"When it rains, it pours.."

Hello friends!

I know not everyone is on Facebook that get's my newsletter updates, so I wanted to send out a quick note here. 

We are still on our way to Deaf Missions in Iowa.. However, it's been a doozy of a trip so far. I could give you the play-by-play, but suffice it to say that "if it's not been one thing, it's been another".. We started off the trip with a corroded spark-plug (yes, I know, HOW does THAT happen??) and since then we've been side-lined in Salt Lake City for the past 3 days with our car in the shop having the driveshaft rebuilt because it was "all sorts of messed up" to quote the mechanic. We are currently waiting for another part to come in that is only obtained from a dealer. The repair shop, knowing that we were on a cross-country trip, ordered it to be shipped overnight, however it didn't come today, and they aren't sure where it is. :(

I could go on, but I'll stop here with the lists of trials to say there have been some blessings along the way, namely that we are stuck in SLC at a friends house, and did not break down on the side of the road in a random town causing us to pay for a hotel room nightly. Sometimes I just find myself laughing at all the things that have happened, and a verse from the old newsboys song comes to mind:

Mom & Dad,

I'm fine. How are you? I have joined a
Small circus (that much is true). I'm a
Little malnourished, but try to relax.
Could you find a better photo for the milk
Carton backs?
Send money.

Not exactly the same circumstances, but feels that crazy at times.. I'll send another update when (if? ;) haha) we finally do make it to our destination, but for now, prayers for patience for us, and Jaelyn as she is becoming road weary, and for wisdom as we continue on this trip are appreciated.

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

"Are we there yet?"

Hello friends!

So in an Abram-esque "go to the land that I will show you" way, what we thought was our final destination (California) has now become just a layover on our newest adventure. Through a series of God-ordained events, we are not settling down here, but instead will begin the second leg of our journey next week in order to make our way to Iowa at the beginning of August. Azael has been offered a job with Deaf Missions working on the ASLV (American Sign Language Version) translation of the Bible, and will begin attending their Training Center as well. This will not impact my job within Cru, but it does change some of our thoughts and strategies about how things will play out this coming semester. I'll update on those as we figure them out. ;)

This was not something we foresaw when we moved out here to California late-June, and really, I don't think our seemingly stutter-step was a move in the wrong direction. God has blessed our time with Azael's family, allowed Jaelyn to get to know her set of West-Coast Aunts and Uncles and given us some time to dream about and make an action plan for the trajectory of our family. While it will not end up being a "cost-effective move" on our part to come all the way west to Cali only to go back north to Iowa, it has been a worth-while trip in terms of personal investment. We trust that God has gotten us this far, and He will continue to provide as we "step out knowing He won't let us sink".

As we continue on this journey, there are a few unknowns - mostly related to adjusting to another new place and finding a mid-wife for our baby. We are 18 weeks along, and I'm feeling some "time-crunch" on getting settled and ready for baby Bu #2.. Prayers for timely answers about home-birth in Iowa and our transition there are appreciated. 

Thanks so much for your support - prayerfully and monetarily - during this time. We are ever grateful to your investment in our lives and appreciate your continued willingness to walk this journey with us :)

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

It's a bird, it's a plane.. It's Super Terp!

Through planes, trains and automobiles the interpreter team trickled in over the last few days. There was some concern when two of our interns on the team missed their flight and came in the next day, but all is well now. 

Please take some time this week to see what the students at Big Break are learning through the Morning Sessions and Evening Sessions. These sessions are live streamed at 10am and 7pm EST, but are also archived on the same page, and viewable whenever you are able to watch them.
We pray that it blesses you!
Soli Deo Gloria
:D

A d☀y late and a dollar $hort..

Hey friends!
Some of you may not know, but I'm currently in Honduras. My lil fam and I left on Thanksgiving day. I thought I'd have some time to blog on the plane and on our layover, but alas, it was not to be. Due to much confusion over a ticket for Jaelyn (note to those traveling with 'under 2 flies free' overseas - baby must have a ticket (!).. on Delta anyway..) 
- Do not show a passport as proof she's yours..
- Do not tell the ticket counter that when you booked there was no option to input her information..
- Do not pass go until you have paid lots of money for that 'free' ticket. 
Then you might still get delayed at security because your ticket doesn't say the right words on it, so you must run back to the furthest ticketing counter from security, with the baby in arms, to have them stamp the correct wording on your ticket. 
Even still, once you get to the gate, they will not let you board the plane cuz it's stamped on, not printed. 
So they will call ticketing, and after what seems like 10min, they will finally allow you - last people to board the plane - down the walk way, with your new sufficient reprinted ticket. 
(all this happened before 6am after a looooong night with a waking-every-hour baby.. Oh the joys of traveling with lil ones!)

