1 down, 2 to go, training courses that is. I’ve been in Spokane, Washington for the last week getting all up to date on one of the two types of engines that I will see in Angola. You really can't beat the student to teacher ratio of 2:1 that we had, and because of that, I got to know my fellow classmate/roommate Dan, and instructor Ken quite well. It has been a very worthwhile course, and am especially thankful for the opportunity to be a part of it.

Thankfully, it has been a week that has felt relaxing in a way because there was nothing to pack up here, and no arrangements to make with international shippers. The past month has been easily the busiest in my life. Of course no one said packing up your family and moving to another continent would be easy, but I’m fairly sure now that the dreaded part of determining logistics is now in the past.

 Next week I’ll be in Germany, and then France the week after that (that’s training courses #2 and #3 for those keeping track), then it will be back to Canada for 2 days before we make the big move.

 In the meantime, here’s a couple pictures of my time in Spokane (including one of the “Africa Lounge”, where I figured would be an appropriate spot to sit down and write this out). Thanks to all those who have kept us in your prayers. There is so much that is out of our control, it’s amazing to see how well thing have gone so far. Stay tuned though if you would like to keep hearing what’s going on with us, the adventure part is just beginning!

From the Classroom 

Appropriate Blogging Station

 

Bahh ... tired but here's an update!

Hello friendly blogosphere ... I'm here inspite of the chaos that seems to be the norm these days to give you a little life update. Here it is:

We leave in LESS than a month. Oh my goodness!

We're waiting on two visas (mine and Ethan's) but they seem well under way, and we have the most important one--Marcel's, in his passport!

We just got back from a wedding weekend whirlwind, which was essentially a trial run to see how Ethan does with long trips. Answer: he does okay and we (Kelly and my sister Erie) survived and managed to actually enjoy a lot of time together, despite approximately 16 hours of driving!

We have 5 totes totally packed, ready to ship, and one toolbox. That just leaves hopefully only 1 more tote (so long as we can purge and prioritize well!) and a fancy wrap job on some other items!

Marcel is in Spokane, Washington on a course, and hopefully, he can update the blog-world more on that! He'll be back this weekend late at night on my birthday and then Sunday, we have a commissioning service at our church!

Ahhh yes ... Sunday. That's going to be a sad day ... I'm not particularly looking forward to it.

Alright, that's the update. Sorry, not much left in me to add more. :( But here's a cute picture of Ethan, looking as exhausted as I feel, and also looking so much OLDER than 5 months! He's growing too fast!!

A moment of peace ... so I write

Ahh ... a moment of peace after a significant upheaval. So I write a blog ... while Ethan sleeps and before I discover some other task that needs to be done.

Here I am sitting in Blenheim, at my parent's house--our new temporary home. For me, it still feels like home, as I never fully settled down into a house in London--home in London was and is West London Alliance Church. In the midst of waiting, changing, seeking, and again, waiting... WLA Church has been our constant. Our community connections pastor, and longest friend at WLA, Graham said something that rang so true to me last Sunday,"I am only able to succeed because of the community God has placed around me." This is so true in our lives ... without the people of WLA, we would not be able to move overseas and pursue our dream of serving with MAF. They are our prayer warriors, our biggest financial supporters, our deepest friends, our role models, and our family. When people ask me what I'll miss most overseas, I can answer honestly, "Our friends, and our family, and most definitely, our church."

But ... the reality of life is that we are not called or commanded to live a life of comfort. Comfort would be so easy if we just stayed in London, and never left WLA... after all, where else are we going to find a better worship team, a better staff, and such great facilities? I randomly opened my Bible today (waiting for Ethan to nap) and read these challenging words from Deuteronomy 10:12-13. "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?" No where does it mention "Be comfortable."

Thankfully, some people at WLA challenge me to take action and be uncomfortable... and again, I'll make reference to Graham. His sermon this past Sunday was AWESOME. A word that rocked me to the core from his sermon was humility. Oh boy ... I don't know of too many people who aren't challenged by that word. To be humble like Christ is ... wow, it's hard.

