Time Flies!

I am told that frequent updates are key to successful blogging. So I am diligent about posting to this page at least twice a year...

I have been getting lots grief recently for not updating since December. It is not that our life has been boring or uneventful, it is just that life kind of gets in the way. It was suggested that I post all of our update emails, but that doesn't seem to make sense since those of you who care already get our updates. So, I thought I would break the ice, make a post, and resolve to be diligent from here on out.

Since our last post, we have traveled to Czech Republic twice and Vienna once (all for ministry, seriously), adopted a kitten, needed a dentist, learned a little more Latvian, met some phenomenal new friends, paid $95 for an oil change, had our son Ben for another visit, and experience countless blessing. We love what we are doing, miss our family and love our team.

The bottom line is we are blessed beyond measure.

K

"Home" for the Holidays

Well, not just for the holidays but for quite some time to come. Two weeks ago we moved into our new flat. For now, that meant unpacking suitcases after three and a half months, cleaning, and moving the few essential household items (read:coffeepot) we had acquired since arriving. Surprisingly, it took three trips from our temporary housing to move everything. Perhaps that was due to moving two large beanbags (we had no chairs, hence an essential purchase) and a stackable washer/dryer combination, all in a Mitsubishi Space Wagon. Space is a relative term in Europe.

As most everything we engage in during these early days of our journey, emotions are always mixed and sometimes surprising. You never know what suddenly causes angst or joy as you settle in and gain familiarity with your surroundings. We experienced great joy just a few days ago when we were successfully able to exchange a defective electric tea kettle. I mean, WOW, we did it! We overcame language and, not really knowing the retail policies, returned it to the store, found a helpful clerk, communicated in Latvian (written down and rehearsed), and left just minutes later with a new, gleaming, hopefully functioning tea kettle. An Electric tea kettle is rare in the US but essential here when entertaining; EVERYONE has one!

Moving in, unpacking suitcases, putting our few belongings away brought on an unexpected angst in our hearts. It was great to finally be settled and not living out of a suitcase in someone else's place. We have been so appreciative of others' hospitality and we had some great times staying with dear friends...but there comes a time when your heart's desire is to settle in to your own home. So it was a bit surprising to have emotions go a bit south; you just can't trust emotions, can you? It was the realization that putting things away meant this is home for the foreseeable future. We are here and won't be returning soon, at least to stay. It is not that this is a bad place or that we aren't excited to be here, it is simply not what we have called home for all our lives.

Of course it simply isn't the place that we miss, it is the relationships, friends and family. I realized this morning what a blessing it is to have people in your life that you love enough to miss. How empty our lives would be if we didn't have hearts that hurt when we are separated from those we call family or friends. Even as we enter the Christmas season, I would rather miss you than not have you be part of my life.

The angst passed and we have come to love our flat. It is pretty and roomy, and has something very non-typically European...storage! We are on a quiet side street with no bus or heavy traffic. We have a parking area in the rear courtyard for our newly acquired 2002 Ford Mondeo Wagon (We had an older Audi in Colorado, now a Ford in Europe. What is up with that?). We have lots of windows and plenty of good lighting...Space for gatherings...A really beautiful kitchen...God is so good.

So below are some videos giving you somewhat of a virtual tour. Sorry, no audio, all I had for a video camera was our little digital still camera. And no video of our bedroom, the sheets were in the washer and we don't want you to think we are slobs. :)

Gotta go, we are off to the airport to pick up some of those family members that we miss -my Mom, Ben and Tyler. Shawn and Janelle...we miss you and wish you were coming as well!

Until next time, know we miss you and are praying for each one of you. Please stay in contact, we thrive on your facebook entries and emails!

Our first few days

On our way over the Atlantic, Donna turned to me and said “Well, everything we have done over the past months has been to get ready to leave for Latvia. Now we are almost there, now what?” Getting on the airplane marked a very significant point in our journey. The support was raised, training was done, good-byes were said. For the past months, all of our energy was directed to preparation. That is done. We were prepared as well (or as poorly) as we were going to be. Our next step in the journey was actually to step onto Latvian soil.

Scott and Lisa Runzo made that next step very easy and comfortable. We were picked up at the airport and welcomed into their home for a delicious family meal. They had prepared our temporary housing with flowers and some supplies. We are warm and comfortable! We are staying in this vacant home of a previous missionary, vacant except for a bed, picnic table, and our suitcases. Pretty sweet, huh?

Then armed with a map and a full tank of diesel (good if you plan on getting lost), we headed out Friday and Saturday to make some exciting purchases. We are now the proud owners of a European coffee pot, toaster, Brita, and even an iron. This may seem mundane to you, but this is really big stuff for us! After all, can you imagine me without a coffee pot? And we did all this in an environment that is so, so different from anything we are accustomed to. We have gotten very bold with the question “do you speak English?”


Our big adventure today was to venture out without a car, using public transportation, into the city to buy groceries. It is always interesting to taste things and see if you purchased anything like you intended. All that seemed so easy and automatic at home takes so much brainpower now!

