Update and Accountability



Remember a few months ago when I asked for accountability in weight loss?  Well, I thought I would send an update on how I'm doing.  Since December, I have lost about 12 lbs!  This is great and very exciting, but I feel I have a ways to go, so any advance, encouragement or accountability is welcome.
Weight loss journies are a funny thing, they tell you a lot about yourself.  Before we had our first son, I lost about 20 pounds which was a challenge, but all with the goal in mind of having a baby.  I feel like when there is a goal in mind, whatever it is, it makes losing the weight more of a goal.  For some it is to get skinny, for some it is to be healthy, the list goes on.  I suppose for me, there are a lot of reasons why.  I do want to be healthy.  I take care of sick people on a daily basis and how can I ask them to be healthy if I don't live it out myself?  I also want to be healthy for my son.  I don't want him to be running circles around me while I sit and watch, I want to run with him.  Another goal for me is related to health as well.  In December, I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance.  Insulin resistance occurs when the body doesn't respond as well to the insulin that the pancreas is making and glucose is less able to enter the cells. This could be the reason why it has been hard to get pregnant and puts me at higher risk for getting Type 2 Diabetes in the future.  I was put on Metformin, which is a medication used to treat Type 2 Diabetes.  I have felt much better while taking it and I think this is one reason it has been easier to lose weight.  It is also a good medication in treatment for complications from infertifility.  Insulin Resistance is pretty common, although probably underdiagnosed and their isn't a whole lot of lay information out there to help people who are diagnosed with it.  I saw a diabetic educator about what to eat.  I have increased my exercise and tried to cut out sugars, not completely, but cut it down by at least 80%.  I am eating less carbohydrates and a lot of vegetables and health meats (fish, turkey etc) and drinking a lot of water.  I am hoping to eventually get off of the metformin after I have lost  significant amount of weight (20 more pounds or so).  So, all this to say that I am excited to find out about this diagnosis, it explained a lot why weight loss was harder for me, but it has also given me a goal to strive for in the journey of weight loss.
I appreciate your prayers during this journey and if you have any questions, just leave a comment...

Follow WHO?

Tomorrow, Joel and I will be going to Chicago to have our final interviews to hopefully be approved as long-term missionaries with the Evangelical Covenant Church.  If all goes well, Joel will be ordained as a REVEREND, I will be consecrated as a missionary and we will BOTH be commissioned by the church.  These are exciting times for us, but as we probably all know, excitement is not always easy in the midst of daily life, with work etc.  As I said in the previous post, I feel I am living in 2 Worlds and I feel a long way from what God has called us to long term as missionaries.  I get caught up in work and the learning curve of learning a new, high stress, high responsibility job. 
But, yesterday as I was reading in Luke, I was reminded of so many things.  In Chapter 4, when Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, He reads these words...

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

One verse later He says...

Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing

HOW POWERFUL to know that just by hearing the above words, that scripture was fulfilled.  Not that people took that too well at that time, but to know that and to HEAR that...WOW.

I went on to read the next chapter as well about the calling of the first disciples.  It's not like I haven't heard these stories before, I have heard them or read them many times, but I was profoundly touched yesterday at the power of Jesus.  To tell both Simon, James, John and Levi to leave everything to follow Him and they did!  Without thinking twice, without question, without getting things in order, they just...followed Him.

When I think of these two chapters, I think of, number one, Jesus' call while HE was on earth from Luke 4, to proclaim the good news to the poor, free the prisoners, recover sight, set free the oppressed and proclaim Christ!  And then in the next chapter He is calling others to come with Him.  I want to be one of those, and in the midst of the busyness of life and feeling like I am under mounds of other THINGS to do, I was reminded of God's call to me and to all of us, to follow Him, to proclaim the good news to the poor, to recover sight, free prisoners and the oppressed and to proclaim Christ! 
As I go tomorrow to be interviewed about my call to be a missionary, some days I feel prepared to do this.  Other days I feel like the Lord must be crazy for calling ME to do this because I don't have it together at all!  But whether it's a prepared day or a not-so-together day, God is going to use me regardless and I need to be willing to drop it all and Go and follow Him to fulfill His purpose on earth!

Worlds Apart

I have thought for quite a while about this blog and each time I sit down to write it, I forget what I want to say.  I knew once I remembered the title I had in my head for this blog, that I would remember what I wanted to say.  Well, this morning is the day that I remembered the title, but I really don't know how this is going to come together cohesively, maybe it won't, but realize that this is kind of where my heart is when I think of where I am and where I have been.  As you have probably heard me say, or maybe heard others say about missions,
             There's no way you can be in a country other than your own for any extended period of time and
             not come back a different person, looking at life differently.

