The odd menagerie blog post...

This blog post is kind of an odd assortment of thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc.
I am on my way over to Emily Atkins' kitchen for the next couple of hours. We're attempting to make some salsa that a friend, Catalina, showed me in Washington DC. Hope we get it right, if so, our tastebuds will be duly rewarded! :)

About our current place in the journey:
I have been absorbing all that's going on rather slowly. This transition has been different on every level from the last transition. Last time, I think the way I prepared myself and set to work here in such a hurry was great, but not sustainable. This time, I feel like we're preparing for more of a marathon than a sprint. We're taking our time to pick a place to live, think about the things we might want in our house that will help us feel at home (for me, that's things like having good bedding on my bed and a pressure cooker in the kitchen; for Jason, it's having an internet connection that's easy to use and knowing the doors lock well--no cheesy locks). I think this will be a time of being ready for the long-haul. We're sinking our teeth in.

Colossians 1:10-12

This past Spring, we spent from January to May running and training to run races. We ran lots of 5Ks and one 10K. It's my long-term goal to run a half marathon the next time we're home and 4 yers from now, I want to run a full marathon. Once we've done that, we want to stay in shape to keep running at that level for as long as we can. The video here is of part of our race in the Bolder Boulder this year. Our life is a lot like our race training right now. Sustainability and long-term vision are important to us at this point.
This is a brief video from our 10K race this year.

Hebrews 12:1

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Thanks for being with us:
Jason is in the bathroom right now using a hand-pump water filter to get us clean water for the day. We're thankful to have running water and filters to make it drinkable! Sheba is napping on her bed wishing she could curl up in our clothes, and I am writing you. It's like having you here in our house. We can feel your hugs, your encouraging words, your jokes and smiles. I can imagine each of you hanging out with us here right now and I know what you'd be doing.
There was a large spider on the wall this morning. It was one of the kinds that when you hit it with the fly swatter, all its legs fall off. I should take a video of it some time, you kinda have to see it to believe it. Anyway, I kept laughing because I was thinking of different ones of you and how you would react; from friends who would say "It's a spider, they eat other bugs, let it live in your house" to those who would be climbing the tallest thing in the room and just screaming. The spider was too high for me to reach so I was going to leave it alone, but Jason decided to swat it. It was over our bed, so when he hit it, its legs showered down on the sheets around its body. What inefficient spiders! Jason was a bit awestruck--he's heard about these spiders, but I don't think he realized they REALLY did lose their legs when you hit them.
Thank you all for pouring into our lives. As we spend ourselves and our hearts here, we are pouring out to people and God uses you to pour into us. Sometimes, when I talk to someone here, I see them through the eyes of the people who send us. There is tremendous love, compassion, sensitivity, humor, and joy we receive from you and it is so uplifting. Thank you for your heart for Africa.

Talking in Church:
A few days ago, I spoke at a women's group at church. I have no idea if the message I prepared was any good, but they were gracious and seemed appreciative--people here are SO kind. They tell you that you're doing a great job even when you slaughter the language completely, and they ask you to speak at meetings and groups on your first week here, just trusting us immediately. It's VERY humbling. Before I spoke, one of the women stood up and delegated different topics of prayer to each person in the group. The one that struck me most was the topic of prayer for women and marriages in Bissau. The way the woman talked about marriage was very telling. She said that there is an absolute war in in the spiritual realm over marriages. Marriage itself has become a battle here. She asked us to pray for God's intervention in marriage. The way she said it cannot be conveyed in words. Her eyes were alight with sincerity and the immediacy of this need. All at once, I saw these women in a whole new light, like fierce and sweet soldiers fighting for God's glory in their own families. They are like pillars of strength, and yet they are so fragile. Speaking before this group was absolutely the most humbling thing I have done in a while. All I wanted to do was pull up a seat and ask them to tell me their life stories and share with me about their strengths and experiences. I told them about how we've said goodbye to all of you and how it has been to leave the USA. I said that I've said goodbye to my family and dear friends knowing God has people for me to grow close to here, and I told them how glad I was to finally meet them!
I look forward to going back for women's group again this week. I know God is doing AMAZING things in the lives of women here and I am honored to witness it and play a role. Please pray that I approach all aspects of this with God's grace and heart.

