Halfway There! Pregnancy Week 20

Hello, friends! Thanks for coming back to visit us on Taiwan Ramblings. It's been a while since we last posted and a lot has been going on here. I hope you have been following us on Facebook! This post is about one of the biggest things happening in our lives right now--Mustion Baby Girl!

Today we hit the halfway point in this pregnancy and we are SUPER excited about welcoming Baby Girl to our family in April/May! So in honor of this pregnancy milestone, I recorded a vlog for you talking about some of the things I like about being pregnant in Taiwan, some of the interesting Chinese/Taiwanese pregnancy traditions and taboos, and some of the things I don't like or will miss about not being pregnant in the USA.

Please bear with me and my pregnancy brain as this vlog got a little longer than I intended but I hope you will enjoy!

Meet the People of Taiwan #1

Meet Jamie and Alian aka Linus.

Jamie and Linus with Kendall and Megan at LAX Burger.

I would like to take time throughout this journey and blog and introduce to some of the awesome and amazing people that God has given us the privilege of meeting. I mean privilege in the highest honor. Some of the greatest and nicest people we have ever had in our lives we have met in the past three months of Taiwan. If you read my previous blog (of course you did!) then you understand the fact that we feel none of these meetings are by accident. Enough. More about Jamie and Linus.

THE STORY:
When we moved to Taiwan we had nothing. People are always leaving and selling off all their belongings. One day we found a post about a couple leaving the country and selling off stuff we needed. Plates, silverware, q tips etc. Their name were Kendall and Megan (another great couple) we messaged back and forth and set up a time to come and get the stuff. I inquired about places to eat by them so we could eat before we met them. That is when LAX BURGER entered our lives. L.A.X. Burger like the airport code for LA. LAX Burger is owned by Jamie and Alian aka Linus. Seriously one of the best burgers I have ever eaten in my life.

THE PEOPLE:

Jimmy and Lily at Lily's birthday BBQ.

Jamie and Linus are a young couple. Both 30 yrs old. Boyfriend and Girlfriend. Two great and wonderful people. Jamie, her mother (my taiwan mother), Jamie's sister, Linus and Lily (Linus' niece) all live above LAX. They are a close knit family that have had a rough past year. Jamie's father passed away, and they moved locations because of it. Jamie and Linus have taken in Lily to live them and help her get back on the right path. She has been getting trouble at her old school so they put her to work all summer and then kept her. Lily is still trying their patience. Pray for that. We do daily. But what a wonderful thing they are doing.

THE MEMORIES:
OK. The food at LAX is great. I love it. We go once if not twice a week. SO that will always be with me.

Jamie and Linus invited us to our first Taiwanese BBQ. It was a great night of getting to know more locals and experience the great tradition.

We went to dinner one night with Jamie, Linus and Lily. Man it was fun. ITs great to go out with Taiwanese people. They love to each get a different meal and pass them around letting everyone try the dishes. While us americans horde our beloved meal. In fact this would be a great way to enjoy Lambers or Dennys. Especially Dennys. Mmmmm Dennys. Whoa got distracted there.

Emergency Room. Not a fun place to visit in the US. Imagine not knowing the language and going to the ER? but Jamie came right over to help us translate and take care of us. Amazing. She is such wonderful person.

WRAP UP:
We both love Jamie and Linus to death. We love their family. We love their food. We love that God as brought them into our lives. We hope that we will build many more memories with them both here and in the states. If you are living in Taichung or ever visit Taichung please take the time to come and not only eat at LAX but get to know this awesome owners and family. They are just so-so....kidding! They are great!

How to pray for Jamie and Linus:

• Pray for them taking care of Lily
• Pray for success of their business
• Pray for Spiritual health.

Bye for now,

Jimmy

Paid (by the hour) in full!

I have a new perspective on work life. Where to start? Last week I had a bad Sinus infection. One of those knock you down fever, sinuses, cough, sore throat, tired, achy basically everything from the Nyquil commercial. But unlike any previous time in the past 15 yrs I didn't have the option of a "sick day" Having a job that pays hourly is a new thing to me. Therefore I have such a new found respect for the hourly worker. It hit me on Wednesday: We are having a baby, we have to pay for visa papers, if I don't work I don't get paid.