Friends, that is where I am.  If you looked at me from the outside, you would probably view a very normal American, working in the medical field, helping raise a kiddo and trying to serve Christ in what I do.  However, if you were able to see into my head ( a scary place most of the time :) ), you would see that I view things much differently from others who are similar to myself.  Sometimes it is easy to be jaded in this field and I have been guilty of it in the past, but I come back from being away and just view things much differently.  Maybe it is that God changed me in this area because I struggled so much before I left with not wanting to be jaded, but being that way anyway.  But now, I feel differently when I take care of patients and I feel like I have a joy in it that I didn't have before.  Praise be to God!
Meeting new people is different, especially in my field of work because it changes once they find out I have been out of the country for 2 1/2 years.  I think I have actually had some who are skeptical, wondering if I was really doing missions or was I there for rehab or trying to fly under the radar...for the majority, it is just something they don't understand and I suppose expecting people to IS a high expectation.  It's nothing against these people, but when you haven't experienced it or seen it or even had a different country other than you own on  your radar, I can't expect that people would.

It's hard to believe that in October, we were still in Ecuador.  That was just 4 months ago, but I feel so far away from there.  Maybe that is why I have held off so long in writing this because it really hurts my heart when I think of not being in Ecuador.  We really do live in two worlds and although we love both, it seems like not being in the country where we have been called just isn't home.  Imagine feeling homesick and that is how we feel (maybe a little more), the type that makes your heart hurt.  Don't get me wrong, we know we are here for a reason right now, getting experience working, visiting churches, being with family, meeting new people, it's great and we love it, but we still miss Ecuador.  When we see how things are coming together for future plans, that makes us want to get there more!

So, I feel like I am living in 2 worlds, which are WORLDS APART.

It's a strange place to be and hard to understand and hard to explain.  I suppose there are not a whole lot of people that understand, and I don't expect them too.  I suppose it gives our prayers warriors out there another area to bathe us in prayer about.  It's not easy, for sure, but we knew it wouldn't be and we're OK with that.

So, enjoy some pictures of our sweet Ecuador which we love and miss!

You may be wondering where the title of this came from, Worlds Apart.  It is actually one of my favorite songs of all time, done many years ago by the band Jars of Clay.  What does it have to do with Ecuador?  Well, not much (that's why I feel this is a bit scattered in my mind), but I feel this song encompassed and encompasses my life and my spiritual journey.  I don't want to forget what my life has cost and how Christ gave his life for me.  In this lenten season, I don't want to forget that and I want to focus on that as I remember Christ's journey to the cross.
Remember with me as you read these lyrics...

"Worlds Apart"

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

[Additional lyrics:]

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart

A New Chapter

In mid-January I started working as a Nurse Practitioner at a local hospital in Goshen, Indiana-officially entering the world of the 'working mother'.  Believe me, this is not entered into lightly for me and I realize I have been spoiled in the fact that I haven't been in this role in this way before.  In Ecuador, I was a working mother, but as such, we were able to work together as a family, travel as a family, go to meetings as a family, etc.  I was never really away from Joel and Simeon to work.  So, going from that, to working 12 hour night shifts and sleeping and then seeing them for 2 hours before going back to work, has not been an easy adjustment to say the least. 

I never really understood what this new chapter would mean when we thinking and contemplating it while still in Ecuador.  I knew it would be different, but I did not realize how guilty I would feel in this new world.  These nights I have been working, Simeon usually cries or doesn't want to get off of my lap, which just makes this guilt-stricken mother want to change clothes and cuddle up with him for the night instead of going to work.  I realize now how much of a blessing it was to be together, 'working as a family' and as missionaries while in Ecuador. 

The thought of putting Simeon in daycare is hard for me because I feel raising him and teaching him is our job as parents.  I don't want someone else to do my job because, well, it is my job, our job as parents.

This defintely makes me treasure those moments we have together as a family and look forward to the day that 'working mom' will have a whole new meaning back in Ecuador.  Looking forward to that day!

Guest Blogger...The Evil in My Heart

I really wanted to write something regarding the tragedy in CT, where by the way, I have family in NEWTOWN!  Crazy.  But this is a blog I just read today and I asked if I could re-post it because it is so well said and such a great reminder and conviction...

Check out more from Amanda's blog at http://delightedinthelord.wordpress.com/

 

The Evil in My Heart

I’ve had about 10 different types of blog posts in my head since last week’s shooting tragedy. The internet has been on fire with everyone’s thoughts that part of me wants to stay out of it because so many beautiful and thought-provoking things have already been said. What can I possibly add? But on the other had, this is where I process, and since I can’t stop thinking about it. I need to process.
I have particular selfish reasons for hating when these things happen. Immediately, my brain thinks about the horrible person who committed the crime, which then triggers in me a righteousness. Who would do such a thing? What kind of messed up person has such disregard for human life?
It only takes moments for the Holy Spirit to softly whisper (sometimes not so softly) the answer.

