Resolution: To Be More Like My 3 Year Old

As I watch Jacob, I learn from him. Here's my top ten reasons why I want to be like him:

1. A song is always on his heart and it's usually about how great Jesus is.

2. Jacob is quick to forgive and quick to admit fault and ask for forgiveness. Jacob is willing to accept reproof, correction, teaching, and training.

3. His prayers are so simple and always "thank Jesus for our MANY blessings"

4. Jacob trusts so easily that "God is [his] friend."

5. He is not afraid to ask questions.

6. The Word sticks to Jake's sponge-like brain so easily and is always on his lips.

7. He is aware he is a sinner. (Quite evident at three!)

8. Jacob is my sweet little encourager!

9. He sees everyone (age, race, culture) as someone similar to him.

10. Jacob loves with abandon and enjoys life!

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

Day Five: Longest Day Ever!

Ever seen anyone crying in the airport? Yeah, yeah, goodbyes are so hard. I mean crying out of sheer exhaustion while the itinerary continues to add 3 hours to your already long 5 hour layover (just 40 minutes at a time). That was the end of day five of our vision trip.

3:30 AM- get up for 4:00 shuttle to the airport

6:30 AM- arrive in San Pedro Sula

7:00 AM- grab a monster baleada at Baleadas Express to fight that not-enough-sleep feeling

9:00 AM- Flight to Miami (+hour time change)

12:45 PM- Arrive in Miami expecting a five hour layover

5:00 PM- Anticipating boarding soon but see gate marquee change to Bermuda. 40 minute delay til our flight. I am disappointed as our firstborn is staying with friends and I know this is gonna make his pick-up even later than previously anticipated.

6:00 PM- another delay; baby gets fussy

6:40 PM-another delay; baby fighting rocking

7:20PM-another delay; baby clawing my chest and trying to gouge my eyes out; Mom crying

8:00PM- maybe going to board

8:30 PM- leave for Phoenix

11:00PM (4.5 hour flight -2 hour time change) arrive in Phoenix

At this point we had arranged to pick Jacob up at 6:00AM the next morning, seeing he had been told he would be at home in the morning. I have never yearned for my earthly home and complete family quite like I did that Friday. It made me think of longing for heaven and how Christ has prepared a place for his family to live all together. How He as a parent longs to be with his children and how that feeling of belonging in a family is only a small glimpse of how wonderful Heaven will be!

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Day Four: Clinic Day

Thursday, November 17, 2011: Our last full day in La Ceiba, began with our team leader and host, Mike sick and vomiting.  (In Honduras, this seems like a public affair because the windows of every room in every house are continually open.) Although Mike was unable to join us for the day, we trudged forward to clinic in Armenia Bonito without him.

RN Erin saw 34 people that day!  Adam assisted John as a pharmacist and Michelle assisted Kathy with intake:

 John giving instructions for medicine usage

Adam reacquiring some Spanish along the way!

 Michelle and Asher helping with intake

 Michelle putting her CNA skills to use (taking some vitals)

(see Dad, two years of nursing school put to use!)

Asher making friends

After clinic we drove over to the construction site in Armenia Bonito.  John Clow, the construction manager, showed us around.  It is well underway and looking good!

Multi-room high school

Generally assembly area/Soccer fields awaiting a roof 

Clinic

We felt sad as we loaded into the truck and pulled away from Armenia Bonito that day.  We are confident that the Lord is calling us to Honduras.  We didn't want to leave!  We are excited for the next steps in the process but longing to be back!

Day Three: A Day In the Life

November 16, 2011: Our second full day in La Ceiba was supposed to be like a "normal" day in the life of these missionaries. They didn't disappoint!  We toured three neighborhoods where we may live and then three neighborhoods where we may work.  Below are your "average sights."

Average lemon as big as your head (well, your baby's head, maybe)

Common basilisk (no really, that's it's name)

aka Jesus Christ Lizard 

Average cherry (different species than your average bing)

We had lunch with the Clows (delicious baleadas and papusas, if you must know).  Kathy Clow was then going to take Michelle to the supermarket and John Clow was going to take Adam to the construction site in Armenia Bonito.  Instead, the girls spent the afternoon getting to know each other better and the boys took the van to Discount Tire (ok, not really) to get their flat tire repaired. This was actually a really good taste of what life on the field is like.  Thwarted plans!  We did finally get to see Mega, the average supermarket (the middle range one; one of three supermarkets).

