25.7.2011 PDX and flight to Seattle

We had a great group to see us off at the airport. There was Steve & Sue, Auntie Joyce, Grandpa Dick and Grandma Bettie, Sarah Overby, Matt & Holly Smucker, Gene & Rainy Takalo with Caleb & Isaac Meyer, and Jonathan Martin. It was crazy for us with all our bags. We had seven check in bags, 2 carseats, 1 pack’n’play, our big chariot stroller, and way too many carry-ons (two computers, diaper bag, backpack, my workbag, Heather’s purse, Stanley’s backpack, ukulele, and a gift bag from the Takalos). When checking in our bags, the lady was very gracious, and the first bag was well under the 50 pound limit, so she had us put that aside to unload other bags, which we ended up doing. After checking in we prayed with our group then headed towards security. At security we said our last good-byes, and then we were off on our own. Going through security we had to unload our whole stroller, pockets, jackets, and shoes then reload and put everything back on. It was an ordeal, but we made it through.

Our little family at the airport, ready to head out on our own.

We went down to our gate which was on a lower level because we only had a little hopper flight. It was packed down below and it was hard to find a place to park ourselves. We finally found a place along the wall. We had bagels and cream cheese from Starbucks because down there the food choices were very limited. We were able to talk a little with another couple from Hillsboro who were off to teach at an International school in Berlin. We had seen them checking in after us. They had two boys and were loaded with stuff as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to connect with them sometime over the next 2 years. As for our family, it was amazing how quickly we are able to become cross with each other. As I write this I can’t even remember what it was about. Perhaps it was because we were tired, hungry, overwhelmed, or all of the above. Fortunately, we were able to pray and refocus on what we were doing and how God had brought us to this point.

Our little spot in PDX waiting for our flight.

When it was close to boarding we made our way to the waiting area. Stanley and Holly loved looking at the airplanes. Unfortunately, there was some delay and when it was time to board they did not let the families with kids board first. Instead, we waited until the end of the line. I then had to fold up the stroller in a hurry, which I got to do many more times. With a little hopper flight, you walk onto the airplane from the ground and we were able to put a couple of our carry ons along with our stroller under the plane. When we got on the plane, of course our seats were at the back, so we bumped past everyone with all of our carry-ons. A few moments later we were off to Seattle.

The actual flight was very short. Because of turbulance there were no snacks on the flight. Stanley was amazing. He looked out the window and looked at the ABC book from the Takalos. Holly was great for the first ¾ of the flight, but the last bit she was fussy. Fortunately, the flight was not long, 45 minutes from take-off to landing, so we did not have to deal with her for very long. We waited to be the last ones off the plane, and were worried about Holly for the second flight. Would she be just as fussy? And Scott was worried about all of our carry-ons and how we would consolidate everything.

Perhaps this is why Holly was fussy on the flight to Seattle.

We made it...and now have internet

Sorry about the lack of communication over this past week. Yes, we made it to Weimar and the trip went quite smoothly considering having two littles and bringing everything we own in seven checked bags. We're working on a longer post but wanted to let you know that everything is fine. Our new home is quite small. Two bedrooms and an entrance that serves as a kitchen/dining room/office, and then a small bathroom off our room. Let's just say that things are a bit cramped. But it's cheap and we have beds to sleep in. The manager even provided an old European pack'n'play for Holly. Unfortunately, it is retired hotel that is being converted into apartments, so because of the remodel, things like hot water and Internet have been a little sketchy. That is why we're a little behind in updates.

This week we've been focusing on getting the proper paperwork filled out (first insurance, then registering our address, then opening a bank account, then applying for a work visa). I wasn't quite able to get through the whole process because you need a translator for almost every part (except the bank) and Friday was the translator's day off.

We met one of the other teachers and her husband and they have two boys, ages 3 and 1. They were a huge answered prayer on Thursday when we thought we were going to go stir crazy.

Today Heather made dinner at home and we were able to sit down around a table to eat dinner at a table for the first time since we left. What a difference that made! We're still working through some time change difficulties with the kids. Children should be asleep before midnight thank you very much! Thank you to those who have been praying for us. More on our move to Weimar to follow.

Almost There

I wanted to put up a quick update. A lot going on right now as you can imagine. My passport came in Saturday morning just in time for our departure. Our house is packed, but Steve and Sue will still come in to take the boxes to the barn or goodwill. We signed a contract with a property management company so that takes care of what is happening with the house. Tonight we are packing our bags. We are very tired, but excited for our journey tomorrow. Back to packing now.

