10 years in the making. Part 7.

God's timing.

When you don't get married until your mid-thirties  you pretty much learn that timing is God's!  And His timing for our going was definitely His.

In July 2012 we were told that the process of "going" usually takes 18-24 months.  It was our desire, however, to leave in Summer 2013 if at all possible.  The training schedules and appointment services are listed on the company's blog so we knew what dates we were working for/against.  And if we were to leave in Summer then we would need to be approved in April by the trustees.  If not, then everything would be pushed back by three to four months.

So here we are in February reading an e-mail that said we wouldn't meet the deadline for April due to an educational test needed for Sofia.  It was kind of a bummer for us because we thought we had done all that was asked of us and our children.  This was a Wednesday morning.

Come Thursday morning, we received another e-mail.  Sofia was cleared and WE HAD BEEN JOB MATCHED!  Whoa!  What an emotional rollercoaster.  Now to wait until April 10 when the trustees would be voting on us.  On April 9 we prayed that we would only go if He was going before us. April 10 came and we were affirmed that God is going before us.

It wasn't but five minutes after Kevin had left for work that I received the phone call.  Tears were my answer.  I then called Kevin.  He actually had stopped by a store so he was sitting in his truck in the parking lot.  We wept together on the phone and then spent some time praying.  Oh our prayer was and is that we will NEVER FORGET what Christ has done for us as individuals.  May we NEVER FORGET our sinfulness and the penalty He paid on the cross. And may we NEVER FORGET the gift of salvation.  And that gift is for those among the nations.

On May 15 we were appointed as overseas workers.  At that appointment week we met many couples who had been in the process for the two years, some even three.  So to be there less than 12 months was truly God's doing.

What's next?
We will be going to training for two months in Virginia, then move to the Horn of Africa for two years of language and culture training.  From there we will God willing move to Central England to minister to the immigrants from the Horn of Africa.

Due to sensitivity I am not writing exactly where and who we will be working with.  But I do ask that you pray for us.  We will be working with a unengaged, unreached muslim people group.  There is such great need for the gospel to be shared.  We pray that God will work in us, and through us so His word will be heard, believed, and accepted.

We should arrive in the Horn about one week before our 10 year wedding anniversary.

God is GOOD!!!!!   HIS timing is perfect.

10 years in the making. Part 6.

Finding a job.

No doubt you can't help but have a natural love/leaning to want to return to your first place that you served internationally.  Mine was Australia.  Kevin's Kenya.  I actually looked at returning to Australia when I went as a journeyman but God directed me to Turkey.  So now my natural love/leaning was Turkey.

Hmmmmm.....we figured out we were willing to get on the plane but the question still was where was this plane going to land?

When we attended the Expo back in July, we met with a deployment consultant for Central Asia.  He shared with us the great need and various jobs in that region.  One job stood out to us and that was working with Turks in Germany.  (For those of you who have known us for the past 10 years you know that Kevin and I fell in love while serving on a team together that went to Berlin and ministered to the Turks.)  Throughout the Fall months we dialogued with  workers in Germany and began to hone in on a particular job.  Things were looking good.  But for various reasons we asked to look at other jobs in the region.  One was in Iraq.  This really peaked Kevin's interest.  He always wondered if God would take him back to an area that he served in during his military time.  A few of his mentors had served in WWII and God had taken them back to Japan to share the gospel.

It was over the New Year's break that Kevin and I decided that Central Asia just might not be the place for us.  In early January we asked to be transferred to the North Africa Middle East Region.  This in part was due to a conversation I had with a lady back in December.

Our church had been looking for a place to send a team.  In doing research I was directed to speak to a woman working with refugees in England.  While talking with her she expressed the need for a family to come work with a particular people group from the Horn of Africa. She was actually turning in a job request the next day.

I told Kevin about this need.  The need was for an unreached muslim people group.  Currently it is not feasible to live in their home country.  But guess what?  Kevin has been to their country.  He lived and served there while in the Marines.

Now it February.  We received an e-mail saying that the job request was approved but if we wanted to matched to it then everything would need to go through within the next week.  The day before deployment consultants met to job match their applicants we received another e-mail.  Due to another educational test needed for Sofia, we would not meet the deadline.

10 years in the making. Part 5

Lesson to learn.

