Back from Colombia!

Kyle had an amazing trip to Colombia and returned home to the NC mountains just in time for our Snowpacolypse aka our 1" of snow. It's summer in South America of course so he was not ready for what has become our norm this winter- POLAR VORTEX!

It was his first experience in Latin America and I think that it was a good one. One that I know he wants to share more about. I told him that I think it is pretty amazing that he has now been on 5 of 7 continents.

He took some amazing pictures that I hope to nab from him soon and when I do I will share them here. There sounds like there is great potential for some exciting work in Colombia. Please be in prayer for us as we work with our Equip missionaries and the nationals working in Colombia.

Thanks for your incredible support while Kyle was away. Millie and I survived and dare I say even thrived a bit! We made some new friends and I was able to get caught up after being sick earlier in the month.

Ok, I'll update with Kyle's pictures soon so that you can experience sunshine and warm temps vicariously through them. For now, stay warm like our local Russian immigrants are doing.

Welcome to 2014!

Hi folks!

Well, it is a little belated, but welcome to 2014! We've stumbled our way into the new year, but we're here and happy to be!

The holidays were a fun and busy time. We were able to enjoy precious family time as we journeyed across the old North State and then the day after Christmas we made our way to Kentucky for Cross Con, a first time mission's conference directed at mobilizing college and seminary students to the work of the Gospel to unreached people group's around the world. 

Our time at the conference was motivating and exhausting! We talked with hundreds of college students and have already had some great response and interest in our training courses as a result.  It was truly inspiring to see a new generation catch a fresh vision for reaching the world.

Since the conference we (Millie and Jessica) have battled sickness. Bleh, winter is yucky. We managed to squeeze in a fun day of celebration on January 9th, otherwise known as Millie's Birthday! Yes, our wild girl turned 2! 2!!!! She continues to be a ball of joy and we love watching her curiosity and personality as she grows. God is so good to us and we're thankful we get to be her parents.

You'll remember that Kyle took a trip to Kenya back in November. God truly worked in that trip and we apologize for our lack of posts and updates on his journey. He had success in the work and even better he was able to share the hope of Christ in word and deed with the community he traveled too. Please join us in thanks and prayers for future ministry in that area of Kenya.

This really is a season of travel for us. This Friday Kyle begins a 10 day journey to Colombia. He'll be traveling along with some Equip missionaries to help them see if they can use water as a means of ministering to and reaching an indigenous Indian population. Exciting stuff!

Thanks for reading and joining this journey with us. You bless us beyond measure! Praying that 2014 is full of adventure and the unexpected blessing of watching God work all things for our good and His purposes.

Much Love,
Kyle, Jess, and Millie

Kenya Believe It? {Two Weeks and Counting}

I've been all kinds of behind in posting in this space. Kyle has been gone to Kenya for over two weeks and the blog equivalent of crickets has been going on here.

Sorry.

Being a single mama is hard. That is all I have to say.

In other news God has really done big things while Kyle has been in Kenya.

Kenya believe it? Watch this to be miffed and mystified by that phrase.



Here are the highlights from Kyle's trip thus far:

• His journey there was rerouted and he got to have some quality time in the Amsterdam airport.
• He has been quite the celebrity among the children at the Gospel Spring primary school. 
• They managed to get a well dug and set up properly. 
• A western toilet would be a true treat at this point. 
• He has rekindled his love for Indian food. 
• He has had ample time at church...more than ample time. 
• He also has gotten his fair share of rides on motorbike. Which he loves. 
• Today he put the finishing touches on the spring box.
• He got his picture taken with a tiger and garland. Not sure what that means. I guess there is a picture to document. 

I'm anxious to see and hear the highlights. I've spoken with him 3 times and Millie and I are both getting antsy for his return.

Also antsy for the Swiss chocolate that he has promised. He has a layover in Zurich on the way back. 

Millie and I were at home until mid-week last week when we began our journey east. We're visiting family to pass the time and enjoying getting ready for the upcoming holidays.

Pray for Kyle as he begins his journey back on Wednesday. He'll spend a couple of days in Nairobi, then on to Zurich and finally will arrive back in North Caroline on Monday evening. One week and counting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday we found out that today is Liberian Thanksgiving! We asked around, but we've gotten few details on what goes on during Liberian Thanksgiving! All we know is that it is a holiday and kids are out of school and people are off of work. Some told us that they go to church, eat and then do nothing.

Even though the Liberians are having a holiday it is business as usual for all the expats. We are hopefully heading up country to Ganta on Friday or Saturday of this week!

We will try post some pictures soon. It would help if I would take some!

1st Blog Post from Liberia!

First things first:
We're alive! I know some of you were beginning to have your doubts! Hugs and kisses and immense gratitude for all your prayers and encouragement. The Lord carried us over the Atlantic safely. Boy, were we glad to be done with flying and by "we" I mean me, Jessica.