So i get up. Fever is 101. Ok, Ok! I get it. Don't go to a school with a bunch of little children when you have a fever. But that is not very Taiwanese of me now is it? Besides those little carrier monkeys are the reason for the sickness anyway! So like I said, 101 fever. I walk to the bus in a daze. I ride the bus in a daze. I ride the train in a daze. I teach my classes (Wednesday of all days is my longest and hardest days), I go home in a daze. Go to sleep. It was not exactly fun.

So I learned this. Man, how I have taken my nice little salary jobs for granted. I haven't had an hourly wage job since Johnston's Paint Store in Boonville, MO the summer of '94. Always had the luxury off sick days, vacation days, etc. If anyone who is reading this knows me very well they will know how much of a baby I am when I am sick. I did enjoy it. But it granted me a new respect and perspective on the working life of many people. I also realize now why so many Taiwanese people fall asleep on public transportation. If I was so afraid of missing my stop I would have joined them in dreamland on the way there and home.

FOCUS #2 Pt 1: Building Relationships and Learning the Culture

Building relationships.  The core to any ministry whether is pastoring, music, missions, students is building relationships.  Which happens to be one of my best (and sometimes worse) strengths.  I "dont know a stranger" I "am friends with everyone" I "am too trusting".  Christiana on the other hand is "takes longer to open up".  So its no surprise that we have been able to build some close relationships already while here in Taichung.

Acts 8 tells the story of Phillip. Who God used to meet with and talk to a Ethiopian.  Never more in my life has this story been more real or meant more to me.  Verse 27 starts with Phillip got up and went.  He had no clue why The Lord sent him south.  He just went. There he was at the perfect place at the perfect time. The Lord used him for a purpose. It was no accident.

The people that The Lord have brought into our lives. The relationships we have built (which locals and foreigners) are of no accident.  It cant be. A year ago I never thought I would ever even leave the country.  So we are taking it very serious and very purposeful the people that God brings into our path.  Everyone from the guy we buy tea from (Jon) to the security guard at our building (Mr. Wan!). There are no accident.

So as we continue to get to know people.  We continue to pray for them.  We love them and they return to the love.  We love going to LAX Burger not just because the burgers are great because they are! But because we love and adore Jamie, Linus and Lily.  We are there as their friends and we love them. It goes both ways. When I was in the ER, Jamie came up and took care of us.  We desperately needed someone who spoke Chinese. Call me Phillip.

- Jimmy -

FOCUS #1: Getting settled and finding work

As I type focus number 1 is going good. Christiana and I have both found jobs that fit our schedule and its going good.  I know that a lot of people were nervous because we came over with no jobs.  Just to stress again. All the people that we talked about this venture stated that is way better and easier to find job (at a good school) once you are here.  The alternative is signing a contract with a big school and being stuck in a bad situation. It was a leap of faith. God provided.  It is still an adjustment to be a english teacher but the kids are great.

Getting settled? I pose the question: What does settled mean?  We have a place to live, to work, made some friends, have cell phones.  So if that is the case then yes, we are settled.  If settled is feeling comfortable, relaxed, knowledgable, and routine? Then No way are we "settled".  When you rely on taxis, walking and buses to go everywhere you never really know how you got there. Right now i am typing this in one of our favorite new places, L.A.X Burger, and i couldnt even tell you how to get here or get back to our house. LOL.  But we like it here. We are friends with the owners and we feel comfortable here. Oh and the burgers are flippin awesome.

So as far as FOCUS 1 goes. We have jobs. We are on the way to being settled.  This is one of the main reasons we committed to staying 2 yrs.  I feel we wont even really feel settled until the first year is done! So continue to pray for us.  We are trying hard to adjust (i am having trouble with the local food, surprise i know) and trying to find our place in this lovely, hot, crazy, busy, noisy, fun, interesting, place.  For someone who has never been out of the country its like jumping into the deep end of the pool having just learn to swim.  But its a great adventure!

