The HIGHS of Fur-LOWS

Tomorrow marks the end of a seven week visit to the US.

I always imagined missionaries laying poolside and sipping tropical drinks on their furloughs, earning some much needed rest from their non-stop, ministry-filled lives. 

Obviously, those missionaries have better sense then to venture home in December!

Although we've had some moments of rest (including an awesome three night stay in Napa Valley), we've been surprised at how busy our time here has been. Here are some highlights:

Preaching at University Covenant Church  (UCC) in Davis, where we were able to share about some of the challenges we've faced as well as the hope that keeps us committed to our calling in Swaziland.

If you'd like to hear the message, click here.

UCC also hosted an evening reception, which drew almost 100 people who came to hear about what our day-to-day life is like there.

Training at UC Davis. Tommy spent several days at UCD learning new skills, including how to artificially inseminate sows and process carcasses into different cuts of meat. (It's REALLY unfortunate we don't have pictures of this one!) 

Visiting churches like Escalon Presbyterian Chruch, Christ Lutheran Church Fortuna, Antioch Church on the Rock, and members of the missions committee from Hydesville Community Church. These churches offered us opportunities to share about out time, and we were so encouraged by people's love for New Life Homes. We're glad you agree with us that God is really at work!

Connecting with folks at Bidwell Presbyterian Church in Chico. Each year they organize an alternative gift fair which allows people to support organizations, including New Life Homes. People purchased everything from pigs to school uniforms, all to be sent as a financial donation to New Life Homes. It is an incredibly well-organized event which raises approximately $30,000 for local and international ministries.

Spending time with family, friends, and supporters. For the first time in two years, we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with family! One of the sweetest joys was spending time with nieces and nephews who have grown so much in the time we've been away!

We head back to Swaziland tomorrow. We will certainly cherish the special times we had with family and friends. Thank you for blessing us with your love, availability, wisdom, hospitality, support, and care. As much as we've loved being "home" we are also eager to get "home" to Swaziland as well.

Family Time

I (Mandi) just wanted to share a brief update about the seventeen days (yes, I counted every one) I spent stateside last month. It was a very special time. 

I arrived two days after the birth of my new niece, Cora Louem Quinn.

I spent most of my time at my sister's house in the Bay Area, getting properly introduced to Cardon (14 months) and Cora (newborn). My vacation included lots of dirty diapers and cleaning spit up from clothing, carpets, and couches. I loved every minute of it! I am completely enthralled by these little ones.

My brother and parents also came down for weekend visits.

I enjoyed four days in Escalon with Tommy's family. I stayed with his parents, Dick and Ellen, and also spent time with his brother's family and our niece (Ashley) and nephews (Jack and Charlie). It was so special to reconnect with them!

I relished some of life's simple pleasures like Target, burritos, pool parties, and ice cream.
I left feeling so thankful for the blessing of family. 

 

Growing Together

People often ask how we first learned about African Leadership Partners and their ministry at New Life Homes.

While attending college at Chico State University, I (Tommy) was sitting in a pew at Bidwell Presbyterian Church listening to Peter Kopp, one of the founders of African Leadership Partners, share how can God equips people with practical skills—such a medicine, agriculture, or construction—to help meet the world's greatest needs.

One of the BPC services meets at the El Rey theater.

Bidwell Presbyterian Church has developed a very cool partnership with African Leadership Partners. I began attending Bidwell Pres in 2004, just as it was experiencing awesome, God-led growth. Bidwell Pres is one of the fastest growing Presbyterian churches in America. The pastors and elders of the church are constantly looking for new ways to get members to become more intimately connected with the greatest needs of the world. I originally went to Swaziland as part of a short-term team from Bidwell Pres in 2006. The rest is history.

The partnership between Bidwell Pres and the folks in Swaziland has continued to grow. In 2010, the church raised money through a special offering to build a school. The school currently educates approximately 75 orphaned and vulnerable children, and is transforming education in the local community. One of the biggest needs New Life Homes is currently facing is housing for missionaries and school teachers. As a result of not enough housing, some missionaries and their families are traveling long distances on dangerous roads, where auto accidents are frequent.

The New Life School

The members of Bidwell Pres wanted to do something to further support the ministry of New Life Homes. This year, they dedicated their Christmas Eve offering to build two new homes on the farm. They raised $31,750! What a special Christmas gift to the children of New Life Homes and the local community.

God is so good and we are thankful for their generosity. We look forward to sending along pictures as construction progresses and eventually having short-term teams stay in the facilities. Bidwell Pres and New Life Homes have cultivated a unique and beautiful relationship that we look forward growing this relationship even more.

Here is a short promo video the folks at Bidwell Pres put together. Enjoy!