Journey ahead....

The map (which is clearly not in English, but is colorful and fun) indicates our route over the next nine days. On August 30th, we set out from Denver in a rental car. Along the way we will visit Jason's grandma and take some time to rest before we jump into the moving picture.

On September 5th, we will fly out of Dulles Airport bound for Dakar, Senegal. It is an 8-hour flight (not bad at ALL, huh?!) directly from DC to Dakar. Dakar, Senegal is a very big hub of activity and industry on the West Coast of Africa. It is an hour-long flight from there directly to Bissau City, but the flight costs about $600-$800 per person and a taxi costs a few hundred dollars total for us and Sheba and our luggage. It becomes a financial no-brainer. We will travel for two days by car to go from Dakar, Senegal to Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. We'll go through three countries: Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. The first day of travel by car will be in what's called a sept place. It's a seven-seater car that we can rent along with a driver who will take us halfway. Our first night in Africa will be spent in Ziguinchor (zig-in-shore), Senegal on the border. The border closes at 7pm, so we will stay in a hotel in a compound in Zig that night and we'll wait until morning to cross. The most exciting part of this jurney is where we get to meet our friends, the Atkins!!! They'll be waiting for us in Ziguinchor so we can travel with them the following day.

Finally, we will reach Bissau and will get to see our friends there. Jason will meet his first Guinean EVER on the 7th of September and we'll begin our process of entering the world of Guinea-Bissau and learning their culture and working with the church there.

**Please pray for safe travels for us and for non-eventfulness in the journey! Pray for wisdom and alertness and safe arrival of us and our bags.

Busyness and Goodbyes and Hellos

"When you say goodbye, I hope it hurts. If it does, then you know that you have loved and been loved well." ~Vivian Wilson at MTI

It has taken me several days just to write this. I think it's because it's difficult to say goodbye. I have loved and been loved well, but it's hard to admit that we're closing this time with you. Saying goodbye means acknowledging that I am going through loss. It means that I can't be glib and just tell you that "we'll see each other again" or "a few years isn't that long." While those things may be true or may not, they are not the answer to what I have to do. I have to tell you that you matter and I miss you. You've taken up residence in my heart and I'll feel the distinct lack of you in my life. Yeah, I know there's really good and exciting stuff ahead, I can't wait for it, but this stings. We had our final going away party tonight in Fort Collins. We were SO thankful to see so many friends there, it's like having a huge, wonderful family. The people in our lives embrace us like family and we're so glad for that! It makes goodbyes hard, but SO important to do right. I still don't have the hang of it yet...clearly, or I wouldn't be working on this for days only to erase it and start over after our last goodbye party. I have a lot of work to do yet.

While we were at MTI, we spent a day talking about hellos and goodbyes. They challenged and encouraged us to "say goodbye well." Often, I insulate my feelings when I'm facing difficulty and the risk of hurting. I've done that a lot this year thinking it would protect me, but it just makes me act weird. Jason doesn't like it much. :) What I didn't know is that it's important for us to feel that hurt so we can move through it and into healthy "hellos" on the other side. When we say goodbye and do it well, we are giving the gift of a full-hearted hello to the group we'll join afterward. Goodbyes have a process and a culmination. We have said goodbye to many people at this point and have more to say in the coming days. We hope to convey to each of you just how much you've meant to us and that it will be a personal loss to us not to be able to spend time with you and enjoy the closeness we've enjoyed with you. And we also look forward to thoroughly embracing the hearts of people we don't even know yet in Guinea-Bissau. These are times of great paradox. It involves a lot of the unknown, God's great provision that comes in our eleventh hour, sadness that is sweet, joy that is full and moments that cement themselves to our memory.