We arrived to Monrovia at 8:00pm (West African time- 3:00 pm for the East coast of the U.S.). We wrangled our way through Liberian customs and baggage. We were guided through the "diplomats" line because of our wise decision to sport our homemade EQUIP Liberia I.D. tags. This was a relief because it meant that our bags would not be searched!(again) David Waines' face was a welcome sight when we exited the airport doors. We quickly loaded our bags amidst the chaos and were taken to a wonderful dinner. After a couple of days of airport/airplane food fiery Liberian pepper chicken (I mean fiery!) was a delicious and welcome treat! By the end of dinner we were close to falling asleep in our plates, but our next stop wasn't quite bed. I won't even begin to describe what the other stop was for, but will suffice it to say that I ended up with shoes full of sand and still was uncertain what we had just done. When our heads hit the pillow under the mosquito net that night we were out!

Our first couple of days have been full of firsts. First Liberian driving lessons (defensive driving to say the least), Liberian meals, Liberian building supply stores, Liberian heat, Liberian humidity, Liberian thunderstorms, Liberian roads (a bit bumpy and our vehicles have snorkels). We're working on a few things around Monrovia and by the end of the week hope to be heading to our new "home" up country in Ganta. We are really looking forward to settling in and diving in to work there. As we've been briefed it is clear that there is much work for both Kyle and I to do.

Please pray for us as our bodies continue to adjust to Liberia. We're still a bit jet-lagged and our bodies are trying to figure out what "normal" is, imagine that?!

Our blog posts will be spotty over the next few days until we get to where we are headed. Then we will get on more of a regular schedule and maybe even share some pictures. I am sorry that we don't have pictures to prove that we are alive and well. For now trust that we are in good health and spirits!

We're here! We're here! We're finally here!

Live from Liberia,
Kyle and Jessica

Leavin'...On a Jet Plane!

We're leavin' on a jet plane! Today is the day! All the packing, praying, planning comes to fruition. We step out into the unknown. We don't know what the next week looks like. Actually we're not even sure about the next 36 hrs. We will update you as soon as we can. If you're lucky you might even get travel updates! Oh, airport WIFI!

Can we ask for one more thing? Again? Pray?! Please pray for our hearts, minds and bodies to be sustained through this time of traveling and the days ahead!

We're doing it! Finally! Next week the blog will be coming from Liberia! WAHOO!

Just Checking In

No wordless wednesday
Just checking in...

party- check
time with family- in process
packing- in process
car- sold, awaiting delivery
to do list- slowly but surely

The devil's in the details. Sometimes I think that this is a literal statement. We need your prayers to finish this leg of the race strong.

Packing It All In: 7 Days and Counting!

So we're packing. Really this time. Really packing. Packing for a year...in the third world. What do you take? What do you not take? HOW WILL IT ALL FIT?!

We're taking everything plus...

You read it right...the kitchen sink...
(yes, Jenn. I do wear that shirt all.the.time.)

Next week begins the real countdown. We are almost Liberia Bound for real! We fly out of Raleigh/Durham on Saturday the 30th. This next week will involve a lot of family time, more packing, last minute errands, and a lot of hugs and prayers. Blogging isn't our top priority in this next week, but we will try to keep you apprised on everything all the way up to the big leaving day!

3 Months as Nomads

We're enjoying the Airstream knock-off tremendously. We feel so blessed by God's provision for us over the last 3 months. 3 months ago today, can you believe it? That is how long we have been without a residence of our own and traveling here and there like nomads. Not once have we had to wonder where we would lay our heads at night. Not once have we been without a meal. Every cent of the money we've needed to get by has been there when we needed it.

God is trustworthy. His Word is true. We've only touched the tip of the iceberg these last 3 months.

Psalm 37:25
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

I hope this weekend finds you with your own stones of remembrance. Remembrance of all that God has done in your life and all that God is doing. Thanks for reading this blog. We can't wait to share with you more of God's faithfulness as this journey unfolds.

How's the Weather?

It's fall...and we're loving it. We realize that the coolness in the air won't be felt for a long while. The heat and humidity of Liberia will be our every day for the next year. We're drinking in the slight chill in the air. We're really enjoying living in the Airstream knock-off and feeling the full effect of this magnificent autumn that is upon us. That leads me to this weeks question...

What is Liberia's climate like?

