Although I wasn't sure I would be glad I came, I am. The 15 hour drive was very long but Alan stayed safe and we got here and had the opportunity to rest for a couple of days and get caught up. I've spent the bulk of my time online working out our budget versus our actual spend, getting caught up with friends and family and trying to get the last remaining items handled in a country where folks speak a language I can understand!
We heard today it was snowing in Heidelberg so hopefully the mountain passes aren't too difficult for us to get through on our way back to Schönau. Today we will drive only to Northampton to spend the night and then in the morning we will go to Eric and Ellen's hotel to pick up two suitcases they are bringing over for us and then we catch a ferry from Dover to Calais tomorrow afternoon at 2:00pm. We're taking webster with us and we made sure to get his European Pet Passport (he even has his picture in it) to take with us as well. Hopefully there are no issues bringing him over.
After returning home I want to spend the weekend finishing putting the Ikea furniture together and unpacking and organizing everything. Then Sunday we'll go to church and out to lunch with the folks there. So far we've really enjoyed getting to know folks over our last two trips to Heidelberg. Now that we've moved we hope to really start building some strong friendships and accountablity relationships.
In a lot of ways I'm sad leaving here because neither Alan nor Margaret are christians and it's hard saying goodbye to them not knowing if we'll ever see them again. Alans dad is in such poor health but we're praying God will keep him alive long enough that he'll recognize his need for a savior and put his faith in Christ. In other ways I'm glad to go because it's as if Alan becomes a different person when he's here. He watches WAY too much television and he lets his mother wait on him hand and foot - like he did when he was a kid. I told him to snap out of it but it's hard for him because it's what he's used to. I end up spending a lot of time up in our room doing budgets and paperwork and writing supporters because if you go downstairs to try to talk to anyone you feel like you're interupting something very important that they're watching on TV - even if it's only the Jeremy Kyle show (the UK's version of Jerry Springer - YUK!!!).
Ah well, they take very good care of us here and are loving and kind so we'll miss them. Sometimes I feel like when I talk about Jesus it goes in one ear and out the other but I don't care I'm just going to keep doing it until the Holy Spirit does a work on their lives and opens their eyes and hearts to him. It's so frustrating when those you love can't see the truth that is right in front of them. It makes me want to take the devil by the throat and strangle him for what he's doing to people that I love. The only thing that matters to me in life to me is seeing the people that I love and the people that I meet come to know Jesus. Everything else is just "stuff" that gets in the way.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Our first week in Germany
Well, if I said it was one of the hardest weeks ever in terms of physical exhaustion I don't think I'd be too far off the mark. It seriously felt like we were going to work ourselves to death. At our apartment we have about 34 stairs outside up to the front door from the road down below (no ramp) and another probably 15 or so inside to our first floor apartment. Given I'm 5 months pregnant, poor Alan had to lug everything - somewhere between 3-4 tons of stuff by the end of the week up all those stairs by himself. We were sore and stiff every night as we crashed into bed but still praised God for his goodness and faithfulness to us for that day. The way God came through for us every step of the way continues to amaze us.
I left off 2 days and 12 hours prior to leaving. The day we left was a Sunday so we spent the day before packing and repacking the van and trailer loaned to us by a friend at our church. We barely got everything in so we have no idea how we would have made it with our original plan which was just to make a couple of trips in the car. Sunday we went to church and I had told the youth that Alan and I wanted to take them out to lunch as a special treat but they could only qualify if they came to church and they needed to be on time as well. Well we got there and pretty much every youth had shown up which is unusual given most of them have become complete slackers in the last few months and stopped going to church completely. I'm disappointed that the pull of the world is so strong and so many of them are willing to compromise their faith but they are young and they'll have to learn the hard way I guess. Ugh.
Anyway, church was good and after we took the youth and Joan and Iain out to lunch at Pizza Express at Cheshire Oaks mall. Fortunately Mihai and Simona got to come too so that was nice. Alan and I had to take off pretty quickly after eating so we could make the six hour drive down to Dover to catch our ferry. We made it with a bit of time to spare and once we got into France drove about an hour to our hotel. Unfortunately we forgot we lost an hour upon entering France instead of gaining an hour which we thought originally so our clocks were completely wrong when we woke up the next morning and we missed breakfast. Because of our late start we didn't get into Schonau until nearly 8pm and it was super foggy for about the last 45 minutes which made mountain driving really tough but we got there, met Herr Dei and was able to get his help to unload the mattress so at least we had a place to sleep that night. Alan got a few other things up like our clothes for the next day and we were so tired we didn't do much else.
Tuesday morning Alan wanted to get everything else inside and he did, 50 someodd steps at a time - van plus trailer. I felt sooo bad for him but he refused to let me help so I stayed inside and unpacked and tried to put things in the right rooms at least even though we had no furniture to put them into. That afternoon we went by the church and dropped off our trailer thinking we wouldn't need it the rest of the week and then we went to the T-Mobile (also Deutsche Telecom) to try to get phones and setup our internet. Long story short, it's not as easy as you might think as they require all kinds of information and most importantly a German bank account which we didn't have. We tried to go and get one only to find out that the banks close at 4pm on Tuesday. Who knew...
