May
20th,
2008
Wow! Where did the last two months disappear to? Oh, now I
remember…driving, driving, and more driving. Yes, we
managed to log another 3000+ miles on our faithful
mini-van. Did I ever tell you the story of our mini-van?
Well, perhaps another time, and it should be done in person
so you can see the hand gestures and facial contortions.
SLPICE was amazing! We spent three weeks with a group of
perfect strangers who seemed closer than family at the end.
Our children were taught many of the same concepts we were,
which allows us to talk with them on a level they
understand. Moving overseas is not something they really
get right now, but the course equipped us to help them
through the transitioning, culture shock, and paradox.
Ahhhh…paradox! I won’t go on and on about all the multiple
modules of the course, but paradox deserves some ink.
Imagine me holding up two small rubber duckies (thanks Bert
and Ernie for the loan). Another way of saying two rubber
duckies is a “pair of ducks” or “paradox”. A paradox is
“a
statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or
absurd but in reality expresses a possible
truth”….according to
the dictionary.
But try explaining that to the boys without a “pair of
ducks”. Let’s make it easy. The duck in my right hand is my
“yeah duck”… something I am happy about. The duck in my
left hand is my “yuck duck”…something I am not happy about.
Now ask the question, “What is the “yeah” about today?”
(let’s pretend its Saturday). The “yeah” about today is
that I get to sleep in and the boys get to watch cartoons.
What is the “yuck” about today? It’s raining and the boys
can’t go outside to play and I have to play UNO and
MONOPOLY all day. It’s a paradox. I am happy and sad about
today, all at the same time (self-contradictory).
Taken on a deeper level, we can like and dislike going to
Africa, all at the same time. We love going to Africa (boys
perspective) because we get to have a dog. But we dislike
going to Africa, because we are leaving all our friends
here.
As you can see, explaining the value of SPLICE on paper
would take awhile (it was three weeks of lectures after
all). But suffice it to say, we were immensely blessed as a
couple and as a family. The road trip wasn’t even too bad.
House: We are still
praying, expecting and hoping for a contract soon. The
offer we received back in April was contingent on the sale
of another house, so that offer ended up coming to nothing.
The house is showing lots though, and we KNOW that GOD IS
FAITHFUL AND GOOD and when the timing is right, we will
make it to Kenya.
Support: the support
keeps coming in, despite us! Our monthly commitment levels
have now reached 94%! Thank you for praying. God is hearing
and answering your prayers. If you have been considering
partnership with us financially, now is the time. Our
hopeful departure date is the first week of July and we
must have 100% of our support raised prior to this. We have
added a PayPal button on our website (www.seidelfamily.org)
to make things easier for some of you.
Communication:
I recently loaded up a video on YouTube. Here is the
link…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JicN-2g6Pio check it out
and let me know what you think. We are hoping to produce a
2 minute video several times a year as a way to communicate
with you all. This one is longer, but is just a trial.
E-mails to us. I want to
just throw this out now in preparation. Do you remember
dial-up? How slow it was and how long it took to download
those great pictures and forwards that all your friends and
family sent you? Once we get to Kenya, we will be on
dial-up….need I say more?
Keep clinging to Jesus and holding all else loosely!
Scott for the Seidel’s
541.510.9931