Still in Limbo

Since June, when Dennis took on his new role in GP, limbo seems to best describe our living situation. By limbo I'm not referring to a state of neglect or oblivion, but rather a choice to put finding a home on hold. My thesaurus described it this way - to be determined, up in the air, and I especially liked this one, in cold storage, which would be true of most of our belongings sitting in a storage unit up in Michigan.

We entered this new adventuresome life seven months ago full throttle (not that it wasn't adventuresome before). Dennis has taken a dozen trips to nine different countries on four continents, and I have joined him for seven of those country visits. Thanks to friends who have made their home available to us while they are taking out-of-state schooling, time has been on our side until life slows down a bit to look for housing. When people ask if we've settled yet, our typical answer is "after the first of the year." Now that the new year is just around the corner, my excitement is growing. We are more than ready to have a place to call our own. With no international travel planned for the month of January, it's time to make condo/apartment searching serious business!

Our criterial list has been made out since summer, including both negotiable and non-negotiable elements to a new home. We realize we can't reproduce our Budapest flat, though we would love to try. So, walkability is a non-negotiable, high ceilings, lots of character, plenty of windows, and two bedrooms are just a few things on our list. We're looking for simple and low-maintenance. Makes sense with our travel schedule. There are numerous old buildings or former factories turned into condo or apartment living in downtown Indy, so I'm hoping we can find that special place where we can say, "this is us."

It's been quiet around my blog over the past month, only because life hasn't been so quiet. A trip to Haiti at the end of November - there's great work being done on the island of La Gonáve in Haiti. A new Wesleyan hospital is going up which will serve the people so much better than the old one. The M's are working hard to make a difference in this poverty-stricken, post-earthquake country.

We followed up the Haiti trip with a much-needed vacation, which proved to be relaxing and refreshing.

And, of course, Christmas. On Christmas eve and day we enjoyed hanging out with Julie. A beautiful late-night Christmas eve service brought in Christmas, and on Christmas day we absolutely loved seeing Les Miserables. Definitely will see this movie again! The whole family was with us in Indy, except for Clint, Jamie, Evee and Iris, who we sorely missed. Josh and Kari drove in on Christmas night making their last leg of the journey on their move from Pasadena to Indy. Mike and Joni drove in on the same night from Michigan. Both came in earlier than planned to beat the winter blizzard that was predicted to begin about 3:00 a.m. We woke up the next morning to a white-day-after-Christmas that continued snowing and blowing for most of the day. We spent the entire day holed up in a downtown hotel where we had made reservations for a few nights so we could all be under one roof. It worked well, but we look forward to Christmas in our own homes next year.

A few pictures below of the family.

We missed the Usshers!

Leo wasn't sure if he liked this photo shoot

Christmas Eve night

Papa and Leo

Family Time

Josh, Kari, Stella, and Leo came to visit a month ago.

We enjoyed trick-or-treating in Fountain Square where Julie lives.

Explored an old house that Josh and Kari were considering buying, which they did! They'll be moving to Indy near the end of the year. We're setting aside the week of Christmas to do some house cleaning and renovations. :) The over 100-year-old house is a fixer-upper with lots of potential.

If anyone would have told me that most of my family would be living in the mid-west in 2013, I wouldn't have believed it. But, it is happening! I'm looking forward to connecting with the kids and grandchildren with spontaneity. Something we've never been able to do before. I've already been enjoying time with Julie for dinner when Dennis is out of town or just for a coffee time. And, with Mike, Joni, and Miles less than a 5-hour drive away, we can connect with a little bit of planning ahead. After so many years being scattered all over . . . well, you just never know how life is going to unfold!

Auntie Julie and Stella making funny faces

Papa and Leo

Sweet Leo

Enjoying trick-or-treating with Stella. Leo's feet are keeping warm with Grandma's gloves :)

Lots of work and potential. Hmm, Dennis and I remember doing a house renovation once in our lives.

Next, was a road trip to PA with Joni and Miles . . . 667 miles, 12 hours long, and back again.  Miles was a trooper for such a long journey. Great to see my family, and spend some time enjoying the farm.

Kisses for Great Grandpa

4 generations

Sweet Memories

Kids everywhere! We even got to feed milk to a few who lost their mothers.

Joni, the Farmer :)

Checking out the sheep and lambs

Next, was Thanksgiving where we gathered at Mike and Joni's in MI, with Julie, Dennis' parents, and an afternoon visit from our nephew, Rich and Darcie and family. 

Pre-dinner snacks and chatting

Preparing the pork loin

Joni's creativity. "I am thankful for" place mats with chalk to write what we were thankful for.

Rich, Darcie, Grace, Joy, and Christian

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! So many things to be thankful for.

We are off to Haiti this week, and then a much needed vacation.

