10/20/11

We're leaving for Mexico in a month!

I must start by apologizing for leading you on with my last post.   Even my own mother assumed I was reffering to some exciting news about our adoption.   Sorry to disappoint.   Still no movement on the adoption front.  Nothing to report.  Nada.

However, we do have a nice distraction from the fact that we are still lost in adoption land.  We are going back to Mexico!!   After a year and half of longing, working, trying, praying, knocking...we are finally headed back.   It will be a very different sort of Christmas for our crew this year.

This trip will be quite a bit different than our past adventures in Mexico.
For starters we are only able to stay for 1 month instead of 6 months.  6 weeks is the longest that we are allowed to leave the Canada with a foster child.   We now have all the permission letters needed to take Cece and get a passport for her...which should be arriving in the mail any day.

Another major difference from past trips is that we aren't returning to work at the same orphanage that we have been visiting/ working with on and off for the past 11 years.  The door was unexpectedly closed which led to my writing this recent post.  We have mixed feelings about that but are very excited for the new adventure that lies ahead of us.  We will be going to the same area so our plan is to stop by the orphanage to visit the kids we have grown to love, as well as let our own children reminisce a little.   Our children's
  "ice cream for orphans" fund has been changed to "Burlando kid's compassion fund" because only orphanage staff can take the kids off of orphanage grounds which would be necessary to take them all out for icecream.   They have $200 raised and saved so far.  The only guideline is that it must be used to show love, encourage, or meet needs of someone.  The other guideline we gave them is that they need to give prayerfully,wisely and with a sensitive spirit.   It will be interesting to witness how the Holy Spirit moves in their little hearts and leads them into action.

{Our sponsor kids at the orphanage..can't wait to see them again}

This change in our hopes and plans has  been an excellent chance for the kids to stretch their coping with disappointment/ change muscles (ours as well!).  We have had a lot of long talks with them, shed a few tears, and worked through to a simple sense of peace about it all.    God is faithful!

After only a few weeks of everything being 'up in the air' again other options and opportunities starting coming up.   After much consideration and prayer our trip has become a 'fee-lance family adventure vacation' to Baja.  We are just stepping out, going, and trusting that ultimately God will be glorified even in our adventure vacation.

 I prefer not to refer to it as a "mission trip" for a lot of reasons but the main one is that it suggests that we have to go somewhere to be on mission.   Our whole lives should be focused on His purposes, His kingdom, and living out the gospel in any and every situation and location God has us in.   This  isn't a go pet the poor, do our good deed for the year kind of trip, we aren't anyone's messiah,...we go as students and servants.  It's about God's calling on our lives, allowing Him to stretch and deepen our faith,  learning how to live out a sacrificial gospel, and getting our hands dirty serving people that we love.  A large motivation for this trip is also how it impacts and shapes our children's world view...and their God view.

 We are renting a furnished house that another ministry owns and will be doing some volunteer work with that Ministry.  For the first time we won't be living in and travelling with a trailer to Mexico.   God has provided above and beyond what we had expected.  We pouted and cried over what we had lost...literally...all the while He had something so much better just around the corner.   We will be working along side some good friends of ours.  Friends that we met as fellow orphanage staff in 2009/2010. I wrote about the time they came to visit us in Canada here.   They now work with different ministry and we are excited to experience a little sampling of the new work they are doing.  You can follow this family's blog here  "Because love is a lifestyle".  I am muy muy thrilled that we will be neighbors, and hopefully helpers, to this family!  


{ The kids who call me Tia (Auntie)}



We will also use this month to spend time with "The kids that call me Tia" , catch up with friends we've made over the years, visit other ministries, eat at a LOT of taco stands, and volunteer where we can.  We will just be hanging out, living, loving, giving, and open to whatever and whoever God brings across our path during those 6 weeks.  It will be new for us to have total freedom as a family to go and do what we feel led to do, and to be able to work together as a family while we're down there.

 Now that we have a location, housing, and Cece's passport all lined up we feel that we can actually start to get excited about our trip.  It looks like it will happen!   We are excited to see how God stretches, grows and uses us during that time.   We really have NO idea what to expect or what we will be doing.   It's going to be an adventure for sure!

I've already started packing and planning.  My mental packing went from packing up a trailer to suitcases stuffed into an SUV already full of kids.    We will be packing light.   Only the essentials.   I'm glad we at least have a rooftop carrier.  I'm a little nervous about over 30 hours of driving with a 1 year old...who doesn't love to travel and about sleeping in hotels along the way....with a 1 year old who doesn't like to sleep in new places.   It will be interesting I'm sure.

I have no idea if we'll have internet available while we're away, but I would love to take you all on the trip with us and document our adventure as we go.   We'll see.

So that's my big news.


3 comments:

Unknown said...

So excited that your going back to Baja, and even more excited that your more or less teaming up with Amber and Saul! As much as i adore FFHM and all that they do, God has bigger plans for that valley then one orphanage with somewhat (awesome but) rigid programing. I wish i was going with you!

Also not sure if you are aware (because i wasn't), focus on the family canada is devoting some resources to adoption, if you havnt already check out
www.waitingtobelong.ca

We Are Family said...

This is very exciting.
I'm looking forward to reading posts from your trip.

Penelope said...

How exciting! We will be praying for your safety!