 You.

No, I don’t have any propensity to shoot up a school. I don’t harbor murderous thoughts about innocent people. But in my heart lies the same utter disregard for human life that lay in the killer’s heart. I need look no further than my own apartment to see someone who couldn’t care less about dying children.

You see, I don’t pull the trigger, but I make the choices and turn my eye. I cozily slink into my warm bed at night, stressing about what gourmet meal to make for dinner tomorrow night with nary a thought for the 25,000 people who will die of starvation today. I step over a homeless veteran on my way to buy a $5 latte because it’s delicious. I agonize over which designer diaper bag would go best with my wardrobe instead of spending $10 on a bed net that would actually save one of the children who will die every 60 seconds from malaria – a preventable and treatable disease.

It’s not guilt. It’s conviction. Guilt is worthless. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. It’s not my fault that evil exists in the world, but if I can do something to stop it, shouldn’t I? Conviction moves us to action. Knowing that my actions are wrong, repenting and trusting in the Holy Spirit to reform my ways makes real change.
You will say, cut yourself a break. God wants you to enjoy life and have fun. We can’t spend all our energy on serving others. I’m not so sure. Yes, there’s a time for celebrating, but haven’t I celebrated enough? Haven’t I had 30 years of feasting? Didn’t my Year of Jubilee end many years ago? When is the time that I start to say no? When will I truly begin to change my ways and live for Christ instead of myself? What will it take? How many more people will die while waiting?
If it’s real, then what do I have to lose? If I worship a God who came as a man to save the world from sin, who raised people from the dead and calmed the sea, and it’s all true, what am I so afraid of? If paradise waits for me, then why do I care so much about making this life paradise? Kay Arthur tells a story of a Christian man in prison. The prison was cold, but he had a blanket. Another man, badly beaten, was placed in his cell, but he didn’t have a blanket. The Christian man knew that without the blanket, the man would die (just as he would die if he gave it up). The Holy Spirit spoke to him, saying that if he died, he would be with Jesus, while if the other man died, he would go to hell since he did not yet know Christ. The Christian man gave up his blanket and died. The other man survived and lived to tell the tale of his sacrifice.
I am holding onto my blankets while people are dying because I want to live another day. Not only do I just want to live, but I want to live in all the comfort that I possibly can. Once I have it all, once I have everything I could possibly need, then maybe I will spare a blanket, but only if it’s easy.
I want to be Esther, saying If I perish, I perish.
The truth is that I my heart is so much closer to Hitler’s, Bin Laden’s and Adam Lanza’s than it is to Christ’s. It’s not even a contest.
This is Christmas. This is why Christ came as a baby in a manger. To save me from my sin. He knows my heart and knows that without him, I am doomed to death. He came that I might have life and have it more abundantly. He came to set me free from sin so that I can love others freely. Through his birth, death and resurrection, I can have a new life that’s not marked by this evil. Thank you Jesus for coming and saving me from myself.

HACKED!

Hello Blog Readers or Facebookers,

I just wanted to let you all know that if you have been trying to check Kim's facebook page and it hasn't worked, don't worry!
Her account was hacked and the security code to unlock it was sent to her phone number in Ecuador!
We are currently in the process of trying to fix it, so pray that it all gets fixed.  I know this is a way that people keep up with us so we want it fixed.

We are also currently in Maine doing church visits.  Due to the upcoming storm, the pastor's retreat we were going to attend was canceled.  We are with a great family right now, Frank and Austin Catalano, and awesome husband and wife team that pastor a new church plant called Evergreen Covenant Church. If you are in Maine, you should really check this church out.  It's awesome.
So right now we are in Maine, awaiting a storm.  Pray for safety for our families and sanity as we may be stuck in the house for a couple of days.

So, 'how are you feeling?'

Maybe it's the fact that we've been taking mental health assessments all week this week or maybe it's because we need to be reminding ourselves to ask ourselves this question..."how are you feeling?"  It seems to be a little bit of a loaded question at this point in our lives.  Probably to say we are tired is a little bit of an understatement.  We've been going non-stop since we arrived back in the States a little over a week ago.  Maybe exhausted is a little more accurate.

We had one interview each this week which was very nerve-racking but ended up being a very affirming and uplifting time for both of us individually and together.  I suppose it is very good that we felt more confident in our call.  That's a definite positive!  To read more about our last week in detail, check out our other blog here.

It's been very good to reconnect with friends.  We stayed with Chris and Jenny Hoskins this last week and were with Jeff and Kristi Lundblad and Paul and Mary Thompson also.  It was great to talk and laugh and play and watch football and drink coffee and EAT lots of american food we missed.

