The Making of M.O.M.

In my last Q & A post about our ministry, my sweet, bloggy friend Holly asked some great questions. Apparently, it sparked some questions some others of you had.

So here's round 2 of Questions and Answers....

Amym asked....

Any ideas on what homeschool curriculum you will follow while in Africa?

Um. No. Right now we use Spell to Write and Read and I like it so-so. It's suppose to be able to be used through High School, but I think Lucas will struggle with it. So right now, I don't know. We also use Math-U-See and I like it alright. I don't know, it's hard for me I think because I used to be a public school teacher so I have in my head what "school" is suppose to look like and Homeschooling looks NOTHING like public school (which, isn't that the point?).

So, all of that to say, Homeschooling and the materials involved is still a work in progress for me. I really need to spend more time in prayer over our schooling in general. This year (starting yesterday actually) we are going to function on a year round school schedule. We'll do 6 weeks on, 1 week off. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm adapting some resources from a (very old) version of Sonlight's Grade 1 (before they even named them "Core"...yes, it's old) and yesterday went well. The twins are officially in Kindergarten and Elizabeth is hovering between 1st & 2nd grade. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how/when to get school books to Kenya. I know the Lord will work out the details, but it never hurts to use the brain He's given us to think!

Any of you have suggestions?

Beth asked....

1. How often will you come back to the states... during the 4 years I mean?

The plan is to not return to the US until after the 4 years is up. But, people can come see us at anytime! (GREAT BIG HINT!)

2. How will I be able to keep in touch with you when you are living in the wilderness? Is postal service totally sketchy... will you have interwebs access?

We will have internet access (do you think I could live without it?) and we will also have cell phones. From what I understand, postal service is not great.

3. Will you instead consider moving west with us and create a baby making Jesus loving commune with us? We can get house help. (I kid, I kid, sort of).

At this point, I will consider anything. I am not kidding. Okay, sorta.

4. Do you realize how much I'm going to miss you? And how much our kids will miss your kids?

Yes I do and if I dwell on it I turn into a bucket of tears. Thanks for the reminder.

Holly asked....

Yes, will you have internet access?

Yes! It will be the main way we stay in touch with family, friends and supporters!

Will you live on a compound with security?

From what I understand, most houses in Kenya are gated. We will likely have a day guard and a night guard. There will likely be bars on the windows. We will probably also get a (large) dog once we get there as well (our kids have already began talking about that). It's just common there to have guards, gates and bars on the windows, from what I gather.

How do the locals feel about white people there? (I know some places are superstitious)

We have not been told that there is any hostility or superstitions surrounding the people groups that we will be working with. I feel strongly that our sending organization (AIM) would have given us a heads up about that when we were selecting our assignment. AIM makes every effort to give their missionaries as much information as possible and to keep them as safe as is possible.

Will you be one of many families there with this organization or others?

Just depends on who is still there/going there/staying there when we get there! From what I understand, plans can change quickly. Though there are suppose to be other AIM missionaries in the area jobs, life, ministry changes and the Lord may change all of their plans. With us still being a year away from departure, it's hard to say how close we'll be to other AIMers. The good news is that our Pediatrician has traveled to this region of Kenya before on a mission trip and she knows Kenyans! She's promised to put us in touch with those folks. I'm holding her to that promise!

Will you get a vehicle once you get over there?

Yes, we will have to purchase one.

How big of a city/village is it?

We have a choice of 3 places to live. We will most likely choose the most urban setting. Honestly, I'm not sure what size of a city it is. Luke will probably drive out to the villages as he works with the Duruma and Digo people.

What is the main religion there?

Muslim is the main religion, though from what we understand they are not avid mosque attenders. Mostly the people are Muslim because their family is Muslim (sound familiar to our culture much?). There are also some Animistic religions as well as a predominance of folk Islam.

Emily Doss asked....

Is there a required amount of money to raise before you go? Do you have to have so much pledged in monthly support?

We are required to have 100% of our monthly support pledged by June 2012. Our monthly support goal is $7,338.

I know.

It's a LOT of money. Well above what our family lives on here. The reason it's so much more than our current standard of living is because we are not only funding our family but also the entire ministry we will be doing. Imagine having to furnish everything for your husband's career: paper, pens, gas, supplies, basically everything that makes your husband able (or yourself) to work.

