Leaving Home

I've kept up with the blog as we've traveled, but I haven't had consistent access to wifi. I'll post what I've written even thought these days are past. Enjoy our journey with us!

 July 18, 2016

We're on our way! The past weeks have been a flurry of sorting, packing, cleaning, and saying goodbye. We could not have completed everything on our own; we owe a HUGE THANK YOU to so many people: parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors. We are OVERWHELMED by the time, energy and encouragement you shared with us to get us out the door! We love you all!

It's all packed!

 While we weren't able to say an official goodbye to everyone important to us, I was able to spend some time with a dear friend, Gijem. Gijem attends 1st CRC with us, and she was born in Indonesia. She taught me to cook an Indonesian dish a few years back (although I didn't make it nearly as often as I should have), and we take time to chat at church every Sunday. She called a few days before we took off and I will always treasure what she said: "You are very deep in my heart!" What a lovely sentiment! Gijem is also very deep in my heart!!!

Out for breakfast with Gijem.

The Smits family

We were able to spend some quality family time with the Smits and the Davies families over the last two weeks. Our kids are already mourning the loss of cousin play time over the next two years as well as the lack of time with grandparents--time we've taken for granted in the past. Fortunately, both sets of grandparents plan to trek across the world to visit us once we've settled in Indonesia. We're stretching our parents in more ways than one.

The Davies family

Naturally, our time at the airport was emotional this morning as family came to see us off. Goodbyes stink! We visited for a bit, took some last "together" pictures, and prayed together before we left for the security check point. It was the perfect send off. God continues to reveal himself to us. Some say the little things are just coincidences, but I believe God's hand is in each moment. When our family descended upon the airport in Grand Rapids, not a single person was there to check in. No one! Not even at a different counter! We walked right up to the Delta counter with our 20 pieces of luggage and checked in easily. Not a single box or suitcase was overweight, a feat the Delta agent said she's never seen before! (Kudos to Mom Davies for her help in that department!)

We spent some time with our parents and my Uncle Judd and Aunt Linda who had come to see us off, ending with prayer and tears. We then breezed through security where a kind and helpful TSA agent fixed our already broken carry-on luggage handle. Thank you, Lord! The flight to Detroit was a quick 30 minutes, but in that time we learned the new headphones I'd purchased for the kids didn't work very well. A gentleman sitting nearby overhead the disappointment and quickly offered his headphones to Koen.

We also met a young woman flying with her active two-year-old. She found out we were moving to Indonesia and her eyes lit up. She had grown up in South America from ages 5-7 and raved about living over seas as a child; she promised our kids would thank us for the experience later in life. I'm praying they'll be excited about the experience long before adulthood!

Waiting to take off!

The flight from Detroit to Tokyo lasted   f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but we survived the 12 hours to took to arrive in Asia. The only small issue occurred when Brielle's motion sickness presented itself in a very physical way toward the end of the flight. Thank goodness we had an extra dress packed away in her carry on! She handled the ordeal remarkably well, especially since her beloved blankie was soiled as a result. We bagged it all up and hoped for laundry in Singapore.

Snuggled and sleeping in style.

We arrived in Singapore ahead of schedule around 11pm on July 19. Carting our luggage through the airport in Singapore. God sent us an angel at midnight in the Singapore airport. Dnata, a Delta employee, trekked all over the airport helping us get our luggage in the right place to store overnight. We finally arrived at our hotel in Singapore around 2am local time. Bed for everyone! The hotel didn't have a room for five, though, so we divided up for the night. It was hard to believe we'd landed in Asia!

Navigating through the Singapore airport.

A Big Week!

This past week was HUGE for our family!!! First off, the kids' passports arrived!

Ready to travel!

We also got the address of our new home in Lippo Village. We don't have any photos to see/share, but the email stated that it's a 2-story home with 4 bedrooms--wow! It feels good to have a place waiting for us.

