a Postcard from Africa

to see ASL: click here

In pre-internet days, snail mail was the way to get information. If that information came from abroad, it was bound to be a month or so delayed as it came via the ocean 🚢🚢🚢.. 

So, consider this your postcard from across the pond 📮📨📬

Hello World!

Caydia A'merari was born as the sun came up on April 20th on the DOOR Campus where we are living. She's the first child born on campus and our second child to be born at a Deaf ministry location (Kaspien was born on Deaf Missions campus where we were living at that time - this is turning into a pattern🙊). 

And since she's the fourth child, she gets more pictures since her birth announcement has been so delayed 🙈

Mariah coloring with the kids

Due to Kenyan cultural norms, mom and baby don't do much socialization for the first 2 months - until the child gets their first immunization, I'm told. The concept of meal trains aren't something that happens here either. We've been wonderfully blessed to have our friend, previous housemate and kids "Aunt" Mariah come to Kenya and help out as we adjust to being a family of 6! She arrived at the end of March and heads back to the states the first of June. We are grateful for her help!

As always, our kids names are from our pregnancy journey and what Azael and I are learning in this season.

Caydia is a name I had on the "girl list" when I was pregnant with Kaspien. At that time I wasn't sure if we would spell it Kaydia or Caydia.. but it came from Kay meaning joy or rejoice, dia is spanish for day.

Loosely, Caydia meant to me, the phrase from Psalms 30:5 - joy comes in the morning. 

I mentioned in my recent update that Azael and I took some parenting classes for foster and adoption preparation in the winter/spring of 2021. While we did not move forward with our plans of adoption at that time, the classes were beneficial to see some unhealthy patterns in our parenting. Blending cultural values and norms is not an easy task. Resources in ASL are tremendously lacking, and as a cross-cultural family it has been an arduous journey to figuring out a peace-filled way forward. As we are entering our 8th year of marriage and being parents, I feel as though we are coming out of the "dark night" of the parenting trenches and into the "day of rejoicing".

Paralleling our parenting journey, Abba has been leading me to numerous familiar passages to look deeper at them in the Hebrew and Greek contexts. As a result of this, one of the passages I was pondering/investigating/leaning into was Ephesians 4:31. Getting "rid of bitterness" stuck out to me as that's something that continues to find its way into my thoughts and plans. The greek work used for bitterness is pikria, which I found unappealing as a name, but I knew from earlier study that the name Merari came from the Hebrew word marar meaning 'to be bitter'. Merari in the old testament is a boys name, but I read a book back in 2020 that had a female character named Merari. I liked the thought of it, but didn't want to name a child 'bitter'. 

At that time, I came to find out that in Greek adding "A" to the beginning of a word transforms it into it's opposite. When we were living in missionary housing back in the fall of 2021, a neighbor girl was named Lolyla. When I asked the origins of her name, the mom explained that she liked the name Lyla, but that it meant darkness or night in hebrew and that her husband didn't want to name her that.. However "lo" meant the opposite, or "no darkness", so they came up with Lolyla.. Then it clicked!

adding "A" to "Merari" brings us to A'merari to mean getting rid of bitterness..

 

Welcome to the world, Caydia! We look forward to seeing who you become. 

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

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.. 💁

~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 ;)

"I think it's been about 20 mins.."

For ASL - click here

 My husband is one of those people who can estimate time with precision. I'll ask him, "how long have we been here?" as I'm looking at my phone to see the time. "About 15 mins" will come his reply, when in fact we have been there 14 mins and 20 seconds! 👀

I, on the other hand, when I try to estimate time, am usually no where in the ballpark! "What time is it?" I'll ask Azael. Let's assume I think it's 3pm, so I go to look at my phone. Azael will say, "4:25ish?".. it's 4:28.. HOW.. I do not have words every time he does this. It does not compute in my brain.. 

Anyways, all that to say - it's been a month or two since my last update, huh? 😉(Try SIXTEEN months, Jenna!) Oops.. 

Since there is much to catch up on, I'm going to try this and hope it works.. The cliff's notes are listed below. If you are curious for more details, click the link in that section, and get the full scoop. It will open in a new tab. Once you've read it, close it to come back to the main update. If not, scroll down to the next month!

If the links are too confusing, click here and it will take you to the EPISTLE (long form version) 🙈

January '21

As my previous post outlined, January 2021 was extremely busy. Five events back to back, two events overlapping. Due to a situation with Azael's work at the time, he and his co-workers were given 6 weeks paid leave - which helped me with the kids immensely during those back-to-back events.

