Happy Tuesday

Hey. Happy Tuesday. We are at the beginning of our volleyball tournament this week. It is always a challenge for the kids to juggle that and school work. After this week volleyball will be over and soccer (futsal) season will begin. The kids are super excited about that. 

We are 8 weeks into the school year with 10 weeks to go until Christmas break. Some of the kids have adjusted well and are thriving and others are still struggling. Please pray for Garth and I as we try to figure out the best way to reach them and help them.

Wyatt is busy with soccer. He is teaching some PE classes and helping to do some coaching. He helped out coaching and reffing volleyball and is also coaching soccer.

Sophie is coaching Grades 3,4,and 5 soccer. She is doing great with that. That girl! Always prepared. You just give her a whistle and she is ready to take charge.

Emma is in a band and preparing for some upcoming performances. She has such a beautiful voice, and blesses so many people with her gift.

Garth is coaching the High school girls in volleyball and both Emma and Sophie (along with 3 other dorm girls) are on his team. He is really good at that.

Cale just got accepted to an Indonesian soccer team. (PU Junior). He is so excited to be following in his big brother's footsteps.

I am helping to organize a Women's Retreat that is happening this weekend. I enjoy that, and love the time to get to know other ladies serving the Lord just like me. Pray for a great time of refreshment and fellowship. There will be 86 ladies coming here to Sentani for the retreat. 

Otherwise we are all doing well. Healthy! Yahoo! I will attach some pictures for you here at the end. Love You all. Thanks for praying.

Rachel

Rocky Start

Wow! This has definitely been the rockiest start we have ever had. It started out crazy because we got here a day before the dorm kids arrived and then the crazies continued as each kid was wracked with a nasty virus that is going around. It hit each kid. Fevers, aches, sore throats, awful coughs. It is so very hard to get rid of. It knocked each kid, even Garth and me, out for about 5 days (Well, Garth only had it about one day). Today we only had one kid home from school but we have had up to 6 at a time home. This is nuts! It is so hard to miss that much school and to feel so bad for so long. Praise the Lord it is on its way out.  Now we should finally be able to get into a normal routine.

We have a very young 7th grade girl, Sarah, that wasn't sure she wanted to be in the dorm. Her parents are translators in a village and wanted her to start school at HIS and live in the dorm while they focus on learning the language and translating the Bible. The parents have been staying here in town this whole time to help her get adjusted. But today they left. It was a sad night last night as we had the parents over for one last dinner. There were a lot of tears. It just breaks my heart. Anyways, pray for her if you think of it. They won't see each other until November.

Wyatt left on Wednesday to fly to Bali for a coaching seminar. He and about 26 other guys are there for 5 days of training.  We are excited for this opportunity for him. It will be fun to see how God uses this.

The High School Beach Trip went well even though there were so many sick kids. It was beautiful weather with amazing sunsets. I am so glad I was there and could take care of all of our sick dormies. It was a great time of bonding, togetherness, laughs, and good memories.

Here are some pictures:

Friday

A new day and it's a Friday. That is good news. I started my day with awesome praise and worship. Emma and some friends led the singing for High School chapel. After that we broke up into groups and worked out the details for Beach Trip. I am so excited about that!! I get to go again this year. In case you don't know what I am talking about I will tell you. Next Wed. all the Seniors will go out to this amazing beach (It is an hour drive and then a 40 minute boat ride). The Seniors will set up all the tarps and dig the bathroom holes (Haha. I bet I just lost a few of you there, huh?) and set up the lanterns etc. Then on Thursday the rest of the High School, teachers, leaders and a nurse will join them. We will all be there until Saturday. It is such a fantastic way to start the school year. Such a great time of bonding and togetherness, playing guitar and singing around a bonfire while we watch the sun set over the water.... want to come?

After chapel Garth and I went over to see the house Wyatt is staying in. I took a few pictures so you could picture it in your mind. It is really nice and has a beautiful view.

Then we got a phone call from the school that Sophie was in the office sick. We brought her home and now she is sleeping. Pray that she gets over it quickly and that it is nothing contagious.

Thank you for all of you that prayed for Sarah. (Laurie M. you made me cry. Thank you for caring so much! I can't wait to show her your email). I can't tell how she is doing. She did get up and go to school today, so that is good. Keep praying.