On Wednesday we focused on trying to get a bank account setup and on getting some furniture. I didn't want to do the whole Ikea thing but I couldn't for my life find a furniture store with anything in our price range. We couldn't find consignment stores (we didn't even know the German word for consignment). We couldn't find goodwill stores or anything similar. All the new furniture stores had this horrid, expensive stuff that just was ick so we ended up at Ikea. We actually found a Media Mart next door where we stopped first for a kettle, toaster, router and washing machine and dryer. Then at Ikea we got a few bookshelves and dressers. That night Alan spent the first few hours trying to get everything upstairs and then our door buzzed and we were surprised to find that Ken and Danine had stopped by to see us. We had gone to their house a couple of times that day and left a note in their mailbox that we wouldn't be able to join them for dinner but I guess that was their German mailbox that they never check so they came all the way out to Schonau to see us which was really nice. We ended up going to dinner in Schonau and having a nice schnitzel and enjoying the conversation. It was a break that we needed and it was really appreciated.
Thursday Alan put furniture together and we went by the bank to finish opening our account as it had to process overnight. We then found an internet cafe to finally check in with family and friends back home. We then met Danine at the church to get the kitchen stuff we had taken down and stored back in October and then went back to T-Mobile to get our phone and internet and about two and a half hours later finally got everything sorted. Thursday night was a long night of unpacking and putting stuff together and Friday we decided to stay around the house to do more of the same until we realized our brand new washing machine had a bad motor and would have to be returned. UGH!
Saturday we knew it was our last day with Alan and the van so we were determined to find a living room set and dining room table with chairs. Fortunately God was good to us and at the 11th hour, helped us to find what we were looking for at a good price. Unforunately they didn't take credit cards and Alan had to go to the church to get the trailer so we could fit everything in. In the meantime I walked about two miles to a local mall to try to get money out of every bank account we had. After 5 different bank machines and trying every card we had twice I sat down and prayed. I said God, we believe you led us here to buy this furniture and if you want us to have it you're going to have to somehow provide a way for us to get it. I decided to try the same cards that had been denied twice in another bank machine and was able to get 10EURO more than we needed to get all the furniture. Alan was not having as good of a time though as on his way back with the trailer he got lost and couldn't find his way back to me. In the end we both made it back, completely exhausted but knowing we now had a van and trailer FULL of stuff AGAIN, it was dark outside, we had no help unloading and Alan had to leave directly after church the next day. It was going to be a long night.
Have I mentioned how much I love and respect my husband? Honestly I think he's amazing. Not only does he treat me like I'm the most important person on the planet but he is incredibly strong - physically and mentally. He's also just a good person. Poor thing though I thought he was going to have a heart attack taking up this last batch of stuff. He was committed though and wouldn't stop and at 11pm after two guys visiting friends and leaving for the night offered to help him bring the washing machine up the stairs, the sweet lady underneath came out and asked us (in German) if we were just about done. I apologized and we decided to go to bed and just finish the rest after church. Alan would have to take a later ferry.
Church was good. Ken and Danine were in Garmesh skiing with friends so Matt preached on relationships. We both enjoyed seeing folks we hadn't seen since October and meeting new people as well. After church Matt and Tamra and John and his wife Michelle came over to help Alan get the last piece of sofa bed up the stairs then they stayed a bit to see the apartment and to chat. Alan was late getting off back to England and when I thought about how lonely I was going to be without him I decided to go as well. The drive was long (15 hours) but I was glad to be with him and he was glad I think for the company. We got into England early yesterday morning and went straight to bed, then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just relaxing with his parents at their home.
Today we gave the van and trailer back to Iain and got our car back, went to Tesco for some shopping for Germany, went by the hospital to get my paperwork and then came back to Alans parents for some lunch and to do some work on the computer. I feel so much better now that I've rested and now that my feet aren't killing me. Our plans are to head to where Eric and Ellen will be staying on Thursday night and spend the night getting our two suitcases from them Friday morning before taking the ferry over that afternoon and then driving the rest of the way. We'll both be glad I think once we're home and we can finish putting the Ikea furniture together, finish unpacking and start our ministry. We're thankful for all our friends that have prayed so faithfully for us and are so excited about this time in our lives. Chloe seems to be doing well (I'm getting fatter!) but I still haven't felt her kick yet. It's 22 weeks on Thursday. :)
I left off 2 days and 12 hours prior to leaving. The day we left was a Sunday so we spent the day before packing and repacking the van and trailer loaned to us by a friend at our church. We barely got everything in so we have no idea how we would have made it with our original plan which was just to make a couple of trips in the car. Sunday we went to church and I had told the youth that Alan and I wanted to take them out to lunch as a special treat but they could only qualify if they came to church and they needed to be on time as well. Well we got there and pretty much every youth had shown up which is unusual given most of them have become complete slackers in the last few months and stopped going to church completely. I'm disappointed that the pull of the world is so strong and so many of them are willing to compromise their faith but they are young and they'll have to learn the hard way I guess. Ugh.
Anyway, church was good and after we took the youth and Joan and Iain out to lunch at Pizza Express at Cheshire Oaks mall. Fortunately Mihai and Simona got to come too so that was nice. Alan and I had to take off pretty quickly after eating so we could make the six hour drive down to Dover to catch our ferry. We made it with a bit of time to spare and once we got into France drove about an hour to our hotel. Unfortunately we forgot we lost an hour upon entering France instead of gaining an hour which we thought originally so our clocks were completely wrong when we woke up the next morning and we missed breakfast. Because of our late start we didn't get into Schonau until nearly 8pm and it was super foggy for about the last 45 minutes which made mountain driving really tough but we got there, met Herr Dei and was able to get his help to unload the mattress so at least we had a place to sleep that night. Alan got a few other things up like our clothes for the next day and we were so tired we didn't do much else.