Yard Blessing

Yesterday we had 3 boys from Sandy Assembly of God come and help me with the yard. As you can probably understand, I haven't been able to touch the yard in almost 4 weeks. It was pretty out of control. They came in and now it looks incredible. Probably the best it has been since we moved here! Thank you John, Dom, and Lane for your hard work. I'll try to post pictures on the final product. I forgot to do before and after pictures. What's even better about the deal, is that the money we'll pay them is going towards their high school group summer camp, but John and Lane had already paid for camp so their money will go for someone else who can't afford it. They worked 6 hours for someone else. What a great picture of the body of Christ working together. I'm really proud of their selfless attitude.

Lasts...

We are in our last week before we leave, and this week is the week of lasts. Last High Ground for me (Scott), last growth group, last mom's in the park, and the last time we'll see different people. Heather was giving some things to a good friend on Monday, and suddenly the friend stopped and began to cry "you're leaving!" Heather didn't want to go into grieving mode at that moment, but we will be grieving the lost of friends and family over this next week at unexpected times. After growth group today, we pulled into our driveway and both of us began to cry over the loss of our amazing group. We will miss you all deeply. When talking to Jonathan Martin and Rakel Thurman today they compared moving overseas to a marriage, in that when you get married you need to leave and cleave. To the extent that you are able to do that, the chances of success increase. Which I think is hard not only for us, but also for family and friends. With modern technology, it is very easy to stay connected via Facebook, Skype, blogs, email, etc. But at the same time, many young people moving to a foreign land get so sucked into social media, that they lose sight of where they are, and get more focused on where they're not. Heather has a wonderful saying, "Comparison is the thief of joy." So as we leave for Germany we're not going to completely shut ourselves off to our wonderful family and friends, but we are going to make a conscious decision to be where God has placed us, to embrace learning the language and culture, and to discover what exciting adventures God has for us in Germany. In the meantime, we'd love to see or hear from you before we go. We will probably be having a pantry raid on Friday this week for people to take extra food and toiletry items that we have, aren't going to take with us, and shouldn't be packed up for 2 years. Watch Heather's Facebook page for more details. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and have a great day.

Getting Closer to departure

Wow, this last week flew by! I finished summer school on Thursday, Steve and Sue got home Thursday night, we had round 2 of our estate sale Friday and sort of Saturday (it rained all day). Now we are into the final homestretch and there is so much to do. We are still trying to figure out what will happen to our house. Fortunately, God is bringing things into place, we just don't know what the final product will look like yet. We still need to get rid of stuff, pack, get out, and clean our house. Plus try to spend time with family and friends. God is good, and He's giving us the strength we need. I added a countdown timer to when our plane takes off from PDX next week. Pretty crazy.

Last night, it was neat to see God provide for us. We were both stressed about everything that needed to get done. I was actually on the phone with my mom sharing the stresses and how I didn't think I could handle another thing. At the end of the call, a family that Heather had talked to earlier came over to buy one of our car seats. When we told them we just needed to get rid of stuff, they ended up buying stuff and clearing out many boxes for us. One of their daughters and her husband work at a church in Kaiser that could use the kid clothes for families in their congregation so they took probably 5+ boxes worth of kids clothes and blankets. Afterwords Heather and I looked at what was gone and we praised God for meeting us where we were at and providing what we needed (getting stuff out of our house). It was like He was saying "I've got you covered, trust Me."

Estate Sale

We just finished day 2 of our estate sale. We decided not to be open on Sunday so we can go to church and have some family time. Please be praying for our house situation in Sandy. God really needs to open the right doors for what do do with our house. Rent? Rent to own? Property management company? Family or friends manage? Sell? New homebuyer's credit? Lots of questions. So far God has provided in every area, we're pretty sure He will do the same here too. We sold both of our cars on Friday (the Volvo sold at 11:45 pm Thursday night). Huge answered prayer there, and we sold them for our asking price. Praise the LORD! Please sign up for our prayer team. So far we only have 26 people on the list. We're aiming for 100!

