Next Month...

We can say the words 'Next month...'   There are days those words give me a lump in my throat, and there are days where those words create a lot of joy and anticipation.  As we have learned over and over, it is a daily decision to surrender our plans for His.

We wanted to give a little update on what we have been up to these past few weeks, so here it goes:

• All types of packing is happening. (has been a good lessen on where our treasure really is)
• We are sending some of our family's supplies along with short-term mission teams who are headed to Haiti before we are.  This aleviates us from having to fit all of our supplies in our 10 suitcases when we fly out on August 9.
• Each week a few more boxes of our belongings get packed up to store while we are gone and brought to our storage unit a few miles away
• As all this packing is happening even more things in our house get donated or find their way to other 'homes'. (the house is looking empty)

• Fun events with family & friends are being added to our calendar. 
• The Mulder family took an extended weekend to spend time at Inspiration Hills.  It was a great little get-away full of wiffle-ball, kick-ball, ropes challenges, swimming, card games, way too much food, biking, hiking and great company around the fire every night.
• Visit from long-time Pella friends
• Garage sales & lemonade stands
• VBS at our home church
• A bake sale put on to assist us by our church family at Shalom CRC
• Not exactly fun, but I (Sara), made a quick trip out to CA as my Grandpa passed away a couple weeks ago.  It was wonderful to catch up with uncles and aunts whom I haven't seen in many years. This also allowed me to see my brother Steve, from Chicago, who I might not have seen hadn't the funeral happened.
• Little day-to-day activities like softball, picnics, bonfires, walks, and swimming done with generous friends who love and support our family.
• Mission Haiti put on a meal for all team members, board members, employees and all our families.  It was a night of sharing, getting to know each other and simply building community as a group of people brought together by a desire to serve.

• Final appointments & check-ups being scheduled.
• The girls all had to have a typhoid shot last week Tuesday and I am happy to say only one of them cried and it was only for a short time (bribery might have been involved).
• The whole family visited the dentist.  The parents have to return to have a cavity taken care of and Regan needs to visit an oral surgeon concerning a stubborn 2-yr molar that does not want to fully come in. Ugh!

• Closing on our house July 15.
• We were blessed to be able to close on our house early and then rent our house back from the buyers for another month.  This means we don't have to move twice before we get on the plane!  This also allows us to take care of details over a few more weeks rather than having someone else to handle it while we are gone.

As you can tell, so many things are falling into place and God's mercy and grace have been revealed in even the smallest of details.  I have commented to people at times, that we feel so fortunate to be able to be walking this road, getting a front row seat to the power of God.
Yet as I write about all that is going on, and as we begin to look at the next handful of weeks, my sinful humanness has shown up as well.  A couple weeks ago I felt fear and doubt enter into a lot of my thoughts and feelings.  I will spare you the details, but it affected me to the point that our girls even noticed that there was something going on with Mom.  I knew my armor had been penetrated and it took being encouraged by a friend from our SFC school community, to put the armor of God back on, to give back all control to Him.  Ephesians 6:10-18

I also came across a devotional which talked of having the faith of a child (Matthew 18:3-4).
Tim and I have been amazed how excited our girls have been about this adventure all along.  Now we also realize they do not fully know what is all in store, but we have also done our best to be honest with them about some of the tough things that we might encounter (like Haiti heat in August!).  Yet they continue to look forward and are so willing to step up to the task at hand.  So I took this lesson shown to me by our girls, and happened upon the same topic in a devotional, to find our strength in the Lord by having faith like a child:

"My pride, my strong desire to find my own way as an adult keeps me from bowing down at Your feet and asking for Your guidance and mercy.  Show me today how to give up control and accept the changes  -- blessings and trials -- that come with a humble, childlike faith.

So we ask that you continue to pray for us, and our extended family, as we head into the last weeks.  There are going to be a lot of exciting things happening that will also include having to say goodbye. I told our girls the other day that if they see Mom crying, it is okay : )  It just means that we have to be thankful for the people who love and care for all of us.
Please also be in prayer for the four other team members, Paul & Bethany, Mike and Pam, who have already moved to Haiti.  Pray too for the Haitian people who we will be living closely with, they too are experiencing much change.  Pray the love of God will blanket us all to build His kingdom.