Tuesday morning Alan wanted to get everything else inside and he did, 50 someodd steps at a time - van plus trailer. I felt sooo bad for him but he refused to let me help so I stayed inside and unpacked and tried to put things in the right rooms at least even though we had no furniture to put them into. That afternoon we went by the church and dropped off our trailer thinking we wouldn't need it the rest of the week and then we went to the T-Mobile (also Deutsche Telecom) to try to get phones and setup our internet. Long story short, it's not as easy as you might think as they require all kinds of information and most importantly a German bank account which we didn't have. We tried to go and get one only to find out that the banks close at 4pm on Tuesday. Who knew...
On Wednesday we focused on trying to get a bank account setup and on getting some furniture. I didn't want to do the whole Ikea thing but I couldn't for my life find a furniture store with anything in our price range. We couldn't find consignment stores (we didn't even know the German word for consignment). We couldn't find goodwill stores or anything similar. All the new furniture stores had this horrid, expensive stuff that just was ick so we ended up at Ikea. We actually found a Media Mart next door where we stopped first for a kettle, toaster, router and washing machine and dryer. Then at Ikea we got a few bookshelves and dressers. That night Alan spent the first few hours trying to get everything upstairs and then our door buzzed and we were surprised to find that Ken and Danine had stopped by to see us. We had gone to their house a couple of times that day and left a note in their mailbox that we wouldn't be able to join them for dinner but I guess that was their German mailbox that they never check so they came all the way out to Schonau to see us which was really nice. We ended up going to dinner in Schonau and having a nice schnitzel and enjoying the conversation. It was a break that we needed and it was really appreciated.
Thursday Alan put furniture together and we went by the bank to finish opening our account as it had to process overnight. We then found an internet cafe to finally check in with family and friends back home. We then met Danine at the church to get the kitchen stuff we had taken down and stored back in October and then went back to T-Mobile to get our phone and internet and about two and a half hours later finally got everything sorted. Thursday night was a long night of unpacking and putting stuff together and Friday we decided to stay around the house to do more of the same until we realized our brand new washing machine had a bad motor and would have to be returned. UGH!
Saturday we knew it was our last day with Alan and the van so we were determined to find a living room set and dining room table with chairs. Fortunately God was good to us and at the 11th hour, helped us to find what we were looking for at a good price. Unforunately they didn't take credit cards and Alan had to go to the church to get the trailer so we could fit everything in. In the meantime I walked about two miles to a local mall to try to get money out of every bank account we had. After 5 different bank machines and trying every card we had twice I sat down and prayed. I said God, we believe you led us here to buy this furniture and if you want us to have it you're going to have to somehow provide a way for us to get it. I decided to try the same cards that had been denied twice in another bank machine and was able to get 10EURO more than we needed to get all the furniture. Alan was not having as good of a time though as on his way back with the trailer he got lost and couldn't find his way back to me. In the end we both made it back, completely exhausted but knowing we now had a van and trailer FULL of stuff AGAIN, it was dark outside, we had no help unloading and Alan had to leave directly after church the next day. It was going to be a long night.
Have I mentioned how much I love and respect my husband? Honestly I think he's amazing. Not only does he treat me like I'm the most important person on the planet but he is incredibly strong - physically and mentally. He's also just a good person. Poor thing though I thought he was going to have a heart attack taking up this last batch of stuff. He was committed though and wouldn't stop and at 11pm after two guys visiting friends and leaving for the night offered to help him bring the washing machine up the stairs, the sweet lady underneath came out and asked us (in German) if we were just about done. I apologized and we decided to go to bed and just finish the rest after church. Alan would have to take a later ferry.
Church was good. Ken and Danine were in Garmesh skiing with friends so Matt preached on relationships. We both enjoyed seeing folks we hadn't seen since October and meeting new people as well. After church Matt and Tamra and John and his wife Michelle came over to help Alan get the last piece of sofa bed up the stairs then they stayed a bit to see the apartment and to chat. Alan was late getting off back to England and when I thought about how lonely I was going to be without him I decided to go as well. The drive was long (15 hours) but I was glad to be with him and he was glad I think for the company. We got into England early yesterday morning and went straight to bed, then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just relaxing with his parents at their home.
Today we gave the van and trailer back to Iain and got our car back, went to Tesco for some shopping for Germany, went by the hospital to get my paperwork and then came back to Alans parents for some lunch and to do some work on the computer. I feel so much better now that I've rested and now that my feet aren't killing me. Our plans are to head to where Eric and Ellen will be staying on Thursday night and spend the night getting our two suitcases from them Friday morning before taking the ferry over that afternoon and then driving the rest of the way. We'll both be glad I think once we're home and we can finish putting the Ikea furniture together, finish unpacking and start our ministry. We're thankful for all our friends that have prayed so faithfully for us and are so excited about this time in our lives. Chloe seems to be doing well (I'm getting fatter!) but I still haven't felt her kick yet. It's 22 weeks on Thursday. :)
Thursday, 6 January 2011
We're almost on our way! :)
Well the countdown continues - 2 days, 12 hours to go until we begin our drive to Schönau, Germany - our new home. I guess I would say I am regularly a busy person. I like doing things. I don't like just sitting around. That being said, I have been borderline swamped, overwhelmed and just plain exhausted these last six months. Ever since we became appointees with Pioneers and started to plan our move Alan and I haven't stopped. Fortunately we're almost there.
Alan spent today in Liverpool working on the trailer that a friend from our church is letting us borrow for our drive to Germany. He's also loaning us his van so that we can take everything we own down. Both of us discuss regularly just how much God has blessed us in the past year. He helped to rent our home in Georgia at the 11th hour, provided the support we needed for year one through friends and family, reducing our budget in a couple of key areas (rent) and allowing the EURO to fall rather than rise against the dollar. He also helped rent our house in England to sweet friends, find a great apartment for us in Germany and so much more it's hard to not go on forever.