Right now we are just under 10% of our monthly support goal. We have to have $38,071 in an outgoing account to get us there and set up. We are also at just under 10% of that goal as well.

One year from right now if we are not fully pledged monthly and fully funded in outgoing, our departure date will be bumped to the next Africa Based Orientation (ABO) departure date (which I think is September?). We are praying that July 2012 will remain our departure date but trusting that the Lord will bring in our funding in His perfect timing.

If you are interested in supporting us either in prayer or financial support, or if you'd like us to come and speak with your church or small group (and you live relatively close) please email me at beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com. Please put "Ministry Support" in the subject of your email.

Laurel asked....

Will you all be taking Malaria meds?

While I took Malaria meds for my short term trip to Guinea-Bissau, for the duration of our time in Kenya our family will most likely NOT take prophylaxis year round. Right now we are praying about how often/when to take meds or if to take them at all. I've thought about us taking them during rainy season (when mosquitos are more prevalent) and also having us all on them the first several months we are in Kenya (if we're already adjusting to African life the last thing we need is Malaria). But both our pediatrician and other missionaries (one of them being a pediatrician himself) have suggested that taking that heavy of medication for 4 years continually would do us and our kids more harm than good.

Thanks for chiming in with your questions. If you have more, feel free to ask. My hope is to publish my thoughts and experiences on my time in Guinea-Bissau and how that relates directly to us going to Kenya long term.

Happy Tuesday!

We had another amazing discipleship weekend (d*weekend) with our students as I watched teenage girls serve others selflessly, like never before. But, more on that later.

For now, I want to answer some of the questions left in the comments of my Q & A post.

And Noah. Babies are made when husbands don't take care of the dirty dishes and unfolded laundry.

Thank goodness Holly had a laundry list (badoomching) of questions or else my self esteem would have been shot. Heh. Just kidding. Sorta.

Here are Holly's questions for any of you who A) Care or B) Want to know the same.

Most of Holly's questions are also common Frequently Asked Questions that we receive.

Questions #1 was: What will happen to your home there and your cars and such- do you sell everything you can't take with you or does a lot go into storage while you rent your home out?

Actually, March 1st marked one year that we've been living in a rental house. We sold our house last year when we felt the Lord asking us to be completely debt free and ready to go when he said "Go." Thing was, I was 10 months pregnant and just a week away from my due date and we really didn't think Missions was anywhere on the horizon. It's a really cool story how God brought Africa back to the forefront of our minds. I should probably blog about it.

As for our stuff. Well, we will probably keep only the bare basics. The beds and dressers will probably be put into storage, somewhere. Most of them are pieces of furniture we inherited from Luke's grandfather, so they hold quite a bit of sentimental value. We'll probably also keep some of our "keepsakes" like pictures, jewelry and other stuff like that in storage as well. Everything else that won't fit into 12 large suitcases (and weigh less than 50 lbs) will be sold! Including our vehicles. Shipping anything to Kenya is just too costly.

Question #2: How long of a commitment are you and Luke making to serve in Africa?

Right now we are looking at a 4 year commitment. Of course, God's plans can change that but we feel it would be a waste of resources to go for less than 3 years. And, our first 6-12 months in Kenya will be spent learning Swahili. So, we figure why not just go for a whole 4 years? After 4 years, Africa Inland Mission (our sending organization) will require us to come back for one full year. We'll visit our families, go on vacation, see our supporters and just spend a year recharging our batteries. Or, we could spend 4 years on the field and decide we are done and just come home for good. We're not sure exactly what the Lord has planned!

Question #3: Will you homeschool your kiddos there?

Yep. That's the plan.

Question #4: What will your role be there other than to take care of your children and home?

What will Luke's role look like?

My role will be very similar to my role here in the US. I'll be the manager of our home, the teacher of our children and probably manage most of our household and ministry paperwork (at least the ministry portions that AIM doesn't handle for us, like newsletters and maintaining contact with our supporters). I am SO VERY excited that I will have house help! I look at having house help as my main area of ministry (outside of my family). AIM encourages us to receive house help as it boosts the local economy and also provides stay at home Mom's with a resource and confidant in the community.

