Saying Goodbye

I told Nathanael I'm not myself today. I supposed it's good intuition to know that this is the truth. We have spent the past two weeks or so saying goodbye, sometimes more than once.  In the midst of raising children, packing, maintaining a house in a developing hot country, we are facing our transition.

I am a reader. I've been immersing myself in books.  I had finished the Lord of the Rings series at 3am one day. As someone who KNOWS what will happen it was driving me nuts. Couldn't we just get to the exciting part and throw the ring into the mountain?  When do they get to be heroes? Frodo and Sam discussed this as well. Frodo specifically talked about how we weren't meant to know what will happen.

I returned one of my kindle unlimited books.  I was just getting to the exciting part. It was a mystery and I was finding out the "what" of the story that kept being implied.  Yet as it got interesting, I returned the book.  You see I hate mysteries. The day I returned the book, I realized why.  I find great security in knowing what will happen.  Stepping into the unknown is scary for me, even if it's a better place.

Jesus Deaf Church had a goodbye party for us on Friday. (thus the pictures)We are so thankful to Nancy for giving us such a lovely send off. Even I cried and I am a "after griever". It is wonderful to feel like you made an impact. I spent the last weekend cuddling kids I'll miss in Sunday school and divvying out presents for them, using up the rest of our treasures from the US.

We are saying goodbye.  Although we "knew" this for a while, we really have no clue what returning will look like. Sure we're coming "home".  We realize that we are irrevocably changed, as are you.  A year changes a person!  We may not "fit in" to the way we pictured and our friends may have changed.

And so we face the goodbyes, and hello's.  We are thankful for both. We are thankful for a knowing, not just in our heads but in our hearts and visibly that we are loved. We continue to face the unknowns and tread forward, on the path God has for us. We are slowly discovering the journey is what has value, and to love just being a part of it.

As I can't seem to get this song out of my head I'll share it here:

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! 

Joel and Heidi Kolb visit (part 3) Their perspective

If you have read previous entries then you have already heard our story told from the perspective of our hosts.  I am glad to be able to add to the story and perhaps even to give some insight into the Davis’ ministry as we saw it with fresh eyes.

One of the highlights our trip was praying for Jose and his wife.  You heard about the van breaking down on the way to the airport.  This was one of those moments that turned out to be a “God moment” because it led to our acquaintance with Jose, the taxi driver and his family.  Not only did I have great conversation on the way back from the airport, but he insisted on taking us to his house introducing us to his whole family! Jose’s wife was sick and we prayed for her. What Spring mentioned as a spiritual discussion was prompted by that experience of answered prayer. Nathanael and Spring have been cultivating a significant relationship with this couple and we were glad to have a part in ministering to them.

Spring and Nathanael’s primary assignment is with the Jesus Deaf Church.  Spring mentioned that we attended a movie night.  We do have a picture of Nathanael interpreting that evening.  This has become a significant outreach for the church.  It probably doesn’t occur to most of us that for a deaf person who has never learned to read lips or subtitles, watching a movie doesn’t make any sense unless someone interprets the dialogue.

Also, Sunday morning worship consists of signing songs with no singing.  Nobody needs to be able to carry a tune because nobody hears it anyway!  People take turns leading by signing their favorite songs and others “copy sign” after them.  Facial expressions become the primary means of communicating feeling.  This means that Bible stories are also acted out rather than merely read.  The whole body is part of communicating the gospel message.

Perhaps you already knew this, but it stood out to us in such a real way as we visited the Jesus Deaf Church that this ministry is not just sharing the gospel with deaf people, but giving them a community and the means to be able to communicate with others.  Perhaps you also knew that Nathanael is involved with an initiative by the Belizean government to service their deaf population nationwide by training educational interpreters.  This is not only an opportunity for a much underserved population, but for the Kingdom of God as well.  New Deaf communities can either form around local bars or around the local church.

Please pray for Spring and Nathanael as they plan their next term.  They are truly standing before a wide open door of ministry.  Pray for more workers to be called to help them in Belize and if you would like to invest in the work that they are doing, it is certainly a worthy cause!

Joel & Heidi Kolb