God in His goodness intervened in our lives and revealed what was to be next for our family.  Kevin was offered the job at CBU but the package was not best for our family.  Kevin turned down the job.  NOT AN EASY THING TO DO.  We even questioned why it turned out that way.   But we didn't need to wonder to much longer.

About a week later we received a letter from the IMB stating that we were invited to begin the application process for career international workers.  We chose to accept the invitation and began the application process.  And we did so cautiously.  The CBU experience taught us something wonderful....to be faithful to what God has you to do THIS DAY. THIS DAY I tell you.  We are not promised tomorrow.  Everyday we woke and we strove to faithfully live out His word, His love and His desires where He had us (and still does).

The process is quite in-depth and detailed.  Papers on church ordinances, doctrine, our personal testimonies, and personal growth.  Medical and dental appointments for all five of us along with educational testing on the kids.  A process that allowed for us to continue seeking the Lord and His direction.  And I'll tell you what, there were days that I thought we would throw in the towel and say "No thank you."

Then in early December the elders of our church asked to meet with Kevin.  Due to a shrinking body thus shrinking budget, the elders couldn't see how our church would be able to support a children's minister.  Ugh!  But God didn't allow for us to wonder about this for too long because THE VERY NEXT DAY we received an e-mail stating that we had made it to one of the final stages of the application process with the IMB...the in-person interview.

A few days before Christmas Kevin and I drove to downtown Chicago and met with IMB personnel for a couple of hours.  It was a time of intense, personal questioning.  Thankfully we left the interview with words of encouragement that things would be fine for us as long as the job matched up.

Prayer Circle for our three year old son.

This spiderman-bubble-loving boy of ours turns three tomorrow.
Isaiah brings us such joy and laughter.
 He begins each day asking a million questions and ends each day asking a million more.  And I'm not exaggerating.  Ha!




Please join us on Isaiah's birthday in giving him a most wonderful gift....the gift of prayer.

Pray that Isaiah will continue to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Pray Isaiah's curiousity will lead him to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pray for Isaiah's relationships with his sisters.
Pray for his mommy and daddy.

10 years in the making. Part 4.

Are we willing to get on the plane?

Kevin finished his Master's degree in December 2011.  In April 2012 we were invited to attend a Missions Expo in July with the IMB.  We were excited.  It looked liked things might be falling into place for us to "go".

A week before we left for the Expo, Kevin got a call from our college alma mater in California.  They wanted to interview him for a job the first of August and were pretty sure he was the right guy.  Kevin's heart soared and mine dropped.  We came together in prayer and decided that we would still go to the Expo.

Selfishly I was praying that Kevin would realize he was not to interview.  But it was me God was working on.  We arrived for the three day Expo.  The first night began with a dinner and speaker. The speaker shared a story about a worker in the late 1800s who was on her way to China.  However, before she even arrived she got sick and died.  Because of her testimony many, many single women decided to go to China.

Right away I heard the Lord saying to me, "Deny yourself, Keri.  Deny yourself."

I knew I had to but it wasn't easy.  I did think, how if we went to California I could help mobilize many more to "go" instead of just me.

Over the next couple of days we were asked the same question over and over.  Are you willing to get on the airplane?  Some struggled with this but for Kevin and I are answer was a resounding yes.  Our big question was where was the plane going to land?  Was it in California, Turkey, Lake County, IL?  Oh, Lord, just let us know.

We left Expo knowing a couple of things.  We were willing to go and we were willing to stay.

Kevin traveled to California the first week of August.  In his hotel room a picture hanging on the wall prompted him to consider his role in the kingdom.  The picture was of a shepherd and his sheep.  This has been a common theme in Kevin's life lately.  Shepherding.  His heart's desire isn't to pastor/preach but to shepherd.  Feed the flock, take care of the flock.  He could do so at the college.

After two days of interviews and meeting many a people, Kevin was offered the job.

10 years in the making. Part 3.

Are we going?

The plan upon arrival in Illinois was for Kevin to get his MDiv in three years and then we would go.

Well, once Kevin went on church staff, schooling became part-time therefore delaying the original three years. Some other factors came into play as well.

Was the Lord asking us to stay in the U.S.?  Too many times I would cry out to God, "Lord, why are we stuck in Lake County, IL?"

