Catching Up

One month from today our plan is to board an airplane and start a new journey in Ecuador.  ONE MONTH!

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated this blog.  Some of it has been because of busyness. Some of it is due to writer’s block.  I just haven’t been sure what to write.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a lot of things to write about over the past couple months, but when I’ve sat down to do it, the words just wouldn’t come out.

Let me get everyone caught up:

In March and April, Kurtis and I both finished up our jobs. I said goodbye to all my friends at Helen’s Hope Chest/Mesa United way, and our church did a beautiful “send off” service for us at the end of April (based on the original date we were supposed to leave for Ecuador).  I admit that we questioned God some on the timing of it all, since we learned that we wouldn’t be leaving until August. 

We moved out of our home of 9 years and got it rented out. Turning it into a rental became doable when we refinanced.  Praise the Lord!  Even though we sold most of our furniture before we moved out, it was amazing how many boxes we still had to pack up!!!  Our parents really helped us through this process and are both storing some of our things for us while we are away.

A wonderful missionary family from our church offered us a home to stay in, free of charge, during the months we are in transition!  This has been a huge blessing!  Although we have been very busy preparing to leave the country, this home has been a place of rest and retreat for us.  If you want to learn about this family’s ministry to pastors around the world, you can check that out here: The Meeds

Kurtis and I have been spending most of our days working on things like Visa paperwork, applying for the spanish school in Quito, getting caught up on vaccines, writing and sending out newsletters and thank-you’s, and sorting through/selling most of our things.  In the meantime, we have an incredible little one who loves having both of his parents home and wants to play, all the time! :)  It is a balancing act for sure!

Speaking of that little one, he turned 3 this month!  We have had a ton of fun celebrating the day of his birth!

 Waiting for a delicious breakfast with the Pescherines

 Riding the Verde Canyon Railroad with the fam.  Malachi loved being on a REAL train!

 Spending some time in California and sharing a birthday cake with Grandpa!

We have been so blessed and thankful to see the funds for our ministry coming in.  The task seemed so daunting when we first heard what we needed to raise.  I remember saying early on, that although we were overwhelmed by the amount, we were kind of glad it was so big because God would have to get the glory if we raised enough to go. We are at over 80%!!!  (There are still times when I think that I can chalk that up to effort, but I am reminded that it is God who calls and I am so thankful that our friends and family have been part of this journey with us!)

Because we reached 80%, we were able to buy our plane tickets!  There are not flights out of Phoenix straight to Ecuador.  We either needed to fly out of a place like Houston or Miami.  As I searched for flights, I was hopeful for one with a long layover for Malachi’s sake and I believe the Lord led me to just the right one.  We have a 21 hour layover in Houston.  Enough time to get a good night’s sleep and some rest before we head to Quito.

We have also had the blessing of spending quality time with family and friends.  This has been the most precious thing for us and we are trying to eat up every minute of it!  Here are just a few pictures from recent days.  

Thank you for all your prayers over these past couple months and thank you for being patient with us as we process all that is to come.  This month is going to be full of last minute preparations along with a lot of “See you later”’s.  We are excited for what is to come and grieving what we are already starting to miss.  We are thankful we serve a God who can carry us through it all!

In Christ,

Emily