all is not quiet

Although it may seem as such, ( because it has been silent on the blog) Actually the opposite is happening. It has felt that we've been busy since we entered Belize (and possibly before then).

the view from one of the hikes Nathanael went on (sporting his EMM tee)

I could list all we are doing, but I am holding out that "someday soon" I will catch up on the blog.  One thing that has happened since we returned is we have had a significant number of visitors: both Belizeans and people from the US. This is fun and adds to the schedule.  I am hoping to do future posts about all of our visitors!

leaving Belize

Today I am going to focus on something that I should not be writing about.  Before you begin to contemplate, let me set the stage.

Seeing an old friend and his new baby

 Back in March/April, Velvet Ashes had a feature post about Traction. (A retreat specifically for men in missions, see link for more information and a cool video)  Immediately I was excited. I spoke to Nathanael about it and his only response was "do you know how much it costs to fly to Switzerland?" I was excited because this type of retreat fit him to a tee. No note taking requirement, lots of extrovert time and of course hiking!

they rode up the mountain in this, similar to an incline plane in Pittsburgh/Johnstown area

I prayed about it and discussed it with people from our sending church Hopewell Christian Fellowship.  People there caught a vision and sponsored Nathanael to go. Once I had the go-ahead, I sat down and paid for his tickets. My mentor and I had a great plan to surprise him, however when Nathanael inspected the credit card charges (he does this every day) He asked me why I had  a plane ticket as a charge. The cat was out of the bag!

the table is set

Nathanael left Belize to be (very) cold in the mountains of Switzerland.  He was even able to reconnect with old friends. (Who had come to PA on an exchange program 10 years ago)

at the highest place in Europe

He attended sessions, spent time in small group and counseling time.  He hiked, interacted, and played Settlers of Catan in Polish. (Everyone spoke English but the game was from Poland).  Mostly though he rested and recharged in ways that he hasn't in years. It was a time of refreshment.

Nathanael and his friends at the highest place in Europe

We are so thankful to the individuals from Hopewell that supported us in this way. Existing in health allows us to minister in health.  (physically, emotionally, and spiritually).

signing cow

Next on the radar, and an additional reason I am mentioning retreats today, is my trip to Phoenix, Az.  I will be spending 9 days retreating.  It has been helpful to have our zoom calls weekly, I feel like I have at least gotten to know some people's faces that will be at the retreat. 

I leave tomorrow.  Please be praying for Nathanael and the family during this time.  We have a visitor on her senior experience until Monday. That will be helpful at Bible study and church this weekend. If you want to be praying for me, I have the prayer calendar downloaded, I am hoping I can attach it to the Facebook post.

Thanks so much for supporting us in this way! We are excited about what God is doing

this is a screenshot of the PDF. If you would like me to email you the PDF let me know :)

Friends, Fellowship and Dry heat Oh my!!

Mid-April brought an exciting time of year for us again! We were so excited to travel with the Groffs (Tim, Julie, TJ, Simeon, and Gabe) from Belize to El Tule Guatemala. Why do you ask? For the EMM Central American annual Retreat.

a evening worship session

Chiquimula felt just as dry-hot (about 7-10 degrees hotter than what we are used to in Belize) as it did last year. We did arrive at a different time of year (last year was during March).  Trees and plants were a bit more green; so beautiful to behold.  One may get the impression that we who live in Belize are "used to" the heat, but to me the day it hit 101, all I wanted to do was return to Belize!

singing together

We arrived a day early and got to shop at Megapaca, the Guatemalan form of a thrift shop. Picking through long aisles of clothes which were not ordered by size (or color) in a non-airconditioned store just about did me in!  We found some good deals though so I can be thankful!

we tried out this "4d" ride at the mall for 25 q (3$ us) we found the ride to be lacking

It is a joyful experience to hug old friends and meet new ones.  This year the Guatemalan Vida 220 team, Jeanne and Emily Hess provided child care.  With 29 kids, 17 between the ages of 10-16, they have a big job cut out for them! Hannah Zimmerman is the TCK advocate and comes on the trip. She spends time with the kids (mostly the older ones but the younger as well). She talks them through issues and helps them navigate the unique world they all face.  It is such a blessing to have her come!

older kids getting prayed over

While we have morning and evening sessions, the afternoon time is free. A lot of time is spent either swimming or sitting in the only room with AC. I didn't not feel so inclined to hike this year, although my kids did.  My favorite time is reconnecting with friends and learning about what God is doing in their lives.

multiple games of foursquare happened here

This year we were blessed with an uneventful trip to and from El Tule!  Last year we had issues with the tires and people who came along for rides, and their visa issues.  We did listen to some audio books which was enjoyable (from my perspective!)

Monopoly Deal with friends

The most difficult part of our retreat is the goodbyes that happen. We are so thankful to be able to participate in the EMM retreat!

Nathanael found a Deaf guy at the market

A time of Retreat

This past week I missed a blog post.  I realize this is pretty unusual for me. I feel it is imperative to communicate with supporters. I think you want to know what is "going on" in our lives.

Zephaniah, Zion, Selah and Abigail rest from our short hike we took at a national park along our drive


The reason for the absence was our time in Guatemala.  Eastern Mennonite Missions firmly believes in the need for a yearly retreat.  The missionaries go on retreat per the area they are in. We joined with 9 other units (families and singles) in Chiquimula Guatemala.  Before you go thinking we were in the lap of luxury for the week, let me assure you that we weren't. The main meeting area has AC, but everywhere else wasn't.  The air was more dry, (actually much around us appeared dead) but hotter by about 3-5 degrees.