WHAT IS THE FOCUS?

We have in our new home of Taiwan for 2 months now! I cant believe it. Going from the mindset of thinking there is no way I could ever live in a foreign country (pre surgery) to actually living, working and acclimating to a different land is still mind blowing.  Very thankful to The Lord and everyone who helped us get here. Blessed we truly are (a little yoda for ya)

So what is the focus of these past two months? Well coming in we knew that three was a three part focus for the first 6 months.  I will write about each one in depth a little later but now I can give you a quick overview of what we are up to.  

1. Getting settled and finding work. 
HA? Are we settled? Settled in the sense of having a place to live, cell phones and jobs. Settled in the sense of relaxed and comfortable. Not quite there yet.  We both have jobs which we are extremely grateful.  There are pros and cons to each of our schools and work but overall we are pleased. Still yet to get paid but still pleased.  We are slowly still learning our way around Taichung. We know at least around neighborhood now.  I think. 

2. Building relationships and learning culture. 
This is my favorite part about the move here. We have met the most amazing people.  Not just locals but amazing helpful foreigners that dont know us at all but have lent an helpful ear and hand to us.  This is the most important aspect to me.  I am people person and i think its very important that when we do find or start a ministry we have already built a support system.  We have found people here that we already feel will be life long friends. Just stunning and amazing that God brought us here. 

3. Find a ministry. 
After 13yrs of working in the local church it is very freeing and scary to be wide open in what God wants and can do.  Seriously, just going to church as a regular church attender is a very foreign experience (ha, see what I did there!). So we feel that God is going to show exactly where and what to do. Is it a drama ministry? Is it concert ministry? Youth? Children? Teaching a bible study? Dont know that is the scary and great part about it. 

So that is and was the main focus of the past two months. Please continue to pray for us.  

Jimmy and Christiana

First Week of School

Hello! The first week of teaching has command gone and things continue to progress here in Taiwan. Today I have some pictures for you and a little update about each of our schools.

Jimmy's School

Jimmy is teaching at a buxiban (after school program) in a suburb of Taichung called Fungyuen (which we lovingly refer to as Funyun). He has several different age groups over the span of his classes and so far he especially enjoys his second grade class. Jimmy is working on getting to know all his students and his co-teachers, Sugar and Albee. He is doing very well at the school but it can be overwhelming at times. Pray for Jimmy that he will continue to build relationships, have safe travels everyday, and have fun teaching English at his school.

Christiana's School

This was also my first week of teaching. I am working for a well established, private school brand. I am enjoying my young learners but I sometimes feel out of my depth because of their limited English and high energy. At first I was intimidated because the school oversold my teaching experience to the students' parents to compensate for the teacher they had to fire after only one month (long story), but now I feel like I am starting to settle in. Pray for me that I will have patience and lots of love for my students and that I will continue to improve in my classroom management techniques. I am very thankful for my co-teacher, Connie, who is a certified Taiwanese teacher. I hope to learn a lot from here and to build a strong bond with her. She is very sweet.

Our First Month

Things have been crazy her in Taiwan over out first month! It's been one wild ride of trying to get in and settled, make friends, and find jobs. Still I don't think there is much I would consider changing.

One of the most interesting cultural things we have encountered so far is Ghost Month. Typically no one moves in or out of their place  but we did (silly Westerners). So there are no doubt neighbors around us who believe e moved the ghosts in with us. If that wasn't enough, I often forget to bring the laundry in off the line on our balcony before dark so once again I am bringing ghosts in who have gotten into our clothes. We have also seen many people burning paper money to support the needs of their loved ones in the after life. I know there have also been parades and fireworks because I have heard them but haven't seen them myself.

Also, Jimmy and I have both been successful in finding jobs this month. We start classes on Sept. 2nd.  We are both excited and nervous. Jimmy is working in a cram school (buxiban) and I am working in a private elementary school. We are both still in the process of getting our paperwork processed so pray that goes through smoothly.

