  For keeping us firm in our love for Him and faithful to each other.  For growing in deeper love and appreciation for our Savior and each other with each new day.  

August 19, 2012

We had a full day of ministry on our actual anniversary, but we made up for it by spending two days away in Chicago a couple of weeks later.  And believe it or not, neither of us got sick on our getaway.  (On our 10th anniversary getaway Jonathan came down with the stomach flu)  The couple of days away was so what we both needed after a very hectic and stressful summer.  We walked the city, ate well, took a boat tour on the river and soaked up the freedom to not plan an agenda with kids in mind.  We love Chicago!  Too bad we had to come back to reality so quickly!

We took the train from Kalamazoo into Chicago.  It was a great way to travel and not have to worry about city driving or parking fees of $50/night.  Unfortunately, this is what we returned to when we reached our car at the parking garage in K-zoo.  And here we thought everything was going so smoothly with our trip until then.  Nothing was stolen from the car and it appears to have been an act of sheer vandalism.  Our home church was very gracious about the matter and are thankful that insurance covered the repair and that the garage gave us free parking.

Sonrise National Park VBS

We had the unique privilege of serving one of our supporting churches, Jamestown Baptist, here in Michigan this August.  In fact, the last time we helped with a VBS was with the same church eight years ago.  We love the missions emphasis they incorporate during the week and had a great time sharing with the 125-150 kids each day about the field of Italy.  We used an Italian meal and it's courses to share about the ministry.  They might remember more about the sampling of food each day, but we pray that as they eat pasta or dip into a Nutella jar in the future that they will remember the people of Italy and their great need to hear the gospel.

Our kids loved the opportunity to attend a VBS and make some new friends.  An experience they won't soon forget.  We were not only blessed to work with the kids and serve alongside an amazing staff of volunteers, but they also held a penny drive to give towards a special need for our family.  The kids collected over 700 lbs. of pennies during the course of the week for us to replace our brakes on the van and buy a new washing machine (seeing as how it died the day before returning to the US).  Thank you JBC for all that you do support our family and ministry!  It is a joy and honor to partner with you in taking the gospel to Italy.

Camping

We arrived back in Michigan the first of August and are still here, but that is a story for another post.  The first week we were back was filled with ministry at a vacation Bible school, and maybe I'll post about that wonderful experience as well in the coming days too.  However, as the title states this post is about our second week back in the midwest when we went camping with Munga and Gramma on the shores of Lake Michigan.

We camped at the Hoffmaster State Park where cooking meals over the fire, eating smores, riding bikes, hiking, reading and playing at the beach were a relaxing "norm" for the week.  We had rain the day we set up camp and one other day during the week.  But that can be expected for Michigan camping and we found things to do indoors as the showers passed.  We rented a trailer which made life much more comfortable in the heavy rains and the grandparents tent slept (by their choice) with the kids each taking turns to have a night in the tent.  One day we all went to Michigan's Adventure and the kids enjoyed riding the big rollercoasters as minimum height is no longer an issue for them.  Water slides and wave pools kept them cool in the afternoon and little heads and eyes were heavy on the way back to camp.  Uncle Ben joined us too as his work schedule allowed.  Thank you Munga and Gramma for a fun week with many memories to cherish for always.

Reflections on the Unexpected

It was a Friday afternoon while in Ohio that I received the call telling me there was an irregularity in my mammogram screening.  A nodule was found deep within my breast and I needed to have further imaging and testing done.  The screening was done in Michigan and here I was in Ohio scheduled to fly to California on Monday.  In my mind there was no way to pursue the testing until our return to Michigan in August.  Therefore, I proceeded to schedule an appointment for August 2.  That was over 5 weeks away and I was just going to have to wait!  But as many of you know, the waiting is often the hardest part.

Initiallly, I was fine with the news.  It wasn't until later that night that I was tossing and turning and thinking the worst.  My mom had breast cancer and my mind couldn't shake the thought of that happening to me too.  The what if's were running through my mind and I was scared as to what this might all mean to my family, our ministry and me.  The next morning I found great comfort in God's word, in prayer and talking things through with Jonathan.  I am thankful that from that point forward God gave me great strength, peace and comfort as I set the unknown (to me) in His ever caring and loving hands.

I called my doctor the morning we flew out to California and he advised that if I could get the testing done while out in California to go ahead and do so.  The ease of finding a doctor, having images mailed, referrals made, scheduling an appointment and insurance issues handled across state lines was amazing to me.  It was a God sent provision for us to discover this in America.  I cannot even begin to image the stress of it all if this happened in Italy.  Not only having to speak medical terms in Italian but the extreme amount of time this would have been to coordinate.  I'm not saying God couldn't have done the same in Italy, but I did take much comfort in working with a system and language known to me.

