We have heard that only 1 in 3 boxes shipped to Nicaragua arrive safely (or even at all!). But, we’re taking a gamble and shipping about 250lbs worth of stuff ahead of us. I can only laugh at the assortment of items on the inventory, which include the following:
- 6 softball bats
- 6 batting helmets
- 16 children’s costumes
- 1 princess crown
- 1 set of princess wings
- 1 container of Old Bay seasoning
- 2 Spanish-English Bibles
- 14 hand tools
Ha! The box was picked up today and wow does that really make it start to feel official! If it actually makes it there (they estimated about 4-6 weeks for delivery), it’ll feel like Christmas opening it all back up!
As you might have guessed, our time left here in the US is short. It is at this point in any move that you start to freak out a bit, and wonder how it will all get done.
But then if you sit back and look at all of the amazing feats that were accomplished to get this far, you realize it’ll all work out as it should. Here, let me give you a very brief glimpse of what I mean.
Nine months ago, we had a child who was hospitalized, and the thought of leaving the country — even temporarily — seemed nothing short of impossible.
Seven months ago, a scary medical diagnosis loomed over us, and all sense of normalcy had long since vanished. We told each other: only a miracle will take us to Nicaragua now.
Five months ago, the dark clouds started to part, but we were afraid to say anything out loud in case that might jinx it all…
Four months ago, we got our miracle.
But once we were medically fit to travel, there were still a million other things to figure out, including a few little details like:
- What would we do with our house in the US?
- Where would we live in Nicaragua?
- How would we support ourselves?
Fast forward a bit and we now find ourselves poised to depart in just three weeks, with plenty more answers to prayer:
- Back in March, we thought we had the perfect renter for our house in MD, but then that fell through. Oh but wait – an even more perfect renter appeared shortly after! But then that fell through too. We were really discouraged. How could there be any renter more perfect than the two we lost? And then we got a phone call from South Carolina that changed everything… a family with a one-year appointment to the local military base was interested in renting our home. Oh, and could we leave all our furniture so they didn’t have to move theirs? Umm… are you kidding?!
- Around that same time, we got an email from a missionary in Nicaragua who was going on furlough for a year, beginning in July. Would we be interested in subletting their house while they were in the US? They would leave all their furniture for us, and even a car to use until we got our own. Umm… are you kidding?!
- Our dream has always been to support ourselves while abroad (following in the Apostle Paul as a “tentmaker”). We both have jobs that easily lend themselves to being virtual, but would Wyeth’s current employer let him stay on as a full-time employee (with benefits) from Nicaragua? The company has 23,000 employees, not a single one of which lives outside the US. It took seven weeks for them to respond to Wyeth’s request… all the while we were waiting and doubting and questioning. And then they said yes. His VP even offered to help us pack. Umm… are you kidding?!
Each time I think about just how much has been worked out for us, I am overcome with emotion. Could all of this just be coincidence? Umm… are you kidding? Seriously, so many details have been worked out that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind as to Who orchestrated these events. And when I really consider that He chose us to go on this great adventure, I am blown away.
I only pray we honor His name as we walk this path.
There are still a few last-minute items to be checked off our lists. I *know* it’ll happen at the right time, but I am sharing these needs in case you are part of His plan for making that happen 
- First and foremost, we have been raising funds to purchase a large vehicle to help us transport folks in Nicaragua. We have found a vehicle that fits our needs quite well, but we are about $4,000 short of the $15,000 price tag. Tax-deductible donations can be made immediately when you donate online, or you can mail a check (with Nicaragua Vehicle Fund in the memo line) to 420 Chop Point Road, Woolwich, Maine 04579. Would you prayerfully consider contributing to this fund?
- Second, the other family traveling with us has two cars to sell before we leave the US: a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder and a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan. If you are in need of a new-to-you vehicle (and would love to help out a missionary family in the process), please check out those listings.
- Finally, would you pray for the physical and emotional healthy and safety of each of the families involved in this big swap? We are praying for a smooth transition for the nine of us moving to Nicaragua, as well as for the Henzler family traveling back to the US for a year, and the military family taking our place in Maryland. Moving is stressful on any family, so I know each of these four families will really appreciate prayers during this time.