Love you

Rachel

Thursday

Today is Thursday and we just picked up the last of the dorm kids from the airport this morning. One of the new girls, her name is Sarah, wouldn't get out of the van. She was just sitting in there crying. She is very young and only in Grade 7. Her Mom and Dad are here as well. She told her Mom not to unpack her stuff because she wasn't going to stay. Pray for her as she adjusts and for us that we would be sensitive to what she is going through and how we can help. The other kids are healthy and adjusting well. 

Life is starting to get into a routine again. It takes awhile to get over that feeling of always being behind.  The kitchen is probably my greatest frustration right now. I have been having such trouble with my stove and oven over the last year. Tuesday they decided to take it all apart to "fix it." However, after a day of working, they did not fix it and they broke the oven door. I do have a small oven that I have been using instead but it is so small that most of my pans don't fit. Haha. Life overseas. Oh well. We will survive.

I am including some pictures of some of the kids so you can get to know them.

Hannah

Seun

Daniel S

Daniel D

Morgan

Some crazy kids

Sarah

Yohan

We Made It!

We are in Indonesia! The trip went fairly smoothly, just long. Most of our barang (stuff) got through fine. All except for our iphones. The man at Customs took some and said we were only allowed to have two. Crazy! Hahaha. Always something. All I wanted was to see Wyatt's face and squeeze him tight. He did well here by himself but was quite lonely. When we all got back to the house he exclaimed, "The house is so vibrant now." He has been playing a lot of soccer, in tournaments winning and losing. He is being a reflective light of God's love to the kids he is playing with. It is amazing to see.

We hit the ground running. I was immediately overwhelmed with the burden of tasks: SO MUCH TO DO. But, God really calmed my heart. Instead of scurrying around like a chicken with its' head cut off, I sat. I sat with  Wyatt and listened to his stories. I enjoyed the last day of us as a family before everything changed. I wanted to just soak this in instead of missing it with my busyness. And it was sweet.

We had a nice welcome for the dorm kids as they came and a dinner with their families. Today is the second day of school. The dorm was in a bit of disarray when we got here- dead lizards in the shower, termite damage in multiple places, a cockroach or two, lights out, faucets broken, a faulty stove... ARG! I keep telling myself, deep breath. Just take a deep breath. Today workers are supposed to come and take my stove all apart and try to fix it, again. So I decided that I will "celebrate" the possibility of finally having a working stove. SO,today I am going to spend time with a dear friend of mine and get caught up on life. That will be fun.

Well, we are off to take one of the Moms to the airport. Thanks for all of your prayers. You know we need it. keep them coming.

Love

Rachel

Tonight's the Night

Each time that I was in the hospital in labor I would take comfort in the thought that millions of women all around the world have gone through this, survived, and lived to tell about it. If they could do it, then I could too.

Well, that similar thought has been in my mind these last few weeks. Here I am. The mother of a Graduate. Tonight is Graduation. Millions of parents have been where I am, gotten through it, and lived to talk about it. If they can do it, then I can too. Right?

I just don't feel ready.But maybe you never do. I don't know. This is my first time. And I am the luckiest of all because Wyatt is choosing to do his gap year here in Papua. He won't be living with us but I will be able to see him. To get my hugs in when I am feeling low. So, then why is this day making me so sad? I think it is because I  know that life as we have known it for almost 18 years is about to change. Things will never be the same. He will start making memories without us.

I know in my head that this is what we have been preparing him for. The whole idea of giving him roots and wings. My heart is just having a hard time with the wings part.

He is a strong kid. He is a good kid. He is my kid, and I guess I just want to hold on to him a little bit longer. But, he is big now. Really big. Loads taller than me. And I have to remember that my faith is even bigger than my fears. And my God is mighty. He will never forget to watch out for Wyatt. He will never neglect to notice when he needs help. He will never decide to withhold comfort from His hurting child.He will be there. I know it. I can count on it. 

It is time for a new chapter, brand spanking new. There is so much potential, so much adventure ahead. Do I really want to hold him back? No, I don't. But I do want to hug him a bit tighter, and tell him 1400 more times how special I think he is. Just to make sure he knows. And pray more fervently. That is the key, truly the only way that I can allow those wings to take him away. Prayer. Knowing that all of our prayers are surrounding Wyatt and all these Graduates, is what allows us to give them completely over to God and trust them into His care. 

I am going to try. And if I can try to do it, then maybe you can too.