Next, WE RENTED OUR HOUSE!! Renting our house out for two years was weighing on us; we weren't sure it was going to work out. We should never doubt God and his amazing plans. He planned to use a couple relocating from Ohio to answer our prayer. They lived in our neighborhood in the 1980s and attended the church right across the street from our house (they're excited to get back to worship at St. Mark's!). They prayed for a house to rent in this area once they decided to relocate here to be near family. I wish I could introduce them personally to you all! They are a wonderful, fascinating couple who are eager to care for our home. We are so thankful to God!

We enjoyed a picnic with some friends last night, a goodbye of sorts. Many families have summer trips planned, so this was the best weekend to gather together before we move. We reminisced as we sat, chatted, and watched our growing children run around, laughing together. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were chasing them around, wishing we could just sit and chat instead. These precious kids will have grown by leaps and bounds before we see them all again next summer! I keep reminding myself that change isn't bad; just different.

We have a lot of different coming our way. Please keep praying for peace for us as we pack, as we move, and as we adjust to a new normal. We've felt your prayer support! Thank you! I'm shocked and humbled that our little family blog has 700 views in the past three weeks!!! You all amaze me with the outpouring of love and support in your words and deeds. I wish I could thank each of you individually, but this blanket "thanks" will have to suffice for now.

I wanted to include my Facebook post from May 12, 2016, announcing our decision (nothing is official until it's on Facebook, right?). ;) I wish I could include the 61 supportive and encouraging comments as well as the 215 positive reactions I received in response. What a outpouring of love and support!

For as long as I can remember, I've sung songs in church, in school, and with the radio promising God I'll go where he sends me, all the while staying comfortably in my West Michigan bubble. I've read stories in the Bible of those who heard God's direction and followed, trusting His plan. In the last 3 months God has made it evident to our family that it is our time to follow his direction, to follow where He leads. We are moving to INDONESIA!! Seth and I have accepted two-year teaching positions at Sekolah Pelita Harapan at the Lippo Village campus.

While we are thrilled about this new adventure for our family, we are naturally nervous about so many unknowns. Chris and Cindy Bryce Kuipers have graciously answered so many questions, and we're looking forward to joining them there this July.

Please pray! Not only are we preparing to leave on this adventure, we are bracing ourselves for leaving our comfort zones--our friends, church, school, neighborhood, and extended family. We have so many details to work out that it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet we have peace about these plans having received many nudges from God that this is where He needs us now.

We'd like to rent our house out to a family so they can care for it while we are away (please spread the word!). We will probably need to find storage for all our "stuff" (let us know if you have cost-effective ideas about this). We'll also need to sell quite a few of our belongings (purging is good for the soul, right?). Pray for each of us, but especially our kids, as we move to the other side of the world. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us.

Our family has learned quite a bit about Indonesia in the last few months. If you haven't had middle school social studies in a while, you can check out a map of Indonesia here. We'll be living in Lippo Village which (we think) is about 30 minutes outside Jakarta on the island of Java. Did you know Jakarta is larger than New York City?

We will be teaching and attending Sekolah Peliata Harapan at the Lippo Village campus. Here is the link if you'd like to check it out. There is a virtual tour on the bottom right of the website if you're interested in seeing where we'll be spending quite a bit of our time. Sekolah Pelita Harapan--Lippo Village

Had you told me six month ago that we'd be preparing to move to Indonesia, I would have laughed outright. Preposterous! Yet here we are. In two months' time we will be days away from leaving Michigan to settle in Lippo Village, Indonesia. This is God's design, His plan for our lives.

I've been trying to trace back when this journey started, and I believe it started long before February 9, 2016, the day Chris Kuipers messaged Seth about considering the open PE position at Sekola Pelita Harapan (SPH) Lippo Village campus. I can only tell my part of the story, but God has been working in my heart for years. During my junior year of high school I was blessed with a trip to Israel, opening my eyes to the present-day world as well as the world of Bible times. I had traveled quite a bit in the United States (thanks to my parents for that gift!), but this trip was different. I wasn't with my parents during these 12 days abroad, and I was in a very different part of the world. My passion for traveling ignited.