Well, we've probably answered this a time or two, but I (Jessica) figure that the subject is worth looking at a little more closely. Liberia is located just north of the equator. I assume that most folks reading this blog know what that means, but just in case here's a little diagram:

Close to the equator = really stinkin' hot

Liberia is tropical. The wonderful part is that tropical means fruit! Pineapples, mangoes, other miscellaneous unidentifiable fruit! Tropical also means steamy. Humidity that just slaps you in the face and floods your lungs the second you walk out of your door. Imagine North Carolina at the height of the summer when the heat and the humidity are almost unbearable. It's that, but worse we are told. Good thing Kyle and I both grew up in central N.C.! Although we've been spoiled by our mild mountain weather! It will definitely be an adjustment! I'm of the opinion that God prepares us and gives us grace even to endure the weather/climate.

We will miss out on the changing of the four seasons. In its place we will have the rainy and the rainier season. David Waines said that the Liberian people call it the small, small rain and the lotta rain. That sounds better than the rainy and rainier seasons. Takes the edge off of it a bit.

We've been told that Liberia's climate is harsh by any standards. The result is lots of mosquitoes and "interesting" wildlife. We've discussed the mosquito issue. Mosquitoes (of the anophales kind) mean malaria. Malaria=boo.

What does all this mean? We adjust our packing list to account for the climate and all that it brings with it. Screen for the windows, a fan (to make sleeping possible), light weight and SPF clothing, hats, sunscreen, ultra healing lotion, etc.

Monday Update

In July we were at Equip Canada. October we are at Equip U.S.A. They are different, but the same. Today we officially start the bio-sand filters course. Yes, even I (Jessica) am taking this course. Kyle is taking/assisting with the course. It's gonna be awesome.

We wrapped up our time with friends in Andrews last week. A great big hug and kiss to the Mcsweens. They so graciously hosted us for almost 3 weeks while we were hanging our hats in Andrews. It was such a blessing to have encouragement from our SWO family for an extended period of time.

We've been transient for 3 months at this point. It's been a wild ride and we would be lying if we said that we're not itching for this ride to settle down. Keep in mind that up to this point we have stayed in creekside cabins, a storage shed, with a multitude of friends and families homes and now a beautiful Airstream knock-off. We are trying out our dream of living in an "Airstream" for the next 3 weeks. This too will be awesome.

Squinty faced in front of the Airstream knock-off


Our current abode...a dream come true.

We're blessed to be spending a few more weeks at Equip. Pray that God would teach us much and that Kyle would be able to help other missionaries grow and learn how to share the Water of Life through the gift of clean water.



Weekly Prayer Need: Pray that we would have focused time with the Lord. Pray that we would find time to be alone and quiet before the Lord as we make the final preparations before leaving in a couple of weeks.


Here is the promised picture of the car. Isn't it nice? Don't you want to buy it?

Malaria 101

Let's talk about malaria. In case you haven't heard Liberia has a serious malaria problem. Equip Liberia has done much to combat the disease, but it is still a serious consideration when traveling there from the Western world. We spent a lot of time learning about malaria and diagnosing case studies. Our conclusion is that if at all possible we would like to avoid having the nasty sickness.

A little malaria information...

1) Malaria is carried by mosquitoes. Specifically the anopheles mosquito- and only the anopheles mosquito.

2) Anopheles mosquitoes are dawn, dusk and night biters so we will have to take particular caution at those times of day.
3) There are several different types of malaria. Falciparum is the most dangerous type and yes, it is the primary type in Liberia.
4) There are a handful of drugs that can be used as malaria prophylaxis (big word for prevention), mefloquine, chloroquine, doxycycline, and malerone are the primary drugs.

What does that all mean for keeping the Hoovers healthy?

We'll be wearing long sleeves and pants if we are out when the anopheles is lurking about. We will also sleep under a permethrin treated net- nothing like romance under a mosquito net. We'll probably hang some mosquito coils around our home as an added precaution. Our prophylaxis of choice will be doxycycline. We chose doxy for a few reasons. Mefloquine can make you crazy- I (Jessica) don't need no more crazy. Chloroquine is not effective in some areas. Guess what? Liberia is one of those areas. Malerone will break the bank at $3-$4 per person per day.

Pray that we would be protected from disease- specifically malaria. Also, pray that the doxycycline wouldn't cause any unwanted side effects. I'm very sensitive- but you already knew that!

Now you know more than anyone not traveling to the third world really needs to know about malaria. Trust me I could say more, but I will save you the gory details.

~Dr. Hoover

Wiped Out

So we're watching Wipeout on our last night in High Point, NC (at least until the end of October). Kyle and I have decided that we will eventually be trying out for Wipeout. Wouldn't we be great? Personality, blind stupidity, enthusiasm...we've got it! We could really use 50 grand...then again who couldn't?

On another note... I'd like to take this moment to commit to providing everyone with a few more pictures on this blog. So there you go-our commitment to provide you with more play by play of this journey from here to there- otherwise known as Liberia. It will be wonderful to have pictures of the real thing in less than two months. We'll be back next week with a Wordless Wednesday post.

