In American culture, it appears to me that confidence and uncertainty (or fear, nervousness, or many other similar feelings for that matter) are two words that are rarely used together. We are often anxious or fearful when we are uncertain of what is to come. We like to be in control of our every decision, and we often wish we had more control over the future. We do not handle change well.
I recognize that this is a generalization of American culture, but I believe that it is a fair generalization. I used to hate uncertainty, but for some reason that has changed in the last several years. Maybe it is because I married a woman who has experienced a lot of change in her life (Hailey has lived in over 20 houses/apartments) and deals with change better than anyone else I have ever met. Maybe it is because I have lived (all things considered) a pretty easy life and uncertainty has rarely caused pain or suffering in my life. Or maybe it is just because Hailey and I have expected to make a "BIG" change in our lives over the last few years so I have intentionally forced myself to be comfortable with uncertainty. Whatever the reason, I am thankful for my change in outlook.
Confidence in Uncertainty will be necessary for Hailey and me in Honduras! There are still so many things that we are uncertain about. Whether it is teaching, our diet, Micah's nap routine, or a thousand other things, I have many questions that may not be answered until I have to answer them myself in Honduras. For some people, this would be terrifying. For me, it is exciting. Not only is it exciting, but I feel a calm confidence in our decision that is almost unexplainable. For weeks I have been trying to explain it to people in a rational and practical way, but this has been difficult. While our mission to help educate and improve the lives of poor people in Honduras is admirable in the eyes of many people, it is not understandable. Not when you have a one year old child. Not when you don't speak the language. Not when you are going to the 2nd poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Not when you are leaving a stable job and income that most 26 year olds would love to have. It just doesn't make sense to so many people.
But it does to me. I have confidence in uncertainty. Even though I may not be able to explain it perfectly.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
So Much To Do...
I can't believe that we are only 5 weeks away from leaving the Seattle area. While we have already gotten so much done, such as selling some furniture, purchasing some clothing and luggage, getting Micah's passport, and much more, there is still a lot that needs to be done prior to our departure from Seattle on Sunday, February 27th. Here is the start of our "To Do" list:
-Plan and develop teaching lessons (Joseph)
-Get more information to determine if we'll use disposable or cloth diapers (Hailey)
-Start planning our garden (Hailey) - this includes studying the weather patterns, determining which crops have been successful in the area, determine if they have the necessary materials for build a small "greenhouse", read about composting, etc...
-Sell our piano, kitchen table, and car (Joseph & Hailey)
-Purchase a few more things that we need (One more bag to use for luggage, shoes, backpack) (Joseph & Hailey)
-Pack (Joseph & Hailey, although Hailey is likely to have this done in one day while I am at work)
-Say goodbye to all our family and friends :(
I am sure this list will continue to grow over the next several weeks as we realize that we have even more to do than we currently expect.
Leaving the Seattle area is going to be bitter-sweet. The bitter part is that we have grown to love so many things that have become routine in our lives over the last 4 years. We love our church family, the friends that we have grown so close to, being close to my family, the comforts of our 2-bedroom apartment, and much more that we have been blessed with. The sweet part is that we are excited to take on this next adventure in our lives that we believe God has planned for us. While we expect there to be a lot of challenges, they won't come without great growth in our personal lives, our lives as a family, and our relationship with God. Being able to partner with an organization (Art for Humanity) that will impact the country of Honduras is exciting!
Hailey and I look forward to keeping everyone updated over the next 2 months while we are in the states, and to continue doing so while we are living in Honduras.
-Joseph
-Plan and develop teaching lessons (Joseph)
-Get more information to determine if we'll use disposable or cloth diapers (Hailey)
-Start planning our garden (Hailey) - this includes studying the weather patterns, determining which crops have been successful in the area, determine if they have the necessary materials for build a small "greenhouse", read about composting, etc...
-Sell our piano, kitchen table, and car (Joseph & Hailey)
-Purchase a few more things that we need (One more bag to use for luggage, shoes, backpack) (Joseph & Hailey)
-Pack (Joseph & Hailey, although Hailey is likely to have this done in one day while I am at work)
-Say goodbye to all our family and friends :(
I am sure this list will continue to grow over the next several weeks as we realize that we have even more to do than we currently expect.
Leaving the Seattle area is going to be bitter-sweet. The bitter part is that we have grown to love so many things that have become routine in our lives over the last 4 years. We love our church family, the friends that we have grown so close to, being close to my family, the comforts of our 2-bedroom apartment, and much more that we have been blessed with. The sweet part is that we are excited to take on this next adventure in our lives that we believe God has planned for us. While we expect there to be a lot of challenges, they won't come without great growth in our personal lives, our lives as a family, and our relationship with God. Being able to partner with an organization (Art for Humanity) that will impact the country of Honduras is exciting!
Hailey and I look forward to keeping everyone updated over the next 2 months while we are in the states, and to continue doing so while we are living in Honduras.
-Joseph
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
IT'S OFFICIAL
Well, it's official, actually it's been official for awhile now, but we are moving to Honduras on March 29th! We are packing up our current home in Seattle on February 28th and taking the month of March to visit family and friends in Oregon, Tennessee, and Chicago. We are really looking forward to having the month of March to wrap things up here in the States and spend some quality time with family and friends. We hope to spend a lot of time improving our Spanish using the language program, Rosetta Stone. We have been working on this for a few months now, on and off, and are learning a lot and are confident that by the time we land in Honduras we will be able to communicate on a basic and foundational level and hopefully more than that.