Logan's Perspective

We thought it would be interesting for you to hear our daughter Logan's perspective.  The other day I (Sara) asked if she would be open to this idea, and she thought it sounded pretty good.  I came up with some questions for her to answer, and over the course of a few days she took time to write them down.  I am going to do my best to type them exactly how she wrote them in her 8 year old way.  ENJOY! : )

What was your first reaction when we told you we were moving to Haiti?
When I found out that we were moving to a different country I was scared and excited.  I was crying happy and sad tears.  I asked a ton of questions.  One of the was if we were staying there for ever.  There was a song on the radio that really helped me.  It said that you aren't going to be comfortable your hole life and that we need to tell other about God.

What are you most excited about? Why?
There are a ton of things I am excited about.  One of them is making knew friends with the kids at the orfanige and the schools we will viset.  One reasone why is because I want to learn more about the people of Haiti.

What are you most concerned about? Why?
The thing that I am most concerned about is getting sick.  There are lots of ways to get sick there so we have to be careful.  One way we can get sick is not wearing shoes.  Bugs can heart our feet.

How have you been getting ready?
We have been going through stuff that we are going to take along and stuff to get rid of.  Also today we got seeds to plant at Haiti.  My room is a lot cleaner now that the junk is out!

What are some things you will do in Haiti?
I will play with the kids at the orfenage, and go to the ocean, and viset schools, and I will be home schooled.  I am excited to do all these and I'm sure I will do much more.

What have you learned about yourself through this process?
Something I found out about myself is that I just need to know what is happening and I'll be fine.  I was really nervosa when I found out that we were moving to a different country but know I am so excited.

What have you learned about others?
I learned that people care enough to help us.  I am very thankful that they want to help us.

What have you learned about God?
I learned that God will take good care of us in Haiti.  He has given us the oppertunatee to go and share God's love.

********************************************************************

I love how simple yet thoughtful Logan's answers were.  It has been a learning process for Tim and I to know how much to reveal to our girls about how much change will be happening for them.  We want to be very honest with them so the culture shock will be slightly less, yet respect and acknowledge that their minds cannot fully grasp all that will be different or difficult.  We have been so thankful that  they have been really excited, yet understanding that have yet to fully experience Haiti.  But I was reminded this weekend by a friend that the fact they haven't experienced Haiti could cause fear and sadness... and it hasn't for our girls.  This is again a very clear example of God's provision, nothing that we as parents have created in them.

409 Claudia St.

Psalm 17 : 18-19

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous things.

Blessed be his glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with his glory!

Amen and Amen!

We have said it many times through this whole journey, yet God knows exactly when we are in need of experiencing His providence so plainly.  I don't know any other way to say it but we are humbly grateful to be able to walk this road.

Yesterday morning we signed an offer on our house!!!  There is of course still an inspection to be done next week, so a few details need to be taken care of.  But long story short, we accepted a great offer on our house which will allow for us to stay in it until we leave for the airport on August 12!  There are so many other details that also fell into place in just under 24 hours of our buyer looking at our home, that it seems too good to be true.  But we know it isn't too good, it is simply God doing His 'wondrous things' in our lives.

I will share one story...
About 15 minutes before I signed my part of the purchase agreement Thursday morning, the girls were playing outside, and I was inside trying to get myself ready for the day.  Logan came in and said their was a man looking at the outside of the house.  I went out and introduced myself to which he told me he was the father, of the woman offering to buy our home.  He explained how embarrassed his daughter was that he was even at our house, but she and her mom were in the car waiting.  The father had not been able to see the house the night before, and just wanted to take a look at the outside, hoping we were not home.  I insisted he come inside, as he made the effort to look at the outside.  After they quickly looked at each room in the house, we shared with each other both of our situations.  At one point, all the adults had tears in our eyes because of how it worked out for us all so well.
Sellers don't often get to meet they buyers in this sort of way, but I was so grateful that this interaction happened.  I believe my heart was again being cared for, knowing that our home is going to be a blessing to another person.  The buyer told me, 'I knew as soon as I walked in, that this house was where I needed to live!'

Today we are praising God for this provision in our life, and humbly thankful for the prayers you have offered on our behalf.

Transition

If you want the short of what has been going on, here it is:
  - Summer has started and that means a time of transition
  - The Mulder women don't always handle transition very well... but we need to get comfortable with  
    it, it is going to be around for a while : )
  - Our house is still for sale after 23 showings... but yesterday we learned of an interested party!!!
     (we are cautiously optimistic)  Keep praying please.
  - Said goodbye to Sioux Falls Christian School for a time...
  -  Packed our second bag to head down to Haiti ahead of our departure on August 12.

*If you want to know what has been going on in my heart & mind you are welcome to keep reading :)

Transition.  We as a family are in it.  Reality is, we might be in it for an undetermined amount of time.  Last week, 3 of our 5 family members walked out of Sioux Falls Christian School and knew we would not be returning for a while.  We unpacked the backpacks, cleaned off computers, and handed in keys.