I spent the day tying up one thousand loose ends - packing and repacking, going to the library, bank and post office to send tons of documentation to our insurance broker in Germany and another set to the Revenue and Customs department in Newcastle. I worked on our budget, sent final necessary paperwork to Pioneers, looked into internet providers in Germany and talked to our landlord about last minute details.
Tonight I have to get our stuff together for going to Bawtry in Yorkshire tomorrow and write thank you notes to our supporters in England. That was supposed to be Alans job but he's been so busy I told him I would do it for him this once. Alan just got home a few minutes ago and he's heading out again to put some fuel cleaner in the car and top it up as well as go to Tesco to buy cling film so that we can wrap our mattress so it won't get dirty.
Tomorrow night we'll have chinese here with Linda and Richard and Alans parents then on Saturday we'll go to our friends to pick up the van and trailer then to Arrowe Park to get our paperwork before we meet the youth at the church that will help us pack our things at Mihai and Simona's and then bring them to Chester to pack everything here. On Sunday it's church, lunch at Pizza Express with the youth group and then we're off. Our ferry in Dover is at 9:20 and we hope to stay in a hotel in France that night before finalizing the rest of our trek on Monday.
The last week here has been good. We especially enjoyed going to church and seeing everyone there, visiting Alans sister and nieces and their kids in Wrexham yesterday and I enjoyed teaching my last Influence at the church last night. During my quiet times this last week I really felt as if God wanted me to speak on his second coming and on the tribulation. I also really wanted to encourage the youth in our church to get back in church and be strong witnesses for Christ in Birkenhead. I told them I know it's very difficult to be a christian in England. It's much, much easier to be a christian in Athens, Georgia but still, they can do it - especially if they stick together and encourage and hold eachother accountable. I have really grown to love this group of students. They aren't the easiest group, they have at times proven themselves to be undisciplined, lazy and too willing to compromise but for the most part they are hungry to learn, eager to serve, struggling to find their individual identities and wrestling with God. Alan said to me, I don't see how you get away with yelling at them like you do but they don't seem to mind it. I said - they love adults to challenge them, to treat them like they have brains and to not accept lackadaisical behavior. They are really talented and can change the world if they set their minds to it. I'm going to miss them - big time.
Well is blogging any different from blabbing? I feel like they are one in the same with this latest blog so please forgive my rambling. Alan and I can't tell you how much we appreciate all of you in our lives. Thank you for the encouragement, the support, the prayers. One of the things I have enjoyed the most these last few months is pouring over the prayer requests from our supporters. For those of you that have sent prayer requests to us, know that we are praying for you and we would LOVE to hear any updates when you have them. We especially like to see God answer prayers and we're keeping track so we can remember how faithful and good He really is. He is faithful and really good, isn't He?
Alan spent today in Liverpool working on the trailer that a friend from our church is letting us borrow for our drive to Germany. He's also loaning us his van so that we can take everything we own down. Both of us discuss regularly just how much God has blessed us in the past year. He helped to rent our home in Georgia at the 11th hour, provided the support we needed for year one through friends and family, reducing our budget in a couple of key areas (rent) and allowing the EURO to fall rather than rise against the dollar. He also helped rent our house in England to sweet friends, find a great apartment for us in Germany and so much more it's hard to not go on forever.
I spent the day tying up one thousand loose ends - packing and repacking, going to the library, bank and post office to send tons of documentation to our insurance broker in Germany and another set to the Revenue and Customs department in Newcastle. I worked on our budget, sent final necessary paperwork to Pioneers, looked into internet providers in Germany and talked to our landlord about last minute details.
Tonight I have to get our stuff together for going to Bawtry in Yorkshire tomorrow and write thank you notes to our supporters in England. That was supposed to be Alans job but he's been so busy I told him I would do it for him this once. Alan just got home a few minutes ago and he's heading out again to put some fuel cleaner in the car and top it up as well as go to Tesco to buy cling film so that we can wrap our mattress so it won't get dirty.
Tomorrow night we'll have chinese here with Linda and Richard and Alans parents then on Saturday we'll go to our friends to pick up the van and trailer then to Arrowe Park to get our paperwork before we meet the youth at the church that will help us pack our things at Mihai and Simona's and then bring them to Chester to pack everything here. On Sunday it's church, lunch at Pizza Express with the youth group and then we're off. Our ferry in Dover is at 9:20 and we hope to stay in a hotel in France that night before finalizing the rest of our trek on Monday.
The last week here has been good. We especially enjoyed going to church and seeing everyone there, visiting Alans sister and nieces and their kids in Wrexham yesterday and I enjoyed teaching my last Influence at the church last night. During my quiet times this last week I really felt as if God wanted me to speak on his second coming and on the tribulation. I also really wanted to encourage the youth in our church to get back in church and be strong witnesses for Christ in Birkenhead. I told them I know it's very difficult to be a christian in England. It's much, much easier to be a christian in Athens, Georgia but still, they can do it - especially if they stick together and encourage and hold eachother accountable. I have really grown to love this group of students. They aren't the easiest group, they have at times proven themselves to be undisciplined, lazy and too willing to compromise but for the most part they are hungry to learn, eager to serve, struggling to find their individual identities and wrestling with God. Alan said to me, I don't see how you get away with yelling at them like you do but they don't seem to mind it. I said - they love adults to challenge them, to treat them like they have brains and to not accept lackadaisical behavior. They are really talented and can change the world if they set their minds to it. I'm going to miss them - big time.