February '21

Azael was laid off in a company wide downsizing. The company he was working for went from around 50 employees to 11. The lease for our apartment also expired in February, and "Dallaska" as someone called it/the cold-front + snow found us in the middle of moving out of our apt! 

March '21

Since Azael was not working, I increased my hours for Cru. Our team began planning for the second virtual Deaf Summer Mission. Deaf staff attended two workshops Cru offered. Azael applied for jobs, and we continued to live with our friends.

April '21

I was able to interpret for a one-day Christian based Foster/Adoption-care event with a friend of mine. That was amazing and so insightful! There was also more work on Summer Mission prep.

May '21

I had two back-to-back interpreting events that I needed to be in Orlando for. We took the opportunity to take the whole family to Florida for a week. 

June '21

Unfortunately, we did not have any students able to join the virtual Summer mission. After a lull with employment options, Azael had two job interviews in the same week. 

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. Now we just needed to find somewhere to live for the next 5 months..

August '21

We moved to missionary housing in Dallas in order to downsize all our things. We also found out we would be adding a member to our family in Kenya! Surprise!!!

September '21

First trimester fatigue, trying to downsize our storage unit, and mentally and physically prepare (passports, shots, ect) to move overseas, all while Azael worked a temp position with DOOR makes this month a little bit of a blur..

October '21

During our 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 under me 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.. 

November '21

I took the kids and we spent two weeks visiting my family before and during Thanksgiving. Azael stayed in Dallas to wrap things up, and joined us for the Thanksgiving long weekend. The tension of how to move forward with my impending absence from Cru while also caring well for our Deaf staff hung heavy over me.

December '21

I interpreted my last in-person campus meetings for Cru in Orlando the first week of December. It was bitter sweet still not knowing if I would be able to continue with Cru after December 2021 since discussion about my position was still ongoing as we moved forward with our departure. December 15th landed us in Kenya. We suspect Azael came down with Omicron on the plane.. It made its way through the family as we adjusted to living 9 hours ahead of friends and family in the states.

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. 

>> IF you are currently supporting me financially, I will email you directly with information about your options to cease support if you desire. <<

February '22

Trying to juggle kids, manual house work (no clothes dryer, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, etc), adjusting to a new culture and expectations and preparing to have a baby here has taken quite a lot of time. There is not much left for Cru at the moment. 

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! 

April '22

I'm trying to complete as much as I am able before baby joins us and I'm 'off' for the next few months.

Hopefully this is not the only update you get from me in 2022 - but at this point I make no promises about my next newsletter. I'm sure there will be an intro to baby.. but then we will be moving back to the states this summer, and on to Costa Rica this fall.. Thanks for taking this ride with me for the past 10+ years. YOU have been a blessing to the ministry in whatever capacity you have been involved and I'm grateful!

Soli Deo Gloria

:D

March 2022: The DEETS!

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.. 💁 

click here to go back to the Cliff notes

click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update

February 2022: The DEETS!

After recovering from the jet-lag and illness, we are finally starting to settle in. The adjustment to Kenya is taking quite some time. One of the easiest ways I've found to describe the nuance of living here is that I placed an order for an item via an online portal - similar to Amazon, local to Kenya - but same day delivery. When I asked for an ETA, they replied by saying they would dispatch it immediately. That was at 10am.. I checked in around noon, and they assured me it was coming. The location was less than a 30 minute drive from where we live. I checked in again around 2pm.. again I was assured it was on it's way. It arrived at 4pm.. 10-4 = 6 hours.. the Kenyan definition for "immediately"? It turns out that is pretty par for the course here.. Any estimation of time is taken with a grain of salt, as things just take longer here.. getting adjusted and a daily routine set up included!

Also with internet/power outages and the 9+ hour time difference from the states, I'm having a hard time figuring out a work schedule. I feel I've dropped many balls lately, but I'm hoping for grace in this season and trying to do what I can with what I have available to me.

 click here to go back to the Cliff notes

click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update

November 2021: The DEETS!

I had a 3 day event in Florida at Cru's headquarters that needed interpreting at the beginning of December that I was also planning for. I was able to contract with a skilled interpreter who is also dear friend and process through much of my disappointment with how things were turning out. I also tried every which way I knew to see if there was an option to re-code my position so that I could continue to do what I was doing and still live abroad. Cru is an international organization, so it would seem feasible. However the IRS doesn't see it that way.. more waiting to see what would become of my position.

click here to go back to the Cliff notes

click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update

October 2021: The DEETS!

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. 

click here to go back to the Cliff notes

click here to go to the long form 'epistle' for the rest of the update