Since then, I've been able to visit England, France, Egypt, Italy, and Greece--each trip a gift in its own way, I think back to my high school graduation. I was convinced I would attend college in a far away state--Indiana, Iowa, or even California. After visiting Calvin College for a weekend, however, God made it evident that I belonged there. In college, I considered moving to China to teach to English, but the plans never fully formed. Since I stayed in West Michigan for college, I thought for sure I should move away for my first teaching job. I even drove to southern Indiana with my mom for an interview. Yet after searching high and low for the right job, I found the perfect fit in Jenison, MI.

I married the most amazing man in 2000, and we chose to settle in West Michigan. Since then, we've had three incredible kids! I do remember, though, many days asking God if West Michigan was really where we were supposed to be...should I be doing more with my life? I know many stay-at-home moms wrestle with purpose and meaning, so I figured these were normal reactions to speaking toddler-ese all day. Looking back, I believe this was the Holy Spirit preparing my heart little by little.

Without going into too much detail, I looked for a full-time teaching position for the 2015-2016 school year only to come up short. I was frustrated and hurt, but God knew best. He provided a parapro job that met my family's financial needs and still allowed me to be available to my kids after school. I know that if I had landed a full-time teaching job this year I would not have been very open to the idea of moving across the world and losing the very job I had just obtained. When God closes a door, He opens a window--even if He doesn't crack that window for another 6 months.

Seth and I prayed and thought and prayed and thought about moving to Indonesia. We asked God for a big ol' neon sign telling us to stay or to go; it didn't happen. But we felt nudges--nudge after nudge. Along this journey,we had many of those proverbial doors close which prompted us to strongly consider this call. Seth had one specific day that solidified God's plan for us. He'd prayed in the morning for God to provide him with a CLEAR sign that we should go to SPH. That morning, Seth led his class in a devotion which challenged them to get out of their comfort zones and trust God's will. Hmmm. That evening, Seth had parent teacher conferences where he met a student's father who was from southeast Asia and spoke Bahasa, the nation Indonesian language. Who in West Michigan speaks Bahasa? For God to place this man in Seth's path on a day that Seth specifically asked for a sign was more than coincidence--it was providence. We've also been amazed at the number of people in our lives who have a connection to SPH, and anyone who's been there raves about the amazing place it is.

Since we've committed to joining the SPH community, we've felt God affirm our decision. Our family spent Mother's Day in Holland with my Mom and Dad, which means we attended their church. The pastor's entire message focused on trusting God's will, leaving our comfort zone, and not being fearful. Quotes/verses from the message:

     -"Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be  
     discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

     -"Our flesh encourages us to live life in the comfort zone. But Jesus calls us out of the boat and
     into the courageous zone." - John Ortberg

     -"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an all-knowing God." - Corrie Ten Boom

A few days after hearing that message, I received a card in the mail from my mom and dad, a card designed by Timothy Botts with the Joshua 1;9 verse beautifully written on the front. I greatly appreciated the sentiment written inside, but then I turned it over. My mom shared that she'd written the card out on Saturday and was stunned to hear the same verse in church on Sunday. It's what author Squire Rushnell calls a "God wink" ("How God speaks directly to you through the power of coincidence"). We've seen a plethora of God winks in the past few weeks.

At this point in our journey, we have a mile-long list of things to do before we go. Our biggest prayer concern right now is our house. We love our neighbors and want to return to this home after two years abroad, but we'd also love to have someone care for it while we are gone. We are praying for a good family to rent it for two  years. We also covet prayers for our transition--not only the move to Indonesia and all that entails, but also the part where we leave our comfort zone. We will miss our family, friends, and neighbors.

Thank you for caring about our family enough to read our blog. While I am the first person to enter a blog post, the kids plan on adding to it regularly as a way to keep in touch with those we leave behind. We hope to post pictures, too! Please be kind and gracious as we write from the heart and may not always have correct spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Even I hesitate to post publicly, for while I teach English, grammar and spelling are not my gifts; don't judge too harshly. :)