We could talk for a very long time about our last week, but back to our question, 'how are you feeling'.  A good word is probably awkward.  We have adapted pretty well to the different cultural nuances of Ecuador like saying "buen provecho" (bon appetite) whenever you are around people who are eating.  I caught myself getting ready to do that in a restaurant this week and had to hold back.  When we greet friends, we always do so with a kiss on the cheek.  People might look at us really weird if we did that here!  We just kind of feel out of place.  In doing our different assessments this week, it was hard to answer questions because we weren't sure if we should answer being in Ecuador or being here.  It's really crazy!

We thought of all of us, Simeon would have the littlest amount of adjustment because he is so used to traveling and meeting new people all the time.  He has been struggling a little bit too.  Probably if just one thing had changed it would be one thing, but SO much has changed from language to where we're staying, to parent being gone for the day that I think he has felt overwhelmed.  Today we are in Goshen and will be here until Wednesday.  It is good for him to see faces he has seen fairly recently with the nieces and grandma and grandpa Delp.  Hopefully he will get to see my family this week too-including my brother and sister-in-law!

So, how are we feeling... awkward, overwhelmed, out of place.  But we also feel blessed and thankful to be with family and friends and that they realize where we are and can meet us there.  Thank you for your prayers.  Hopefully this will help you know how to pray.  Thanks so much!

From THERE to HERE...WHERE is that?

No one can ever tell you exactly how you are going to react when you transition back to your home country after being gone for a while.  I mean, people told us that we would have adjustments, some easier some difficult.  So, we knew that, but we also knew we would not have a whole lot of time to mentally process this before jumping right in to interviews and intense conversations about our futures, call to missions and our lives in general.  I (Kim) was a little nervous how this culture shock may present itself.  Not having time to talk through things very much caused some of the stress of transition to come out in the middle of the interviews we had yesterday.  I didn't think I would really be emotional about anything.  But, I had 2 different times when I was overcome by missing Ecuador when explaining it to our interviewers.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed of my emotions, especially when they aren't really something I can control.  But it just made me realize we need to rest and process a little bit before our next interviews next week.  For Joel, the analytical one, seems to be struggling a little with being here in the States, when the place God has called us is Ecuador.  Being a driven, focused person, it's almost like it's a step back after we have made so much progress so far in Ecuador.

I'm sure we will continue to encounter different areas of culture shock.  Some things we've realized so far...

We can flush toilet paper
We can drink the water out of the faucet
The choices at restaurants and grocery stores is a bit overwhelming
We get GIANT glasses for drinks AND free refills
We can basically watch any sporting event we want-INCLUDING OHIO STATE FOOTBALL!
We were pleasantly surprised to experience a church business meeting in the States and realize it 
                                    was a lot like business in Ecuador.
Simeon WILL actually wear a coat, mainly because it means he's going to the park
Simeon is probably going to transition MUCH easier than us
Spending so much money on a meal out is incredible considering we can all eat for under $10 in 
                                     Ecuador.
Enjoying a big glass of milk that doesn't have a different taste than we're used to
Adjusting to the fact that when we're out of the house, we don't have to speak Spanish.  We have 
                                  already made the mistake of speaking to random people in Spanish and have
                                  gotten some funny looks.

More to come...
    

Between Here and There...

For those of you who read our newsletter than we sent out, you probably recognize this photo.  It is our family standing more or less on the equator.  We actually standing on the Northern hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere at the same time.  In our newsletter we talked a little about the transition back to the States, but I wanted to expand a little bit more on this.  I'm sure people wonder a lot what goes through missionaries heads when they are packing up to leave for what most would consider their 'home' country...
This picture is a good representation of what goes through our heads.  Probably now, in the midst of packing, saying goodbyes etc is not the best time to write it, although maybe it is just to be able to process things a little in the midst of the craziness, because it certainly is craziness in our lives right now!
We obviously have ourselves in both worlds-our new home in Ecuador and our old home in the United states.  For Simeon, Ecuador is home, it is all he really knows.  Although probably for him, the adjustment will be easier.  We have gotten so used to life and culture in our new home in Ecuador and we really have worked hard to make Ecuador our home.  Leaving what you know is never easy, whether it is when we left the States or now when we are leaving here.
It is not an easy place to be.  As I'm writing, this makes me think of one of my favorite books on life...

Yes, I know it is Dr. Seuss, but this book has such great mental imagery on life, the realities of life...for instance...

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

OR...

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

Ahhhh, the waiting place...