God shows up again- Plane Tickets

God does it again in providing what we need. On Sunday we were trying to get plane tickets. We found tickets on Friday, and by Sunday morning those tickets were $200 more per ticket. Plus all we could find at that price was a flight that had two layovers. Heather was able to contact Condor (a German company that has just starting flying to the USA), and found a flight from Portland to Seattle to Frankfurt. But we were trying to do this as we were getting ready for church. We got out the door late. Then as Scott was taking Stanley to class, they had a collision (Stanley was going straight at full steam and Scott was trying to veer Stanley left). Stanley got a bloody nose, which took awhile to clean up, then he was having post tramautic issues from the bloody nose and couldn't calm down when we tried to drop him off. By the time all was said and done we were 30 minutes late, Stanley wasn't calming down, and Heather had not eaten breakfast. We decided to go home, give Stanley a break and a new non-bloody shirt, get Heather some food, and on Scott's mind was plane tickets. At home, we were able to get the first two done, but the third one wasn't happening. We tried to order the tickets, by using our credit card (we haven't used a card in over three years) and it would not go through. Bummer. Then we tried the debit card and that was rejected for some reason we couldn't read because the error note was in German. Finally we just had to leave to get back to church in time for second service. We did get there a couple minutes late, and during the worship we were both able to refocus and be reminded that Christ needs to remain on the throne of everything we do. After church Heather had lunch with Megan Schiffner (Knoll), and Scott had the kids at home. He was able to look at the information with a better perspective, and was able to learn what we needed. We were trying to buy tickets for Tuesday that were $300 more per ticket than the flight on Monday! Plus, through Condor the price for all four of us was less than one of us on United or Delta. The flight Monday is in the afternoon to Seattle, then we leave Seattle at the kids bedtime straight to Frankfurt. Plus, by flying with Condor, we were able to get a good deal on train tickets from Frankfurt to Weimar. God was able to make things not happen in the morning, but we were also able to make it to church (we definitely felt as if there was spiritual warfare trying to keep us from going). It's amazing to see how He orchestrates things together if we'd only stop to watch.

Thank you again for taking the time to follow our story. Please sign up to receive email alerts and to be on our prayer team. We're looking for at least 100 people on the prayer team. We'd like to hit that number by this upcoming weekend. There is a link on the right side of the page. Also, our estate sale is this weekend. July 8th, 9th, and 10th and we will open at 9 am.

New Direction

Our life has suddenly taken a turn in a whole new direction and with that change, we thought we should get this blog going again. It is sad that the last time we posted Holly wasn't born yet. So here we go, welcome to our new Odyssey.

Let us begin with the news, we're moving to Germany! Scott was offered a job at an international school in Weimar (pronounced Vie-mar). We said yes, and now we are leaving in less than 3 weeks. How did we get there? Glad you asked.

It started about mid May. With the economy, we knew Scott's job at Barlow was at risk. He knew that he did not want to be called to the principal's office. May 13th became that dreaded day at Barlow, where a lot of people were called to the principal's office. As I look back and try to figure out the date, that happened on Friday May 13th. 6.67 positions were cut. Most of those cuts were a class or two from a variety of teachers. Later this process was called, "death by a thousand paper cuts." Scott lost one class which dropped him down to 0.83 FTE (full time employee). At first we were shocked but then reminded ourselves that God is in control and we could make it on that salary even though it would be a challenge. Heather might need to work a little, Scott would pick up some subbing on his off period, or something else to earn a little here and there.

A week and a half later, on May 23rd, Scott had just gotten to work in the morning and received a phone call to come down to the principal's office again. This time, the news was worse. Another teacher who had seniority by luck of the draw (Scott and this teacher were hired the same summer) bumped Scott down another 3 classes. This put him at 0.33 FTE. This was a huge blow, and then he had to turn around and teach that day. He was offered the chance to take the day off, but the routine of working helped the shock not be as strong. At this point, we started to really question what God was doing. How was He working in all this? Then we began to dream. We had always wanted to teach overseas and maybe this was God pushing us that direction. We contacted the Black Forest Academy, began looking at international schools, and started to explore other possibilities.