It always happens this time of year for the girls and I (Sara).  The long awaited summer vacation begins, and we experience a couple weeks where we are in transition.  I am sure this is no different for many other families, figuring out new schedules, finding ways to fill our time, and even accomplishing a few things that have been put off 'until summer.'  In the past, this time of transition is sometimes difficult because we are all trying to find a rhythm again.

This year, the transition feels a bit different.  We are trying to sell our house, we are packing suitcases to send to Haiti and bring to storage, we are creating a list of fun things to do 'before we leave...' and we are doing our best to extend grace to each other through it all.  But I have to be honest with you, and myself, I don't always do well with transition.  I think it is the lack of control and structure to our days.  The reality is, the girls and I have more hours, and flexibility in our days to carve out how we spend them.  Like I said before, this is something we always eagerly anticipate, but this is a whole new level of transition.

Today was one of those days.  We had fun things planned, we had friends to see, our house was showing twice!  But I never gave my day to God before my feet hit the floor.  Thus the grace tank was running on low towards each other.   Early in the afternoon, the three girls were all either napping or quietly reading in their rooms.  I spent a bit of time on the patio reading a book.  I have referred to this book before in a previous post, so forgive me if I am over using it to relate to our own situations. But I found myself being reminded of exactly what my heart needed today.  I want to share with you a portion from Kisses From Katie, by Katie Davis.  It speaks of the battle between God and us in our struggle for obedience to His will on our lives.  The author uses an analogy of one of her 3 year old daughter's battle to take a bath.  The little girls fights a bath every time, and every time ends up realizing by the end of the bath, they really are wonderful and necessary.

         - "I shudder to think what I could have missed in life because of my disobedience.  I am so  thankful that God in His grace does not allow me to win.  Because usually, the fight is not really about what he is asking me to do.  It is not about the bathtub, It is about me, trying to figure out just how much control I have over my little life.  At this point, not much.
             I would like to be able to say that I always do exactly what the Lords asks of me.  I would like to say that I always seek Him first when a difficult situation presents itself.  While I am getting better at it, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I still think what I do with my life should be my decision.  God asks, and reasons, and encourages.  He gently explains that I do not know what is best for me and that I do not always get what I want.  And I just look at Him, not understanding at all what He's trying to say.  Sometimes, I even whine and sob and shriek, just like a tired, angry three-year-old.
            So God picks me up, exhausted from struggling, and plops me in the center of His will for my life.  And then a funny thing happens.  As I kick and scream and struggle, I remember: I like being in the center of God's will for my life.  God's plan is usually pretty great.  It is a whole lot better than mine anyway.  I am so glad that He does not allow me to win.
           The more I strive to live in the center of God's will, the more He asks me to give up, the more uncomfortable I become.  He teaches me, over and over, that He does know best.  The 'bathtub,' the uncomfortable places, they get only more difficult.  But I am learning to remember, before I even get there, that eventually this will be what is best for me, and more important, what is best for His glory."

I really believe the circumstances of today, that didn't go as planned, and where love did not win, were a reminder to me that I am not in control.  That I  cannot expect plans to fall into place, or events to run smoothly, or children to listen the first time.  I myself am often pitching-a-fit with God, and not looking to the Holy Spirit to guide my attitude, responses, and obedience.  If only I would daily surrender my plans for His, and live minute-by-minute seeking His will.  Tomorrow is a new day, and I will pray I do not win.

Lamentations 3:22-24 is running through my head.
 " The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.  'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him."

Heart Preperations

This post might be more of an update on the condition of our hearts and minds, rather than an update on logistical things... so just a warning to proceed.

Over the past few months, there have been numerous times I/we have had conversations about how we have arrived at the place we are at, in the partnership with Mission Haiti this next year.  These conversations have taken place in coffee shops, grocery stores, our own home, works places, our church and the list goes on.  I have been thankful for the opportunities to tell a bit of our story, to sometimes the most unlikely people, and am amazed at how often connections are made in other's lives.  As I reflect now, it is unmistakably by God's providence, that He has allowed our hearts to be cared for in this way.  It brings comfort to my heart knowing that this sometimes crazy adventure, is not so crazy after all, when so many people have crossed our path knowing about, or having some connections to Mission Haiti.  I sincerely believe it is God's way of carrying me through days, where I could feel very alone in what is going on in our life, as if no one can relate.