Well is blogging any different from blabbing? I feel like they are one in the same with this latest blog so please forgive my rambling. Alan and I can't tell you how much we appreciate all of you in our lives. Thank you for the encouragement, the support, the prayers. One of the things I have enjoyed the most these last few months is pouring over the prayer requests from our supporters. For those of you that have sent prayer requests to us, know that we are praying for you and we would LOVE to hear any updates when you have them. We especially like to see God answer prayers and we're keeping track so we can remember how faithful and good He really is. He is faithful and really good, isn't He?
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Blessings upon Blessings
Last week Alan and I decided to go to the condo up in South Carolina to try and get caught up on all the things we'd been putting off since coming home. That and go fishing (nope, not me... just my crazy husband!). We ended up getting a lot done. I wrote the 40 plus thank you notes to folks that had given support for our mission to Germany or bought a baby gift for us. Alan and I wrote up the summary for the last chapter of Entering Another's World and we wrote summaries for the first two core values of Pioneers. We did a bit of shopping, watched several Christmas movies by the fire and Alan fished while I walked around the lake. Most days were frigidly cold but it was still nice looking out at the lake and thanking God for blessing us with that getaway.
I also spent the first few days looking for places to live in Germany. I found a place on Friday that hadn't been posted before and so I emailed the landlord to find out more details. I was so excited about the property and its price that I also left him a voicemail telling him I'd sent him an email. :) On Saturday before heading home we got an email from him saying he would be willing to rent his apartment to us. I almost cried. The property isn't new by any means and the apartment is small but it has two bedrooms, one bath, a big kitchen, a living room and a balcony off of the living room. It is also only 430EUROS instead of the 700 we budgeted. With costs it will be 590. 360EURO less than budget. Praise God!!
The apartment is situated in a small town called Schönau in the mountains near Heidelberg and even though it's about 25 minutes from our church we are very excited about integrating into the German culture, meeting our neighbors, learning the language and settling in. Our plan right now is to drive down on the 9th or 10th of January but we're still working on those details.
The last few days I've spent getting ready for Christmas - shopping for last minute gifts, wrapping, shipping remaining for sale items on ebay out, etc. When we were in Seneca last week, Alan went shopping and bought my Christmas presents. I finally got something for him today but all in all I'm not thrilled with my givings this Christmas. I need to be more creative next year. We'll see how I do! :)
Tomorrow Alan and I will go for breakfast with Eric and Ellen and then I'm going out to lunch with Mel and the kids and to a movie. Tomorrow night is dads birthday dinner at Christine's. Thursday is our ultrasound. We got some scary news last week from the OBGYN that I had seen. First she said my pap smear came back slightly irregular so they wanted to redo it. Then she said the cystic fibrosis screening I had done came back positive which means that supposedly I am a gene carrier for the disease and as long as Alan isn't as well then there isn't a problem. If he is then there is a 25% chance our baby will have cystic fibrosis. I told mom and dad but they think the test is wrong because there has never been anyone on either side of our family that has had cystic fibrosis but the news was still enough for us to stress a bit and then have to remind ourselves that God is in control and He knows what He's doing. He loves us and He loves our baby and we just have to trust him and put Baby Rathbone into his loving and faithful hands.
Alans hope is that we don't have any bad news on Thursday that will ruin our Christmas but really as long as the baby's heart is still beating I don't care about the rest. It's not like if we found out the baby was 100% proven to have cystic fibrosis that we would ever consider abortion. What right would we EVER have to murder an unborn child? Would it make life more difficult? Absolutely but this child I'm carrying is God's gift to us and we trust that He knows what he's doing far better than we ever could. Anyway, it's something to pray about if you think of it. Pray we will be ok with whatever the outcome. That's my only wish.
Christmas is only four days away and then in one week we'll be on a plane heading back to England and then to Germany. Alan and I give God all the glory for everything He has done in our lives and in our marriage. We are blessed beyond measure. Merry Christmas to all our dear friends and family. We love y'all!!
I also spent the first few days looking for places to live in Germany. I found a place on Friday that hadn't been posted before and so I emailed the landlord to find out more details. I was so excited about the property and its price that I also left him a voicemail telling him I'd sent him an email. :) On Saturday before heading home we got an email from him saying he would be willing to rent his apartment to us. I almost cried. The property isn't new by any means and the apartment is small but it has two bedrooms, one bath, a big kitchen, a living room and a balcony off of the living room. It is also only 430EUROS instead of the 700 we budgeted. With costs it will be 590. 360EURO less than budget. Praise God!!
The apartment is situated in a small town called Schönau in the mountains near Heidelberg and even though it's about 25 minutes from our church we are very excited about integrating into the German culture, meeting our neighbors, learning the language and settling in. Our plan right now is to drive down on the 9th or 10th of January but we're still working on those details.
The last few days I've spent getting ready for Christmas - shopping for last minute gifts, wrapping, shipping remaining for sale items on ebay out, etc. When we were in Seneca last week, Alan went shopping and bought my Christmas presents. I finally got something for him today but all in all I'm not thrilled with my givings this Christmas. I need to be more creative next year. We'll see how I do! :)
Tomorrow Alan and I will go for breakfast with Eric and Ellen and then I'm going out to lunch with Mel and the kids and to a movie. Tomorrow night is dads birthday dinner at Christine's. Thursday is our ultrasound. We got some scary news last week from the OBGYN that I had seen. First she said my pap smear came back slightly irregular so they wanted to redo it. Then she said the cystic fibrosis screening I had done came back positive which means that supposedly I am a gene carrier for the disease and as long as Alan isn't as well then there isn't a problem. If he is then there is a 25% chance our baby will have cystic fibrosis. I told mom and dad but they think the test is wrong because there has never been anyone on either side of our family that has had cystic fibrosis but the news was still enough for us to stress a bit and then have to remind ourselves that God is in control and He knows what He's doing. He loves us and He loves our baby and we just have to trust him and put Baby Rathbone into his loving and faithful hands.
