First 5 Days

Whew... we made it through a lot of changes this week! In a nutshell:

Monday: See last journal entry.


Tuesday: (click on any picture to make it larger)
Travelled 6 hours round-trip on Mike's Birthday to purchase a vehicle. Saw mountains, jungle, lakes, and a rainstorm (see pic). Felt great, just soaking everything in.


Wednesday:
Had some freedom to explore Antigua with the vehicle, and got lunch together (kids had smiley-face pancakes which was a hit). Very tiring day, time-changes and all started to really catch up with us. Unpacked a lot of suitcases. Got a picture of the view from our balcony...wow!


Thursday: Spiritual battle in the morning as we started to feel overwhelmed. A lot of prayer, sitting around the table sharing high-lows (best & worst moments) each morning followed by each of us praying for each others' struggles paid off, since we stuck together as a family and didn't pretend we weren't all wrestling with at least something. Thanks to everyone praying for us also, because we cheered throughout the afternoon together how God helped us win the battle. Our kids (especially Nate) have been extremely positive, reminding us that God is testing us and we need to trust Him. So much insight this week into ourselves and our children as we rode the elation/exhaustion roller coaster. Talking to several of the families already here has also taken off a huge load. Not surprisingly, everyone could empathize and we got to laugh ourselves through their stories of their first week here. Picked up a stove/fridge which was another step in making the house feel like home.


Friday (today):
Went to the market with the kids this morning and had an enjoyable time looking at basics for the house and toys for the kids. We had someone watch our kiddos so we could go on a date, and we hit a local WiFi cafe and enjoyed mocha and a bagel together! We shopped together and stocked up our fridge (navigating the local grocery store was a huge triumph!) Today, we started to truly have some fun and feel more relaxed.


Please continue to pray. We know that each day will hold a new opportunity for good, and we claim that!!


P.S. Betty sent us a picture of our commissioning service at our church. Pastor Bill had our church pray over us, and sent us off with the church's full support - thank you!!!