Yesterday (Sunday), we attended church with the Runzos and saw a few people that we had worked with on our summer trips. Afterwards, we headed out for a genuine Latvian experience celebrating the Autumn season at an open air museum. Beautiful, centuries old buildings, ethnic food, music and dance combined to give us a taste of old Latvia. The lady in the chicken hat was my personal favorite.

Today, we were in our first staff meeting, woohoo! We were welcomed in by all and enjoyed getting to know these people better. We mostly listened and are eager to figure out how we fit into the team. What we have learned, or rather had reinforced, was that our primary responsibility right now is to get settled, learn the language, and learn how to live in Latvia. We set out tomorrow to complete paperwork and procedures for our permanent residency (including a chest x-ray for tuberculosis) and see a few apartments. We will do all this on public transportation, so if we find an apartment, pray that we will be able to find it again. Our love to all of you!

Made it!

Good morning, Friends and Family,

We arrived in Riga last night about 6:00 in the evening safe and sound. It's a long ways here, but we had no problems and even had our luggage make it in the same flight! For that we're extremely thankful :)

We're sitting at our little kitchen table this morning trying to take it all in that we're really here, how good God is and what in the world does He have in store? I'm in awe and amazement. It's quite like Seattle here to me, the gray skies and the tall evergreen trees. Very pretty. We were awake at 7:30 this morning and it was light, but not too.....okay w/me. I'm looking at all those wonderful books dreaming about actually having time to devour them!

Funny story....we landed in Chicago, and were still kind of down, feeling such a loss of everything and everyone in our hearts. We were trying to figure out how to get to the next terminal for our trip to Copenhagen when this couple looked at us and said hello. She looked vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure who the heck we would know in Chicago! I asked her where I knew her from and she said Faith. It was Nancy and Mark Nelson and they had "missed" their original flight earlier that day on their way to Harrisburg, PA, and had an hour before their next flight. We ended up at Chili's w/them enjoying a meal and hearing how they'd spent several years in Spain as missionaries, and some of their experiences. To me (not to overspiritualize here) it seemed like God just confirming in our hearts that He has many cool experiences planned for us that we won't know about until we step out in faith and follow Him where He leads....at least for us right now. Both Kelly and I were so uplifted and excited for our adventure from that point forward. And now the journey begins.....and we're praising God for the chance to be here and work for Him! We truly want to be His "lights" in this place and to whom He brings into our lives.

We were also reflecting on how we have the privilege of praying over all our special people for the next day while they sleep....just like I did when the boys were small and they were like sleeping angels in their cribs :) So before you wake up, you've had prayers lifted on your behalf by your faraway friends who love you so......

It was great to fire up our computer and see that there were messages from some of you!!! YAY! We treasure hearing from you, so feel free to write and keep us in your thoughts!!
We're off to explore this city and look around, buy some necessities (yes, toilet paper :) and see some apartments. We are staying in a really nice house for now that one of the missionaries had purchased and hasn't sold yet. It's only two doors down from Scott and Lisa, so that's rather nice as well. But we're anxious to find something soon that we can have ready when our stuff and our family arrives before Christmas.

Love to everyone and many hugs....the Lord bless you all and keep you safe!

Donna

Feelin' the love...

It is Monday night and we are back at MTI. We just returned from a fun after dinner outing with a few classmates; lots of laughs! It is amazing how quickly relationships form and how at ease we can be with people we have known only weeks. Thank you, God, for Melissa, Scott & Kelly.

Being Monday, we just returned from Fort Collins as we have each week for the past month. And, like every other week, we returned amazed and thankful for the love that has been expressed to us by our friends at home. Every weekend we are welcomed into homes to enjoy meals, to sleep and invade space with our suitcases, laundry and stories from our time of training. We are treated to warm hugs, home cooked meals and great times around your kitchen tables. Thank you all for welcoming us into your homes and continuing to make us a part of your lives. We feel the love.

Two weeks ago, on September 23, we had an amazing, special day. We went into the day with more than a little dread because we planned on a day of good-byes, and who likes those? Instead, Pastor Brad began the day with beautiful words of encouragement and, with six of our closest friends laying hands on us, prayed for us as we prepare to go. The day ended with a wonderful evening of celebration and kind words of affirmation from people we love dearly. You told us you loved us, that you were praying for us, you thanked us for being part of your lives, and that you would miss us. It was an amazing day for us. Thank you, we felt the love.

Seven weeks ago, it seems we began a period of home detox. We lived in a beautiful home and it was full of great memories and family times. We still love that house and we miss it. But I think we may have lost sight of what home really is. During our detox period, we have rediscovered the obvious, that home is wherever we happen to be experiencing God’s wonderful love together. Our marriage has been blessed during this time and we have grown closer together. Even in our unsettledness, our joy continues to grow. We still enjoy family time and feel at home when we have times with our sons, wherever that happens to happen. We feel at home when we spend time with you and experience God’s love through your kindness. We feel at home when the two of us have quiet moments together sharing dreams, plans, or simply reflecting on the day; wherever that happens to take place. Through you, our family, and each other, God gives us home. Thank you Lord, we feel the love.

