Tuesday, June 28, 2011

12 days

The count down continues! The next week and a half will feel like a whirl wind. There are thankfully a few slow days interspersed with the hussle and bustle of saying goodbye and enjoying Portland favorites! I had my last Physical Therapy session for real this morning. I am in good shape and we are hoping there will be little to no set backs while I am away. Tony Rocklin from Therapeutic Associates is an amazing support and has patiently walked this long road of healing with me. I am blessed by him and his staff. One of the events that I am most looking forward to is a lunch that I am throwing for his office a week from tomorrow.
Where will we be in the next few days...
July 1st- Hiking the Gorge
July 2nd- Family Wedding
July 3rd- BNC
July 5th- Zoo
July 6th- Therapeutic Associates
July 7th- The Journey With Christ send off
July 8th- Our Last Date in Portland
July 9th- Winquist/Townsley Wedding
July 10th- Family day and departure at 10:30pm
I know there are many people that I am going to wish I had gotten a chance to see, and I am thankful for the time I do get to spend with people I love. Please be gracious with me if we don't get together it is not because you are forgotten. If you want to see us the best place to just show up would be Beaverton Nazarene Church this Sunday!
Kisha

Monday, June 20, 2011

21 Days

It is hard to believe we only have 21 days before our departure. We have been asking ourselves what we need to do before we leave the US, and slowly collecting packable items that are hard to get a hold of for a reasonable price in La Vega. Yesterday my brother gifted us a pair of really good flashlights, since electricity is somewhat sketchy, and we may need to provide ourselves with our own light at some point. Some personal care items have also made it to our luggage, as well as spices that won't be readily available. (I can't live life without Kisha's chutney!)

I have been thinking about how wonderful it's been to have such great support from our family and friends in the Portland area. They have been helping us focus on what we're about to do, asking us pertinent questions, and reminding us that we can do whatever God is calling us to do. We have also received similar messages from our friends in La Vega, reminders that we can do it because God is with us and they hope to take care of us and love us in our new home.

Our remaining time in Portland is full of weddings, get-togethers, and spending time with family. We'll be visiting BNC and The Well in the next couple of weeks, so if you attend one of those churches please look for us and say hello.

One important note: Kisha has a photo website up and running. It is a place that you can view and purchase her photography from our recent travels to Boston & the Dominican Republic, as well as photos from Portland and our Oregon hiking adventures.
Check it out!
backprint.com/rememberpeace

Thursday, June 16, 2011

First Day of Freedom




This is my first day without working and it feels great! It means I made it to the home stretch and all that is left for me to do is enjoy my friends, family and favorite places in Portland! I am a college graduate now from PCC. This is a huge accomplishment for me. I started taking classes 10 years ago so it was a long slow road. I am not sure what my academic future looks like but I do know I am taking a one year break so that Eric and I can enjoy some time together and settle into our new life.

Some things I am looking forward to are hiking and photographing my home city. I have started an online gallery for my photography. I will be selling my photos so please think of me when you need a gift or greeting cards. I will have photos of the great outdoors in Oregon and of my life in the Dominican Republic.

Fundraising update- we are only $210 away from being fully funded in our monthly support. As for the one time gifts that will help us to buy a vehicle we have only received $350 so far. That is not much towards a car there so we are praying that people are moved to give in both areas.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Final Paper

I just turned in my final paper! This means that I should be right on track for the license renewal by my birthday. I’m extremely grateful that I was able to stop working and focus on the school part… I’m not sure if I would have been able to finish while working at the clinic.

Kisha also finished her schooling this week, which means that we’ve passed another mile marker in our adventure. School was one of the loose ends that we needed to tie down before we move to the DR, and now Kisha will have her associate degree and I will have a 10 year renewal on my teaching license. Things seem to be moving quickly, with at least one big thing on the agenda for each week. Next week will be Kisha’s last day of work, and we’ll have less than 30 days to finish everything up.

I’m still waiting for my passport, so if you’re praying you might keep that in mind. I sent it off over a month ago, and had to re-send the application a couple weeks ago. Pray that it gets back to me with the quickness so that it won’t interrupt travel plans! Also, pray for good connections with people when we get down there. We have a church family that Kisha already mostly knows, but I’m just getting to know everybody. Normally that’s a non-issue, but there is more of a language barrier with this particular gig. The people were extremely kind and easy to get along with when we were down there for vacation, so I’m not super worried about it, but I’m praying for a couple of really good, really close relationships for myself (I know, everything is always me, me, me). Pray for Kisha as she finishes her last week of work, that she can finish strong and with as little stress as possible.