Pair of Ducks

We returned to Davis last night after spending approximately four weeks on the road, most of our time being spent at Mission Training International in Colorado. We are grateful for a challenging and engaging training and God's protection during several snow storms that we forged through during the drive home.

As 40 adults were learning upstairs in the training center, approximately 25 children were receiving similar training downstairs. Although most of our curriculum was different, there were some similarities built into the program. A pair of ducks is something we ALL learned about.

If you say "pair of ducks" fast enough, you'll hear something that sounds a lot more like "paradox." At our training, we learned that many of our experiences can be described by this word. In each "pair of ducks" there is a yay duck and a yuck duck.

In some ways, your heart will be saying "yay!" and it other ways it will be saying "yuck!"—often at the same time.

For example, we just purchased our tickets for the flight over. We leave January 12th. The yay duck in us is thrilled to finally begin this adventure, after much waiting and anticipation. The yay duck is so hopeful in this calling we're received, and we can't wait to see what the Lord will do in and through us. The yay duck says "Let's go!"

The yuck duck in us is experiencing great sorrow just thinking about the loved ones we'll leave behind. The yuck duck want to resist leaving our community in Davis, our careers, and some of our favorite hobbies. The yuck duck says "How can we possibly leave?"

As you can imagine, its a very emotional time for us. This week will bring many goodbyes. Thank you for praying and caring for us in the midst of the yays and the yucks.

Questioning Our Pickers

Most of the time, what seems like a bad idea usually turns out to be a bad idea. It tends to be the same with good ideas. However, there are those rare circumstances when, what seems like a good idea is actually, well, a bad idea. 

One week ago we left Davis and headed to Colorado Springs to attend a 3-week missions training with approximately 40 other missionaries preparing to enter the field (www.mti.org). On our second day of travel—in which we spent most of the ten hours on the road in the beautiful state of Wyoming—we were quickly approaching the Colorado State line and were getting very hungry.

 In search of some good home cookin’, we decided to stop at a local diner instead of hitting up another Subway. We picked the Luxury Diner (the irony will hit you in a moment) in Cheyenne, a restaurant that had more than its fill in character but left us questioning our pickers. 

This fried food frolic left us feeling like we were 8½ months pregnant for the last three hours of the drive. You would think the lesson would be learned, but it turns out we have a history with misjudgment. 

When making the decision to attend this training, we heard awesome reviews from others. We still thought it was a bad idea. How could this be a good idea with a dissertation to write, curriculum projects to finish, and relationships in which we’d like to invest? 

Boy, were we wrong. We do have too much work to do, and we do love our friends and family, but we had no idea how much more we could learn and grow. We are learning a ton about ourselves, each other, and God’s plan for our lives. What seemed to be a terrible idea, turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. 

We’ll still misjudge situations—evidenced by the fact that I (Tommy) took down 20 hot wings the other night and could not sleep a bit. That being said, we are both so thankful that what seemed to be so bad is turning into something that is oh sooo good.

Wonderfully Made

Over the past two months Tommy and I have received some very special news... both of our sisters are pregnant with the first little ones.
(Congratulations John & Beth Tinsley and Dan & Megan Quinn!!)
We are already blessed with a niece and two nephews (see pic of Ashley, Jack, and Charlie with Nana and Opa below) and we are thrilled about the imminent addition of two new little ones!

Like any proud Auntie and Uncle, we are more than happy to share pictures of our soon-to-arrive nieces or nephews!
This is Baby Tinsley (Tommy's sister and brother-in-law), due in late April.

Last week, Megan and Dan (Mandi's sister and brother-in-law) invited us to participate in the gender determination ultrasound appointment. What an incredible experience, to see this little one wiggling around! Baby BOY Quinn will make his arrival in early May.

Of all the things we'll miss, meeting these two babies when they enter the world is definitely at the top of our list. However, we know God is good and He is in control. We already feel blessed beyond measure and so full of love for them! Please lift their parents up in prayer--for safe and healthy pregnancies and for preparing them to raise their little ones according to His will.

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." [Ecclesiastes 11:5]

Please pray! We drive to Colorado Springs this Sunday (with one pit stop in Salt Lake City). Please pray for safety for our long journey. We will be attending a three-week training session for missionaries entering the field. Pray that we would be willing learners as we soak in information about culture, life balance, and field work. Pray that we connect with other couples and develop some new friendships.

Ironwoman

My dear friend Courtney Welden competes her first Ironman today. This incredible feat includes a running a marathon, completing a 112-mile bike ride, and swimming more than two miles.

Courtney decided to use this opportunity as a platform to tell others about New Life Homes and raise additional funds to support our work there.