Final Week of School

This is the week where the days seem shorter and go by more quickly than usual. SO MUCH TO DO!!!! I am sure most of you know that Wyatt is graduating from High school on Thursday May 26th. He has chosen to do his gap year year in Indonesia. We were not sure how he was going to get a visa to stay. Usually a student is no longer under their parents visa once they are not a student. But God is good and worked this out in such a creative way. When we went for fingerprinting last Monday, the power was out. We waited awhile and thought that we would just have to come back the next day. After some time, we were handed some forms to sign and told that we could leave. They would just use our fingerprints from last year and they approved a visa for all 6 of us! Yahoo! God used something that is normally such a nuisance, a power outage, to bless us and answer our prayers!! Awesome!

Sophie is graduating from Grade 8. We had a Celebration Banquet to honor all the graduates last night. Such a beautiful time with parents putting together presentations about their child and bragging on how awesome they are. I love bragging on and on about my kids, so I had a wonderful time.

Today at church was the Baccalaureate service for the High School Graduates. Each kid stood up and talked about their plans for the future. I took some pictures and will put them at the end.

The kids all have finals this week. This is not their favorite week to say the least. Can't wait till it is over.

The dorm kids all leave on Friday and we leave on Saturday. We will spend a few days in Bali and then head to Wisconsin for 9 weeks. Wyatt will be traveling back to Indonesia on his own about a month or so before us (He has never done this before...big prayer request). He will be back here July 12ish or so. He will be part of a summer soccer ministry called Kick Off Papua. This is one of those times when I have to just give it to God and trust Him completely.It is a long trip, but I have a BIG God.

Sooo, pray for all of us. There is a lot going on this week and I already feel weary. Pray that we finish strong. AND that we enjoy all of the moments God gives us.

Love you,

See you soon,

Rachel

Baccalaureate Service

8th Grade Banquet

8th Grade Girls

At the immigration office to be fingerprinted

Only a Few Days Left

This time of year always brings such mixed emotions. Doing what we do means lots of good-byes. It is hard on all of us but especially the kids. This is the last week of regular classes and then next week starts final exams. Thursday, May 26th, is a half-day and then Graduation is that evening. We leave Sentani on May 28th. Between now and then is a vast assortment of events and activities. 

Tonight is the Choir concert and the Band concert. Friday is a staff dinner. Saturday is the 8th grade Celebration Banquet. Sunday is Baccalaureate service.  Tuesday is a Mom's of Seniors event. Wednesday is a Parents and Seniors dinner,Thursday is Graduation, and we leave Saturday morning. Last Saturday was the Junior/Senior banquet and I will attach pictures of that at the end.

Whew! When we have schedules like this I tend to cherish the quiet moments, like I have right now. Cale and I were just reading this morning a verse in Zephaniah 3:17. It is talking about God: the creator of the universe, the One who holds the stars in His hands, who breathed life into man. That same God, it says, "He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing!"

I love reading that verse. I love that thoughts of me bring Him joy, so much joy that He wants to sing! How cool is that!

God is so good. And we feel royally blessed. Please keep us in your prayers these next few days. Pray for good health. Pray for safe travels, and great together time as a family.

Thanks.

Rachel

Just Us

So, this past week has consisted mostly of taking care of sick kids.  The two worst were Wyatt and Arnold who were sick with Malaria. Arnold is our oldest dorm kid and he lives in Indonesia but has never had malaria before. Wyatt has, but not for quite some time. Wow. It hit them both hard. Today, finally, I am seeing some improvement.

The High Schoolers had Spirit week this week. I love to see their creativity. We are winding down the school year. Only 19 1/2 more days until Graduation. (Stop it! Don't make me cry!!) Sophie was teary last night just thinking of all of the good-byes. Saying good-bye here is such a part of life. Kids graduate and move to different countries, friends go on furlough and you don't see them for a year or a missionary family leaves Indo and you may never see them again. It is hard. And it is really hard as a Mom to see the kids hurt through this time.

Well, our family goes fingerprinting on Monday. Pray about that. Fingerprinting is the time we find out if they will renew our visa for another year. We usually have no problems but you never know. We are praying hard that Wyatt will be able to stay on our visa. 

Also, I have another prayer request. The day that school starts next year got pushed up three days. Normally that is not a problem, but we have already purchased our tickets and couldn't change them. So with the date change, we will be getting back to the dorm the day before the kids arrive. So that means that I need to be extremely organized for next school year before we leave this summer. Everything we will need to start up the dorm should be purchased and ready to go before we leave. That, along with all of the normal end of the year activities and events will make these last days full and busy. Pray for all to get done, for everyone to stay healthy, and for us to enjoy these last moments with each other.

Thanks,

Rachel