"Closing time: Open all the doors and let you out into the world ...
Closing time: You don't have to go home but you can't stay here...
Closing time: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

These words are strong for me when I am going through times of transition. I like the comfort of knowing that looking at the end of a chapter means that there's a beginning at the turn of the next page. This is a new beginning. It is a time to be sad and happy. That's comforting in a way because it helps me know that this is all pretty normal.

The song above is beautiful and has granted me deep solace. I know that no matter where I am, He is right there with me and I am not alone. I can stop striving and take rest. Rest is beautiful and is right. Recently, I realized that in the USA, often we can value "busyness"....seriously, when was the last time you talked to someone and asked them how they were and they said "Busy!" It happens all the time. The tone I use when I tell people I've been "busy" sounds like I expect them to be proud of me for being that way. It's like, "See, I've got a lot going on, it's why we haven't gotten together, I am important" and busy-ness becomes a badge we wear. What if the next time someone asked "What have you been up to?" or "How are you?" I said, "I've been resting and allowing myself to recharge," or "I've had fun." Maybe if I'd give myself a chance to recharge and rest, I'd find that I was able to communicate what people mean to me and focus on them rather than hope they notice my "Been-Busy-Badge." What if instead of being busy and important, I said, "You're so important to me and I value the time I spend with you. I'm ready to invest in you in whatever way I can." It's so much easier to want close friends who walk with me through the hard things than to be a close friend who walks with someone through something difficult. If I allowed myself to rest in God's arms, maybe I could be that friend. Maybe being productive and being "busy" are diametrically opposed. Perhaps rest can bring more thorough satisfaction when we do work. God did set a great example by resting one day in seven, after all. Just sayin.

Missionary Flash Mob

We had a flash mob yesterday at MTI. We planned it ahead of time and didn't tell anyone in our class. Our South African instructor, Robin, had no idea we were planning it, but he sure jumped in and went along! You can see that some of the classmates are shocked. :) Much of the material we covered in class was fairly heavy, so when we decided to have fun, we went all out.

The night that we babysat, we also created a video of the kids here at MTI. Give it a watch if you'd like. It's fairly funny. :)

A quiet place

We arrived at MTI today. It's where we'll spend the next three weeks working through culture shock and other personal and challenging aspects of being missionaries.

There's a book I am in the process of reading right now, too. It's called "Through the Outhouse Floor". The thing I love about this book and the reason I am mentioning it here is that it addresses the fact that missionary life is not a popcorn candy ball with sugar coating. It's downright tough somtimes. There are days when we won't be able to tolerate the smell of garbage or the sight of hungry people any more. There are times when, on a somewhat selfish level, we won't be able to handle another mosquito bite, another bug in our house, another disease we caught. And yet, there's grace and peace in the midst of even those moments. This book covers many of those challenging aspects and advises people how to pray for missionaries. I guess when you'r understanding how to pray for missionaries, it's also probably going to help you be a better one, too. :) The cool thing about the book, and I'm realizing it about our lives as well, is that it's also not a big "complaint-fest" it's a balanced perspective. Sometimes, when the ants crawl in your chocolate frosting, you mix them in....they are brown after all. And other times, when your clothes mold, all you can do is laugh/cry/move on.

We're so excited to be at MTI. We arrived late today. We had complications with our third rabies vaccines. They are supposed to be done at a particular time, so we drove back from San Antonio in time to get the vaccines before leaving town again to go to MTI....only to find out that they sheduled us incorrectly and we didn't make the appointment. Apparently, the "African" sense of planning can occur anywhere. As we walked in the doors at MTI, we had missed Orientation completely, but no one was upset. There was a room full of people who were sitting down for dinner, and they were all talking about where they were going, how they'd been called there, the challenges and joys of fundraising, and so on. It was SO incredibly good to walk into a room FULL of people who understand where we are right now.

Being busy with work in a traditional job is something that's easy to comprehend, but being busy as a missionary is weird. You spend a lot of time with people, and when you do, you try to make sure you prioritize that time with those people. You have TONS to do, but you don't do it because your time is about people. This is a wonderful thing, and one of our favorite parts of our new job, but the funny thing is, we never look that busy to anyone. Haha. We just look like we wander around chatting with folks and having fun. Then, behind the scenes, we work like Santa's workshop. Some of you have seen it, no doubt, but hopefully not often. :)

Either way, it's both restful and restorative to be surrounded by these people who are in the same place we're in. We look forward to classes like "Keeping the Sabbath" (something we're AWFUL at).