Regardless of what happens today, Tommy and I are so proud of Courtney! She has chosen to approach a demanding feat in such a purposeful way--what an amazing woman! To see her video about the race, check out our previous entry "Tri-ing for Something Greater."

Northern California Exposure

Nobody makes you feel more at home than the people who live in Humboldt County. Those folks are passionate about a whole host of causes--even if some might make you scratch your head. One cause that gets them fired up is supporting their own. As many of you know, Mandi was born and raised in Humboldt and has maintained many friendships over the years. With the help of Mandi’s awesome parents, Elvis and Linda, and some very generous volunteers, we held a benefit barbeque last weekend at Christ Lutheran Church in Fortuna. We even had a country gospel band, lead by Pastor Paul Demant!

Elvis and Linda served a wonderful meal that received rave reviews--especially Elvis’ chicken! We enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, and meeting some new friends as well. George and Elna Demant (pictured below) have been strong supporters of New Life Homes since we served there in 2007. Elna was so moved by New Life Homes' ministry, she has been sponsoring a child living "on the farm" for the past five years! She also regularly sends care packages to the children there. We are so encouraged by George and Elna's commitment to caring for Swazi orphans!

On Sunday we attended services both at Christ Lutheran Church as well as Hydesville Community Church--where Mandi attended youth group as a high school student. After each service we were able to visit with people who wanted to learn more about how God is moving in Swaziland. We hung out in Hydesville for their second tailgate party of this year (we were also at the first!) and ate some delicious food including tri-tip wrapped in a pancake with bbq and chili sauce.

Yeah, it was pretty delicious. Humboldt Countians, thank you all for your hospitality and most of all for your prayers and support!

A Lesson on Treasure

The Bottoms' hit a major milestone this weekend--our first yard sale! And boy, was it entertaining. Not only did we love mixing and mingling with our bargain-hunting visitors, but we unloaded some serious stuff. We also unloaded our neighbors unwanted belongings (with their consent) which they cheerfully donated to support
New Life Homes.

The funny thing is, we haven't missed a thing. Okay, maybe one thing--our wall clock. Yes, we're realizing the clock was worth much more than the $5 we received from it.
At least we have a new excuse for being late!

On the second day, we did some serious mark downs. A young man could not resist an ornate wine stopper that had been $9 on Saturday, but was marked down to $0.50 on Sunday. That's 95% off. Talk about a deal! Here is a picture of us among our serious shoppers:

This was another necessary step in preparing to leave for Swaziland at the end of the year. We have decided not to rent a storage unit, and will be relying on the generosity of friends and family who have agreed to store, borrow, or buy all of our earthly possessions. We're finding this to be a healthy, yet somewhat uncomfortable lesson on how much we value our stuff. Isn't amazing how much we accumulate and how tightly we hold on to it?

As Jesus so aptly put it, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We celebrated the completion of a successful yard sale with dinner at our favorite (and only) bike-themed pizza place.
We had a lot to celebrate. 

Housing update: Thank you for your prayers! We officially confirmed our housing arrangement though the fall today, with only a couple weeks to spare.

A Midcourt Celebration

As some of you may realize, we are nearing the beginning of football season. I am a big sports fan, particularly of college football. It just so happens that college football provides an excellent metaphor for our support raising efforts. Last year, the national title football game pitted Alabama vs. LSU. Alabama dominated nearly every aspect of the game, to the point where LSU could not even move the ball past the 50-yard line. Needless to say, Alabama won. A few weeks later, Alabama and LSU met again, this time on the basketball court. When the team dribbled the ball past midcourt, all of the Alabama fans went crazy with sarcastic cheering. 

Well friends, we too are at the halfway point in raising our financial support. We are grateful for all of you who have decided to prayfully and financially support what God is doing in Swaziland. These next few (hectic) months are going to be awesome as we are confident that God will provide and move us beyond the goal line. That celebration will even louder than those Alabama fans.

P.S. If you would like to be part of moving us beyond the goal line, just click the "GIVE" button to the right of this post.

The Unexpected

Even unexpected change should, of course, be expected.

Knowing that we'll be departing to a developing country in just a few months, we have prepared for change. We are well aware how flexible we need to be. We know things won't necessarily go as planned. Yet even in the midst of all this mental preparedness, change is not easy to handle.

In the span of two days, we became aware of changes in our housing plans both here in Davis and abroad. We learned of an unexpected 3-week training we need to attend. Mandi learned of a change in her teaching assignment. We are not certain how all these changes will impact preparing to leave or finishing our job and school responsibilities well. 

One thing that we can expect and rely on is God's unchanging nature. We find a lot of peace in knowing that the big things of life, the things that matter, are unwavering.