Everyone knows and understands the waiting place.  A place where sometimes you feel like you will never get out of it.  A place where you wonder, "will life ever feel stable again?"  Waiting can be lonely, waiting can make you more impatient, more anxious, more stressed the longer you are there.  We are there.  We are waiting, but we are also moving...literally, moving.  We are moving back to the States in a little less than a week now.  Is it possible to be in 2 places at once?  The waiting place and the mountain place or winding place or the confusing place?  It must be possible because that is where we are.  

So, you ask where we are, what we're feeling, how we're feeling...

We're hopeful yet anxious and overwhelmed but taken care of by our Lord.  Honestly, this is a tough place to be, between 2 places, between our old home and new, between new friends and old.  

We are praying Romans 12:12 and we ask you to pray it on our behalf...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Guest Blogger...Oswald Chambers

The "Go" Of Unconditional Identification

"One thing thou lackest...come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  Mark 10:21

The rich young ruler had the master passion to be perfect.  When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like him.  Our Lord never puts personal holiness to the fore when He calls a disciple; He puts absolute annihilation of my right to myself and identification with Himself-a relationship with Himself in which there is no other relationship.  Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ.  Very few of us know the absolute "Go" of abandonment to Jesus.

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him".  The look of Jesus will mean a heart broken for ever from allegiance to any other person or thing.  Has Jesus ever looked at you?  The look of Jesus transforms and transfixes.  Where you are "soft" with God is where the Lord has looked at you.  If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on your own way, certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, it is and indication that there are whole tracts of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.

"One thing thou lackest..."  The only "good thing" from Jesus Christ's point of view is union with Himself and nothing in between.

"Sell whatsoever thou hast..."  I must reduce myself until I am a mere conscious man,  I must fundamentally renounce possessions of all kinds, not to save my soul (only one thing saves a man-absolute reliance on Jesus Christ)-but in order to follow Jesus.  "Come and follow Me."  And the road is the way He went.

Taken from My Utmost for His Highest, September 28th

Perspective...

On Sunday, Joel, Simeon and I met up with an old friend of mine.  I say old because we have known each other since kindergarten.  We pretty much were in the same classes growing up and grew up in the same town.  It has been at least 15 years since I have seen Chris and it took him coming all the way to Ecuador to have an Eastbrook High School reunion!  Meeting up with Chris made me think about a few things...

It doesn't matter how long it's been, how close or distant you were in school or how different you are in your lives, it's ALWAYS good to see old friends.

It's great to hug someone and catch up with them after so many years.

There's not many people (besides family) that have known you all your life and that you get to see again after high school.

Time is an interesting thing...

Chris and I were never extremely close, but when we met up in Quito, we really had a lot to catch up on in our lives.  When you put us next to each other, look at our facebook pages etc, we are probably pretty different, probably as different as we were in school and growing up, but it really doesn't matter.  I guess that is the beauty of, I don't know, time, perspective, life experiences, who knows.

It was a great class reunion here in Quito and I feel very blessed to have re-connected IN ECUADOR with an old friend!

Dreams coming true...

I'm not sure how much I have shared on this blog about the status of our dream...

For those of you who know or don't know, Joel and I have had a dream we feel God has given us to start a center for at-risk children and a medical clinic here in Ecuador.  We have been in discussions for some time with the leadership of our denomination here in Ecuador, called IPEE.  From the beginning, we wanted to partner with the national church here to see if this is even something they had on their radar.  We originally had thought of an orphanage-with the idea of having individual homes with house parents for the orphans.  We have since realized that there are not a lot of orphans here in Ecuador, but there are a lot of children who are at-risk, as well as their families.  At risk can mean there are many kids in the home, mom is a prostitute and kids have to stay home by themselves at night, parents are drug lords, parents are alcoholics, abuse situations, child prostitution, human trafficking...the list goes on.

So, going back to IPEE, the decision was made by 2 leadership committees for the center for at risk children and clinic to be located in the North of Ecuador, specifically in Otavalo.  Some of you may know Otavalo for its large artisan market, but for the Evangelical Covenant Church here in Ecuador, Otavalo is a central location between 2 districts or conferences, the Quechua district and the North district.  The decision was made for otavalo because of location.  With being centered between 2 districts, hopefully both will be able to support the center and clinic.  As you can imagine, after having this dream for over 10 years, and finally seeing pieces fall together is more exciting than you can imagine!

Here's a picture of Ecuador, look for Otavalo a little north and east of Quito.

To add to the excitement, I recently received great news that I will probably be able to practice here, in a little different way, but I can still practice.  When we come back to Ecuador after our year in the states, I will be doing a rural medicine rotation with the medical school here in Ecuador.  After this year, I will be given a license to practice, as a doctor.  For me about this story, check out our ministry blog, The Delplog and click on Licensing in Ecuador.
Additionally, tomorrow (sept 9th) we will be having a group of people that will hopefully eventually serve as part of our board of directors for our non-profit organization (more info to come later on that).  We are excited to spend a week visiting current ministries we will be partnering with in the 2 districts mentioned above and dreaming together about what God has for the future.  You can check out our ministry blog for more info about this as well.

