Today Alex and Maggie boarded the big yellow twinkies for their first day of school. At this point the first day of school shouldn’t be that big of a deal with Alex being in 7th and Maggie in 5th but Alex especially is about to experience a brand new culture! Coming out of a small school with a class of 14 into a huge building with something like 1200 students, buy viagra well, viagra let’s just say he was a little nervous about finding his first class! We did a lot of practice run throughs and highlighted maps to help him find his way. I know, what a mom thing to do to make her kid look like a dork, but truth be told, he appreciated it and we did things in a clandestine way so that no one should know how much effort he put into seeming normal in this giant school!
I’ve gotten a few emails about not blogging and for that I truly apologize! I felt that my last blog was kind of a bookend and I wasn’t sure how to start the next story of our lives. But here I am. Summer is over. The kids had an incredible 13 1/2 week summer vacation – I’m pretty sure the longest in history! So in honor of school starting I thought I’d write a “What I did over summer vacation” blog for you!
Since coming back we had great times with family. We were home in time for Corey’s family reunion which is always such a treat. With my mom, stepdad and sister we took a vacation to Florida for a little relaxation after a couple of weeks of readjustment. I won’t write the whole story here, but we had a really cool experience this summer. My sister owns a time share and so when you stay in the condo you have to sit through the little spiel about buying a time share. I know everyone dreads this part, but God placed an amazing young man in our path who was seeking a new relationship with God and it turned out to be a really cool match up as we answered questions, talked about raising children in Christian home, etc. It’s just a reminder that any situation can be an opportunity for a God connection. Let me say this, too, the Orlando and Tampa area have some great churches that are on fire for God!
Corey and I took a road trip to Springfield, Missouri. We are in an exciting process of transitioning from our position of Missionary Associates – a kind of apprentice position – to Fully Appointed Missionaries. We went to Springfield for medical and personality testing and interview. It was also a great time to meet with our Latin America Childcare leaders and get a feel for our new positions.
Let me explain that a little bit. We will be working fully with Latin America Childcare. Corey will be working with the construction side throughout Latin America. He’ll be coordinating teams from churches – maybe yours – to help build schools throughout the many countries of Latin America. I, Tona, will be working with the various Latin America Childcare Choirs as they prepare and visit churches throughout the United States to bring awareness to the many children who still need sponsors. I look forward to expanding on this a bit more once we really get rolling and should have tour pictures coming up soon since the first tour will begin in October!
Besides those main events we have had time as a family to rediscover American candy, reconnect with family and have many adventures in our new surroundings. So the new season begins, our season of fundraising, transitioning in position and sharing with our dear supporters all that we have done. We hope to see you soon!
~Tona