The fact is, there are so many who have cared for our whole family's hearts so well on this wild ride.  I have used the analogy a few times of God putting down dots throughout our life.  He has opened our eyes to how some of these dots are getting connected, revealing a part of the bigger picture in how He is leading us.

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to share a little bit at an SFC chapel.  The chapel was made up of a variety of people telling about events which reveal God's hand at work in the life of our school.  One phrase I remember saying as I spoke was, 'we never saw ourselves being in the position we are in.'  For a while when I would say this to people it scared me.  My doubt and fear would get the best of me, and the little voice in my head would question if this really was the right thing for our family.

I am happy to say with certainty, this is what we have been led to.  Haiti is where our family has been called to be for the next year.  Even as I write that, it seems a little unreal, but it is one of those gut feelings, that this is right and good.  I know this feeling is a shred of the peace we have been praying for all along.  Even though we have experienced this peace, we also experience times of question, exhaustion, worry and weariness.   I believe these are all ways in which our sinful flesh is telling us to take the easy route, and give in to the trust we are placing in God's faithfulness.

So right now we are doing our best to be responsible to the things that need to be done.  Things like training those individuals who will be filling our roles at the bank and school, things like making sure the house is in 'show' condition every day, and things like focusing on relationships with friends and family that will soon enough take on a different look, as we load the plane at the end of July.  All of these things need to be given attention, and we are grateful for our Lord's sustaining power through it all.

I want to end with a quote from a book given to me by a very dear friend.  The book is 'Kisses From Katie" written by Katie Davis.  I am only two chapters in, but already know I can recommend you to read it if at all interested.  In all the preparations for our move, and with all the 'lasts' happening, we have tried to be intentionally preparing our hearts for our role in Haiti.  I believe this book will play a role in that preperation.

         "...there were still times in those early days when I wondered Why me[us]? Why would God choose me[us] to do this? But as I think through my life, I see how blessed and loved I have been.  I think it is only normal that God would ask, even require, me to share this love with others who may not know it.  Luke 12:48 says, 'From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.'  And I have been given so much.'

I read this and identified with it completely.  We could have ignored what had been placed in our path.  I will admit, I actually prayed to God to take this opportunity all away.  But He didn't.  He worked on my heart, Tim's heart, and the hearts of our girls, in exactly the way we all uniquely needed for His plan to become ours.

Colossians 1:11

I believe before we add anymore posts to this blog I (Sara) must make this disclaimer at least for the posts I write... On this blog you will hopefully be informed & hear our hearts expressed, but I do not claim to be a wonderful writer.  So I apologize in advance for any post which does not uphold correct grammar and/or spelling, I have taught art for a reason the past 11 years!

Ok, with that out of the way I wanted to fill you in a bit about what is going on in our preparations for our move to Haiti this summer.

Things we are currently working on are:

• Selling Our House 
• We have put in some long days the past couple weeks in getting our house ready to show! This process has been a big one but we are pleased with how much has been accomplished and grateful to those who have helped in big and small ways in this process.  We have had generous friends and family who have given of their time to be with our girls while we worked on house things, been willing to store items for us in their homes, and rented equipment to move large items.  Despite the amount of work, it has been a pretty good feeling to have been able to go through all we own and really question if we need it or not.   Given where we are moving to, it has put a whole new spin on how we view the things we have and causes us to question their value.
• Health Insurance 
• Right now we are still evaluating a few different options for our insurance for our family while we are living in Haiti.  This is a sort of interesting area to research given all the recent changes to healthcare for all Americans.
• Homeschool Curriculum 
• We have been wonderfully blessed in this area of preparations, yet another big way we have experienced affirmation in this process due to the community of people I work with at Sioux Falls Christian Schools.  We have had multiple teachers and parents of home-schooled children approach us in wanting to help figure this all out both financially, as well as in deciding which curriculum to use.
• Medical Preparations
• When moving into Sioux Falls 7 years ago we called a Sanford clinic because we needed to find a family practice doctor, mainly because we were expecting another child.  We were very randomly given the name of our doctor and we have been very pleased ever since.  She has been supportive in talking with us about our move, and willing to do whatever she can when it comes to any possible situation that might come up in Haiti that she might be able to educate us about, or supply prescriptions for ahead of time.
• Mission Haiti Team Building
• A few weeks ago all the Mission Haiti employees in the U. S. along with the other 3 Americans who will be moving with us met (1 couple via SKYPE) so we all could get on the same page about many different topics.  We were very encouraged at this meeting on many different levels about a variety of topics.  That was a very broad statement... but we realized after that meeting that we need to continue to be intentional about not just crossing off our moving to-do lists and ignore the relational and human side of all of this.  It is very easy to get caught up in the details and logistics of this all and neglect the relationship & spiritual development that is integral.
• Learning French
• We have been told our girls will learn this much quicker than Tim or I, maybe they can eventually become our translators : )   This element excites me but is also a bit overwhelming among the rest of details right now.
• Researching Business Opportunities 
• Tim has had a number of meetings over the past few weeks with business owners, chicken farmers, and board members in gathering information he needs.  All very interesting stuff that I will save for him to post someday... I am afraid I would get the terms all wrong.

