Family update

With the school year done for Chris and Glacier we are ready to begin our relaxing summer. Just kidding! Today we are scrambling around the house finishing paperwork and packing for our two week missions training (Pre-field Orientation) at Houghton College. The boys are thrilled to tell everyone they are headed off to college at the ages of 3 and 5! Chris and I are also excited that the conference is hosted at this location because it's where we both graduated exactly ten years ago. It'll be our first trip back since then.

After our training, we are gearing up for a full summer of support raising where we will travel to meet with churches and individuals to share about how God is steering our hearts towards Bolivia. I was pleased to hear Glacier get in on the action the other day by explaining to his friend at the park that he was going to Bolivia to tell others about Jesus. He may not completely understand the huge change that is happening in our lives, but he gets the significance of why we are going. We can't ask for more than that!


The boys have been extremely flexible with the amount of travel and appointments that our current lifestyle demands. I love seeing them become buddies and use their creativity when mommy and daddy are occupied. One thing they love to do is wash their bikes. I give them a bucket of soapy water, a sponge, and the hose, and they will be hard at work for the next couple hours. Then comes the fun of riding their clean bikes through the mud puddles they created!

Coral's cuteness has only multiplied recently. At 7 months she's sitting up, rolling over, laughing, and demanding to be the center of attention if we leave her alone for even a minute. Her bright blue eyes and her delightfully squishable thighs are irresistible, and make up for her early morning wake-up calls. But her sleep has definitely improved. After her first four months of extremely poor sleeping patterns, she has finally turned a corner letting all of us breathe a sigh of relief. We're thankful for the prayers on her behalf.



We may have our summer calendar full, but we will always make room for spontaneous ice-cream trips, camping out, s'mores and bonfires, and swimming in the lake. And most of all, we are praising God for his beautiful creation and the life he has given us.

Almost unthinkable - our kids away from cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents



Coral and Emma: Girls sticking together

Won’t it be difficult for your kids to adjust to a new home away from family and friends? Gulp. I always get a lump in my throat when asked about this aspect of our move. Our kids’ best friends are their cousins. If they had it their way, they would live half the year at "Grampy and Grammy’s” house, and the other half at “Wama and Papa’s” where the fun and love never ends. It will be extremely hard to say farewell and a big adjustment for all involved.



Wama doesn't stand a chance of
staying dry

Two weekends ago I watched my boys join in an all-cousin squirt gun attack on Wama. My mom never looks better than when she is soaked from head to toe surrounded by her nine energetic grandchildren.  Then the following weekend we spent all day picnicking at a soccer tournament where my boys just come to life making their little cousins giggle. It hurts my heart to think of taking them away from such amazing childhood relationships.



Cousin Squeeze: Glace, Skyler, & Grampy

My kid's time with their extended family is one of the first costs I count when I think about moving overseas. So why do it? With much prayer and Bible searching, we have made the decision to go despite this big challenge of leaving family and friends. It boils down to the fact that there is no better place to be than in God's hands, and this is where he is leading us at this time.  

Tickle war with Aunt Alissa
 & Uncle Alex

We also know many individuals who have benefitted from growing up amidst two cultures, and we will do all we can to help our children reap the richness of this experience. Influenced by Bolivian and American lifestyles, our children will fall into a separate category called third culture kids (TCKs). Living a cross-cultural life away from family and friends will surely impact our children to some degree as they constantly work through transitions and goodbyes. Many TCKs also struggle with identity as they try to find a sense of belonging in cultures in which they live. Because Glacier, Canyon, and Coral won't be exempt from such obstacles, Chris and I have committed ourselves to helping our children work through and even grow from the challenges ahead. We pray they will see that the benefits of being a TCK outweigh the negatives. An expanded world view, learning multiple languages, and developing a love for peoples of other cultures are a few of the rich outcomes that many TCKs experience. Furthermore, studies have shown that TCKs often emerge as adults who are able to solve problems, mediate conflicts, and can relate well to a variety of people. We are praying for our kids’ transition every day as well as those who have to see them move so far away. We covet your prayers for us, our children, and our precious extended families.

 





Getting back up



Glacier flying on the Super Squirrel

Last Sunday was my personal deadline for posting our blog entry. Throughout the previous week, I had debated topics until I settled on “spiritual growth during a busy season of life.” It seemed fitting since our calendar has been extremely full with meetings, appointments, traveling, and just keeping up with everyday tasks. Though I was stretched to the max, I gave myself credit for keeping my head above water. Little did I know that those waters were about to rise.

