There are many reasons to break radio silence. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time.
We have some catching up to do.
My amazing daughter is six months old now. She is crawling, babbling, pulling up, and loves the trashcan in the bathroom more than anything in the entire world except for maybe bananas. Her daddy and I are a close third.
My amazing husband graduated with a Masters in Social Science from the University of Chicago. I am at least three times more excited about this than he is (BECAUSE PRAISE JESUS IT IS OVER).
I'm not a school nurse anymore. It was too slow; I needed something more challenging. Now I work as a pediatric nurse at a residential facility for foster care kids with often complex medical needs called the Children's Place Association here in Chicago. It's pretty much the best thing. More on that at a later date.
We are, in a word, joyful. We have fallen in love with this city-- a twist I definitely didn't see coming. Oh, it has its problems, sure... the crime rate is a little irritating. Coming home last week to find that our apartment had been robbed was really irritating. The knowledge that winter is just right around the corner is the most irritating. But we love it. The way you love a dog even if it has fleas or occasionally poops on the floor.
This last year, our lives have been consumed with school and new city and baby and new job. We never stopped praying and considering our near future, but it was difficult to ascertain a clear direction or make any kind of real plan. Now that some of those stresses have resolved, we are elated to finally share where we are in this journey with you.
We believe, with all of our hearts, that we are called to return to Zambia. And that call finally seems attainable.
David is currently working on a Fulbright application that would provide funding for 9 months as well as invaluable contacts all over the country. If this works out, we will leave February of 2016. Zambia Fulbright applications go through two stages of review. We will know in January 2015 whether he made it through the first stage and by May 2015 whether his project proposal has been accepted.
We are also in talks with an organization called Teach Beyond that places missionaries as teachers. They're not currently working in Zambia but are very positive about starting a presence there. If Fulbright works out, we are hoping to do some of the leg-work required for this arrangement while we're in Zambia for those 9 months.
Last weekend we went with our church to a retreat center in Michigan. One afternoon we were playing cornhole and casually chatting with our pastor about our plans when a retreat center employee happened to walk by and overhear. Turns out his son's church recently started some very promising work in Zambia, and they need teachers and nurses. Hmmm... He immediately called his son and handed me the cellphone. At the very least, we are people with the same beliefs and mission working in relative proximity to each other, and that kind of support is invaluable.
These possibilities are all the result of several years of prayer, research, and sincere thought. We haven't shared every step of the journey publicly out of respect for our family and friends, who naturally struggle with the distance this will bring. We are sharing now because, above all else, we need your prayers and your accountability. No man (or missionary family) is an island. We welcome your questions and your thoughts. Feel free to leave them in the comments, or just shoot us an email.
Thank you for walking with us on this journey. May every step bring Him glory.