Supposedly all those rules prevent trafficking kids.. They also prevent blogging on the plane due to jumbled thoughts and concern about missing the connecting flight. We are in Honduras though, so obviously we made the connection (last people on the plane again!). WiFi/power was out the first day we were here, so my "planned thanksgiving post" never found it's way to the page :( However, I've decided I don't have to limit #thankful posts to Thanksgiving.. That's silly.. I can be grateful whenver - even if I'm "a day late and a dollar $hort!" :)

I wanted to publicly thank each of you who have supported me this past year. A lot of good things have happened, a lot of room for growth has been recognized, and a lot of work on future endeavors has begun - I could not have done it without you all. As I think of the unique situations in which God has placed each of us, and the specific talents, abilities and resources He has given each of us, I am oh-so-grateful that you've chosen to invest in me, and by doing so, the lives of deaf students!

Lastly, in continuing with the 'day late/dollar short' theme, I'm probably too late advertising for #givingtuesday, but I'll throw this out there. The matching grant is still live until December 31st. We have 5 Deaf Students/staff planning to attend the winter conference the last week of December. Please help us finish out the year well! Click here to give to the ASL interpreting fund, and every dollar you give gets doubled! I'll post on my FB page tomorrow, please share with friends and family. Every little bit helps. 

Thanks again for being a part of my village, my community, my support team. I appreciate you!

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

Meditations&Musings4Mondays

Monday's postings are longer, more in-depth thoughts or stories that I feel the need to share. If you don't have time to read this now, you can look at the cliff notes versions that come out in my "[what]S'up, Wednesday?" posts. When you have the time, please feel encouraged by the stories God is telling, and musings that he brings to my mind. 
HAPPY MONDAY :D
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On Failing.. and the concept of attempting to "fail forward"..

Sooo.. it's been a while since I've posted an update.. And really it's a combination of "time-got-away-from-me" and "we-just-moved-and-it's-taken-me-a-while-to-set-up-internet" but mostly due to the "I-feel-like-the-most-recent-thing-I-did-was-a-run-your-head-into-the-wall-kind-of-failure-and-I'm-not-sure-where-to-go-next" discouragement that came after I spent 10 days in Colorado. I was at the biannual Cru Staff conference in July in order to interpret the content of the main speakers that would be live-streamed. This conference brings over 3,000 current and newly joined staff to one location (CSU in Fort Collins) for a time to refresh and set the pace for the next 2 years. At the conference, they also live-stream the main sessions in order to accommodate the staff members that due to conflicting family schedules, restricted travel due to living overseas or other factors are not able to attend. It also allows our ministry partners (YOU) to eavesdrop on some amazing speakers (which can be seen here). (I intended to post an update once I got to CSU telling you about your opportunity to tune into the live stream, but the Internet and my computer would NOT cooperate in Colorado.) :( The current two Deaf staff members were not able to attend the conference this summer, and so the plan was that I go and interpret the sessions via live stream so that they would also know what was happening at the conference. If you happened to click the first link, you'll see that there are over 30 videos. If you look at the playlist (here is what is up right now) of the videos that are currently interpreted, you'll see a dismal few. Which is that 'failing' part that I mentioned in the first sentence. 

And I know that it's mostly *not* my fault that it failed. And I know that I gave my best effort.. I was met with resistance at almost every turn, and I got weary in the fight.. BUT still.. I failed.. and it was not something I expected, thus it's caught me up in this quandary.

You may be asking, "Jenna, it seems like you just hit some road blocks, but I wouldn't call that failure.. why do you feel like you failed?" Well, for starters take a look at these two pictures.. 

See those words in blue? and the lack of videos uploaded? Kinda self-explanatory.. Remember I said that the internet and I were not friends while at the conference.. It's frustrating enough to be working really hard on a project and met with resistance from people who are a subjective entity in their opinions and interaction with others.. however, when an item that should be a neutral, objective party provides resistance too, it's easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged.. 

And I can hear you thinking (yes, telepathically) "But Jenna, it couldn't have been that bad.." 

And.if.I.told.you.everything.that.went.wrong.every.day.this.post.would.take.you.5.hours.to.read.and.who.wants.to.sit.and.read.a.disaster.like.that..I.really.don't.think.you.have.time.to.listen.to.how.within.the.first.15.min.of.arriving.I.didn't.have.childcare.for.my.daughter.because.while.I.thought.I.had.signed.her.up.apparently.the.system.had.a.glitch.and.she.wasn't.registered.and.even.if.I.did.register.her.there.was.a.wait.list.and.if.she.got.in.she.can't.use.the.cloth.diapers.I.brought.and.I.don't.have.a.car.to.go.get.disposable.diapers.for.her.and.speaking.of.no.car.childcare.is.2.miles.away.and.only.opens.30.min.before.each.main.meeting.session.but.I.need.to.be.at.those.sessions.an.hour.before.they.start.to.set.up.and.meet.the.speakers.and.so.what.am.I.suppose.to.do.when.I'm.interpreting.for.2.or.more.hours.a.day.with.her..Wear.her.on.my.back.like.they.do.in.other.countries.when.mom.works.in.the.fields..And.even.if.she.gets.in.you.don't.have.the.required.paperwork.that.you.were.suppose.to.have.filled.out.by.your.pediatrician.at.home.and.they.are.closed.today.and.you.can't.bring.her.until.we.have.that.form.so.I.guess.you'll.just.have.to.miss.the.first.session.cuz.the.form.is.important.and.interpreting.can.happen.at.a.later.time,right? (You are suppose to read this in one breath, so you know how frazzled I felt)

