Cinco Meses.

It's been about five months /cinco meses/ since we moved back to the United States to Grand Rapids, MI. Has it really been that long? It feels like we just left Jarabacoa...still. 
It also feels like our lives keep changing and there's always something new going on.  

"Can't things just settle down already?" 
"Why is everything such a huge adjustment?!" 
"When will things finally seem... normal?"

These are things we constantly keep asking ourselves.  There's no doubt about it - change, in any circumstance, is DIFFICULT. Sometimes exciting, but that doesn't mean it's not difficult. Ugh.

Here's the latest news, for those interested...
Jessica: After long-term subbing in a first grade Spanish Immersion classroom at Northpointe Christian (NPC) since March, NPC hired me on for this coming school year as their Third Grade Spanish Immersion (SI) teacher.  The SI program at NPC is relatively new, and each year they add on a grade in their SI program.  This coming year they will be adding third grade, which I'm VERY excited to be teaching! Basically, if you're unfamiliar with a Spanish Immersion Program, it's that the students learn everything a "normal" English school would, except everything is taught in Spanish.  As the grades get higher, the students are expected to only speak Spanish throughout the day with each other and their teacher.  In third grade though, I'll be teaching every subject in Spanish except for Social Studies, which will be in English.  I'm pretty excited to basically doing the exact opposite that I was doing at Jarabacoa Christian School (teaching in English Immersion to native Spanish speakers).  It'll be challenging, but exciting :).  
 This summer I've been working at the Humane Society of West Michigan, helping run day camps for kids.  This entails teaching kids about becoming advocates for animals, and learning how to care for animals.  On top of everything, we get to play with the animals up for adoption! Probably the best job ever, in my opinion. I actually did the same thing about six years ago, and kept in touch with them since.  Strange how it all works out!

Brian reading to Kenya, our great friends' 2 year old :)

 Brian:  Brian is again an active member of the US Army Reserve, based out of a base close to Battle Creek, MI (about at hour south of where we live). This basically entails that he go to Drill once a month for a weekend and two weeks out of the summer. He also has been dreaming of going into the medical field, so in April he started going to school to become a Medical Assistant.  The program he is attending is a 10-month intensive program, and after he graduates he'll be eligible to work in any doctor's office or hospital as a medical assistant.  Since he's been in school, he's managed a 4.0 in all his classes :).  He also just recently got a part time job at Pier1 Imports.  I'm one proud wife! :)

We've moved into an apartment in May that accepts large dogs (VERY HARD TO FIND over here) and have slowly been settling in.  We are very blessed that all of our furniture and other things have been given to us by some very generous people! Kai loves being an indoor dog, but also loves the fenced in dog park at our apartment complex.  

Deer in our "backyard"

We've found a church we love, called Kentwood Community Church.  They have a pretty diverse population, and even sing songs in Spanish.  I can honestly say not a Sunday has gone by where I'm not a puddle of tears at church.  I can't help it. I completely fall apart when I look back at how God has been on our side throughout this huge move and transition.  He's still preparing us for something big that we just can't see yet...I can feel it!

As I sigh in awe for a way to close this blog, I want to go back to one of the questions we continue to ask ourselves... "when will things finally seem...normal?"  I can't really say I know what "normal" means at this point.  We've been gone from this country for four years. We've changed.  Time hasn't stopped for people here. Life has moved on without us during the last four years. It feels like it should have just paused and we could take off where we've left things in the past.
Nope. 

Celebrating Grand Rapids Art Festival

How do we live in this constant struggle between what we've known before, how we want people to see us now, how not to go back to what we did/would have said in the past, and how things have changed? It's a battle. Truly. 

In closing, I ask that you keep praying for our transition.  We have some specific needs as well...
1. We will be in need of another car to buy/long-term borrow in a few weeks.  Our schedules will start conflicting too much in the third week of August, and we're in need to purchase another car. Please pray for miraculous funds for this!
2. Finances for the rest of the summer. 
3. Wisdom. That we as a couple come whole-heartedly to the Lord when making decisions. 
4. We get the funds to have internet in our apartment.