We have also been blessed to start making some pretty amazing friends here too. Some of them are expats like us but many of them are Taiwanese. We have enjoyed spending time with Jamie, Lily, Simon Lewis, and Jamie's mom at L.A.X Burger (Jamie's Restaurant). We have also gotten to know Jessie, a sweet server at one of our other favorite restaurants. Keep Jessie's family in your prayers as her father is very ill. One of our new friends was an unexpected house guest. We always want our house to be open and used for God's glory so when Kyle asked if Jed could come and stay with us while he looked for a job we said of course! I think it was probably harder for him than it was for us since Kyle and Jimmy were always ready with some brotherly ribbing. Still he survived and has just started his school year in Taipei.

Well, I guess that's really all for now. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to seek out a church where we feel we can worship and ministries we can partner in. We also want to get a routine schedule hammered out so we can start adding in some language learning activities. So many things to do! Thank you for all the prayers and support which have already been offered up on our behalf. We couldn't have made it through without your support!

Grace and Peace,

Christiana

Hitting the Ground Running

We've been in Taichung (our new city) since Friday. This vlog is a general update of what we have been doing the past few days.

Welcome to Taiwan

The last few days have been a crazy fun adventure in our new home--Taiwan. 

We landed safely in Taipei on July 30th. There were so many times on our trip that we were truly blessed. When we arrived at the airport, the airline charged us much less in baggage fees than we anticipated. They also needed more carry-on room on the plane so we were able to voluntarily gate check one of our bags for free. This meant less baggage to drag through all the airports.

On our flights we had at least 1-2 empty seats beside us at all times (including the 13.5 hr Atlanta to Tokyo flight). So we were able to spread out and not be cramped. We had excellent flight attendants and the in flight entertainment was good too.

When we arrived in Taipei, we made it through customs quickly and without issue. We each received a 90 day visa for free. When we picked up our bags in baggage claim, they were all there. PTL! We were a little worried about our gate checked bag but it turned out it was the very last bag on the belt so there was nothing to fear.

After departing customs, we found our driver waiting for us as planned. He didn't speak English but he was very nice and we had directions prepared in Chinese to give him. He found our hotel without issue and we were able to check in with the owner, Sam. Sam spoke English well, and made sure we were all settled and had everything we needed.

Our stay in Taipei (2 days) was fun. We went around and did some tourist-y things. We had fun and were able to make it back to our hotel each night.

On Friday morning, the same driver who picked us up at the airport came back to drive us and our bags to Taichung. The drive was beautiful and took a little over two hours. Upon arrival we were able to check into our temporary housing. This was a little challenging as they didn't speak much English but we managed.

The last two days we have been busy running around Taichung with our new found friends Kyle and Jenny Mulaney who have been invaluable in setting up our new apartment. I don't know how we could have done all this without them!

Now as we sitting here waiting for the phone/Internet guy to come, I am writing to you. Thank you, God for our new friends. Thank you for everything we have been able to get accomplished in the past two days and the chance to relax in Taipei. PTL for our save travel and for all our baggage arriving in one piece. Hopefully I will be able to upload pictures soon so you can see what we have been doing.

Grace and peace,

Christiana

Time with Tate #9 How Can We Keep in Touch

3 DAYS!

Jimmy and Tate talk about getting in touch. We do have a Skype phone number, Skype, Facetime, Facebook, and Email. It should be fairly easy to stay in touch with us. If you need our Skype number please email us at iwantthemustions[at]yahoo.com and we can send it to you.

The Skype number allows you to call our USA based number from your landline or cell phone with no international fees. It is a local Fulton # so if you are lucky enough to be in that area code then you don't even have to use an area code. We also have a voicemail through Skype. When you leave us a voicemail Skype sends us an email letting us know you called and let us a voicemail so we know to check it and get back to you. Right now the voicemail does have a generic answering voice so don't be alarmed if you get the computer voice. Also, keep in mind that when you call us in Taiwan we are 12 (Spring & Summer) to 13 (Fall & Winter) hours ahead of you depending on daylight savings time.