Please pray for this to be a wonderful time of learning and growth for us. We hope to be better equipped at the end of these 3 weeks!

We're also finding that we're unique here. We're the only people being sent from a local church. It's funny because everyone we've talked to outside of here asks if we're going through a local church, but the majority of missionaries we meet are going through organizations. It's something we're really excited about. We get to walk into a country and ask the locals what they want and serve them in their area of need specifically. A lot of organizations do that as well, but we are excited to see the literal workings of it.

Thank you for being you. The thing we've been enormously aware of lately is how VERY blessed we are to have each of you. Your sincerity, love, prayers, and you sharing your lives with us as well are so important.

I've got to go to bed, but hope you sleep well and we'll give updates about MTI as we go. Thanks for providing us the funding to be prepared enough to attend a class like this. I think the training will be vital.

Oh, and if anyone is looking for reading material, "Through the Outhouse Floor" is a great book. And I'm not one to recommend books. ;)

Cars and trucks and SUVs! Oh my!

New Mexico, Arizona, more New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado. Those are the states we'll have been in by the end of this week! We're counting down days, just a little over a month until we leave for Africa! This road trip has been wonderful! We've seen and spent time with so many amazing people and realize that we're SO very blessed! We're learning that God knows exactly what we need and it's a beautiful thing!

We decided to count the number of trucks vs. cars in Texas as we drove a stretch from Midland to San Angelo today and we got a little carried away, but here's what we saw!

Cars: 59

Pickup Trucks: 136

Semi Trucks: 40

SUVs: 84 (many of these looked like modified pickup trucks, but we counted them as SUVs)

Whataburgers: 6

Historical Landmarks: 7

Roadkill: eeewww.

Tumbleweeds: 1

Texas Flags: 3

USA Flags: 5

Country Music Radio Stations in any given place: about 50% of the stations available (yes, this means I am in heaven, and Jason is resigned to his fate)

Speaking of transportation, when we arrive in Bissau, we'll be using bicycles and taxis for transportation. Taxis aren't like they are here, you don't call them, but they drive in a constant circuit. There are more taxis than personally-owned vehicles. You just go stand on the road and wait (usually much less than a minute) and a taxi comes by. You hold up your fingers for the number of people you want to put in the taxi and a taxi with room in it will stop. THEN, you negotiate the price. The government sets the prices, but people still love to see if they can get more, and sometimes they drive off without letting you in. Most of the time, it works out just fine and you get wherever you're going for a dollar or so.

We've also learned that Texas, New Mexico and Arizona don't have the same kinds of problems with bears that we do in Colorado. It totally shocks us to see trash cans in the middle of nowhere that look perfectly accessible to a bear. We're so used to having to be smarter than the average bear just to throw things away. It seems so weird!

We also had a powerful time in prayer a few days ago as we were just spending time together and talking. We began discussing how we were feeling about leaving and the entire process. I was talking to Jason about how I feel scared of so many things sometimes. I get scared that something will happen to him, or to family or friends while we're away, etc. As we were talking, (and I was crying) Jason began to pray against fear. It reminded me of my first night in Africa. I didn't sleep for about three nights. Every sound was unfamiliar, the smells were strange and the night was SO dark. It wasn't until my third morning of waking up more tired than I went to bed that I realized that I was dealing with fear. It can cripple me so completely. I like to plan and have things well within my control, and it's both good and very hard for me to be out of control of my own life. That morning, I sat in my bed and prayed against fear in my life. I prayed for peace and for protection from fear. For the rest of my six months in Africa, I slept incredibly well. I fell asleep immediately, I woke refreshed. It didn't matter if there were women wailing outside, or bullfrogs so loud you literally had trouble hearing people talk, or if I was covered in mosquito bites, or even if someone was banging around on the roof above my head (which did happen!). I slept and I was rested. It just showed me how real God was in my life and how much He wants to be involved in each part of my day, even to go so far as protecting my sleep.

