And So The Journey Begins!

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Bob

Last Saturday, with myself, her parents, and a good friend who has already served several years in China, we saw Bethany off as she walked through the security line to board her plane. Thirty six hours, and two layovers later, Bethany arrived at her destination in China to jump into her training with Amity!

It’s took about half a week, but we finally got a communication schedule down between the two of us. Between poor Internet signals and hardware issues, it’s been a hard transition. But we are making it. One day at a time, but we are making it.

So now, when it comes to State-Side tasks, it’s up to me to get things taken care of. This includes selling stuff off, packing things up, and finding places to store the few things we will be keeping. Condensing my life down to nearly 100 pounds isn’t an easy task!

Thankfully, a local family has offered me usage of their spare bedroom for a few weeks so I can get out of the apartment sooner. Another family has graciously offered me usage of their spare car when I sell my own car. It’s these kind of caring, giving hearts that will make this transition much easier. Bethany and I are so grateful to be surrounded by such open and generous people!

I’m still working on raising the money for my plane ticket, and still looking for places to store our items while we are gone. But I haven’t given up, and know that – in due time – all of this will come together. The packing has begun, and the selling-off has started.

I’ll get over there and join Bethany in our service to the Chinese people soon enough. One step at a time. One day at a time. Either way, the Journey has begun!

Finishing Preparations

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Bob

After several delays, some mis-communication, loads of paperwork, a bunch of packing, and many “Goodbyes,” Bethany is nearly ready to begin this epic journey. Some shopping has been done, and much more will take place tonight and tomorrow. But we are close. She can take up to 100 lbs. of luggage, so we plan on maximizing that allotment.

One of the great things about these preparations, as hard as it may be, is the chance to spend some great time with our friends and family. Between meals, movies, walks, talks, and games, we’ve had some great, intimate moments with friends and family that we’ll cherish for years to come! What a great blessing these moments have been!

Bethany’s flight is scheduled to leave on Saturday. One neat aspect of this flight involves Bethany passing through Frankfurt, Germany. She’s toying with the idea of getting a one day tourist visa to see the city during the massive layover. I’m excited for her – getting to see a great piece of Europe on the way to China should be awesome!

All total, after layovers and timezone transitions take place, her clock will say that it’ll be nearly 48 hours from the time she left Louisville as she arrives in China. 12 of those hours will be lost to time zone changes. Another 14 hours will be lost in various layovers inbetween flights, leaving 22 hours of actually flight time – that’s a long time to travel!

As we begin this great adventure, pray that Bethany’s flight goes well. Pray that I am able to handle all the tasks associated w/ the getting us out of the apartment. And pray that I receive the funding needed to join Bethany in China.

Emotional Roller Coaster – Broken Thoughts Coming Together

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Bob

Between the bitter-sweet “Goodbye Celebrations” that we’ve started partaking in for Bethany, beginning the process of packing up our home, fighting with the government over paperwork, and handling the news of one of my aunts entering ICU at the Hospital, these final weeks before Bethany’s departure have been strenuous to say the least! Some days have been better than others. Some days have been devastating. But we are trying to take things one day at a time.

This weekend has been especially tough on me. The attention and support I desired to show to Bethany this weekend was replaced with Bethany supporting me and my family as we gathered in honor of my aunt. We traveled a few hours north when we received word that a simple medication threw my aunt into a cardiac arrest and, therefor, into ICU. Even now, we don’t know how much damage has been done, or if she will ever recover. It truly is a “one hour at a time” situation.

In the mist of this trauma, Dad encouraged us to attend the parties that had been pre-planned for us/Bethany. His reasoning was that we couldn’t do anything by sitting at the hospital. As true as the statement was, it didn’t make it any easier to leave. We wanted to be there for my aunt (which meant be at the hospital for an individual who couldn’t even know you were there), and support my cousins and uncle.

Attending the parties was nice. It was great to hang out and celebrate with family & friends, and we are grateful for everyone who showed up to each event. The bitter-sweet aspect of the events was evident, but masked nonetheless with the encouragement of friends and family. It’ll be hard leaving behind so many who love and care for us. But we recognize that it’s not about us – it’s about the One who called us to do what we’re striving for.

I feel like I’ve been thrust into James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” It’s been hard to persevere in the midst of these trials. Family and friends do make it easier. But “easier” doesn’t necessarily mean “easy.”

Usually, emotions (especially sorrow and sadness) are things that I can often hold in. We knew the parties might be hard to handle, but news of my aunt threw me into an emotional pit that was difficult to climb out of. Holding it in only caused the emotions to manifest themselves in the worst case of stuttering I’ve experienced since that time I drank 80+ ounces of Mountain Dew in 1 hour! (Let’s just say sentences were a struggle for me.)

But we’ve made it through the weekend. And my aunt is still with us – unconsciously fighting for her life every minute, but with us nonetheless. We are persevering. We are living out who we’ve been called to be, and what we’ve been called to do. Even if it hurts to leave those you love. In the end, it’s not about us. And that’s what we are consistently reminding ourselves of as we try to embrace the “pure joy” in the midst of the tribulations.

Please continue to pray for us.

Hello World!

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Bob

What a fitting title for the first post! “Hello World!” Who knew that such a simple phrase could have such a profound meaning? Let me explain:

In the world of computer programming, getting your program to say “Hello World!” is typically the very first step in learning a new programming language. It’s usually not a difficult task, per se, but a significant one. A “Hello World!” shows you that everything is configured properly, let’s you know that you are understanding the basics of the language you are messing with, and gives those two friendly words give you some visual feedback on your screen to show you how everything is looking from the outside.

And yet here we are. Not only is this the first post on our first website, but this also marks the start of many firsts in our lives: This will be the first time I leave the States, the first time we’ll immerse ourselves in a foreign culture and language for two years, the first time we’ll be leaving behind friends and family for such a long period of time, and a first for serving in ministry as an occupation. Do we understand all the complexities of these ‘firsts’ yet? Absolutely not! But we are beginning to understand the basics of how this will all work together, and we are beginning to get some “outside visual feedback.” It’s going to be a complex experience, but one that will surely change our lives forever.

So, as God guides our footsteps, leads us outside our comfort zones, and teaches us further how to love on people, here we go: “HELLO WORLD!”