So in humility, I'm asking you this: would you pray for Marcel and I as we move to Angola? Pray that we would be challenged, uncomfortable, humble, repentant, brave, and obedient? It occurred to me that I don't always live out Deuteronomy 10:12-13. In fact, I kind of suck at being a Christ-follower many days. I don't view it as my full-time job ... which it is, for every Christian. And, if I'm not careful, I will slip into the exact same patterns as I do here--being complacent, or scared, or proud, or comfortable.So ... would you keep that in mind when you pray for us? Thank you ... eternally.

Now that I've been all meditative and stuff, I'll conclude this blog with some updates, because I know that there's always lots to share from week-to-week. Regarding Blenheim ... it's great here. Living at my parents is a great way to transition overseas. We've already pre-packed and pre-purged ... so packing for Angola will be easier. And spending time with my family is great. My parents are so happy to be able to spend time with Ethan, and I'm so thankful for their help. Futhermore, it's so cool to see how God is working in their lives, and how they are following him in obedience.

We have a tentative departure date: October 5. Marcel is gone most of September doing several courses to help him learn more about the airplanes he will be working on. He will be in Spokane, Washington, Munich, Germany, and France. However, between his American and European course, we will be at WLA Church on Sept. 20 for our commissioning service. I have a feeling a few tears will be shed by both Marcel and I.

And finally ... Happy Birthday to my amazing husband! Marcel is turning 29 this weekend! God has been so incredibly merciful in my life ... by giving me such a great human being to be my partner, best friend, and husband. Happy 29 years Marcel ... Lord willing, there will be many more years ahead! You are an amazing father and man of God!

Moving out ...

... and moving in.

The "DRIVE" to the finish ...

WOW.

So much is happening now that Marcel has his visa, we move out of our London home THIS WEEKEND and in just over a month, leave for Angola. Yes--we'll be gone the first week of October if everything goes as planned!

And while we pack, ship, organize, purge, say goodbyes, and get excited for hellos, we want to invite you into one final campaign for an item we will most definitely need to purchase in Angola:

A MINISTRY VEHICLE.

This is a vehicle that we as a family will use to actively participate in the work of MAF in Lubango and around Angola. This is a vehicle that will keep us safe travelling to and from the airport/hangar each day, the school, and around town. This vehicle will be a blessing and a lifeline to our family.

The vehicle we are looking to purchase is already being used by another missionary family in Lubango. As they leave the field in December, we have offered to purchase their Toyota Hilux pick-up truck as they are offering it to us at an extraordinary price. We are very excited by this arrangement, as it not only gives us the comfort of knowing the history of our vehicle, but they have equipped this vehicle with many extra safety features for a family with children to travel in the less-than-ideal conditions we may run into in Angola (eg. extra fuel tanks, extra battery, etc. for long, very rural travel).

Unfortunately, a good, used vehicle with high safety standards does not come cheap in Angola ... and the options to import a used car or buy "an old junker" are limited, pricey, or just plain dangerous.

So, with all that being said, we are looking for your help to raise the $38,000 USD we need to purchase the vehicle. We KNOW this is a steep cost by North American standards, but after a lot of discussion, discernment, and prayer, we feel that purchasing a BETTER vehicle NOW will save us from having to fundraise again in a few years, save us from costly vehicle repairs, and potentially save our lives. We want to be able to view this vehicle as a blessing to bless others.

If this is something you feel you can contribute to, pray about it. We want you to feel at peace about it. We appreciate any help we can get to make this big purchase! And if you are led to give, you can make an online, in-person, or mail in donation, the same way you would with any donation for our ministry, but with one little addendum: please put the code "V95C" in a note or on the memo line of your cheque, as this directs it towards our ministry vehicle fund. Without this code, or a note specifying it goes towards the vehicle, we cannot use it towards that fund. You can give online here: https://mafc.org/missionarypages/boers/

A real road near Lubango! (This is a nice road ... by the way ... many are not this nice.)

Musings from a shed ... from the desk (iPad) of Marcel

Aug 13, 2015

I am at WIRED 2015 right now, currently locked in the canoe equipment shed, and it's probably the first time in a while where I actually can't do anything but just wait. This time, the waiting means for a group of 60 jr highs to find a key to unlock this shed so I can get out. Yes, I am literally locked in here with a bag of chips, chocolate covered coffee beans, a bottle of water, and my iPad. As Dave sets off fireworks, I figured this was good time to write a few simple notes. 