Grace and Peace,

Christiana

Time with Tate #8 Can People Send You Care Packages

5 DAYS!

Jimmy and Tate talk about people sending care packages to us in Taiwan. We have gotten this question from a few people already. Yes, you can send care packages! Although we know not everyone can afford to send one we truly do appreciate receiving them. We have a whole page on our blog called Show You Care where you can view the most up to date list of the things we need and instructions on how to send them.

Make sure to check back regularly!
Grace and Peace,

Christiana

Time with Tate #7 What About Healthcare

Six More Days

Jimmy and Tate talk about what health care is like in Taiwan.

Grace and Peace,

Christiana


To learn more about Jimmy's weight loss surgery visit Jimmy Goes Gastric.

Time with Tate #6 Will You Stand Out

One Week from Today We Leave America!

Jimmy and Tate talk about whether or not Jimmy will stand out from the crowd while we are in Taiwan.

Grace and Peace,

Christiana

Time with Tate #5 What Will You Miss Most

Jimmy and Tate has a good laugh as they talk about what Jimmy will miss most about America. Keep in mind these were filmed a while back and I think he may have discovered other things he will miss since filming this video. Still it's a good laugh!

Grace and Peace,

Christiana

Time with Tate #4: What's Your Biggest Fear and How Can We Pray for You?

Today Tate and Jimmy talk about our biggest fears (it should be interesting to see what Jimmy thinks I would say) and how you can pray for us.

Grace and Peace,

Christiana




For the most up to date prayer requests visit our About page where you can find specific requests for Jimmy, Christiana, or both.

Time with Tate #3: Where Will You Be Teaching and What About the Communication Barrier?

Today Tate and Jimmy talk about where we will be teaching and how we will overcome the communication barrier.

Grace and Peace,

Christiana


For information about the kind of schools we plan to teach in visit www.movetotaiwan.com.

Time with Tate #2: What Ministry Opportunities Are Available?

Today Tate and Jimmy talk about what ministry opportunities are available to us in Taiwan and whether or not we will going through a missions organization to get to Taiwan. Enjoy! Grace and Peace, Christiana

Time with Tate #1: What Are You Most Looking Forward To?

When Jimmy was in Texas (back in May), he spent some time recording some basic interview questions with our friend Tate. I thought that you might like to see them as they provide some more answers to some of the basic things about our trip. Keep in mind these were recorded when we very first realized God was calling us to Taiwan so they won't go into detail about things that have developed later and some things may have changed since the initial recordings. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Grace and Peace, Christiana

We Did It!!!

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

It seems impossible but WE ARE FULLY FUNDED! YES!!! We just have to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has become part of our team through financial support and/or prayer. You have made the difference. Thank you for helping us to be ready for Taiwan. We really couldn't have done this without you.

I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to focus the next two weeks on getting rid of the rest of our stuff, cleaning the house, studying language and culture, and packing to leave instead of stressing about whether we will have enough money to live on until are fully established in Taiwan.

Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's leading in finding jobs and a place to live. Things are coming together nicely so far but we still have so many details to hammer out. This is really hard for my "ducks in a row" personality. Jimmy is struggling with the unknown of foreign travel as this is his first time outside the United States. We appreciate your prayers and thoughts more than you know!

Grace and Peace,

Christiana

Covered in Prayer

We have been truly blessed by all the support we have received since we decided to follow God to Taiwan. It has been truly amazing the number of people who have given money, bought stuff, or said prayers for us. It was truly awesome to receive a tangible demonstration of all the support we have had. This week Jimmy went to help another church with their youth ministry and came home with a very special gift. This gift was a special prayer quilt made for us by Ebenezer United Methodist Church of St. Joseph Missouri. It was quilted and knotted it by the members of the church. Each and every knot tied on the quilt represents a prayer said over Jimmy and me and our trip to Taiwan. It was amazing to be able to see and touch all the prayers said over us. So we send a HUGE thank you to Ebenezer. You are all truly amazing and we thank you for your prayers and support!

Grace and peace,

Christiana

Here's another picture of the Prayer Quilt made for us by Ebenezer United Methodist.

Taiwan Update

Here we are at just under a month until we leave the United States. Can you believe it?! I know that I am still not sure that I do. So many things are happening right now that it is really, really hard to keep track of everything. I thought I would help you and me both out by giving an update on all the things we have going.

