The Delp Details

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Between THERE and HERE...AGAIN

Though I have tried to put together some thoughts for writing this blog, for some reason the words just haven’t come very easily.  Maybe it is because there hasn’t been a whole lot of time TO put any thoughts together.  Maybe it’s the ‘pregnancy brain’ that I could blame it on.  But as I sat down to write this post, I realized that I had no words because I really hadn’t taken the time to listen.  No one I’m sure would argue that our lives are crazy right now.  Maybe if we just had one thing to focus on, like moving to another country to focus on, but there is oh so much more than that, that is pulling our minds, thoughts, and especially our hearts in that direction.  When the one direction all of those things NEEDS to be is above.  Focused  on Jesus as He is the whole reason we do what we do.  Why do I so often forget it.  Why is it that it is when I no longer can manage, no longer can focus, no longer can find words that I run to Him?  Maybe it’s arrogance, maybe it’s time, maybe it’s just another excuse.  I haven’t found words because I haven’t sought the person that can give them to me.  The One who can help me organize my thoughts and emotions that surround leaving the States and returning back to Ecuador.  We talk so frequently in churches and with individuals about Ecuador.  We talk about going back, our ministries, our friends and how we long to be there.  We do.  Honest.  But right now there are so many directions the our hearts are pulled.  I don’t know that I will be able to fully articulate where we are emotionally, at least where I am emotionally at this point when I think about returning to Ecuador.  It wasn’t so long ago that we were pulled in multiple directions as well thinking of returning to the States from Ecuador…
So, we find ourselves between there and here, once again, but flip flopped from the last time.  One part so frantically wants to get to Ecuador that I sometimes don’t want to worry about packing and I just want to be on the plane.  Some days I start to think of what we are leaving, our families, our friends, our churches.  We don’t know what the future holds and we don’t know how these decisions we make now will impact things in the future.  But do we ever?  I think a lot of the kids in Cayambe and in Ecuador.  Those that have no place to go right now, those who don’t feel safe, that have nothing to eat, that have no one to love them and I think “THAT is why we are going.”  So, you may wonder what missionaries go through when they go from one country to another, leaving their passport country and going to their country of service.  This is it I guess.  It’s not clean cut, it’s messy, just like life in general.  It’s hard.  It sometimes leaves us speechless (not easy to do).  But is it worth it?  Absolutely.  Because if we were doing anything else, we wouldn’t be doing what God has called us to.
Our hearts are heavy, we are tired, some days I wonder how Joel finds the time and especially the energy to do all he is doing.  We are heavy laden with burdens.  Please pray for us.  But know that we are seeking God, we are reaching for Him and clinging to Him to bear what we can’t.  We need peace and rest, both of which come from Him.
Of course, since I draw near to God through music, I have a song by one of my favorite artists, Kari Jobe.  It’s simple, but so pure and so true.

SO, what ARE you doing???????

Probably the majority of you who know us, know what we are up to in moving to Ecuador as long term missionaries.  However, maybe some of you don't know.  For the latter, we are long term missionaries who are moving to Ecuador to start homes for at-risk children and medical clinics.  Kim is a nurse practitioner and Joel is a pastor/business guy/administrator/jack of all trades!  God has separately called us and brought us together for this pretty major undertaking.  We served as short term missionaries in Ecuador from 2010-2012 and returned in October 2012 for a year of home assignment and to transition to long term missionaries with the Evangelical Covenant Church and Covenant World Mission.  We were commissioned as long term missionaries in June and were recently given permission to return to Ecuador to start our ministry.  During this year as well, we helped create the Santiago Partnership.  This is a non profit organization that will be funding the homes for at-risk children and the medical clinics.  If you haven't already, please check out our website or LIKE us on facebook and you can keep up with what we are doing.
Lastly, if you haven't seen our video that talks about what we are doing, here it is:  check it out and let us know what you think!

http://vimeo.com/75345058

Updates

Well, based on my posting, we are a little behind in keeping up...

Since the last post in October, many things have happened in the Delp household.  The biggest is that we are expecting our second baby in June of 2014!  PRAISE THE LORD!  As I have written previously, this has been a long time coming through many tears, frustrations, waiting...waiting....but we were so excited to find this out.

We were approved recently to return to Ecuador after being over 100% funded as long term missionaries!

We are basically rounding out our time here in the States, preparing in about a week to go back to Ecuador.  This has come with much anticipation until January when we found out Joel's mother had recurrent metastatic cancer.  In 2011, she had a chordoma removed and has been cancer free since then.  However, in January, her MRI showed that the chordoma had returned and that she had 5 tumors now.  We have been to different physicians and ended up at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  We have been working with an oncologist and otolaryngologist for treatment.  She is currently on 2 medications to hopefully help shrink the tumors.  She now has a tracheostomy and G-tube to help her eat.  The trach is as a preventative measure in case the tumors continue to grow.  Please join us in praying for her and for complete healing.


Because of this, we put leaving on  hold for a couple of weeks and now have planned to leave on March 18th!