If Only We Could All Walk A Mile ...

It's hard to describe how it feels for your status to be uncertain in your country of residence.  Having spent the first 27 years of my life living in the US this is something I had always taken for granted.  I never questioned the fact that I belonged because I was an American by birth.

Fast forward to my current situation.  On Saturday, I will board a train and cross a border in order to fulfill the requirements of the Visa I have been issued.  Every sixty days, I must leave the country that I live in and re-enter in order to be able to stay another sixty days and then repeat the process again.

Every time I walk out the door, I am reminded that I am a guest.  When the local authorities require that I officially notify the police of my place of residence, I am again reminded that I am a guest.  When our hosts "request" that we inform them every time we leave the city, for how long, and for what purpose, I am reminded that I am a - you guessed it - a guest!

It changes you to be a "foreigner."  You smile more, are more shy than normal, and are careful not to offend.  You are humbled by your ignorance - of the language, of the culture, and of all the ways in which small children are more proficient than you.  The extra attention embarrasses you.  The occasional hostility unnerves you.  You are not yourself, and yet it seems you know yourself for the first time.

All-in-all, when you get past the ways in which you are traumatized by the experience, traveling abroad certainly can bring each of us one step closer to living in harmony with others.  #BeKind #SameWorldDifferentLens

Happy Birthday Caleb!

On Saturday, our British friends notified us there was a family living in our building who were interested in having the girls participate in a fashion show.  After being introduced via social media, they invited us to dinner last night to begin a friendship.  As it happened to be Caleb's birthday, we asked if it would be okay to spend time with strangers on his special day.

They picked us up at 5:30 in the evening and whisked us away to a nice hotel and a third floor restaurant.  Much to Caleb's delight, we would be having hot pot for dinner!  What this means is that you have an individual pot of soup over an open flame which you then use to slow cook meat and vegetables and then consume them over the course of a couple of hours.

It is such a pleasure to watch Father shape our children to where they are willing to be content with an unexpected, chaotic, and lively evening about town with people they've never met!

Caleb's birthday dinner

Time is Flying!

It's hard to believe that we have already been here since August 30th.  For the first week, I felt mostly zombified.  Having this kind of jet lag is like being a severely-muted version of your self until your body adjusts.

After the first week of orientation and other firsts, we went away for a staff retreat that gave us a chance to get to know the whole team.  There was teaching, singing, sharing, and plenty of lifting each other up.  We are very encouraged by the quality of our new co-workers.  Their sensitivity to Dad and graciousness toward one another have already been a tremendous blessing.

Shortly after coming back from this time away, we engaged in a brief but furious period of house-hunting with the help of our Canadian colleagues.  We did find a nice apartment and once we sat down with the Landlord, our Singaporean co-worker helped us negotiate a price we felt we could live with.  That was early September.  We just moved in last Friday!

Another bright spot has been our early involvement with the different project locations and youth/children that we are caring for.  So many special kids and caregivers all in one project!  It's hard to believe that we have been able to walk right into something that has been ongoing for the past 25 years.

And at the same time, as it always is, transition is on the horizon.  Please be asking with us as we all prepare for a new normal which will begin by the end of the calendar year.  Ask for patience, perseverance, and for Dad's hand to be evident in all the details.  We love you all!