In the next few months we will find an apartment in Riga and begin to settle in. It will be fun to unpack boxes and discover familiar things. We will hang pictures and stock shelves. It will feel good to settle in again for awhile. But I don’t want to forget the lessons learned during this time, that a house is a house and home is the place we share love for one another, wherever that happens to be. Thank you for the role you have all played in our lives, for your kindness, for your love. We feel it.

Rapid Deceleration!

It has now been almost three weeks since we completely moved out the abode we called home for the past 18 years. Fortunately, the days leading up to our actual departure were so filled with the labor of packing and purging that we had little time to reflect on the memories and the impending goodbye. In the wee hours of Friday morning, after one last cleaning, we stood tearfully on the driveway with the realization that “this is it.”

It was tearful because this was the place where we spent so many times enjoying Mickey Mouse pancakes, decorating Charlie Brown Christmas trees, photographing prom couples, shedding tears through difficult times, and watching three young boys grow into men. It was bearable because we were saying goodbye to the place where these memories originated, not to the memories. It was bearable because deep down we know that we all still have each other and that the memories which made it hard to leave that place helped form who we are today and are indeed part of us.


Most of all though, it was bearable because we know that we are following God’s leading. And His leading is not to stay there. It is by God’s grace we have had affirmations along the way that have allowed us look back with amazement and forward with anticipation. Affirmations like bringing very special people around us to help us prepare our house for sale, to pack and move, and to love us and encourage us throughout this time. Affirmations like selling our house in five short days, or perhaps even more miraculously, selling our Suburban in just a day and a half!




We were blessed to be able to spend the next several days at a mountain condo retreat with two of our three boys (Shawn and Janelle were returning from there own retreat in Ireland). The previous months have been at a frenetic pace, so stopping suddenly to relax was a bit, well, awkward. At first we really didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Fortunately, the awkwardness dissipated and we rediscovered how much we like each other and how much we enjoy simply being together. This was not a trivial revelation given our future!

Right now we are on the tail end of our long planned trip to California. We have reconnected with old friends, spent time with family, and had some very relaxing times. We have enjoyed this time, but once again, it has been a little uncomfortable at times, we just are not used to this pace or lack of structure in our lives.


Monday, we begin our training at Missionary Training International. We will spend the next five weeks at MTI’s campus in Palmer Lake, Colorado, preparing to take the next steps of our journey in Latvia. We are going to enjoy a return to some structure in our lives, as well as learning and spending time with others on similar journeys.

As we near the end of this time away, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the dear friends and family we have, our church family and for our totally cool God and the plans He has for us. I write this concluding paragraph sitting in a Starbucks in Incline Village on Lake Tahoe. We are surrounded by astounding wealth in this beautiful part of creation, we will never be able to afford a place here, and yet we feel exceedingly rich. Thank you for being part of our wealth!

Still taking steps...

You know all those home maintenance projects that need to done, but due to time and money considerations get postponed for another day? That day has arrived! Does that give you a clue as to where we are in this process? Yep, we are getting our house ready to sell because it costs too much to ship it to Latvia.

So how did we arrive at this point in our decision process? Our week in Czech Republic was pretty much amazing. First, there was great teaching by Dave Patty.

We spent time going through Saul and David's lives seeking understanding on personal transformation, transformation that endures. There was plenty of time for Private personal reflection and prayer, as well as with our "seers", the ones that know us better than anyone. You guessed it, mine was Donna.

We also expereinced wonderful times of corporate worship, led by Andrew Wheeler. These were very simple times, just one or two acoustic guitars, one or two vocalists. But gathered with this wonderful group of people that are sold out to the cause of Christ singing praises to our incredible God, our hearts were touched in a special way.

Then there was great fellowship with all of these people. We felt embraced and welcomed into this very special community. We had a lot of conversations that started with "tell us your story", which translates into "how did old people like you decide to come to Eastern Europe?" We felt very encouraged and felt like we would indeed have an important role in the ministry in Latvia. It also helped that we both fell in love with Jaycee, one of our partners in Latvia!

Perhaps the most important experiece we had was simply time for Donna and I to connect, pray together and seek God's guidance. It was the first time in several years that we were able to be away together, without responsibilities, to spend time like this. Sad but true.

It was a great rminder not only of how much we like being together, but also that when you give god space in your lives, he speaks. We desired a loud voice from Him saying go! What we recieved instead was a whisper. I believe he simply said "I am big enough." One of those duh moments, but needed nonetheless.

So we decide that we need to keep taking steps of faith towards following god to Latvia. These next steps, selling our home and support raising, are God sized steps. We are trusting Him and are excited to see what He does. He has put such a confidence in my heart on these things that I really have no concern. He is big enough.

Working on our house this week, I have had plenty of time to think. Plenty of time to consider how crazy this all is. We love Fort Collins, Colorado is beautiful, I am on staff at a great church with a good salary and generous budget, and on and on. this morning I read this passage from Job 28:20-29...

“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it. Destruction and Death say, ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Kind of puts our "wisdom" in perspective, doesn't it?

We love you all!