After about 45 mins of filling out paperwork and talking to the right people, a woman offered to go to the store and buy a pack of disposable diapers for Jaelyn to use while in Childcare, a spot opened up for her to be accepted, and I found a friend who offered a ride to get her to and from the childcare location. However, the rest of the conference went about like that.. though, unfortunately most of the "I'm.sorry.you.can't.do.that/have.that./be.there/we.can't.accomodate.you" situations did not work themselves out like the childcare one did and I was left to figure it out on my own.. at a conference that I've never attended before, where I was "single parenting it" while trying to work 6 hours a day for events that were not on a flexible schedule.. (to any single parent out there reading this - I have a much better appreciation for what you do every day. I was very grateful to those friends that I did run into at the conference who offered to help out with Jaelyn for short amounts of time.) That being said, I felt like I just got more and more run down with each new day and each new obstacle faced. 

And I don't want this entry to be a downer. My goal in sharing the above is to give you a glimpse into the 10 days that I was there.. It was hard.. And could I have had lower expectations for the conference and the process? Yes, I could have. But I went in thinking that I would at least be welcomed to the table, so to speak, and instead I was handed the folding chair with the wobbly legs and told to set up against the wall and hold my plate on my lap. Not ideal (not easy when juggling a baby either), but survivable. 

So, back to thoughts on how to "fail forward" - It's hard.. it's hard to simply just fail. It's hard to not meet the expectations that you set for yourself - especially if other people are counting on you. It's also very humbling to fail.. but it's humbling-er (is that a word? more humbling?) to attempt to fail with grace so not as to burn bridges as you tumble down, and then once you've finished failing, to get up and try again (with the same people that just watched you fall on your face).. And that's the place I feel like I'm currently residing. Attempting to take the experience I had, and not let it become a bitter root, but instead asking Abba for wisdom to take the good and learn from the frustrating. It is HARD. Cuz there was s.o.  m.u.c.h.  f.r.u.s.t.r.a.t.i.n.g.. 

I think this quote (I've used here before) from a Cru staff individual back in my college days resonates with my experience.
 "Life wouldn't be so hard, if we didn't expect it to be so easy.."

And maybe that was the goal - His Goal, anyway.. To allow me to experience the frustration. To see how determined my spirit is to bring this level of training that Cru offers to the Deaf community. Maybe the test was to see if I'd fail and give up, or fail and get up and try again.. who really knows (He does, but doesn't seem too keen on filling me in on the details as of yet).. All that to say - I'm back.. there's still more work to get done, and I've got my sleeves rolled up ready to start.. I'll send out an update Wednesday with What'Sup :) 

Praying your Monday has started off swimmingly! :)

Soli Deo Gloria
:D

[what]S'up, Wednesday?

[what]S'up, Wednesday?" is a place where I give updates about how day to day life is going as I work recruiting Deaf students to be involved with CRU, ASL Interpreters to meet the subsequent communication needs incurred, and prayer partners/a financial support base to join me on the journey. It will typically include something that has just happened, a "forecast of my schedule, and an update on my financial situation.. :)
          ******************************************************************

Happenings: I'm on the east coast! Check out my schedule to see where I'll be when. :) Jaelyn is with me - at 10 months old - this is her 3rd out-of-state trip. She travels well, and seems to like going by plane more than going by car (a girl after her momma's heart). She also just started walking on her own. She is thoroughly enjoying it too - cracking herself up as she goes!

Schedule: Break down of my 2 week trip~
this past Monday (8th) to Thursday (11th) networking in D.C. 
Friday (12th) and Saturday (13th) friends wedding in Maryland
Sunday (14th) catching up with "interpreter friends of project" in Philly
Monday (15th) to Thursday (18th) visiting potential new site for Deaf friendly summer project next year on the coast of New Jersey, also meeting with new potential donors
Friday (19th) back to D.C. 
Saturday (20th) friend from college, and fellow interpreters wedding in Virginia 
Sunday (21st) giving update at Deaf partner church north of D.C. 
Monday (22nd) flying home!

Finances: Thanks to a generous donor, I was given a "Matching Grant" towards the Interpreting Fund budget for the year 2015. My budget for the year is $84,000. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to learn how to use a "Matching Grant" fund, and am looking forward to meeting with new partners to join me in supplying these needs. To date I have had $1,280  donated towards the matching grant, meaning that since January, I have raised $2,560. That leaves $25,976  to still be raised. If you know of anyone interested in donating towards this amount, please hit reply (if you are reading this in your inbox) or contact me at jenna.buperry @ cru.org to introduce me to you friends! We know the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child" - I'll add, "it takes a community to 'win, build and send' laborers for Christ!" Would you join my community?

If you desire to partner with me monthly, my personal account is #0865449. I now have a bio page set up on the Cru give.org site with a link to my blog, and easy giving accessibility. 

Thanks for stewarding your resources well! 

Soli Deo Gloria
:D