Chris and the boys were out swinging on the Super Squirrel after church. If you haven’t seen it, the Super Squirrel is an extremely long rope on our biggest tree with different attachments we hook onto the bottom. Chris’ latest attachment was a ski handle. For maximum fun, you run full speed down the hill and launch yourself into the air for a high-flying experience. I was inside when I saw the boys run toward the house at top speed (which is not unusual). I heard a frantic pounding on the door followed by a “Mom, come quick!” (Still I thought nothing of it as the boys often have an “important” and “urgent” discovery to show me). “Daddy’s not getting up,” Glacier yelled. My heart stopped as I gave him my full attention. I took in the information in a fraction of a second and was out the door in an instant with slippers on my feet and  a baby on my hip. I found Chris lying on his back in a jungle of weeds and just slightly responsive. Though he was talking, he was obviously struggling to piece things together. “Why… am I on the grass?" he mumbled. My questions came too fast for him to take in, and I couldn’t get a coherent answer to what I wanted to know the most. Are you ok? 


Even in the uncertainty of the moment, God provided care and encouragement to us in immediate and visible ways.  A family member who was planning on visiting that afternoon arrived at the same moment my boys had raced toward the house. Having extensive medical background, she was able to assess the situation and arrange for the help we needed. Additional family members arrived within minutes to give needed support followed by paramedics and an ambulance who came on scene shortly thereafter.  Chris received great care and was taken in without wait at a local hospital. While Chris sustained a significant concussion and painful shoulder sprain, the x-rays and head scan revealed no broken bones or any lasting injuries. I allowed myself to breathe again. God is good and he is in control. I was so thankful.

Super Squirrel with ski handle (now broken)

My thankful attitude didn’t stay with me for long, however. With Chris in recovery mode this past week, I did my best to add “nurse” to my already full schedule. Because the muscle tissue in his arm/shoulder was crushed, Chris couldn’t lift his arm. If I thought I was busy before, I had now reached a new level. I almost broke down when I had to give up running (my valued outlet) for the third day because Coral refused to nap, and Chris’ arm was still too weak to be able to hold her.  I wasn’t just ungrateful, I was angry.

As I pushed a wailing baby in the stroller around the house I felt like crying myself. I should have been so thankful my husband wasn’t more seriously injured, yet I was only thinking about how I would never catch up with the chores, paperwork, exercise, dinner, shopping and all the other tasks that seemed like an insurmountable mountain. I knew something had to change or I would only go deeper in my pit of self-misery. Though I didn’t feel like it, I made a conscious choice during that stroll to change my attitude. I knew God does not desire us to rely on our own efforts, but on Him. God, take my grumpiness, my weakness, my mountain of tasks that are too big for me to overcome.

Andes Mountains of Bolivia

It didn’t all change in an instant, but change did come. One step at a time, the mountain wasn’t so big to climb. Within ten minutes, Coral had fallen asleep, and I took the chance to run even though I knew Chris wouldn’t be able to pick her up if she awoke. Amazingly, she didn’t open her eyes until I walked back in the door - a definite answer to prayer and just the first of many to come.

We may be on a journey toward Bolivia, but there’s a much bigger journey going on in my heart. It’s a hard lesson for me to learn, but my attitude and my desire to have control are areas that God wants me to surrender. I know that the only good in me is what comes from Him. I can keep on climbing these mountains on my own and fail, or I can allow Jesus to lead me up and over them.

  

So what's happening?

Life is in full swing in the Clark home. While we are busy support-raising and traveling most weekends, we still try to make family time a priority.

Glacier is finishing his first season of Upward basketball, and Chris even got in on the action! (picture on right). Glacier is also excited to have lost his first two teeth. He worked hard to pull the second one out at school so he could carry it home in a sweet little tooth case from the nurse. Glacier also recently received a remote controlled helicopter from Uncle Tim and Aunt Te-te (Sarah). It instantaneously became his new favorite pastime and he's not bad. After maneuvering a tricky landing last week, he looked back at us for acknowledgment. When our clapping stopped he replied, "now if we only had more people here, there would be more clapping." So much for raising a humble child!