As James writes, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 

Please pray that we find a place to live in Davis before the end of September. We are specifically looking for a private or semi-private arrangement for the months of October and November. Pray for the packing, selling, and redistributing process that has begun as well. At times it is overwhelming.

Tri-ing for Something Greater

While I was in Swaziland in 2006, Tommy completed his first long course triathlon. He loved every mile of it (well, almost every mile). However, his one hesitation was how self-serving it seemed to be and his desire to do something greater.

When my dear friend Courtney was selected earlier this year to compete in her first Ironman triathlon, I was thrilled. Friends since high school, I knew this was something Courtney had longed to do. I was excited to encourage her as she attempted to accomplished something great.
But great wasn't good enough for Courtney.

Courtney wanted to do something greater. She also set a goal to raise $2,000 to support New Life Homes. Here's her video explaining why she's competing for a cause.

We are so thankful for Courtney's desire to "tri" something greater on behalf of the orphaned children who have found a home at New Life Homes. We are also encouraged by her creativity! She is using her resources to advocate for vulnerable children in Swaziland and engage a whole new group of friends Tommy and I (and the children) have never met. Now that is truly something greater.

If you'd like to financially support Courtney's fundraising efforts, visit African Leadership Partners' fundraising page.

Happy Davis-versary!

All our stuff was packed up, we didn’t know where anything was, and we were utterly exhausted. This was what Mandi and I were feeling as we spent our first night in Davis. It just so happened to be the 4th of July.

 

 

Cued by the sounds of booms and bangs, we headed upstairs to the small balcony of our townhouse and between the limbs of one of the large pine trees we could see fireworks rising from Community Park. Looking back, it is crazy to think that we did not know where the fireworks were coming from—let alone how to get to the nearest grocery store. 

 

This is a terrible photo, but it is actually from our first night in Davis! See the fireworks to the right of us?

 

As we celebrated our four year Davis-versary last night, we reflected on how great it has been to become enveloped into a community that has shown us so much love. Davis has its many quirks, but it has some great people and awesome bike paths as well. 

 

 

Today summed up our love for this area as we went swimming and read on the shores of Putah Creek, watched some bike races downtown, and finished the evening off at the Austin’s house with some great friends, terrific food, and some intense around-the-world ping-pong played in the middle of the street. We will probably have to write another blog post about Davis sometime down the road, but for now, on our four year Davis-versary, we would like to thank Davis and officially renew our vows for another five months.

All Types of Change

Last week, we shared how our time in Davis has become so enriched by working with the high school ministry at our church. For the past two years, we have served with these young people on short term mission trips.
Two years ago we went to Arizona to work alongside the Navajo.



This past year we went to San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.

Students, whether they have committed their lives to living or Christ or not, are moved by these experiences. It can be said, unequivocally, that they want to see change in this broken world. We recently heard a speaker discuss how many young people wear Toms (an increasing popular and trendy shoe company that gives a pair of shoes away to someone in need with each pair purchased), one indicator they want to help “the least of these.”

The students' desire to be part of change provides for great conversation about purpose, careers, and about our long-term trip to Africa. They think it's pretty cool and exotic, and a few of them have even volunteered to be packed in luggage to go with us (we warned them that it might be a bumpy ride). This past week, one of the guys from my high school small group approached me and said that he thinks what Mandi and I are doing is pretty cool and that he would like to support us. He handed me an envelope of money.



To say I we were grateful would be an understatement. I kept thinking about the story from Mark 12 about the widow who gave all that she had to Jesus. This student's sacrificial giving is such a blessing to us! These young people want to be part of God's kingdom work and it is awesome to partner with them in those efforts.

Our Young Senior Citizens

When we moved to Davis as a newly married couple we knew we wanted to get involved in high school ministry. After all, as some of you may well know, we met while presenting high school leadership conferences. What we didn't know was how much volunteering as youth leaders at University Covenant Church would enrich our marriage, our Davis experience, and our personal faith journeys.

Oh, there have been euphoric ups and gut-wrenching downs. There have been book clubs, camping trips, chai tea, and more ounces of frozen yogurt than a mere human being could ever comprehend. There have been soccer games, track meets, insect identification sessions, and surprisingly enjoyable 18-hour car rides. The girls have provided plenty of unsolicited family planning advice, and the guys have offered similar advice, but without the "planning" component.

This week, the youth we have mentored for the past three and a half years will graduate from high school. We are so proud of who they have become. Nate, one of the self-proclaimed "bros" that make up the senior guys group,  recently shared how it has taken him four years to realize that being a Christian and being in community with Christians is "cool" and that he realized how life is so much more fulfilling when you walk with God. Pretty profound stuff! We are so grateful for their willingness to open up their lives and allow us to walk with them during this time.

Paul sums up our prayer for the "Summit Seniors" pretty well...
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy.