Here and There and Everywhere

In brief, within the past three weeks we moved from Minnesota to Michigan, began to get settled at our new temporary home, then traveled to Colorado where we've already spent a week at Mission Training International.  Life's been a blur.  Our boys are managing the transitions remarkably well, thanks be to God.  We've been suffering in the sleep department, however, so we take each day as it comes and by God's grace get through each day.

Our flight to Colorado Springs went as well as we could've hoped with three kids.  It was Asa's first flight and he was an all-star traveler.  It was Kai's first time with a seat to himself and it was great to have the extra wiggle room.  It was a long day of traveling and we were exhausted by the time we arrived at MTI, but we made it!

We are going through the Compass program at MTI.  It's a requirement of our mission organization and is a 4-week course here in Palmer Lake, CO.  After one week we can officially say that it's fabulous.  There are many other people here, heading to countries all over the world to do ministries of all kinds.  It's exciting to be surrounded by other missionaries headed to the field.  One of the most encouraging things we can experience is to fellowship with other missionaries.  We understand each other in a way no one else can.  We've been talking with people about how we each were called to missions, how the training process is going, how the fundraising process is going, and where our hearts are at as we journey toward the mission field.  We've been talking with other families about the hopes and concerns of raising our kids overseas.  We've been praying for each other as we meander this unique life we're called to.  And we've been sitting in class together, hearing former missionaries speak about cross-cultural issues and language learning concepts.  It's been enriching even though we're exhausted.  We are so thankful to be here!

The boys are having a great time too.  Caleb and Kai spend each day in their classroom and they love it!  There are a total of 16 kids here this month and the boys are making new friends and playing hard every day.  They are being taught about the love of Jesus and we are so thankful for their teacher, Miss Emily, who is caring for them every day while we're in class upstairs.

Asa spends time in the nursery except when I need to nurse him or just want to have him with me.  The staff here are caring and understanding of the fact that we have a newborn with us and they've encouraged me to take naps when I need them, even if it means skipping class.  Everyone adores Asa and he gets passed around a lot.  He's added a wonderful dimension to the group!

We do training during the week, but the evenings and weekends are mostly free.  So today we rested as much as we could and enjoyed some family time.  We brought costumes for the boys to wear on Halloween and they were elated to be superheroes for the day!  Then, because the people here are so awesome, the kids got to trick-or-treat through the halls of the building.  It was so much fun!

We'll be here for another three weeks, learning about culture and language, reflecting on who God is and what He's doing in and through us, and investing in new friendships.  It's good and it's exhausting, like so many things in life.  We're glad to be here and are thankful for God's grace to sustain as we press on!