Canyon just celebrated his third birthday and was overjoyed to have two parties - one with each side of the family. The boys were in awe when I took them to a party store in Binghamton, NY. They could hardly contain themselves as they feasted their eyes on every party décor and favor imaginable. We ended up leaving with two sets of supplies for a "Buzz Lightyear party" and a "Dusty plane party." I have since concluded that one party is definitely enough for this momma. Nevertheless Canyon is a cutie flying around in his Buzz Lightyear garb shouting "to infibity and beyond!"

Coral is our "precious whittle angel" as Canyon likes to say. She is quick to give you a winning smile as long as her mood is pleasant. On the flip-side, though, she knows how to wail with the best of 'em. All my boys, Chris included, have those big ear protectors you use for mowing the lawn...except they wear them in the car when Coral is screaming. Her favorite moment to make her presence known seems to be during our Bolivia appointments. Thank God our friends have patience! A lot of people have asked me about her newest thing. As a four month-old, she pretty much just hangs out, discovering the world through touch. Among her favorite textures is daddy's hair. She coos in delight when her little fingers rub against it. It is a terrific tactile experience if I do say so myself. :)

If we are not traveling, you'll most likely find us in the sugar shack this month. Our uncle and family friends who spearhead the operation are overly fond of catering to my boys' sweet tooth. But I can hardly blame my sons when they ask for "just a tad bit more." The smell of the sap boiling into sweet maple syrup is simply intoxicating. It keeps us all going back for more!

We are welcoming the blue skies of spring with open arms and embracing a season of spiritual growth as well. We are so grateful for those who have encouraged us in this new phase of life as we prepare for our journey to Bolivia.

Spotlight on the Quechua people

My heart (Lynnie's) has been turning lately to the Quechua, an indigenous people group, who live in the Andes mountains on the outskirts of Cochabamba (our future home). While our ministry does not primarily focus on Quechua outreach, I can't help but be captured by the beauty of this people as well as their significant need for Christ. I am encouraged that Chris and I will be teaching at a school that does support missionaries who are currently involved in this outreach. I have a feeling that one day we too may be able to work more directly with the Quechua. It's neat to think that Glacier, Canyon, and Coral will be studying the Quechua language at school and perhaps grow a passion for this people group as well. The need is certainly great as the Quechua remain the largest unreached people group in South America largely due to the fact that their location is geographically challenging and that they are so spread out. One ministry that is making an impact is radio Mosoj Chaski, which broadcasts the gospel of Christ and supports theological training to raise up leaders among this people. Click on the link to check out this sweet four minute video. (Chris added the last sentence).





 Link to Radio Mosoj Chaski Video

Coral Joy

Our sweet baby girl arrived on Monday, November 18th, 2013, weighing 8lbs 4oz and measuring 20¼ inches long. While we were elated at first, our joy quickly turned to alarm. Most newborn babies have a pulse ranging from 120-160 beats per minute.  Coral’s heart rate was ranging from 70 to 100.  The doctors and nurses were concerned that this might be an indication of something serious.When we began to panic, many of our friends and family members committed to praying for Coral, while others watched our kids and took time off work to help us out. After two EKGs, one x-ray, and a trip to the cardiologist in Syracuse, we are thrilled to say that her heart rate is increasing. According to the cardiologist, there is no problem. She is a perfectly normal little girl. God has blessed Chris with a job that will allow him to take a few more days off from work that will allow him to help Lynnie as she learns to care for two active boys and a thriving infant. Through it all we experienced what true Christian community is like; in short, we felt overwhelming support. We need to thank everyone who prayed, including those from Lifespring, E-Free, Lakewood Baptist, and Christ Community.

Waiting

Waiting seems like a formidable enemy these days. Lynnie is due to have our new baby girl any day now; we are so anxious to meet her. This weekend is opening day of deer season in New York, and Chris can hardly contain himself. The same need for patience seems to pervade our ministry progress at this point. While we are slowly working on developing partners, it is challenging to really pour ourselves into this area until Chris has finished out the school year. 

Meanwhile, it feels like our teaching ministry at Carachipampa Christian School is calling to us, "Hurry up and get over here, we need long-term teachers NOW"; however, there is a lot of work that must be done before we are ready to board the plane (target date Jan 2015).

 
Waiting is quickly becoming a way of life for us.  For Lynnie and I (and probably many others reading this), we like to get the job done as efficiently as possible so that we can move onto the next thing.  While that philosophy is often a good thing, God is using this waiting stage in our lives to teach us the importance of the process.  We need to bring God glory by focusing on how we do each of these things, not just how quickly they get done.