1. Camp is exhausting, but in the best way possible. It's fun, tiring, and when you sleep, you sleep reeeeeal good. When you mix that with the notice that September will be a month of travelling to Washington - Munich - France - Toronto - Windhoek - Angola, you are going to feel overwhelmed. 

2. When you're overwhelmed, it's okay to vent, cry, and whatever else you have do. You will also be able to count on your friends to help you through. I realize through this process, I will be overwhelmed many times. Jesus is faithful and will not leave me to fend for myself.

3. The word of God is true and living (as Pastor Travis has been speaking on this week. Romans 8:18 hit me this week - "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." No matter how hard this week, the next two months, next 4 years, will be, it will always be worth it when compared to the glory of Christ.

I can't wait to see what the next little while brings, and the experiences that will come with it. I know that there is a lot to give up, but a whole lot more to gain. For now, I don't even mind how long it takes for those kids to find that key to get me out of this shed. This solitary confinement (if I can call it that) has been worth it.

Prayer Update: Moving, health, and vehicle

Hi All!

This is just a quick little update, especially for those of you that keep us in your prayers!

Moving: We are currently looking up the best ways to move some of our stuff over to Africa, and also, we are moving out of our London house at the end of August! We are excited to move in with Kelly's parents, and for Erie to take over our house with some housemates! We may be trying to get rid of things (either for sale or for free--eg. books, some furniture, etc.) and we are also open to suggestions if anyone has ever moved overseas before ... what to bring, what not to bring!

Departure: We still have no definite departure date, though that will likely be determined in the next week or two. Please pray that God will work out all of the details!

Ethan: Please pray for Ethan's health. He is a happy, healthy, and strong baby (weighing in already at 18 lbs!!!!), but some regular blood work revealed some concerns regarding his ability to fight off infections. For now, it is just something to be monitored, but please pray that this will not pose problems to moving overseas, and that God will keep him in good health!

Vehicle: Thank you to those who have already donated to our ministry vehicle fund ... we haven't even started a campaign yet! Wow! After a lot of thought, prayer, and discussion, Marcel and I determined that we would like to invest in a good ministry vehicle--one that is reliable and safe for the conditions that we may encounter in Angola. Our hope is that by purchasing a good ministry vehicle NOW, we won't have to buy another one for many years. Though MAF uses airplanes for much of the work done in Angola, a vehicle is necessary for our family to commute around the city/country, to and from work, and participate in various opportunities to minister with those around us. We are currently looking to purchase the vehicle from another missionary family coming out of the field in Angola. If you would like to donate towards our ministry vehicle fund, please make sure to indicate V95C with your donation. You can donate here, by the way: https://mafc.org/missionarypages/boers/

Thank you so much to all of those who have been praying for us continuously! We are so so grateful for the prayer ... and how God works through it!

Visa Approval!

God is so good! A week and a half ago, we received the news we have been waiting many months for: Marcel's visa has been approved!

What does this mean?

• We will likely be moving in the early fall ... possibly as early as September! 
• We now can apply for Kelly and Ethan's visas, which should take considerably less time.
• The rest you can watch in our latest edition of "Breakfast with the Boers"!

But before you do, can we just share a moment with you?

When we say God is so good, we don't just mean it in a trivial way. I feel like we throw that expression around a lot, "God is good ... He did this and that for me ..." as though God is only good when he does something for us. But He is good, all the time, and sometimes in ways that we wouldn't chose, or we don't like, or that seem totally out of whack with our timing. And waiting for this visa is one of those scenarios. I was not very happy about waiting. Ask me if I thought God was good, and I would say, "Of course!" because in my head I knew that. But in my heart ... I was not feeling it.

But that is the good, and HARD, truth about the God of the Bible. He doesn't ebb and flow like our emotions. He isn't good solely based off of our actions. He isn't good based off of our human standards. He is good in all things, because He is the source of all things good, He is truth, and He is love. His goodness provides us with what we need, when we need it, not according to our plans, but according to His. 

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (Psalm 145:15-20 ESV)

Thanks so much for your love and prayers while we waited (and continue to wait!) ... stay tuned! And now... here's Breakfast with the Boers!