Some of you know this already, but since we are committed to ONE YEAR in Honduras and are open to staying there longer if that is the Lord's will, we have decided to sell all of our furniture so that we don't have to pay for a storage unit here and so we will be free to go wherever the Lord calls us next without having to worry about all the stuffy we have stored in Seattle. So far we have sold our desk, bookshelves, couches, coffee table, lamps and bedroom set. We are waiting to put our dining table and baby furniture up on craigslist until late February since we need those right now. Everything else, we are fine living without. It truly is amazing how much we think we need. I mean, we haven't had a coffee table or desk for weeks now and we are doing just fine. :) I am currently sitting on a exercise ball and typing on my laptop that rests on two packing boxes. haha. It gets the job done! We actually still have our couches and bedroom set; some close friends bought it from us but want us to use it as long as we need it before we move! Things are really working out! The things that will be packed in boxes are going to be stored at Joseph's parents house in Eugene. We are so grateful for their willingness to take our stuff in! They just cleaned their attic out last year...bet they're glad to see it fill up again! haha.
This last Saturday, January 15th, we hosted a "Fundraising Dinner" and though it was a TON of work to put together - we thought cooking mashed potatoes, chuck roast and green beans for 60 people would be a cinch...ha! - but it was a success! Joseph gave a presentation with information about Honduras and Art For Humanity, the organization we will be working for.The place filled up with very supportive and encouraging friends who prayed for us and donated very generous amounts to our "house building fund." Our goal is to raise $10,00 to cover the cost of the house they are building us in Honduras and on Saturday we raised $6,500! We are blown away by the generosity and love we were shown. We are so thankful for the community and church family the Lord has provided for us. We will miss them greatly!
Here are two pictures of our house in progress that we have received from the president of Art For Humanity.
For the next 6 weeks we are going to continue to work with all our hearts at what God is calling us to right now. We are cherishing the time we have with our Bible study group on Wednesdays and church family on Sundays. I am enjoying the last few photography shoots I have before I go and know I will miss the typical portraits shoots I have been getting but am excited to capture the people of Honduras, our future community of friends. Joseph has 6 more weeks of work left and is continuing to relationship the friends he has made there. Micah is enjoying his play-dates with his friends Gavin and Landon; I know he will miss them as well :) He will be walking in no time at all and is turning ONE this month on the 27th! So, though we are looking forward to this next season of our lives, there is so much going on right now that we are so thankful for and are enjoying every minute of it!
We plan on posting each week, or whenever something exciting happens :) Stay tuned to hear more about how we are preparing for our move and how the Lord is preparing us as well.
I am sure you all have so many questions and I plan on sharing more about our move and what we are going to be doing and how we got to where we are today! Many of you either came to our "fundraising dinner" and heard a lot there or you received a Support/Information Letter in the last week or two that has most of the basic information. If you did not receive the letter and would like the opportunity to support us while we are in Honduras with a one time donation or a monthly donation, please e-mail me at hailey.rahm@gmail.com and let me know!
Some of you know this already, but since we are committed to ONE YEAR in Honduras and are open to staying there longer if that is the Lord's will, we have decided to sell all of our furniture so that we don't have to pay for a storage unit here and so we will be free to go wherever the Lord calls us next without having to worry about all the stuffy we have stored in Seattle. So far we have sold our desk, bookshelves, couches, coffee table, lamps and bedroom set. We are waiting to put our dining table and baby furniture up on craigslist until late February since we need those right now. Everything else, we are fine living without. It truly is amazing how much we think we need. I mean, we haven't had a coffee table or desk for weeks now and we are doing just fine. :) I am currently sitting on a exercise ball and typing on my laptop that rests on two packing boxes. haha. It gets the job done! We actually still have our couches and bedroom set; some close friends bought it from us but want us to use it as long as we need it before we move! Things are really working out! The things that will be packed in boxes are going to be stored at Joseph's parents house in Eugene. We are so grateful for their willingness to take our stuff in! They just cleaned their attic out last year...bet they're glad to see it fill up again! haha.
This last Saturday, January 15th, we hosted a "Fundraising Dinner" and though it was a TON of work to put together - we thought cooking mashed potatoes, chuck roast and green beans for 60 people would be a cinch...ha! - but it was a success! Joseph gave a presentation with information about Honduras and Art For Humanity, the organization we will be working for.The place filled up with very supportive and encouraging friends who prayed for us and donated very generous amounts to our "house building fund." Our goal is to raise $10,00 to cover the cost of the house they are building us in Honduras and on Saturday we raised $6,500! We are blown away by the generosity and love we were shown. We are so thankful for the community and church family the Lord has provided for us. We will miss them greatly!
Here are two pictures of our house in progress that we have received from the president of Art For Humanity.
THE FOUNDATION
WALLS GOING UP
(Sorry, this picture is a little fuzzy...)
We plan on posting each week, or whenever something exciting happens :) Stay tuned to hear more about how we are preparing for our move and how the Lord is preparing us as well.
***
I am sure you all have so many questions and I plan on sharing more about our move and what we are going to be doing and how we got to where we are today! Many of you either came to our "fundraising dinner" and heard a lot there or you received a Support/Information Letter in the last week or two that has most of the basic information. If you did not receive the letter and would like the opportunity to support us while we are in Honduras with a one time donation or a monthly donation, please e-mail me at hailey.rahm@gmail.com and let me know!
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