Please continue to pray for this time over the next week.  That the Holy Spirit will be leading and guiding us each step we take!

Blessings to all!

Never underestimate the power of lessons from kids...

Yesterday, after Simeon had gotten dirty after playing, I was washing his feet in the sink and all of the sudden was humbled at the sight I saw.  I was washing his little feet in the sink with soap and water and I couldn't help but be reminded of Jesus washing His disciples feet and what that signified.  In true Jesus form He was showing, very evidently His servant heart.  I was humbled in the fact that I'm not sure I have ever viewed in this significant way the servant-like heart I should have, just like Jesus had with his disciples with my son.  Of course I 'serve' him in many ways, getting him meals, playing together, teaching him, putting him to bed, etc.  But I started thinking am I really "SERVING" him as Jesus was a servant to his disciples.  Let me clarify, I don't think I should be his maid, give him everything he wants, etc...Jesus didn't do that with his disciples either, but the significance of the statement Jesus made by washing his disciples' feet was something set aside for a literal servant in this time.  It was something a King like Jesus would do.  I guess I am saying, when we think of the mundane things we do each day for our kids, maybe taking a different view on it is what we need.

An additional thing I thought about during this experience was that Simeon is a vessel for me to learn through.    For those of you who have kids, you probably understand this.  Simeon teaches me lessons all the time, not knowingly, but he certainly does and he will continue to.  I need to make sure I am open to LEARNING from Simeon, not just teaching him.  I certainly don't get it right all the time, but being open to it, I am learning is very important.  I also see him all the time just being who he is, but influencing those around him.  He opens so many doors for conversation wherever we go just by being SIMEON!  What a great lesson!

 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

The Sacraments

Since taking the theology class in July, I have been wanting to write a blog post about the Sacraments...
Sacraments, you say, what are those?  When I think of Sacraments, I think of sacred.  Here is the definition I  came away with from my class regarding what a sacrament is:
    A visible sign of an inward grace.
    Expression of the living presence of God
    Means of grace
    Physical element conveying spiritual reality

Is that what you think of when you think of communion or baptism?

A month ago or so I probably would have said no.  I didn't have a great grasp of what the sacraments mean to us as Christians, but after the class I took, I really encouraged the pastors I was in class with the explain this to the people in their congregations because the sacraments are amazing, mysterious and yes...sacred and holy expressions of God's grace.

I think sometimes we may all be guilty of 'going through the motions' when it comes to communion, I know I have been guilty of this.  But each time I have received communion since taking this class, I have experienced God in an amazing way, a new way after understanding more about the holiness of this experience.

I recently wrote my Consecration paper for becoming a long term missionary with the Evangelical Covenant Church (our sending denomination as missionaries).  Here is an excerpt of what I wrote...

                        Through baptism, we walk in a newness of life.  In the same way, Holy Communion is a “summary act that binds the church’s life to the life of Christ… a visible sign of an invisible grace”.  There is nothing magical about the bread and the cup or the water used for baptism, but it is a mystery.  No one exactly understands what happens during these acts of worship, but it is evident that Christ is there.  Knowing that Christ and His grace are present in the elements is much more important than attempting to explain how they are present .  Holy Communion and baptism are not merely rituals or symbols but are historic acts that are significant.  “By them we are linked with God’s saving acts in the past and God’s redeeming love in the present”.
     On a personal note with regard to the sacraments I just want to say that while taking the class, I really saw the sacraments as just that, sacred.  Before I looked at both more as symbols and not held with the same reverence as I do now.  In both events, baptism and Holy Communion, I feel like we are meeting Christ there; it is a holy and sacred place to experience Him and His grace. We do not come because we are perfect; in fact both events are the perfect places for us as sinners because it is where we meet and experience God afresh and anew.  It is holy and sacred and I am so excited now each time I experience a baptism or communion because I feel I am on holy ground, and God is meeting me there.

Maybe I will write another post at some point about this again, but right now, I encourage you to seek God in understanding what these sacraments mean.  When you experience them the next time, open your heart to what God has for you.  Don't feel like you have to come to the table of the Lord perfect or spotless, we're sinners, but this is the place for us.  The same with baptism, God is present and real and wants us to experience Him in this way.

I will end with a great quote from a song, by, of course, one of my favorites, Kari Jobe...