In the meantime- read her blog and pray for our friend Melanie who just returned to Thailand for four years. God's given her such a beautiful heart for Thai people and we just know that God is going to do mighty things through her obedience.

Later folks, we're headed for Andrews...

Packed to the Gills

How's the packing going? Wait, I thought ya'll weren't leaving until the end of October?

I'm assuming some of ya'll are reading this blog day after day and wondering why we are packing now when we aren't leaving for another few weeks. Good question. Well, we are going to be hitting the road here in another day or so. We won't be back to High Point until after the classes at Equip. That means that we best get to packing. This is our first time packing for the long term (semi-long term) in another country. That means lots to think about and much to pack.

So here are a few of the things that we are taking to Liberia (This is not a complete list):

Linen pants/shirts
Vitamins
Doula supplies
Kyle's crazy water findin' tools
Eucerin
Wide-brimmed packable hat (with UPF protection in it)
Pictures of friends and family
Fan
Spices
Camping stove
Malaria meds- yahoo.

Those are but a few items we will be cramming into 4 maxed out suitcases and our carry-ons. Anything else we should think about bringing along? It better be small, cuz we're runnin' out of room!

Keep praying for all the details-including the packing.

Back from the Beach and Big News!

Did you miss us?

Well, miss us no longer! We had a fabulous time! We only wish that we had another week to relax, lounge on the beach and watch the waves roll in. Kyle and I realized when we arrived at Myrtle Beach on Saturday that within a weeks time we had been at the Pacific ocean and the Atlantic ocean. We are turning into real jet setters!

Here are a few pictures from the Hoover Beach extravaganza! Ok, so only two pictures...
Slow internet + Jessica's lack of patience = two pictures uploaded and lots of apologies
I'll try to post more later!


Chaco tan in the sand


Jessica and Kayla (walking on the beach)

We have even more exciting news to share with you all! As of last week we were informed by Equip that we can leave for Liberia! Yep, folks that means exactly what you think it means! Through the support of the Body of Christ, God has provided and we can now buy plane tickets, get visas and prepare to hop a plane to parts yet unknown to us! We will be sharing more in the coming days but we ask that you be in prayer for us as we make decisions about the exact date we will be leaving.

We're back to blogging this week and are so excited to move into the next phase of this journey. We're overwhelmed by the ways God is bringing all things together in His time. Join us in rejoicing over God's provision!

Monday Update

You're reading this as we are wiping the sleepies from our eyes. We are somewhere between Vancouver and Charlotte in transit right now! Our 3 weeks in Canada have been fruitful and refreshing. We return to the land of the pines to get shots (so necessary but ouchie-especially because we have to have like 4-5 of them), spend time with family and continue to make the final preparations for Liberia. God is good and we know that all of it will come together with His guidance and timing. We will update several more times this week before taking a brief break to go to the beach with the Hoovers. We've instated a blogging ban for that week! The remainder of this week we will continue to update you on all that the Lord did while we were in Canada and all that we are waiting on Him to do in the coming weeks, months and year.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Well, it seems that we have come to the end of our time at The Knoll. It has been encouraging, refreshing, challenging, FUN, and full of beautiful weather and a gorgeous backdrop to live life against for a couple of weeks. God is so good!

We are headed back to the mainland of Canada for a couple of days. We're going to hit the highlights of Vancouver that we missed on the journey out! We fly out on the red eye Sunday evening and will be back in Charlotte before lunch.

Gotta run for now-the shed must sparkle before we leave!

Look what we have been "DOing"

Delicious fish and chips from Red Fish, Blue Fish...oh, delish! Even Kyle, who is not a fish fan, said it was delicious!

Reflection in the scooter helmet


Entrance to Victoria's China Town as seen from our scooter


Creepy wax dwarf...


Gorgeous wildflowers along the road!


Me with the Anne girl (or at least the wax version)


All helmeted up for the scootering


Overlook on the way back from Victoria to Lake Shonigan


One of the many beautiful pictures of roses that we snapped

Pictures from the North

Enjoying some gelato in Victoria


Kyle didn't get to eat both cones...but he tried!


The famous Fairmont Empress hotel on the Inner Harbor in Victoria



Take a look at this pictures...notice the dog drinking from the water fountain?



Finally we were able to meet Dave and Audrey Waines! (Could we have met them in a more beautiful spot?)


The front of the Empress Hotel (no, we did not stay here)


The flowers in Victoria are a tourist attraction in and of themselves!


Colorful hanging baskets line the streets


There is a person inside of this...an old person...

Update

We're taking a break from class in beautiful Victoria, B.C.!
We will post a few pictures over the weekend so you can see for yourself! We will be heading back to The Knoll on Sunday but until then we will be soaking up everything that makes Victoria one of the best and most beautiful cities to visit in the world!