I know from first hand experience what fear can do in my life and I was so thankful to have Jason there with my this time to recognize it and pray for me. We are thankful that we can write you and ask for prayer any time. And we'll probably write you a lot in our first month there!

A few new things have developed in regard to our settling in for Bissau as well. The pastor at the church found us an apartment that we will live in for 3 months and then we can decide to either stay longer in that apartment or find somewhere else. The important things we know about the house is that it has a wall around it (good for safety) and has a toilet. That's what we need! They wanted to make sure I had a chance to make decisions about where I live. Also, we've arranged to exchange writing lessons and some TOEFL books with a friend in Bissau for him teaching us Kriol. I have lost a lot of what I knew in Kriol, and Jason will need to start at the beginning. He knows his greetings, but so far that's all. (Though I must say, he's very good at greeting people for someone who's never been there)

On the road again...

I am writing this blog from the car. We're in Santa Fe, NM at the moment. We are on day #2 of our road trip to visit friends, family and supporters! New Mexico is beautiful with its red dirt and dramatic landscape.

We camped last night in Villanueva State Park. It was stunning and peaceful. We left the rainfly off of the tent and just fell asleep listening to the crickets and looking at the stars. It is very different from the snappy chill of nights in Colorado, and yet so peaceful and calm.

Life often seems to run very non-stop for us, and we love the pace. Keeping up is a challenge and rewarding. Then, every once on a while, we take a breath and pause, and that's what it was like to camp and relax last night. I'm beginning to learn that there are times to stop doing things. Times to just enjoy, and of course, times to be ridiculously busy. It's good to experience both. Sometimes, God has to almost hit me over the head with restful times. I can be so determined to accomplish things that I don't stop. This was one of those times. We were driving along and had no idea where we were going to camp (and like I said in the last blog, I LOVE to plan, so it was a little irksome to me not to know where we were going to end up for the evening). Saw a sign and had no idea it would be a place we could go and recharge.

Things are also beginning to fall in place. I am now married to the most technologically savvy man I could imagine. We also just got our visas finalized and got them emailed to us. It's amazing in this day and age, no more mailing your passport, you can send it in email. We've also been told that a place to live has been found for us. It'll take us through our first three months in Bissau. Pastor Bobo wanted to make sure that I would be able to choose a place I felt comfortable once we were there, so this temporary housing is part of the picture! While we're on the road, Jason is beginning to work on building a website for MAFI Church, as well. Soon, we'll be able to show you what they're all about on the internet.

The best part of leaving is to look back and see our journey up to this point. We have spent many years with Guinea-Bissau on the horizon in one way or another. Years ago when we met the missionaries who started the Youth Center, we were in Golden, CO and Guinea-Bissau jumped right onto our radar there. Our goals and plans have changed, but the country has remained the same. We've been amazed and excited to watch our plans morph as we've gone along.

I got an email today through the website from someone who has recently been in Bissau and plans to return at the soonest possible time because the country has just seeped into part of who they are. It does that. It is a place with so much need, so much beauty, and so much pain all right next to each other. And you take each day in stride knowing all parts will factor into your day. So, we hope sincerely that you'll come visit. Bring friends even! :) There's no shortage of things to be done. From teaching to building to preaching, we'll find the right place for you! Just be careful, if you spend time there, you might just want to go back.

We are so excited and blessed to have so many wonderful people who are praying for us and supporting us. It's wonderful to get to go visit each of you and spend some time with you before we leave. From here, we go to Albuquerque, NM tonight. We'd like to thank all of you, also for being so conveniently located fairly near each other. It makes things like this so much easier. :) Love you all! Look for more posts from the road as we go. Check out the video below!

Thoughts on the craziest plan I've ever made

Erica here!

As a planner, I like to have my world be predictable in a way. I like to pack it full of things, but I get a certain joy out of the fact that I can put events in my planner on my phone and watch them happen with relative dependability. Well, I'm realizing that this is the craziest, most out of my control plan I've ever made.