The Clows and Michelle

Average deterrent to what you had planned

We had dinner with the Pettengills (delicious homemade beef and broccoli, if you must know), chatted about life in Honduras and passed out. We were excited to have seen life as the missionaries there experience it.  No rainbows and unicorns through rose colored glasses, or something like that.  

Asher adjusting to the heat and humidity!

Day Two: Just Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale

. . .a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, blah blah blah. . .three hour tour, THREE HOUR TOUR. . . 

November 15, 2011: Day two of our Vision Trip was our first full day in La Ceiba, Honduras.  Our team leader, Mike Pettengill,  gave us a tour of downtown La Ceiba (with a couple errands on the side).  We viewed the construction of the downtown ministry center as well as visiting Puerta de Esperanza, a women's home. 

Asher checkin' out some chicks (at the pet store).

Mike showing Michelle the dorms (at the ministry center) under construction in La Isla.  

The Streetchild drop-in center for homeless children is behind Mike.

Short video tour with the calm and collected, Mike Pettengill.  

Our tour was slightly more colorful!

Coast of Northern Honduras

Puerta de Esperanza (Door of Hope Women's Home)

The home will house teenage women with children to assist and educate them 

with mom skills, job skills, and independence.

The visionary behind Door of Hope Women's Home, Shannon Innes

One of the bedrooms in Puerta de Esperanza complete with 

bed for Mama; pack and play for baby, as well as needed baby supplies.

Kitchen in Puerta de Esperanza

After our tour of downtown La Ceiba in the morning, we headed out to Armenia Bonito, a poor community on the outskirts of La Ceiba. We got to participate in Kids Club (think of a weekly Vacation Bible school or Sunday School class).  Erin is walking the kids through a (protestant) children's catechism where they learn a truth about God and memorize a verse.

Michelle playing with two munchkins

Puzzle time

Erin teaching catechism question number two: "Who made you?" Dios!

Adam helping dole out the reward for consistent attendance
for the last couple months of Kid's Club

Day One: What? No Infant Car Seat?

 Big blue bag with everyone's clothing for a week -check. Diaper bag- check.  Carry-on with computer and reading material- check. Friend's guitar- check. Infant car seat- check.  


November 14, 2011: We were on our way to La Ceiba, Honduras for a "Vision Trip."  Our sending agency, Mission to the World (MTW) and Team Honduras require a trip to confirm your calling to that area.  We had arranged for Jacob to stay with our closest friends in Phoenix so we could tote just Asher along for our whirlwind trip. And we're off!

We had left the wealthiest country in the world and traveled 13 hours to arrive in the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  We proceeded through the tiny airport, through passport control to pick up our luggage and head to customs.  In Phoenix, we had debated gate checking the car seat but decided to check it so we only had to lug the guitar with us to the plane.  We immediately found our big blue bag and searched for the infant car seat to no avail (it was in a neon yellow bag, nonetheless).

Every fiber of my (Michelle's) being was on it's way to panic. "What?  No car seat? In a third world country? This is my baby we are talking about!!  Someone is stealing it out back right now! Shame on you Michelle Cain for thinking that.  Am I going to hold a baby in the car the whole week?  Is that legal? Probably. Maybe not. Why didn't we gate check it, again?  Why am I in Honduras with one child but not the other. Why. . ."  But after 3 seconds of processing, I felt a peace.  I do serve a sovereign God and having no car seat is no surprise to Him.  My thoughts quickly changed, "This is going to be my life if we move here.  God knows my troubles and is bigger than this.  The Lord has already worked this out."

And He had: our airline had a handful of loaner car seats.  We used one for the week and I'm sure even Asher didn't know the difference!

Interview & Orientation pics

The week of September 25th, we traveled to Mission to the World's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.  We attended a week long training called Interview and Orientation (I&O).  We finished the interview process and received much valuable information regarding the next steps in our missionary journey!  Picture highlights below:

Just been accepted to the Mission To the World family! So exciting!

TEAM HONDURAS!  Our future teammates, the McLaughlins, in training with us!

New Missionaries with MTW!

*Photo cred to The Langs and Robin Price

Why We Shouldn't Be Missionaries #127

Don't worry.  We'll backtrack and tell you the other 126 ways we are inadequately prepared and unequipped for this calling.  But today, we thought we would share a funny story.  It is a story of how we almost, quite literally didn't become missionaries!