Wendy, “Coincidence” is the Holy Spirit’s Middle Name. When we step out with big hairy audacious goal, that is when we truly step out in faith. When we are able to provide things for ourselves, we leave little room for God to show up.
It is awesome to see how much faith you all are showing. A lot of us, me included, look at people in the Bible as being these great people of faith. That might be so, but I like to read James 5:17 “Elijah was a human being, even as we are.” One big difference between me and Elijah is that Elijah stepped out on faith alot more than I have.
I think you and your family are like Elijah since you are stepping out in faith. And just like with Elijah, God is stepping in and filling the gap.
May you continue to walk and trust in God.
Our pastor is always talking about taking a big enough leap that you look like a fool is God doesn’t show up. I agree with you that the Bible is filled with stories of people who did that. They expected God to fill in the gaps, as you said. It takes a lot to wrap our brains around this concept, but it is so wonderful when you see it happening!
Wendy, I just recently found your blog, actually my husband found it and shared with me. It has been very encouraging to us, as we have been researching and planning a move to Costa Rica for the past two years. We have always wanted to live overseas with our two kids, but we want to see God’s hand in this, not just our own pushing to make it happen. My husband has recently been laid off from his position as a web developer, so while this makes things interesting in trying to save money for the move, it also is throwing him into the fire, so to speak, of learning to work freelance, which is what we need to do anyway, to support ourselves in Costa Rica. Anyway, there are more obstacles to overcome, as well, and it’s hard because I want to be living over there sooo bad, we’ve both lived overseas in our pasts, but it seems God is telling us to wait…some more. I will stay tuned to your adventure. God bless you, hopefully we’ll sort of be neighbors one day!!!
Jennifer, thank you for commenting! And for what it’s worth, here’s my unsolicited advice: don’t give up! If God has planted a desire in you for living in Costa Rica, then He must be getting you ready for that! But at the same time, look around… because He’s probably trying to teach you something now in preparation for the move.
It’s been almost two years since the thought first occurred to us. It certainly wasn’t something that happened quickly, nor was it something that sounded reasonable for quite some time. Thankfully, I have freelanced for over 15 years and am well accustomed to the pros and cons. It is definitely scary at times, but SO rewarding! My husband often jokes that I would go crazy if I tried to go back to sitting in a cubical all day
If your husband is a web developer, make sure he’s following these job boards:
http://jobs.37signals.com/
http://www.authenticjobs.com/
http://www.creativehotlist.com/
They often have remote opportunities listed – even some full-time remote jobs! Central America is close enough to the US that I suspect he’ll be able to find something soon… Definitely let me know if you head there while we’re in Nicaragua! We’d love to show you around!
Thanks, Wendy! My husband really appreciates those links to the job boards, he hadn’t heard of those yet. He currently is signed up with elance.com, and has a couple projects with them, and checks indeed.com and Craigslist.
What part of Nicaragua will you be living in? Once we make our move, we would likely be crossing the northern border of CR into Nicaragua every 90 days in order to renew our tourist visas, until we get through the paperwork of obtaining a residency permit. Do you have to do something that in “nick”, as well? After researching CR, we’ve decided to make our first home in the northern Pacific region, in one of the smaller towns near Tamarindo. Our reasons- 1. to be near the beach, (hopefully walking distance!!!!) as we are big beach fanatics, love them here in North Carolina, 2- there’s an English-speaking Christian church in that area, and 3. There are a handful of private English-speaking private schools in the area, too. Of course we want to learn (more) Spanish, but some fellow expats to talk to at first would help! We may have to homeschool at first, we’ll see what our money situation is. The church is called Beach Community Church in Brasilito. http://www.beachcommunitychurch.com/. They are currently in-between pastors, and I sense there may have been some conflict there, but we’ve been corresponding with the pastor , his wife and some other members, and we’re hoping they can become our home church. They also have been taking annual mission trips up to Nicaragua, hopefully we may join them sometime.
One more thing, a “quick question”:
. What mail service did you use to mail your 250 pounds of stuff down there? The issue of how much stuff to bring, and whether to sell, ship, or store the rest of our stuff is still a puzzling question. I’m thinking a mail service like Aerocastilles might be handy, and maybe to send some of our stuff? But still not sure.
Thanks again, and I signed up for email notification of your posts, hopefully that will tell me of any comments/replies, too.
Jennifer