Alans hope is that we don't have any bad news on Thursday that will ruin our Christmas but really as long as the baby's heart is still beating I don't care about the rest. It's not like if we found out the baby was 100% proven to have cystic fibrosis that we would ever consider abortion. What right would we EVER have to murder an unborn child? Would it make life more difficult? Absolutely but this child I'm carrying is God's gift to us and we trust that He knows what he's doing far better than we ever could. Anyway, it's something to pray about if you think of it. Pray we will be ok with whatever the outcome. That's my only wish.
Christmas is only four days away and then in one week we'll be on a plane heading back to England and then to Germany. Alan and I give God all the glory for everything He has done in our lives and in our marriage. We are blessed beyond measure. Merry Christmas to all our dear friends and family. We love y'all!!
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
The middle of December already - whew
Where does time go? Away I guess. It feels like yesterday that we were getting ready for my first baby shower but in reality it was two weeks ago. When I sit back and think of all the things we've accomplished since Alan and I have been home I get tired. So I don't forget, this is a partial list:
• Sent out support letter to about 150 people to try and raise our remaining support for Germany
• Had my aunt Polly and uncle Ron down for about five days from Pennsylvania for a nice visit
• Attended my first baby shower for Baby Rathbone thrown by my sister Christine, my sister LeeAnne and my best friend Melody.
• Spoke at a missions conference at Watkinsville First Baptist Church about our plans for Germany
• Attended bible studies each Sunday and Monday night at my parents house
• Alan worked for a little over a week at my sister Christine's re-tiling her kitchen and bathroom floors due to cracks in some of the tiles, worked on the transformation of the garage into a playroom and helped with putting shelving and making the attic much more useable.
• Had my uncle Ed, cousins Mark and Tammy and their daughter Sierra down from California for about five days
• Attended a fundraiser held by Christine for our mission to Germany at her shop down in Madision with dinner after
• Helped with the annual Christmas dinner party at my parents for about fifty people this year in both their bible studies
• Helped with the International Friends Thanksgiving lunch at Lat and Linda's up in Elberton
• Alan made wonderful handmade gifts for the family for Christmas (can't say what they are cause they may read this before Christmas!)
• Celebrated my 40th birthday with my best friend for lunch out at Rafferty's, lunch the following day and shopping with my sweetheart Alan and dinner with the family
• Celebrated Alan’s 47th birthday
• Went to lunch and out to coffee with several of my sweet college girls
• Alan went to a twice weekly breakfast meeting/book club with dad and friends of his
• Spent time hanging out with my precious two nieces
• Alan got a piece of steel in his eye after hanging a ceiling fan for Christine and had to go to the eye doctor to get it out
• Mary got a chest infection on top of pregnancy sinusitis on top of regular allergy issues and had to go to a specialist to get on antibiotics
• Mary went to an OBGYN to have blood drawn and a scan done to check on baby Rathbone
• Mary got approved for Medicaid for doctor visits in case we decide to have our baby in America
• Alan and I went to the lake twice for a few days to unwind and go fishing
• We ate about 100 meals together as a family which were all delicious
• Alan worked with dad making duck boxes and helping to fix a half dozen things that were broken around my parents house
• Mary helped give computer lessons to mom and Uncle Ed
• Alan helped work on and clean up dads boat to be sold and Mary listed it on boat selling sites
• Mary bought maternity clothes, returned stuff from the shower and bought other things from gift cards given
• AND finally… we sold and packaged about two dozen things on EBay and Craigslist including all my silver and china to raise funds for Germany.
In our last two weeks here we need to:
• write about forty thank you notes
• sort out health insurance for Germany
• sort out a place to live in Germany
• write up summaries for the last chapter in Entering Another's World and the core values for Pioneers
• Alan will finish up the work he started at Christine’s, do work for Lee Anne and help dad replace the front to pillars on the porch that have rotted
• We’ll celebrate dads birthday
• I'll go out for a couple of day trips with Melody and the kids as I haven't been able to see much of them at all
• We'll go to the doctors on the 23rd to find out the sex of our baby and make sure everything is good to go. We will find out the same day, same time as my sister Christine and her husband Russ. We'll reveal on Christmas morning! :)
• AND last but not least we'll celebrate Christmas and the birth of our savior and King, Jesus
It's been a great 6 and 1/2 weeks - only two weeks to go. I'm tired, did I say that already?? hehe :)
• Sent out support letter to about 150 people to try and raise our remaining support for Germany
• Had my aunt Polly and uncle Ron down for about five days from Pennsylvania for a nice visit
• Attended my first baby shower for Baby Rathbone thrown by my sister Christine, my sister LeeAnne and my best friend Melody.
• Spoke at a missions conference at Watkinsville First Baptist Church about our plans for Germany
• Attended bible studies each Sunday and Monday night at my parents house
• Alan worked for a little over a week at my sister Christine's re-tiling her kitchen and bathroom floors due to cracks in some of the tiles, worked on the transformation of the garage into a playroom and helped with putting shelving and making the attic much more useable.