Luke's role will be basic church planting duties. He will build relationships, hopefully harvest new believers, disciple them and then train up Kenyan leaders for their own church. How this looks in a tangible sense is still to be determined. We anticipate that there will be a very real, physical need that the Duruma and Digo people will have. Hopefully, we can build relationships with them by helping them to meet their physical needs.

If we've learned anything through this process though, it's that what we have in mind is hardly ever God's plans and to truly maintain a spirit of service to Him, we need to be flexible and meet Him where He is already working! I'm excited to see what God will reveal to us once we are on the ground in Kenya.

Question #5: Will you have medical insurance or is it a pay as you need kinda thing? Is there a good medical facility nearby? (thinking of my own kiddos with medical concerns)

Our medical insurance is paid by AIM as part of the monthly support we raise. It's international insurance so it's good at pretty much any medical facility in the world. We will be about 8 hours (by car) from Nairobi which has a couple of decent hospitals.

Question #6: Will you go through language training before you go or is it an on the job learn as you go sorta thing?

One thing that I loved most about AIM is the pre-field and on-field training they provide for us. When we leave (in July 2012) we will meet up in Kenya with every other new missionary family going onto the field with Africa Inland Mission (they have 10 sending regions - US, Canada, Brazil, Europe, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Netherland and New Zeland). Every missionary going into Africa with AIM in July 2012 will meet just outside of Nairobi, Kenya.

There will have approximately 3 weeks of Africa Based Orientation (ABO). At ABO we will learn basic and general ideas and practices of African culture. I've heard this ABO is rich and very vital to sustaining yourself in African culture.

After that, we will all disperse to our specific ministry sites. Since ours also happens to be in Kenya, we will travel to Southern Kenya and spend 1-3 weeks in a home with an African family. Yes, our WHOLE FAMILY will live with an African family. Yikes! After those 1-3 weeks, we will then move into our own home. For the next 6-12 months we will spend 3-4 mornings a week working with a tutor/translator learning the language. We will be using the LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) method of language learning. From what I understand we will record specific phrases onto a recorder then go practice those phrases in the markets and with other Kenyans. This will surely be a season that will stretch us!

Question #7: What are you most nervous about in regards to leaving the country and continent?

Honestly, there is so much I have anxiety about that I don't know that I can pinpoint just one thing. We are going to an area that has seasons with high cases of malaria. That worries me.

I will not have the convenience of a grocery store or Walmart, so that means just about everything will be made from scratch. Even bread. I'll have to boil our milk, our water and figure out how to safely wash our produce because tap water is contaminated.

Pretty much everything about living life will become more difficult and I have anxiety about adjusting to it all and having 6 kids adjust to it all at the same time. I wonder if we will be able to find trustworthy house help and/or how many times we will have to fire someone who is being dishonest or untrustworthy.

So, there's a lot I worry about if I dwell on it. But I know that God is bigger than those circumstances and He has called us to this place. I must trust that He will take care of details and when disappointments come, He will sustain us. No one said life as a believer is Christ was all rainbows and unicorns, right?

Question #8: What are you most excited about?

Again, I think there are too many things to list! I'm so excited that our kids will grow up bilingual! I'm excited to see the first of the Duruma or Digo people come to Christ! I'm excited to be IN THE WILL OF GOD! I am so looking forward to how God will confirm that He has led us there and I'll be able to be in the presence of the sweet, intoxicating, addicting aroma of Christ. I think the latter is what I am most excited about. Because I have found that when you are living life in obedience to God, living within His will for your life, His presence is almost intoxicating. It's addicting and He lavishes Himself upon us. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT. And I love that He gives me glimpses of that now.

Question #9: Do you have pets? Will they go or stay?

We do have pets. We have an undefined number of fish (because those suckers hide) and a sweet, adorable, totally amazing and lovable Golden Retriever named Brinkley (no, not after that movie). She's the best dog in the entire world and is so patient, kind and loving with our kids.

I think I will sob when we leave her. Unfortunately, I don't think she could make the move and even if she could, I doubt I could stomach the cost of getting her there. I'm hoping that some dear friends of ours who have several children (one of which adores Brinkley) will ask if they can be her new family.

I've heard that people who deny their children the privilege of adopting sweet and innocent Golden Retrievers (that their children already adore and love) end up having triplets. But maybe that's just a rumor. Wanna chance that, Noah? ;)