Cambodia

Well, I returned on Saturday from SC finishing up another FLAME class. Three more classes to go towards my ordination pursuit! Now for the post-class assignments. God being my helper, I'm excited to dig in to one of my post-class projects, as I am hoping to develop a Discipleship template that can be used cross-culturally.  

This will be my final post on our Asia trip. The final leg of the journey was to Cambodia. This was my second time to Phnom Penh. Our daughter, Julie, and I made a trip four years ago to better understand the awful crime of human trafficking. 

This time Dennis and I went to visit our new M's on the field. Loved staying with and getting to know Doug and Lori and their three boys. Believing in them to be the right people to bring direction and encouragement for this season in the life of the Cambodian Wesleyan Church.

We had the privilege of meeting with many of the pastors and wives who serve in Phnom Penh and villages beyond.

Enjoyed lunch with the pastors and spouses

Dennis sharing and encouraging the Cambodian team

Doug, Lori, and Drew. Tyler and Nate were in school, so I didn't get any pictures of the entire family. Thanks for hosting us! Loved being with you!

One More on Bangladesh :)

Bangladesh reminded me of India. Rice paddies, thatched huts, bicycles, goods balanced on top of heads, motor bikes, people walking, cows, goats, minimal road rules, and lots of people. It's difficult to describe the sights and smells of Bangladesh with words, more less pictures, but the photos below may give you a glimpse of life there.

Busy Roads

Notice the monkey

More of Bangladesh

One of the highlights of our time in Bangladesh was to officially welcome the Wesleyan Church of Bangladesh into the greater Wesleyan church family. Below are pictures of this special day.

Entering the orphanage/school/church complex - children welcoming us with flowers

Dennis and I had the honor of unveiling the banner declaring The Wesleyan Church of Bangladesh

Ordaining two of the pastors

Praying over the pastors

Pastors and evangelists

Team photo with Joshe, 6-year-old Joshua, and Ma Nina (mother of Joshe) who has been a fervent prayer warrior for the growth of the Church in Bangladesh

What a blessing to share in this special time! I have one more post to share that will be simply pictures of life and the countryside in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

Our three-week visit to Asia couldn't have been more timely and significant in making connections with nationals and M's.

Bangladesh was an indescribable experience. The size of the state of Iowa, Bangladesh packs in 161 million people. That's half of the U.S. population in one state! Add in three major rivers, including hundreds of tributaries that flow through this small country, and you can see why it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

But, in the midst of this context is a group of believers who have been establishing churches for the past seven years. It's a long story of a dream followed by pain, suffering, and death. John Bose, the eldest of five children, followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a pastor in sharing the Gospel with the people of Bangladesh. Through his seminary training, he sensed an alignment with the Wesleyan doctrine and theology. He had a longing to be a part of the Wesleyan Church.

Two years ago, before the longing could become a reality, John, and his wife, Rita, were lost in a tragic car accident, leaving behind their four-year-old son, Joshua. To many, it appeared that the dream had faded and the work would be lost. God was not finished with the vision. Joshe, John's youngest brother, felt God's prompting to take up John's mantle in building the church in Bangladesh, and pursuing membership with The Wesleyan Church.

The dream came true on October 13, 2012. What a joy it was to participate in the official inauguration of The Wesleyan Church of Bangladesh, as well as the ordination of two of the pastors.

Joshe gives incredible leadership to the 7 pastors and 19 evangelists, many hoping to pursue studies toward ordination.

Below are pictures of our journey from the capital city of Dhaka. The country is divided up into seven divisions. We headed southwest toward the Khulna division.

We took a van from the capital city of Dhaka, but came upon a washed out bridge. This was our next mode of transportation. Pictured with Dennis are Peter Moore and Joshe Bose. I sat on the opposite side of Dennis. 

We stopped in a village where four of the church congregations met us. This was our welcoming party. Flower petals were ready to be thrown like rice in an American wedding.

Due to the rainy weather we gathered under a makeshift tent. We had hoped to get to another destination to meet with other gathering churches before nightfall, but due to the rain and the delay in travel from the washed out bridge, we had to cancel and move on to our night's lodging.

To get a taste of our three-wheel journey dangling our legs over a flat top wagon of sorts, check out the 30-second video above.

One of two boat rides getting to our final destination where Joshe's family lives.

Our team arriving at the Home of Love where 25 orphan boys stay and where children gather for school. Peter Moore in the middle and Carol and Rich Schenck on the right.

Children at the school with their teacher

Beautiful school girls posing at the window

During one of the pastor's training sessions, I opted to go outside and play cricket with the kids. Eventually I learned that you don't hold a cricket bat like a baseball bat :).

Two of the young pastors

So many pictures to share. I'll do another post on Bangladesh in a few days.

Thanks for following along!