And God in his great mercy would remind me of how great he is  especially when he would prompt me to remember that we are living among the nations.  We have neighbours from Poland, Haiti, India and Venezuela.  There is no way we could live in all four of those countries at the same time, yet we could love and share with them all here including the Americans.

God also provided us opportunity to go to the nations through short-term trips.  Kevin was able to go with our church to Japan and Haiti and I was able to go with our church to Israel.

It's taken awhile but I understand more how it isn't just about going but about obeying.  Kevin and I desire to live a life of obedience to our Lord.  And that has meant in our daily living and not just the big things.

10 years in the making. Part 2.

The Move.

Shortly after we were married, Kevin and I met with a consultant from a missions agency.  The consultant said Kevin would need at least 20 units of seminary education but strongly encouraged him to obtain his Master of Divinity.

Kevin enrolled at Golden Gate Seminary.  He took a couple classes here and there.  Then in Summer 2004, he was able to take a couple more seminary classes through Southern Seminary in Turkey while we were there on a short-term trip.

In May 2005 Kevin ventured off for a half day of prayer.  It was actually a requirement for one of his seminary classes.  That time with Lord revealed much to Kevin.  He revealed that we were to head to the Midwest.  We were to do so for a couple of reasons.  One reason was for Kevin to enroll at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  The other reason being that if we were willing to go to the nations and share the gospel, then we needed to be sure that we had shared the gospel first with family, specifically Kevin's family.  And being that his family lived in Michigan, and TEDS was in the Chicago area, it all fit.

Within a month we had both resigned from our jobs at CBU.  Then in July 2005 with an eight month baby, no jobs, and few belongings we left California for Deerfield, IL.

Our prayer, "God meet us there."

God provided a place to live, a job, and time to visit Kevin's family.  But one of the greatest blessings was our church.  In February 2007 it became Kevin's place of employment as an associate pastor but it was more than that.  Our church, Crossroads Church, has been a place of great learning.  We've deepened our understanding of Scripture, we've deepened our hearts desire for the nations, and we've been equipped to better share the gospel through evangelism and discipleship.

God met us there!

10 years in the making. Part 1.

Getting together.

There was this guy who asked me out in May 1998.  We went out to lunch but that was it.
That same guy asked me to a baseball game in July 2001.  We went, had fun but that was it.
Then he asked me out again in February 2003.  I said no way.

It's now March 2003.

Kevin was leading a team to Egypt.  I was leading a team to Germany.
Due to world events Kevin's team was redirected to Germany.
We began meeting together.

April 2003 God was making it clear that this man and I were to be together.
We had the same purpose.  The same passion.  The same mission.

While serving together, side by side in Germany, God confirmed His calling not just for me but for me and this guy, named Kevin, to go to the nations together.

By July we were engaged and come October 18 of 2003, we were married.

April Showers

What is my passion?

Throughout my 20s I wrestled with what is my passion.
I desired to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, mind and soul.
It became evident that I was to do so by living a life that shared His love "to the ends of the earth".

My insecurities led me to believe, however, that I could only go to the nations as a married woman.  But God in his goodness brought me to an understanding that my relationship with Him had nothing to do with someone else.  My reliance, my support, my encouragement, my trust and my faith was rooted in Christ.  At the ripe "old" age of 29 years old I finally surrendered.  I would go.  And go I did.

My two years in Central Asia grew my heart for the Lord.  My heart also deepened in my love for people.  And my heart broke for those that did not know of the Lord.

I returned to the U.S. in the Summer of 2001.  Without a doubt I knew that God would allow for me to return overseas but when and how I did not know.

Passion.

Have you ever looked up the definition of passion?
I would venture to say that the majority of people associate passion with love relationships.
But look up the word passion.

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of passion in association with love is number 5.  The number 1 definition:
"the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death".

Now, no doubt, if you are a believer you get that Christ's passion IS LOVE.  Ultimate love.  Sacrifical love.

But how is passion lived out in my life.  Is it only for a love of my flesh or is it a love for my God, my Lord?

He is Risen!

Life.

Gift.

Thankfulness.

Celebration.

Spring Break

It's been a cold, rainy week.  Not very ideal for Spring Break.  We did make the best of it and enjoyed sleeping in, reading books, and doing some craft projects.