• Had my uncle Ed, cousins Mark and Tammy and their daughter Sierra down from California for about five days
• Attended a fundraiser held by Christine for our mission to Germany at her shop down in Madision with dinner after
• Helped with the annual Christmas dinner party at my parents for about fifty people this year in both their bible studies
• Helped with the International Friends Thanksgiving lunch at Lat and Linda's up in Elberton
• Alan made wonderful handmade gifts for the family for Christmas (can't say what they are cause they may read this before Christmas!)
• Celebrated my 40th birthday with my best friend for lunch out at Rafferty's, lunch the following day and shopping with my sweetheart Alan and dinner with the family
• Celebrated Alan’s 47th birthday
• Went to lunch and out to coffee with several of my sweet college girls
• Alan went to a twice weekly breakfast meeting/book club with dad and friends of his
• Spent time hanging out with my precious two nieces
• Alan got a piece of steel in his eye after hanging a ceiling fan for Christine and had to go to the eye doctor to get it out
• Mary got a chest infection on top of pregnancy sinusitis on top of regular allergy issues and had to go to a specialist to get on antibiotics
• Mary went to an OBGYN to have blood drawn and a scan done to check on baby Rathbone
• Mary got approved for Medicaid for doctor visits in case we decide to have our baby in America
• Alan and I went to the lake twice for a few days to unwind and go fishing
• We ate about 100 meals together as a family which were all delicious
• Alan worked with dad making duck boxes and helping to fix a half dozen things that were broken around my parents house
• Mary helped give computer lessons to mom and Uncle Ed
• Alan helped work on and clean up dads boat to be sold and Mary listed it on boat selling sites
• Mary bought maternity clothes, returned stuff from the shower and bought other things from gift cards given
• AND finally… we sold and packaged about two dozen things on EBay and Craigslist including all my silver and china to raise funds for Germany.
In our last two weeks here we need to:
• write about forty thank you notes
• sort out health insurance for Germany
• sort out a place to live in Germany
• write up summaries for the last chapter in Entering Another's World and the core values for Pioneers
• Alan will finish up the work he started at Christine’s, do work for Lee Anne and help dad replace the front to pillars on the porch that have rotted
• We’ll celebrate dads birthday
• I'll go out for a couple of day trips with Melody and the kids as I haven't been able to see much of them at all
• We'll go to the doctors on the 23rd to find out the sex of our baby and make sure everything is good to go. We will find out the same day, same time as my sister Christine and her husband Russ. We'll reveal on Christmas morning! :)
• AND last but not least we'll celebrate Christmas and the birth of our savior and King, Jesus
It's been a great 6 and 1/2 weeks - only two weeks to go. I'm tired, did I say that already?? hehe :)
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Disney, Mission Conferences and a busy week ahead
Well the last week was really special for us. Alan and I were treated to five days down at Disney World over Thanksgiving and I got to take Alan to Epcot, Magic Kingdom and finally Animal Kingdom on Friday. I think we all loved Animal Kingdom the most. It was just amazing. It's like being on a real safari in Africa minus the 25 hour airplane flight. We also loved being with precious Charlotte and Lily Kate who are such amazing little troopers. We walked Charlotte all over the parks and she smiled and laughed and did her best to pose for about one thousand pictures. She especially enjoyed meeting the Disney Characters. We're hilarious as a family all taking pictures on five different cameras of exactly the same shot. It's not like we don't share photos in our family lol.
My birthday the week before was really special. I promise you I don't feel 40 years old so I prefer the 2nd anniversary of my 39th birthday. It's funny how you go your whole life wondering what turning 40 will be like and then it come and goes and it's really not a big deal at all! We drove down to Florida on Monday and drove back on Saturday in time to watch the Georgia/Georgia Tech football game. It was a close game with us scoring and then them scoring and we managed to pull it off in the end thank goodness. At least this gives us a hope of going to a bowl game at the end of the year.
Alan and I also had to prepare for a missions conference that was today at Watkinsville First Baptist. Alan and I spoke during both Sunday school services and other than me coming down with a cold overnight and having a sore throat we thought it went well. Since being home I've just rested and slept and so hopefully I'll feel better soon. I was sad to hear that my best friends grandma died this week. Fortunately she was 91 and has a really good life but I know it was sad for Vivian and for Melody and the family. I hated losing my grandma.
This week is busy with Alans birthday, Christine's christmas party at her shop in Madison and my baby shower on Saturday at the church. I still don't believe I'm pregnant but these constant pains I have remind me that something is definitely different with this body of mine! :) Today we were told by two different couples that we were having a boy. Maybe God will surprise us and it'll be a girl but I'm beginning to think a girl will have to be second :). Me thinking about our second child makes Alan laugh but you never know - God has certainly been good and faithful so far!
My birthday the week before was really special. I promise you I don't feel 40 years old so I prefer the 2nd anniversary of my 39th birthday. It's funny how you go your whole life wondering what turning 40 will be like and then it come and goes and it's really not a big deal at all! We drove down to Florida on Monday and drove back on Saturday in time to watch the Georgia/Georgia Tech football game. It was a close game with us scoring and then them scoring and we managed to pull it off in the end thank goodness. At least this gives us a hope of going to a bowl game at the end of the year.
Alan and I also had to prepare for a missions conference that was today at Watkinsville First Baptist. Alan and I spoke during both Sunday school services and other than me coming down with a cold overnight and having a sore throat we thought it went well. Since being home I've just rested and slept and so hopefully I'll feel better soon. I was sad to hear that my best friends grandma died this week. Fortunately she was 91 and has a really good life but I know it was sad for Vivian and for Melody and the family. I hated losing my grandma.