Come all ye weary and ye broken
Come to the table of the Lord
Come sing the song of the forgiven
Come lay your burden on the word

Come and find peace
Everyone needs a little rest
Everyone needs a little joy
And a song to sing in the darkest night

And life even when it gets you down
Hope will turn it all around
But love is the greatest of these
Everyone needs a little

Sing all ye saints and ye sinners
Call upon the mercy of the Lord
Come sing the song of redemption
Sing about the hope that is to come

Everyone Needs a Little- by kari Jobe

Accountability Please...

So, I figure if I put this up on my blog, then it will be some sort of accountability.  I am working to lose weight, specifically to get back down to the weight I was before Simeon was born.  I have about 12 or so lbs to lose to do that.  Currently, I am working through Lose It to get this done, since it is free, it's good for me!
I am totally OK with keeping me accountable on this, I suppose that is why I put it up on my personal blog.  I will keep you all updated through the blog on how things are going.  Encouragement, suggestions, etc are always welcome.  THANKS!

Are you a Democrat, Republican, or a Christian First?

I was recently encouraged to start looking into political kinds of things more so that I can have a better understanding of politics.  Apologies if you do not like politics, and don't like discussing it, but I feel like I should be educating myself a little more.  So, here is a guest post to start things off...

This article was authored R. Brad White and taken from the following website...

Changing the Face of Christianity

We’re heading into a political season where partisan politics, heated discussions, and passionate opinions are the norm. As Christians, we are known for being too political…using our majority power to influence or even dictate the results of the election. And to some extent this is true. When we get out the Christian vote, we are a strong influence in American politics. That political power has declined in recent years, but it is still very potent.

Negative Stereotype: Christians are Too Political

The negative stereotype of being too political, and the disgruntled reaction to it by non-Christians, is based on misuse of our political power. Outsiders believe that we use our Christian beliefs within the political and legal systems to create and sustain laws that impose our beliefs on others. They claim that we apply our morals to their lives. They claim we restrict their rights based on our beliefs. All one has to do is look at the debate over gay marriage rights to justify that claim. It’s true.

It’s a delicate thing to balance: preserving our rights and promoting our beliefs, without forcing them on others with different beliefs

It’s a delicate thing to balance: preserving our rights and promoting our beliefs, without forcing them on others with different beliefs. However, I believe it is possible to engage in politics to preserve our rights without trampling on the rights of others. It takes being a Christian first. But more on that in a moment.

Putting Politics Aside

I’d like to put partisan politics aside for a moment and address an issue I’ve been pondering. As a Christian, where should my allegiance be…with a political party or with my God and religion? Should I vote Republican or Democrat first, and my faith second? Or should I vote with my faith first…regardless of party?

Within our churches, we have both Republican, Democrats, Libertarians, Green party members, etc. We are often called the Religious Right, but the fact is that Christians are actually pretty evenly divided among the parties. We generally lean more republican due to issues such as abortion, but from where I sit…my church has a pretty even split of Republicans and Democrats. So I believe it’s a mistake to label all Christians as Republican, conservative, or right-wingers. It’s just not true.

Putting Your Faith First, Politics Second

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)^“as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”

Choosing what’s more important is easy for me. Joshua 24:15 (NIV)^“…as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”. I’m a Christian first. My faith comes before my country and before my political persuasion. What this means in practical life is that if there is a heated debate between republicans and democrats, and things are getting pretty ugly, my faith says to love others. That’s my first priority. If I can’t engage in a political discussion with love, then I shouldn’t engage in the discussion. The relationship is more important than my politics.

Putting my faith first allows me to be consistent across borders as well. People are people all over the world. We all just want to be free to live, raise our families, practice our religion, or be free from persecution for not practicing a (or THE majority) religion. Let’s treat each other, even across borders, as God’s children and love one another as God commands us to.

So, where does your allegiance belong? Are you a Christian first, or do you allow your political persuasion to be first in your life?

Mommy Needs a Time Out...

Do you ever have days when you just kind of feel like a failure?  A bad wife, mother, Christian, etc?  I had a couple of those days in a row recently and it really just put me in a funk!  I felt I couldn't really do anything right and everything I DID try didn't work out at all as planned.  Such is life, I know.  I know those days will happen, and I know my response to them is what it is all about.  Poopy days happen (literally and figuratively nowadays in our house) and the key that I am needing to realize it how I respond.  I can't say I got it right the other day that is for sure.  Simeon was a good reminder of that when he reacted to how I was reacting (funny how that happens huh?)  During one of his outbursts at home (he had previously thrown himself down in the middle of the sidewalk because we left the park too soon for HIM), I put him in time out.  He was crying, I was crying and when he saw me he said "OK?"  (He was quite concerned).  I realized a lot in that moment.  I realized I needed a time-out as a mommy just as bad as Simeon needed one.  I realized how much my frustrations and stress were spilling over onto Simeon and he was reacting to them.  Another thing I realized was my daily necessity for Jesus and His forgiveness.  Thank GOD His view of me and His USE of me is not dependent on me and how good my day is or how I am acting and carrying myself that day.
This song by Kari Jobe came on when I was so discouraged and was such a great reminder to me that it isn't  me who is in control.  It is GOD who steady's me and who is my rock in the midst of whatever storms are around me!  Praise be to God and may you all be blessed by the fact that God is here and you can trust HIM!