This past Thursday the sun actually came out and the sky was so clear.  It was a perfect day to go into the city so that is what we did.

At the top of the Willis Tower (current tallest building in U.S.)

Such a great city. 

Our 2 yr old and 8 yr old on the Sky Deck.  Scarey! (The sun was in his eyes.)

Fam pic of those willing to have photo taken (had nothing to do with being afraid).

The unwilling participant.  

Hosanna!

'Palm Sunday.

Hosanna in the highest!

Food fun.

Having the kids help me in the kitchen can be stressful.  But it is also a time of fun and learning.  We learn how to follow directions, we learn how to work together, take turns, and learn how things separately might not be so good but together they can make something wonderful.  (Some deep stuff going on let me tell you.)

Here are some of the simple stuff we did together recently.

Isaiah's favourite letter this week is "B".

Pancake mix in a squeeze bottle provides such creativity.

Can you tell which muffins belong to whom?  

These two helped me make a couple batches of cookies this  past week.

Crazy California Mommas

March 5.  Snow day.  What to do?  Meet in the middle of the lake!!!!

Yes, two mommas from California whose midwest-born husbands gave them the green light, bundled up our kids (she with three, me with my three plus the neighbour kid) and met in the middle of the lake for a time of snowball fights, snow angel making, and just plain fun.

Meeting up.

They have wanted to do this since Kindergarten.

The California Mommas.

Pretty surreal to be out in the middle of the lake.

The kiddos.

Pulling up to the dock.  Ha!

Sof's routines

I finally figured out how to post video of Sofia's routines.  
Family enjoy!  And friends, too.


Vault Routine:  Vault is Sof's most difficult apparatus.  She is slowly building her confidence and hopes to not have her coach spot her at her next meet.

Uneven Bars Routine:  Definitely Sof's favourite appartus.  She loves the feeling of flying.   You would be amazed at the amount of strength it takes to do a kip (getting up on the bar).  Sof is a strong little girl.

Beam Routine:  Oh this was hard to watch.  The girl hardly ever falls during practice.  But as the coach said, come competition that 4in beam seems to shrink ever so much.

Floor Routine:  Sof earned her highest score of the meet on this exercise.  Sadly as you will see, momma needs to work on her videoing skills.  I got caught up in watching and missed some of the routine.  Oops!

Fun on the frozen lake.

I enjoy watching my children engage in activities that I never experienced as a child.  One of those is ice skating on our frozen lake.  

Today is an Illinois holiday, Casimir Pulaski Day.  The sun is out, the lake is frozen, and our neighbours have cleared a place on the lake for skating.  Time for some fun.

And fun we had.

Who needs ice skates?

"Swimming" on the water.

Sof said she was "walking on the water just like Jesus".  Ha!

Ice skating fun!

The award for accepting.

Sofia attends Woodland Elementary West.  They are the Wildcats.   Even more specifically, Sofia's class is part of the Leopards.

The school encourages positive behaviour.  The core values spell out ROAR.
Be Respectful.
Take Ownership.
Be Accepting.
Be Ready.

Each month students from each class are selected as ROAR students.  In December Sofia was selected as a ROAR student and recognized for her behavior in BE ACCEPTING.

Today was the quarterly assembly.  As a family we were invited to attend.  It was pretty special.   After all the classes had assembled, music swelled and Principal Brown led the parade of the ROAR students.  What a moment of pride.  The students marched around the gym while the classes cheered for them.  

One of the most proud moments I had today as a mommy was seeing Sofia in action.  A video that they showed on accepting had clips of Sofia helping a special needs student during gym class.

As parents, we are appreciative of the ROAR Behavior program.  What's pretty cool is that during a past conversation with the principal he stated that it's pretty obvious where these values and principles originate (...the Bible!).  

Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow.

Our dry winter turned into a very snowy February.  This past week we received another foot of snow.  Here are some pictures of what we've been experiencing.

The birds have been very thankful for the feeder.

Selah and Isaiah enjoy playing in the snow.

Selah sledding with her friend, Aubrey.

She's queen of the snow hill.

Mommy and Isaiah enjoyed sledding together.

Snowplay!!!!

Sofia and Miranda bundled up and heading to the bus stop.

Our beautiful neighbourhood.

The frozen lake.