September 25, 4:05 AM: The day Asher turned 4 weeks old, we were headed to Georgia for a week-long Interview and Orientation (I&O) with our soon-to-be sending agency, Mission to the World.  The bags were packed, in the van and all we needed to do was get up, get the boys in the car, and head to the airport for our 6:00 AM flight.  Explosive diaper!  Emergency diaper change and new clothing. There went 10 minutes.

4:35 AM: We arrived at our usual park-and-ride facility.  We love them.  We use them every time we leave Phoenix.  They are affordable. Our van is always there when we return. They are quick to drop off and quick to pick up.  Not that day, however.  We kissed 20 minutes goodbye, sitting on a bench waiting for a bus.

5:05 AM: Whew!  We made it to the terminal only to walk in to see the longest line EVER at the ticket counter!  Okay, we'll curb check.  No big deal.  Somehow, the two skycaps continued to serve people arriving after us.  Although confused, we maintained our tempers.  We are, after all, leaving to share the love of Christ with people.  Finally, we get called upon only to be told they won't curb check children's car seats. (But we only have two??)   15 MINUTES GONE!

5:25 AM: Get in ridiculously long line. The cut-off for checked bags had come and gone. Panick ensues.  We'll nicely explain the situation to the ticketing agent.  No need.  I think he just knew by the look on our faces, while holding two sleeping children in our arms, dragging luggage and car seats behind us.  We've never seen an agent move quicker than this guy.  He slapped those stickers on everything including our overweight bag, threw our car seats in the right area, and called the gate agent on his walkie-talkie whilst running through the airport.  He escorted us up to security and shoved our little family in front of the entire line.  We sweat through security with boys, strollers, milk, shoes to then run to board the plane where they were WAITING FOR US!  Embarrassing.

6:00 AM: We sat down, both in tears.  What just happened?  We left the house at 4:15 a.m. for a 6:00 a.m. flight.  Thank you David H. for being so gracious towards us.  Thank you Lord for getting us to I&O.  We tried to avoid this calling but I guess You really want us to do it!

Adam's trip to La Ceiba,Honduras- July 2011

 

Boys dorm at La Isla

Our two friends serving in Honduras, Ashley and Mike

Construction is moving along in two locations in La Ceiba

The national dish: a baleada 

(refried red beans, egg, crumbled cheese, cream)

English class

Clinic

Vacation Bible School

Beach day with the kids

Adam's friend, Christian

Getting to know the kids of Armenia Bonito  

Saying goodbye

The Covenant Community Church Team

Once Upon A Time...

 ...there was a boy and a girl.  The boy lived in Arizona, loved Jesus, and participated in lots of church activities like mission trips.  The girl lived in Texas, loved Jesus, and ALSO participated in lots of church activities like mission trips.  Both the boy and girl ended up at the most awesome school in the universe, Texas Christian University, where they continued to participate in missions trips with their churches.  One day that boy and girl met at a costume party and started hanging out.  On their second date, the girl told the boy that she would "live in a cardboard box if that is what the Lord called [her] to do."  The boy thought this sounded different than most girls he knew.  The boy and girl continued dating and eventually got married.

In 2007, the boy and the girl took a mission trip together with their church, Covenant Community Church, to Uganda.  They discussed the possibility of moving to Uganda to serve AIDS orphans.  Once back in the States, life and fears overwhelmed them and the dream fizzled out.  Knowing that the Lord calls everyone to participate in missions, the boy resigned to support missionaries through giving, praying, and visiting them on short-term trips.  Still feeling called to the field, the girl was not satisfied with this answer but wanted the boy to feel called by the Lord, not called by his wife.  The girl resorted to praying and asked her Bible study to pray along side of her.

In 2011, their church announced a short-term trip to Honduras. The boy and girl had two close friends whom they loved and supported serving as full-time missionaries in Honduras.  The boy thought this was the perfect opportunity to witness the work of their friends.  However, this would leave the girl home to care for their energetic toddler while very pregnant.  Much to the boy's surprise, the girl agreed to let the boy go on the trip.  While sitting in the airport on the way to Honduras, the boy felt a stirring and began to ask the Lord if he was being called to Honduras!  Can you guess how this story ends?  Or is it just beginning?