The QUICK Recap:

 Here are the most pertinent months from the my recent update..

February '21

Azael was laid off in a company wide downsizing. The company he was working for went from around 50 employees to 11. 

While Azael's layoff was not necessarily in our plans, God was gracious in working out the details for us. Our friends were so kind and offered us a place to stay for the next 2 months while Azael looked for new employment. 

July '21

We verbally accepted the offer from DOOR International. This meant we would be heading to Kenya by January, and then Costa Rica come fall of 2022.

October '21

During our summer discussion of which job to accept, we anticipated that I would continue doing what I've been doing for Cru, since most of my work is remote currently. I started to establish a part-time interpreting team to do the daily work of interpreting, as I knew that the internet - specifically in Kenya - would not be as reliable as it is in the States. In trying to establish this part-time team it was discovered that I could not continue the work I was doing for Cru - USA, and live outside of the US.. 

To say I was shocked is an understatement. Working with Cru for the last 10 years, attempting to provide access to the Deaf community, and trying many times to build a team of interpreters to work along side me over the course of those 10 year has been very trying to say the least. My goal was to continue the work that I felt I'd been given and at least transition it well to the next person who may take it up - a task I felt would take 6 months to a year to complete. However, now I was supposed to be leaving the country in less than 45 days! Many tears and conversations later, I still felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. I continued to remind myself that even though it was no where on my radar over the summer, it was not a surprise to God and that he cares about the Deaf community more than I do.

January '22

As I predicted, power outages and interrupted internet connections have been frequent here. To abide by IRS regulations, it was decided that I could change my position within Cru to Associate Staff - which basically means I am now a volunteer. I will continue to do the things I've been doing to the best of my limited capacity, only now I don't get paid to do them. I am planning to try the volunteer position for a year to see if it's sustainable for our family dynamic, while also working towards a more permanent solution with Cru staffing teams. 

March '22

Finally finding a rhythm.. one of those things includes a 4:30am meeting one day a week with teammates in the states as we plan for our first IN-Person Deaf Summer Mission since Covid! I am excited to prep for our in person summer mission. We are hopeful to have Deaf students attend this year. The early hours meeting is not sustainable long term, but for the next few weeks until BabyBu#4 comes, I'm trying to make it work.

There has also been some good conversation amongst the leadership within Cru about needing to establish some sort of sustainability of interpreting for the future.. which is something I've been trying to get going for quite a while, but with my impending absence, it seems to finally have been made a priority.. which, I guess, is a blessing in disguise.. 💁

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IF you'd like more context to these months, feel free to go back to the Epistle or the Shorter update and fill in the gaps ;)