One week later I had the imaging done in Santa Barbara.  The technician said she would take the images needed and if the radiologist saw something suspicious I would then proceed to have an ultrasound.  The minutes were long as she took the images to be read.  She came back in and said "if you would follow me to the ultrasound room."  So clearly, we were not dealing with a simple cyst and there was something more to it.  The ultrasound confirmed a solid mass of 2.3 cm.  This time I was not surprised as I had prepared myself to hear the worse.  God continued to flood my heart with peace--a peace that surpasses all understanding.  If for nothing else than to experience His peace and increase in faith, to me this was worth it.

Another week later I was having the biopsy done, having been set up with a surgeon during that time.  The procedure was painless (another answer to prayer) and we received some encouraging words from the surgeon from what she saw indicating that I most likely had a fibroadenoma.  Upon taking in our transient summer and overseas living she advised to have the mass surgically removed, even if the pathology results came back negative.  A surgery date was scheduled before leaving the office for July 26, just days before flying back to the Midwest.  However, she assured me I would be fine for the trip and we felt this was the "best" possible time to have this done considering our intense schedule and not having to reestablish myself with a surgeon in Michigan.

I waited another week to receive the test results and was relieved to hear the good news while on vacation that the biopsy results were negative!  Such a huge answer to so many of your prayers!  I am so thankful that during this entire stage of uncertainty a damper was never put on our precious family time.  It was a blessing to be near my mom for so many reasons.  Her encouragement, retelling of God's faithfulness through her own experience and just being there meant the world to me.  Something special that is not always afforded as missionaries.

And guess what...ONE week later I was having outpatient surgery for the removal of the fibroadenoma.  Everything went really smoothly with the procedure and recovery.  Any discomfort was easily relieved with some ice and tylenol.  The final pathology report on the mass came back negative and concludes this chapter of medical history in my life.

So much to be thankful for throughout this entire unexpected trial.  I was overwhelmed with so many words of encouragement and assurances of prayer from so many.  God indeed is to be glorified for the outcome, for his working and deepening of faith in my life that only comes through those hard trials, for the growth in our marriage and so much more.  His timing is indeed perfect...even if that means that every furlough so far we have experienced some health related problem in our family.  God is good no matter what!  His grace is sufficient and I am overjoyed to be his daughter and having experienced and learned what I have this summer.  Thank you for supporting our family and ministering to us in a profound way!!

Family Reunion 2012

As promised, here is another highlight post from our time in California.  For sure our time together with family in the states always tops our list of precious memories.  For now most of my family resides in California and the past two furloughs we have been blessed to reunite together on a family vacation in Mammoth Lakes located in the Sierra Nevadas.  We greatly missed Cody and Michelle (and baby fish) whom we missed by a matter of days in their return from Iraq and their start of a stateside visit.  The trip wasn't the same without you guys!  Still there were 7 grandchildren, grandparents and us parents living under one roof for a week.

We enjoyed hiking, fishing, swimming, eating, coloring, biking, visiting the ghost town of Bodie and much more.  The kids didn't catch any fish, but they did find dinosaur eggs.  The hunt arranged by Papa was a highlight for the kids and they enjoyed escavating their dinosaur from the plaster eggs.  On our return home we crossed over the mountains and into Yosemite National Park.  We arrived home exhausted, needing a vacation from our vacation...but we wouldn't trade it for the world!  Enjoy more pictures and thoughts from my siblings Jennie and Ben.  We are already thinking and dreaming about our 2014 reunion!

US Citizen

We arrived in California 5 weeks ago, and here I am on our final day taking a glance back and wanting to record some precious and unforgetable moments during our visit.  It has been an amazing time and I will share more over the course of the next few posts of what God has done in the life of our family.  There have just been some MAJOR events that I feel deserve their own spotlight.  Here is the first highlight...

We arrived on June 25th and felt yet another wave of jetlag hit us.  We had one day to attempt recovery before caravaning down to Los Angeles to witness the swearing in of over 2,000 new US Citizens.  Of course, we were there for ONE very special man, Miguel, my brother-in-law.  He is from the Dominican Republic and has been working on his US papers since he and Jennie were enaged in 2006.  After years of waiting, mounds of paperwork, passing of his oral exam, and much much more, you could not find a more happy couple to have this process finally behind them.

The day was one to remember.  The reuniting of the cousins.  Nearly missing the ceremony.  Waiting.  People watching for hours and wondering what their stories were.  Did I mention waiting?  The drive home...let's just say nothing compares to LA traffic.

Miguel, we are so proud to call you an American and our brother!  So glad we were able to share in this very special day with you guys.