#1 Passports and Paperwork...DONE
Jimmy and I have both received all our passports and paperwork. *whew* We are ready to board the plane on July 29th and head into our new future.

#2 Job Interview with Giraffe...
A little over a week ago we had a job interview with Giraffe English School. They are a great franchise and we had a good time interviewing with Emily (their corporate recruiter). Our interview went very well. However, before Emily could recommend us for the open positions one of the schools filled their placement on their own. The other school was uncomfortable offering a position to one of us without the other having a position in the company as originally promised so both opportunities fell through. Emily will keep our names and data on file, but at this time we do not have a position with Giraffe.

#3 Selling Stuff...Woohoo!
Sales are going well! We have sold almost all of the big ticket items. Plus the garage sale we had last weekend went amazing! The Dixon girls came and helped out and served up some tasty lemonade (Thank you!) and we sold knick knacks and other household items until we were exhausted and couldn't see straight! All in all we were able to add a profit of $500+ to our Taiwan fund from the garage sale alone. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported.

#4 Other Opportunities...
We have also had a few other opportunities to share about Taiwan.

• On Sunday, Jimmy spoke at Ebenezer United Methodist Church here in St. Joseph. They were a great group of people and were gracious to pray over us and give toward God's calling in our lives.
• We also have a friend who is doing an online 31 Party to help us out. We are receiving 25% of all the proceeds from this online party and we encourage you to purchase products to support both us and our friend who was kind enough to do this for us. Click here to order by visiting the 31 Products website.
• Some of you may have heard that we would be speaking at Villebrook Baptist Church (one of our former churches) in St. Louis on July 14th. We want to let you know that although we were super excited about seeing everyone there again; the opportunity has fallen through and we will no longer be making a trip to St. Louis. Sorry to disappoint those of you who were planning to meet up with us then.

I hope this update has helped you to catch up. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to serve God full time in Taiwan. Also, if you have given yet and you feel like it is something God is leading  you to do then please give by our fundraising deadline (July 17th).

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy and Christiana

Garage Sale This Weekend

This weekend is our first (and hopefully our last) garage sale to support our trip to Taiwan. Since we are moving halfway around the world and we can't take the majority of our stuff it is only logical that we sell EVERYTHING we own to support our trip. If we can't bring ourselves to make sacrifices then how can we ask other people to make sacrifices to support us.

So if you're in the area, come by and buy some stuff! If you aren't in the area but would still like to support us as we prepare to serve on the mission field in Taiwan, you can donate through Gofundme.com or Paypal.

Thank you all for all of your prayers and support! They are greatly appreciated!

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy and Christiana

Skype Interview with Giraffe

Waiting for our interview with Giraffe to start.

This past weekend Jimmy and I went to Fulton to visit my family and to celebrate my sister Mary's birthday. We knew it was going to be a fun weekend anyway, but then we got an email saying that Giraffe English School would like to have a Skype interview with us on Friday night! Well, no problem. We cancelled some of our plans and re-arranged others so that we could be sitting on my parents' couch at 8 P.M. on Friday night to Skype with the school's recruiter.

Although we were told that it was only going to be a voice interview we decided that we would still dress up--just in case. You want to make a good impression and since Skype does have video options it's way better to be safe than sorry. In the end, we ended up being on video while our interviewer was voice only (I don't blame her since it was 9 A.M. Saturday morning her time!).

The interview lasted approximately one hour and fifteen minutes (according to the call timer). It seemed to go well, and this week we hope to hear whether or not we will officially be offered the two positions in Taichung. Until then I guess we will just have to continue to wait and pray.

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy & Christiana

One Third of the Way to Taiwan

Today we have reached approximately 1/3 of our goal funds! It's exciting! Thank you to everyone who has bought stuff (our house is starting to look empty!) and/or given donations to see this ministry opportunity through. We will be accepting donations until July 17th which is our deadline for having all of our funds raised. By July 17th, it's our goal to have three months of Taiwan expenses set aside.

