The Wait Is Over!

Have you ever prayed for patience and then soon after regretted it severely?  I've surely made this mistake in the past, but this time it wasn't my fault, I'm blaming Jon. I don't know why he would make such a request, he has plenty of patience, maybe he was praying for an improvement in mine...

Anyway, God sure has been teaching us, or testing ours.  Yesterday, we celebrated one month of marriage.  And by "celebrated" I mean we said "Happy one month anniversary," via email, because for the past 19 days we've been in different countries.

Seriously, one flesh cannot stretch this far.  I have no idea how you military families do it, but I have a new respect and serious empathy for you.  Being a single parent seems far more difficult when I'm not supposed to be doing it alone anymore.

When we found out we had to return to Bolivia we hoped Jon would be able to work remotely, we even rented a 3 bedroom apartment so he could have an office, but that was not to be.  Next, he asked the bank where he works if he could take an unpaid leave of absence, but his boss couldn't guarantee his job would be there when he got back.  Finally, we applied for a Family Medical Leave through the FMLA, since the cause of his absence was adoption. We were told the decision was usually made in ~5 days.  For the past two and a half seemingly endless weeks, many of you have been pleading with God for this small miracle, that would allow Jon to join us in Bolivia for 12 weeks without the added stress of the imminent job search awaiting him upon return.  Jon has been impressively proactive the whole painfully long wait, calling the woman in charge of the approval almost daily, and considering flying to her office in Dallas to hunger strike until the final verdict came through, proving how much Bolivia has already influenced him before he's even arrived.

Praise the Lord, last night the leave was approved!!  Today, I'm heading to see my husband for the first time in far too long.  Life is good.  God is good.  For the next 11 days I'll be traveling around the Southeast U.S. Today, in Kansas City, CVM's annual Shortcourse begins. A time when Christian veterinarians come together to share about workplace ministry, short-term missions, long-term missions, and serendipitously this year there's a day on Christian marriage. I'm stoked to introduce Jon to my CVM family and fellowship with lots of friends also serving around the world. This weekend is the national CVC, a veterinary continuing education conference where we'll have a booth, a CVM breakfast, and a dinner focused especially on Bolivian ministry. Then, next week, I'm excited to visit my alma mater, traveling to Auburn, AL for some time with Auburn and Tuskegee's Christian veterinary fellowship groups.  Finally, I have three fun-filled days of wedding activities for one of my best friends, Sami, before returning to Angie and Bolivia to prepare for Jon's arrival a week later.

Thank you for your prayers for all these activities, the leave approval, my work, Angie's time without us, sweet Sami's marriage, and all the transition.  But please don't pray for more patience!

Mosquitoes, Sand and Relearning Joy

It was kind of a rough week. As many of you who read my last post could have imagined, it was hard leaving my husband after less than two weeks of being able to call him mine.  It was particularly hard for Angie to move into Jon's house on Monday after the honeymoon and then repack her suitcase to relocate again the same Friday. As she was able to verbalize so well this time in her mess of not-so-pretty emotions, she really hates change. Even though returning to Bolivia, Spanish, and her friends was a move she was eagerly awaiting, change is hard for everyone to some degree, and in a young life that's had more than its fair share of transition, stability is all the more coveted. Last night, we were finally able to Skype with Jon and when we prayed together, she asked God to let Jon come down here so we could be a "normal" family. 

And then there was the adjustment for me. Let's be honest, I'd become spoiled rotten in the States for two months with its fancy dishwashers and dryers, reliable water, relative cleanliness, temperature control, consistently speedy internet, Papa John's, I could go on... And of course it's been a challenge for me to spend money re-buying all the things I just sold in May, and all the items we just received as wedding gifts in June and July. Shopping for towels, kitchen utensils, bath mats, pillows, sheets, etc. has felt more than redundant.  

Oh my goodness, I sound whiny. Why am I telling you all this? To say that yesterday I finally felt "happy" to be here. And then I was embarrassed. I was sitting in church, worshipping with my Bolivian family of believers again and I was in a really good mood, it was really nice to be back with them.

For the first few days here, when things were less than ideal, I thought, "this is way harder than the first time I moved down three years ago, because the first time I chose to come here." Everything was an adventure. Any adversity was part of the fun, since I had come down on purpose with a calling, the mosquitoes, the insane traffic, the ubiquitous sand, and the other challenges were all the more thrilling. But this time, being outside of my plan, the inconveniences were all just kind of a drag.  When we were having a hard time setting up house and things were looking a bit bleak, I got a little down.

So, when my positive outlook was restored I was ashamed of myself, because I'm pretty sure it was circumstantial. Due to the kindness of so many friends, over the past few days we've been blessed with a borrowed washing machine, refrigerator, oven, fans, bedspreads, furniture, and much more. And I'm afraid my upturn in attitude may have been directly proportional to our improvement in standard of living.

This week when I was reminded of Paul and his call to be content in all circumstances, I thought of his surroundings. Paul wrote those words from a prison cell. A situation he surely had not chosen, nor penciled into his day planner. A trial he'd not signed up for, yet one he fully embraced, and refused to let affect his joy. 

I guess I tell you all this in hopes that next time I'm faced with hardships I won't make excuses, but remember to rejoice always, and not just when it's convenient. 

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

-Philippians 4:11-13

We're renting the top floor of this house.  The cow is a bonus!

For those who don't already know...

Imagine if you will, returning from a perfect mountain getaway with your dreamy new husband to your cozy, recently renovated by said dreamboat, Cape Cod house. You pick up your daughter from her beach vacation with the family and settle into your freshly painted home to unpack and start a new phase of life. A phase where you begin your fulfilling job as CVM’s Southeast Regional Representative and thrive on the interactions with vet students eager to use their profession to serve the Lord and vets hungry for encouragement in how to minister in their practices. A phase where Angie starts a new school, makes great friends, and finally gets comfortable in English and North American culture. One where every Friday is date night sponsored by your generous parents and you can enjoy the colors, smells, and chill of your first autumn in four years while you work on your fledgling marriage.  

Then, turn this idyllic suburban picture of stability and peace upside down and you’ll have the upheaval we’re facing now. Haven’t God’s ways always been a stark contrast to the world’s, why did I expect any different? When has He ever encouraged us to stay in our comfort zones, let alone set up house in them? So, instead of surrounding ourselves with the aromas of cinnamon and pumpkin, we’re spending the fall in the wind and heat of Bolivian spring. Instead of starting our family in our native culture and language, we’re starting it on an unexpected adventure.  

Saturday morning, Angie and I arrived back in Bolivia. For the next four months we'll be back to our old normal in Santa Cruz, with VetRed, Spanish, and Angie's missionary kid school, with one awesome exception; Jon's coming to join us soon. Immigration's declared it necessary for Angie and me to finish out our first two years together in Bolivia before she can gain U.S. citizenship. And since Jon and I didn't write into our vows "until death or immigration do us part," he's not letting the latter stand in our way of being together as a family. His conviction to be where we are and do life with us, is even stronger than his instinct to be the provider, and for this I admire him very much.

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"So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 

-Matthew 19:6