This week is busy with Alans birthday, Christine's christmas party at her shop in Madison and my baby shower on Saturday at the church. I still don't believe I'm pregnant but these constant pains I have remind me that something is definitely different with this body of mine! :) Today we were told by two different couples that we were having a boy. Maybe God will surprise us and it'll be a girl but I'm beginning to think a girl will have to be second :). Me thinking about our second child makes Alan laugh but you never know - God has certainly been good and faithful so far!
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
The days are packed but filled with fun...
Leave it to the Abney clan to have something scheduled almost every single minute of every single day while we're here. Ok it's not that bad but it's pretty crazy nevertheless! :)
Today for example I need to do about ten things for Pioneers, go to Kohl's to buy some Christmas presents with my 30% off coupon and my Kohl's cash, meet Melody for lunch, play with my nieces this afternoon then make dinner for the family tonight. Yesterday I met Patti for breakfast, had language study for two hours with Brita, made lunch for dad and Alan back at the house, worked out with mom, watched Charlotte and Lily so Christine could catch up and then went to bible study. This weekend we are going to go to Elberton to help with the International Friends Thanksgiving meal at Lat and Linda's, teaching Sunday school on Sunday then driving to Walt Disney World for the Thanksgiving week.
Tomorrow I turn the big 4 0. It's so weird as you grow up thinking, what's it gonna be like when I turn 40 and now I know. It's absolutely no different from turning 39 or 38 or 37 or 36. You feel old in some ways but young at heart. You feel like you haven't even started your life yet. I'm going to be 40 and 13 weeks pregnant. Ahh - craziness! Although I've wanted to have a family for many years the whole idea of being pregnant kind'of freaked me out. Similar to turning 40 I guess but really being pregnant hasn't been that big of a deal. I've been tired and a bit sick, probably more emotional than normal although you'd have to ask Alan about that and I've gained about 3 pounds. My clothes fit differently but it's been fun picking out maternity clothes and not beating myself up when I'm actually starving at meals. Well starving is really a strong word so I'll say really, really hungry. When I play with Charlotte and Lily I think, hey I can do this but then I get to go home after only a few hours so probably it's going to be completely exhausting but totally rewarding but I'm looking forward to it.
Germany is something else. It's hard to get excited when you haven't found a place to live, you don't have all the support needed to go, you have so many logistics to work out you're not sure where to begin and oh yeah, you need to learn a completely different language in order to communicate. German lessons yesterday were hard. Brita kept saying, it's pronounced like this - not like how you're saying it and to be honest I couldn't hear any difference! Ah well, hopefully it will come with time. Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever going to feel settled in a place again. My whole life has felt like one big preparation for something else. I'm ready to plant some roots and maybe we can do that in Germany although being back home sure is nice!
Please keep us in your prayers over the next few weeks that things will come together. We are having a great time and the days are packed with fun but it's also a bit overwhelming just how many things are coming up. God has blessed us beyond words with loving family and friends, a great church and hope for the future. That's more than I can say for so many people so really we have nothing to complain about - only things to be thankful for.
Today for example I need to do about ten things for Pioneers, go to Kohl's to buy some Christmas presents with my 30% off coupon and my Kohl's cash, meet Melody for lunch, play with my nieces this afternoon then make dinner for the family tonight. Yesterday I met Patti for breakfast, had language study for two hours with Brita, made lunch for dad and Alan back at the house, worked out with mom, watched Charlotte and Lily so Christine could catch up and then went to bible study. This weekend we are going to go to Elberton to help with the International Friends Thanksgiving meal at Lat and Linda's, teaching Sunday school on Sunday then driving to Walt Disney World for the Thanksgiving week.
Tomorrow I turn the big 4 0. It's so weird as you grow up thinking, what's it gonna be like when I turn 40 and now I know. It's absolutely no different from turning 39 or 38 or 37 or 36. You feel old in some ways but young at heart. You feel like you haven't even started your life yet. I'm going to be 40 and 13 weeks pregnant. Ahh - craziness! Although I've wanted to have a family for many years the whole idea of being pregnant kind'of freaked me out. Similar to turning 40 I guess but really being pregnant hasn't been that big of a deal. I've been tired and a bit sick, probably more emotional than normal although you'd have to ask Alan about that and I've gained about 3 pounds. My clothes fit differently but it's been fun picking out maternity clothes and not beating myself up when I'm actually starving at meals. Well starving is really a strong word so I'll say really, really hungry. When I play with Charlotte and Lily I think, hey I can do this but then I get to go home after only a few hours so probably it's going to be completely exhausting but totally rewarding but I'm looking forward to it.
Germany is something else. It's hard to get excited when you haven't found a place to live, you don't have all the support needed to go, you have so many logistics to work out you're not sure where to begin and oh yeah, you need to learn a completely different language in order to communicate. German lessons yesterday were hard. Brita kept saying, it's pronounced like this - not like how you're saying it and to be honest I couldn't hear any difference! Ah well, hopefully it will come with time. Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever going to feel settled in a place again. My whole life has felt like one big preparation for something else. I'm ready to plant some roots and maybe we can do that in Germany although being back home sure is nice!
Please keep us in your prayers over the next few weeks that things will come together. We are having a great time and the days are packed with fun but it's also a bit overwhelming just how many things are coming up. God has blessed us beyond words with loving family and friends, a great church and hope for the future. That's more than I can say for so many people so really we have nothing to complain about - only things to be thankful for.
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