Selah and Phyllis Groff pose for a photo at Western Dairies in Spanish Lookout. The only (food) drive through in the country


The children over 10 stayed in a dorm style building with students from the Vida220 program. What a blessing for them and us. I am ever thankful for people who come into our lives valuing our children. Abigail and Selah enjoyed the freedom they had, hanging out with young adults and other TCK's their age.

Spring got a ladies day out during the retreat. These are the other EMM women serving in Central America


I really appreciated the balance in the retreat. We had a session a day, prayer time in the evenings, and hours of freedom in the afternoon.  It was a time to enjoy the company of others we can relate to. It also helps us know how to pray for each other.

The kids had so much fun with other TCK's

Some of our interesting moments involved having a van full!  Mostly of Davis/Groff families as we traveled to Guatemala.  We added two Vida people for the Guatemala leg. No seat was empty!  We again are thankful for the blessing of our van!

We had an unexpected stop when after checking the air in the tire, the service attendant busted our stem. We are thankful that there were no injuries due to the flat tire. We also happen to stop where there was a restaurant, and the kids got to jump on a trampoline. 



Of course there's always border crossing. Sometimes Nathanael and I stand back in wonder at the stark difference in our childhoods and that of our children.  Both crossing into and out of Guatemala went without an incident. I even accidentally brought in some contraband (Peppers from Guatemala).

the line at the Belizean border on our way out of Belize

Thank you for joining with us on this journey. We hope and pray you have a great week celebrating Christ's finished work in our lives.  If you're interested in what we did as a church, you'll have to wait till next week :) (too much to cover in one blog post)

 one of our times of worship

All Quiet on the Davis Front?

I just read a post from a popular gossip column.  Apparently, a reality star couple was asking for financial support from their fans.  They are missionaries in Central America.  The website ripped them up and down for asking for support.


I personally felt my stomach turn as I read the article.  Gossip columns are meant to sensationalize, and that is what happened.  I find myself very thankful that I am not a reality TV star.

Since being confirmed with both EMM and CTEN, our biggest mission is now fundraising.  When people even hear it they feel for us.  Fundraising seems to evoke many feelings, mostly because it has to do with money.  EMM gave us a book as we first started with them called the Spirituality of Fundraising.  It was so important to look at fundraising from God's perspective.

We recognize that through our own efforts, we are unable to provide for ourselves in Belize. We have to depend on others to come alongside of us.  People who believe in what God is doing in the Deaf community in Orange Walk.

We are also aware that we have to put effort into it.  One lecture at our CTEN orientation was entitled "The Big Ask".  We were taught that statistically, the best way to raise support is to ask individually. This was a challenging, yet important thing to discuss. When we were speaking at Finland, Pastor Chris taught an important sermon about all money being God's.  How timely for us to remember.

So is our house quiet?  Nathanael has been spending every spare moment contacting people.  He is using facebook, texting, email and face to face.  I have been working at thank you notes to those who supported the work on our internship.

Fundraising has been a learning journey for both of us.  I can tell you went into it green, expecting, and dreading.  This being our second time at this, I can truly say this is a part of our journey.  God has taught us so much through it.  Is it our favorite thing?  Not really.  At the same time, God has guided, encouraged and surprised us.  We are thankful to him and to you for where we are.

If you haven't heard from Nathanael (or I) don't worry, you will :). Thank you for being our friends and for supporting us on this journey.  Every little bit counts. We are so thankful for the support.

Finding retreat

This Monday we left with Nancy, Sulmi, and Danni (from the YWAM team) heading for Placencia, Belize.  We made a few stops on the way, one to the zoo. 

It was nice that Nancy stopped several times to help the 5 hour trip not feel so long.  We really enjoyed the zoo!  I also loved the artbox which had a selection of Christian books and CD's along with a bunch of beautifully handcrafted items.

At around 4:30pm we arrived in Placencia.  Why did we go?  We joined 3 other families, our supervisors, and 4 other singles for an EMM retreat.  All of the missionaries in Central America get together once a year.  This year it was in Belize so we had a shorter car trip.  One family didn't come. They live in Hondorus and the Honduran government gave them unexpected trouble at the border.  That was disappointing!

We spent 2 days fellowshipping, eating together talking and playing.  Twice a day we had sessions with Rich and Rachel Deeds who lead groups north of Placencia.  They do ministry at a place called Life Change Institute.  Nathanael and Danni interpreted for Nancy during the sessions.

We had wonderful childcare workers, some who are serving in Guatemala, and some who came from the States just to help with the children.  Our children really had fun.  The bulk of the children knew each other from Oasis and training in the summer of 2014.  It was good to be with friends especially other TCK's/MK's. 

While I am on the subject, I read an awesome article about TCK's I will share the link to.  Really it is Nathanael and my job to shepherd their hearts.  Lucianna also comes beside us to make sure the children are thought about and cared for.  I think though it helps if "you" the reader understand a bit of the world that my children live in. Saying goodbye often and struggling with emotions are common for them.  They are still unsure how to answer where they are "from" or where home is.  Sometimes they hate it here. Just last week Zion decide that when we leave in June she won't come with us.  This is just a part of the roller coaster we are all on.

We left the retreat encouraged and saddened. Saying goodbye is difficult.  It is our hope that we have raised enough funds to return by next year's retreat.  At this point we are not sure what will happen.

Thank you for supporting and praying for  us!