This is my little family. Just the three of us. And somehow, it's my whole world. It's a very different proposition to take my family to Africa rather than just myself. It's very different to move to Guinea-Bissau than to have a 6 month hiatus from life and go there with return tickets purchased before I even set foot on an airplane. This is definitely very different. The best way I can describe the feeling is to relate it to the way it felt years ago as a kid on Splash Mountain in Disney World. You're in this cave going along watching puppets sing, having fun, safely in the tracks and having a pretty good idea of what's ahead. Then, you see the bright light at the end of the tunnel and you get this rush of exhiliration. When you finally get to the top of it, you can no longer see the tracks in front of you, just blue sky ahead and no ground in sight. You know it's there, but you also know there's a plunge ahead, too. Your stomach rises into your chest and you tense every muscle in anticipation and then whooosh! Yep, it's pretty much exactly like that. This safe, comfortable life is behind us and the blue sky is ahead. The picture below is the view from the apartment we moved out of on Saturday.

The big difference is knowing that God's hand is under us. It's a bit like that moment in Indiana Jones when he takes the "leap of faith" (which I still maintain is more like a big step than a "leap," but I'll take that up with the director some time) and just steps out and it isn't until after he finds the ground that you can see it. I know He's there and it's a great thing to feel safe in that knowledge.

So, whether it's "whoosh" or a step-leap thing, this is happening! We are spending this week with Jason's family and then we've got a wedding for a good friend this weekend. After the wedding, we set off to visit friends and family in the Southern States and come home on the same day that Sheba goes to the vet for a tooth cleaning, we get our third and final Rabies vaccine and we head off to MTI in Colorado Springs for three weeks of preparation for being hard targets to kidnapping and processing culture shock. In the meantime, we're working to secure extortion insurance, trying to get our final "from home" newsletter to you all and so on. It's a lot, but it's good. I never thought I would be thinking logically about kidnapping and using the word extortion in daily use, and it's still a bit of a stretch, I get that sense of "holy cow, I said that and meant it and that's insane" when I say it. But I know it's good and God is in control. I've learned just what Tetanus really is and why we're so glad to have a vaccine for it here in the USA and I've been amazed at how much God has blessed my life. Guinea-Bissau and our time there is an extension of that blessing.

Jason has finished his job and this is our first day working together to accomplish the dreams that God has given us. We're officially on payrole with Red Rocks Church and have gotten bank accounts all worked out and managed for this venture.

I look ahead wondering what comical errors we're about to make, what adventures we're going to have and what stories we'll come back with. It's best to look forward and enjoy the memories but not dwell there. Africa is waiting for us. There is God's calling on the horizon and His amazing grace is sustaining and blessing us. We're ready for the plunge!

We've shared wonderful memories with so many of you and look forward to sharing our new experiences with you as we move somewhere far different from here. We hope you'll continue to laugh and cry with us as we go along and that we can do the same with you over email, Skype, letters, etc. The next two months will be a flurry of goodbyes and tears and laughter and memories to keep in our pockets as we embark.

Road Trip!

This is our planned route for coming to visit several of our close friends and family members this summer. We're planning to see as many people along this route as possible and will be leaving Colorado on July 17, returning on August 1 in time for MTI training in Colorado Springs for three weeks! If you're along this route, please let us know, we'd love to come see you!
If you live in CO, we're planning to schedule a going away party in a city near you. It's important to us as we prepare to leave to get to spend time with the folks who are praying for and supporting us as we're in Africa. Your time means the world to us and we are SO very thankful to have you with us.
We're less than three months from our departure date and all momentum is moving us forward. It feels so good, but almost weird to have our departure date nearing, instead of it being this obscure thing out in the future, it's getting closer each moment. HOW AWESOME!
We love you all bunches!
(For friends in Illinois area, we're going to be heading through IL on our way to the airport in Washington DC-we're flying out from DC because it's actually cheaper and less complicated that way. We do plan to stop in IL, so let us know if you'll be around at the beginning of September!)