Then on Thursday May 26th Scott's Vice Principal interrupted the class Scott was teaching at the moment and told him that she was to cover his class while he went down to the principal's office for a third time. "Maybe they're going to cut the rest of my job" he thought. Turns out that instead of cutting the rest of his job a half-time job at Gresham became available that morning, and it was his if he wanted it. Of course he said yes, and for you non-math people that is 0.33 FTE at Barlow, 0.5 FTE at Gresham for a total of 0.83 FTE, back where he originally was cut to. So maybe this was what God was preparing us for? A new ministry at Gresham High School. At that change we slowed down our exploring the possibility of teaching abroad, but that was still in the back of our mind. Instead, Scott's focus was on finishing the year well and getting ready for the changes ahead. "At least you still have your classroom" was something we held on to. Scott had been in that room all 4 years, and it was one of the best rooms at Barlow.

As the end of the year drew near, that hope of holding onto the classroom began to slip. Another teacher was being bumped rooms by a MESD (Multnomah Education Service District) special needs class. That teacher put in for Scott's room because Scott was only going to teach 2 classes at Barlow, and why leave such a great room empty? With that uncertainty looming we decided to look at the international schools a little more. We found a math job in Switzerland and another somewhere else. We sent emails to them, but both came back, "sorry we already hired someone." In Scott's mind we would leave in 2012, but Heather thought that God might have something for us this fall instead.

The week of finals Scott found another job, this one was at the Thuringia International School (ThIS) in Weimar Germany. I was a grade 6-12 position, with IB (International Baccalaureate) experience preferred. It looked interesting, so we started to gather the necessary documents, letters of recommendation, updated resume, etc. On the last day of work Scott found out that yes he was moving rooms, and he was going to share a room with the teacher who initially bumped him down to 0.33 FTE. He was also asked to teach an AVID class for the next year, which is a great program but requires a lot of outside of school time. Another teacher who was also asked to teach it described it as a great car, but when looking at your pocket book of time you don't have enough money. The overall atmosphere at Barlow that last day of work was like a funeral. At the breakfast it was one "this person is leaving" after another. Scott was a little disappointed that they didn't recognize those in his position who will still be at Barlow, but not full time.

Scott finished up the application that weekend and sent it in with a prayer on Sunday night, June 19th. The idea was that it would be in their inbox Monday morning. However, we didn't hear anything from the school. That whole week went by, and we began to wonder if they had already filled the position. On Sunday, June 26th, Scott decided that he should call the school to ask about the position and see if they had looked at his application. He dug out some old calling cards, and at 11:30 pm, called ThIS. After some time trying to figure how to make international calls, he finally got a hold of someone. It was the assistant director, and she said he should call back in an hour because the director could answer those questions better. He called back an hour later at 12:30 am. This time he was able to talk to the director and that phone call ended up being a two hour interview. At the end of the interview she said she liked what she was hearing and they set up a Skype interview for Tuesday night. That week was also his first week teaching summer school. So on Sunday night, he didn't get to bed until 2:45 in the morning, and he didn't fall asleep until almost 3:30. He then had to get up by 6 to get things ready to teach by 7:45.

On Tuesday night, Scott was nervous. We had been praying a lot, seeking God, and getting a lot of different people's opinions about the opportunity. When the interview started, the director and the Business Manager started by explaining what the pay and benefits are and how great of a place it is to work. It didn't seem like an interview but more of a job offer and a chance for Scott to ask more questions. At the end of the "interview" they asked, "So when can you let us know?" "Was that a 'the job is yours if you want it'?" Scott asked in reply. There was the job offer. Wow! Scott asked for 48 hours to think and pray about it. Then on Thursday night June 30th, Scott sent out the formal, "yes, I will accept the job" email.

What was neat about this whole process was that we spent a lot of time on our knees. Before emailing out the initial application we were praying about it. Before Scott called to inquire about the job we were praying about it. Before the Skype interview we were praying and singing to God. Two of our theme songs for this season of our journey are Chris Tomlin's "I will follow" and Matt Redman's "Blessed be your name" Some might feel like we are rushing into this, but we feel that God has led us every step of the way. It was like He was cutting the strings to our hot air balloon that were holding us down. First part of Scott's job, then more, then part time at Gresham, then loss of his classroom. We were also able to see how God was orchestrating other details to make things work for us to make this move. But in the midst of the uncertainty at Barlow, Scott was also able to have some neat conversations. He was able to tell others that he didn't want to let bitterness take root in his heart, because that would just eat him up inside and that he trusted that God was in control.

Now we are moving to Germany in three weeks, and you know the story behind the sudden, "We're leaving" that was posted on Facebook. We will share more as we go. Heather will also be posting updates on Facebook. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and feel free to leave a comment.