Greetings!!! and Merry Christmas!!!
Well, it has been a crazy past few weeks of preparing to embark on our adventure to the DR. Just wanted to give a recap to those who didn't know our plans and what we've been up to for the past few weeks. I will try to give you some of the highlights.
Right after Thanksgiving we went out to Palmer Lake, Colorado for our training at MTI (Missionary Training International) for three weeks. We weren't really sure what to expect for this time but it surpassed anything we thought it would do to prepare us for our time in the DR. The program was called SPLICE which stood for...
Spiritual
Personal
Lifestyle
Interpersonal
Cultural
Endure/Enjoy
The time spent there was wonderful and couldn't imagine going to the DR without it. It is very hard to explain but it really helped strengthen us (spiritually) individually, as well as a family. Jenna was in her own class and learned some of the same stuff that we did. One of the first things that we all learned was the pair o' ducks (paradox). This was helpful for Jenna to verbalize some of the things she was feeling (as well as us). This paradox is when we are experiencing something (like leaving) and we have both good and bad feelings about the same thing....a "yay" duck and a "yuck" duck. We learned it's ok to have both feelings about the same thing and it's ok to talk about it. We are leaving all of our friends, family, pets, and things we know (Yuck Duck), but we are going to a new place to explore, with friends we have there already, and new friends to make with many new unknown adventures (Yay Duck!). That reminds me of a joke...a duck walks into a pharmacy and asks for chap stick. "Will that be cash or charge?" says the cashier. "Just put it on my bill!" says the duck. Anyway, the pair o' ducks has been very helpful in talking about our transition to the DR.
We did also talk about this transition time into a new culture and what it looks like and how we cross the transition "bridge" at different times and at different speeds. The transition bridge involves 5 stages: Settled, Unsettled, Chaos, Resettled, and New Settled. This picture is Jenna in "Chaos" in a illustration with her "family" that is going through this cultural transition. As you may see, as we go through the chaotic times of this transition we need help from those within our family as well as outside help too (thanks for those of you who are helping and will help us during this transition time).
We made some wonderfully awesome new friends also. There were about 29 family units (some families with lots of kids and some individuals). We got to spend a lot of time getting to know them, learning with them, and hanging out with them. We also had growth groups each week which were very helpful to spend time with others, men for Darren and women for Becky. These friends are also going through the same things as far as leading our family in this challenging transition. It was very encouraging to spend time with people who are "homeless, jobless, and leaving the country soon." It is great to think that we have friends that are going to be all over the world (Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Spain, France, South Africa, China, Cambodia, and even the DR...to name a few). We will truly miss all of these friends, but will be in contact for love and support as we go into the world.
During the weekends we were able to spend some time as a family and with others at MTI. We got to go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, snowboarding at Breckenridge, see our friends in Denver, and hang out in Denver. This was a good time to learn how to spend time as a family. We enjoyed this time very much.
Our friend "Sita"(who will be with us in the DR) at the Olympic Training Center.
Garden of the Gods
After MTI we have been spending time with family. We have been in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. It has been great being able to see our parents for more than just a day or two at a time and then be gone for months. We celebrated "cousins" Christmas in Wisconsin this past weekend and had a stupendous time, hanging out, playing basketball, playing games, eating, opening presents and seeing a Dancing Horse Show.
Our plans? Well, we are celebrating Christmas with family today and tomorrow and then 2 days of packing and then....we head to Chicago and fly out on the 29th. We do have an overnight layover at Newark and then arrive in the DR on the 30th! We are very excited about this new time, yet we still have a lot of "yuck" ducks in leaving all of our friends and family. But we know this is what God wants us to do and are open to what He has in store for us. Can't wait to see. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers...and don't forget us! Why doesn't Santa Claus have any weeds in his garden? Because all he does is "HO, HO, HO."
Please, remember the real reason for Christmas.
May God richly bless all of you during this wonderful season of celebrating our Savior's birth!
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