Licensing Update!

Just thought I (Kim) would give a quick update on how things went yesterday.  Olga (my best friend here) and I went to a place called SENESCYT.  This is a place where everyone who has some kind of professional title registers it.  They have a place where foreigners can register their titles too!  This was very exciting news for us!  We talked with a worker their that told us what we needed to do to register both my undergrad and graduate degrees.  It is actually pretty simple in comparison to other processes we have experienced.  This week we will be in the process of getting my diplomas ‘professionally’ translated into Spanish, making copies of everything, getting my transcripts and diplomas notarized in Ecuador and preparing then to go back to the office next week.  We found out some great information.  Once these are registered, I don’t have to do it again, meaning, it is not dependent on my Visa status etc.  This is good news.  For instance, each time my Visa expires, I have to get a new driver’s license.  Also, we were told that once everything is approved, I can practice.  They won’t change the name of my title, because they don’t have the title here, so I will be able to practice as I do in the States!  How cool!

Thank you for your prayers yesterday.  Please continue to pray that all these processes go smoothly and that everything will get approved quickly!

Prayers Appreciated!

Tomorrow (Tuesday), I (Kim) will be going with my friend Olga to try and register my Nurse Practitioner license here in Ecuador!  This is a really big day and by having my license accepted here, I will be able to practice as I would in the States.  Again, it's a big day!  Please pray for us that all goes smoothly and that my license gets accepted!

A Reflection on Culture Shock-Part 1

I actually wrote this a couple of weeks ago sitting in the Miami airport after arriving from Ecuador.  I realize I will probably have a lot more to share about the culture shock when we come back to the States for a year starting in October or November.
      Written July 21, 2012
      When you've been out of the States for a while, it doesn't even have to be a long while, just awhile, you realize the rest of the world is just a little different than you left it.  To me, that's not always a bad thing.  One of the 1st things I realized on the plane actually from Ecuador to Miami is how different kids are-small, medium, or large kids seemed to have a bit of an aura of entitlement.  To see a teenager without a cell phone is a rarity, to see them not on it is even more rare.
To shift gears just a little bit, in the airport in Quito, there was a very large american group-a hiking group I think that took up at least half a gate, waiting.  I preface this by saying that although I had issues with this group which I will talk about later, this group because of its size and the fact that they were behind me in line, helped me get on the plane which I otherwise would have missed. However, the main thing I noticed, besides the shear loudness of the group, is the disrespect for the culture.  I would have liked to explain that what was going on was cultural, just let it go.  But they were being so disrespectful and it just wasn't OK to me.  I wish one of the adults with them would have explained this to them, but no one said anything.  They just let them keep going on and on.  It's just sad.
So, aside from being able to flush toilet paper, the 1st thing I noticed was the outrageous cost of food!  I bought a typical american Chinese dish that in Ecuador would cost $3-$4 and in the Miami airport was $11!!!!!  WOW!
The next thing I noticed was that everyone had a techy thing-a cell phone, a tablet, IPAD, IPOD, something, and everyone was using it.  They may have had small kids, young kids, big kids or no kids.  But I couldn't help but notice how distracted they were with the technology, especially with their kids.  I didn't see a whole lot of people just...talking or playing games together.  It was really incredible and not exactly in a good way.
I definitely noticed myself having, I guess what is reverse culture shock.  I have heard about it, they told us we would experience it before coming to Ecuador, but this is the first time I really experienced it first hand.  I don't want to be misunderstood, I do love my country and feel very blessed to have been born in the U.S.  However, I am noticing things now that I probably wouldn't have noticed before going to Ecuador.  It's not even to say I don't notice myself being distracted by T.V. in Ecuador.  I realize that and I don't like it.  But the main thing I kept thinking is: "I don't want Simeon to be like this."  But then next thought I had is: "how do I keep this from happening?"  I want him to TALK to people, not just text or send an email.  I want there to be deep relationships for him, not just surface stuff he reads on Facebook.  I want him to learn to play euchre and speed and dutch blitz like we did growing up.  I want him to learn and understand cultures and appreciate them, not just compare them to the cultures he knows-thinking those are the best.
I suppose I am still trying to wrap my head around loving 2 cultures at the same time.  I know I need to try and love the good things about both cultures and move on.  I suppose this is just a rant-but I think it is important to realize the importance of time together without technology to interrupt.