This will allow us to travel to Taiwan, reside in temporary housing (a combo of hostels and hotels), get around (by bus, taxi, or subway), and eat while we find a job and wait until our first paycheck. Although we hope to find employment quickly--we even have a few interviews set up already--it can still take up to a month after our first day of work before receiving a paycheck since 99% of all people working in Taiwan are paid on a monthly basis.

Pray for us as we seek God's will about where to live and where to work. Pray that our phone interviews go well too.

We still have a couple of "big ticket" items we need to sell to help push closer to our financial goal. They are: a 2002 Ford Windstar Minivan, a washer and dryer set, the desktop computer (can be viewed on the for sale page), a Queen Mattress set, and one couch. If you or anyone you know are interested in these items you can email us at iwantthemustions[at]yahoo.com or private message us on Facebook.

Don't forget our Garage Sale starting on Friday, June 28th at 8:00 AM!

What's Next on the List?

We're moving to Taiwan in less than 2 months! Saying that seems so unreal, but it's true. So you know we are leaving but you might be wondering what's next on our "to do" list. Here's a very basic rundown...

What's Next:

• Get our Taiwan Visitor Visas
• Have a Garage Sale (June 28-30th)
• Either Donate everything that doesn't sell or have a second garage sale
• Financial & Legal Stuff
• Accept final donation (by July 17th)
• Say Goodbye

I am sure there are a ton of little things that I am forgetting, but like I said these are the basic things we need to finish in the next 46 days. Thank you to everyone who has given donations and/or bought stuff. We are getting closer to our goal of having two months of expenses and travel/paperwork costs covered. We couldn't do it without you! If you have any questions or want to know how you can help, please feel free to facebook, email, text, comment, or contact us in any way!

Grace and peace,

Jimmy & Christiana

Why Taiwan?

Ok, so you have heard our big news (or if you haven't you can learn about it here). If you are like most of the other people we have talked to the first question which might pop into your mind is "Why Taiwan?" Let's talk about it.

There are 3 basic reasons why we are moving to Taiwan:

#1 It's what God is calling us to do right now.
Since our time at McCarthy has closed we have been praying and seeking advice of our Christian mentors and other Godly people in our lives we trust. It has been clearly confirmed that even though we don't have a place to live or a place to work (yet), we are supposed to move to Taiwan at the end of July. As my (Christiana's) mother has told me numerous times in my life--including when I called to talk to her about this, "If that's what God is telling you to do then you better do it!"

#2 It's an opportunity to do ministry differently.
Christiana has a real heart for students and for missions, and I have been working with students for more than 15 years but I have always been on staff at a church. This is a chance not only to get out of our comfort zones and explore a new culture, but it is also a chance to be able to focus on ministry without the pressure of being "on staff". Not being on staff will also allow us the opportunity to parent with multiple local churches and ministries. Also, teaching English will allow us to stay in Taiwan and to meet a multitude of students, parents, and others who will want to talk to us and build relationships with us (allowing us to share Jesus) just because we are native English speakers. It is a WIDE open opportunity.

#3 It will be good for us.
Moving to Taiwan will be good for us. It will broaden our world view and help us to see outside of our Western mindset. In addition, when we talked to Jimmy's surgeon (Find out more about Jimmy's surgery) he brought up a valid point...it will be easier to eat healthier, be more active, and lose additional weight anywhere that's not America. If for no other reason but the increased amount of walking we will be doing to transport ourselves from one place to another it will be good for us.

As I am sure you have figured out, there are many reasons why we decided to move to Taiwan. However, these are the big 3. So please pray for us. This is going to be a challenge even though it's what we believe God is calling us to do. If you want to find out how you can help, please visit our FOR SALE page or our GoFundMe page.

Grace and Peace,

Jimmy & Christiana

Hello, everyone! Jimmy recorded a special vlog for you so you can hear our BIG announcement from our own lips. So here it is...

Our Big Announcement

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Thanks for stopping by to hear our big announcement. You can follow our Journey here on our blog or keep up with us on Facebook or both! If you have any questions, feel free to email us, Facebook us, or comment below.