Way back in February we sat down for supper with a couple from our church family who moved their 3 girls to Africa for a year when their youngest was 5.  That evening the wife made the comment that once she actually got on the plane to leave the U.S. she breathed a sigh of relief.  She described the time leading up to their move as [simply crazy]... I believe the husband may have even referred to her at that time as 'nuts' (I am sure it was in the most loving way).  

Tim commented to me the other day that we are in that time that couple spoke of, right now.  There have been days I have felt 'nuts!'  I have commented to many that I am frustrated with myself in how I am completing usually normal tasks throughout my days and weeks.  A certain standard has had to be accepted that usually would not be alright with me, a daily reminder that only by God's great mercy and grace being heaped on us through those He has put in our lives,  has all this been possible.

Colossians 1:11  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you have all the endurance and patience you need. (NLT)

   

Letter to Friends & Family

This is a letter we are in the process of getting out to many people in our lives.  If you have been directed here to our blog by us or another way, we thank you for taking the time to read about the adventure ahead of us. Please keep checking back as this blog will be an evolving project over the next several months as we prepare to leave for Haiti this July. ********************************************************************************

Dear Family and Friends,

We are writing this letter to inform the people we love that our family will be moving in July of this year to join a ministry called Mission Haiti.  We visited Mission Haiti in December of last year and felt the Lord’s calling to get involved in the work that God is doing there.  We weren’t exactly sure what that calling meant right away, but after a couple months of prayerful consideration we knew God was working in our hearts to make a major change in our lives.  

This has not been a decision we have come to easily, but we can say God has given us peace and confidence in stepping forward in obedience. While in Haiti this past December, there was an afternoon about half-way through our trip where we had time to discuss where we both were at in terms of what we were experiencing.  It was one of those moments where we both knew what we were being prepared for, yet had a long way to go in fully trusting God.  We knew Ti-Rivier was a place our girls could live and thrive; it was then a matter of surrendering all our plans for HIS.

We have committed to joining Mission Haiti for 1 year at a time.  Tim will be serving as the business manager for the ministry in Haiti, which involves accounting for all financial transactions, encouraging a unified staff and creating more accountability. He will also be exploring several business opportunities with the people in the community including the possibility of a cement block business and chicken farm.  Sara will be using her art skills at the compound and local schools, working with the young women in the area, as well as attending to short-term mission trip groups.  Logan (8), Aubrey (5), and Regan (3) will be homeschooled by their parents (pray for us all J) and developing new friendships with the MH orphanage kids & others in the area. 

“Love Jesus, Love Others, Make Disciples” is the motto of Mission Haiti. We can’t think of a better way to sum up what we as Christians are called to do everyday of our lives.  Mission Haiti focuses on 5 key areas of helping the people of Haiti; Orphan Ministry, School Sponsorships, Evangelism, Medical Care and Short Term Missions.   It has been exciting for us to continually learn more about Mission Haiti as we sense the Spirit is continually leading the ministry in avenues where God’s love will be shared.  One of these ways is in the construction currently underway of a new Christian school.  Preparations are being made to begin classes at this school in the 2015 school year.  You can learn much more about Mission Haiti at their website – http://mission-haiti.org

*         The number one way you can help our family over the next year is regular prayer.  Please pray that our family, along with Mission Haiti, can have a positive impact on the people of Haiti and that the Lord will be glorified in all that we do. Please pray that our girls adjust well to the culture and that we all remain healthy and strong during our stay.   

*       Another way to help is through financial support. We are responsible for raising a     large portion of our financial need for the coming year.  If you feel led to support us in this way, please make checks out to Mission Haiti with “Mulder Family” on the memo line.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.  You can give donations directly to Tim and Sara, or mail them to:          

                                                                                                                     Mission Haiti

                                                                                                                     P.O. Box 2175

                                                                                                                     Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2175

Grateful for your love & support,

timsaramulder@gmail.com                       Tim, Sara, Logan, Aubrey & Regan Mulder