Being grateful!

....and we moved again. Yes, we could have stayed in our first miracle home till January, but decided to move right after Christmas (to another miracle missionary house) so the kids could get adjusted before they had to go back to school. At first  though we were thinking of moving right before Christmas, but some very wise friends (also missionaries who had a period when they had to move a lot) spoke truth into our life's reminding us that Christmas is just not the same for the children in a brand new home. Very grateful for sound advice!
So we enjoyed Christmas in the environment we had gotten used to and moved afterwards with the help of our family. Now that is something new and wonderful...to have family help. Very Grateful to be surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents! 
 
In the past month all our energy went into job searches and relocating our family. It is not easy and we need your prayer and support.

Ana: always seems to be going back into the habit of taking her diaper off with poop in it when she is in a unfamiliar new home. That means piles and piles of very dirty laundry almost daily for the first two weeks. We try to be on top of it and use this as a opportunity to continue to potty train her, but with two other kids, cooking, and doing other (move-in) routines, she will have a few unsupervised moments every day. We are waiting for a appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician to get help through a Behavioral Specialist. 
Lydia: is now full time at Ben Lippen. Our new home is much further away from both schools. Since we cannot get transportation for Ana, it is easier to pick up both girls around the same time so we do not have to pay a lot for gas. Lydia is trying so hard to be strong and happy and encouraging to all of us (beyond her years, really!) but her anxiety shows itself in nightmares and tears at school.
Caleb: is active! Very active. Just a fun little 2 year old, interested in everything, eating everything but the food on his plate, much more courageous then his mother and just happy and carefree. If we both find jobs we will have to find care for him.
 
Our time frame for Germany is now to be there some time in summer 2014. We are thankful for many new friends and people who are interested in the path God is leading us.
With this new time frame, we are now getting to the place where we urgently need jobs, since we do not want to live off our savings.
Richard: has two very exciting possibilities - we will know more by the end of January. 
Simone: Is looking to expand her teaching. There are several part-time jobs that have to be considered and decided on.
When times are different then what you expected them to be, when your dreams are put on hold, when God's answer is WAIT and you don't quite understand why, it is easy to start complaining. But over the past years of God revealing himself faithfully to me as a women and mother I know that focusing on the things he IS providing right now will immediately lift my spirits and I start living with a grateful spirit. I know that Emmanuel - GOD IS WITH US - is with us.
 
In the meantime we create a family routine that will become normal where ever in the world we are, serving our faithful God and trusting in his lead.

Grateful that the kids are content, love each other and are healthy.

(This is Lydia, hiding in Ana's sensory sock...)

Grateful for a successful surgery. (Permanent ear tubes and a hearing test which she passed with flying colors. No hearing loss!) 

 

Grateful that this did not happen to the trailer while we were traveling 3000 miles from CA to SC....

Grateful for going ice-skating in flip-flops, finding a snowman on the beach,

 

and taking pictures of our name on Street Road signs....

Grateful to spend time with family!

Grateful for going from no-shave November to this....

(no comment!)

Grateful for part-time work!

Grateful for a brand-new, fenced-in back yard to explore and a helmet that fits Caleb's head (found at the new house....)

 Grateful for free tickets to a very "exciting" basketball game!

Grateful for Chick-fil-a!!!!

And grateful for a personal interior designer.

October update!

 

Dear friends,

it has been a while since we gave you an update. I can't believe it has been 7 weeks since we left California. It is odd to find yourselves in a mode to think that our time in San Leandro has now become past tense. Our thoughts are often over at the West Coast and we often talk about people and experiences. God has widened our horizon and given us the opportunity to expand our experience with him and our trust in his provision. I find myself often being filled with thankfulness while thinking about our journey.     

                                        

Columbia has a different flare then Oakland and we are rejoicing in the family friendly environments and the overall feeling of safety. Especially in the neighborhood we are living, we find ourselves surround by family and friends from our church and retired professors from the Seminary right around the corner. How good to see a person walking their dog and to know they are possibly on a prayer walk and are lifting up their neighborhood to our GOD. WOW.

We have found a church. Funny enough the name is 

"Riverside Community Church". God has lead us from Creekside to Riverside....haha. I'm
wondering if the next church we are going to go to will have something to do with oceans or lakes...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (Broad River in Columbia, SC)

 

 

Ana is about to have her first IEP.

Please lift us up in your prayers for we are in need of new hope and faith every day. Today I first want to focus on our need for prayer for Ana.

We are going to meet with Psychologist, Therapist and Teachers that know her now for about 6 weeks. We are confident that her team is excellent and are very ecstatic about phenomenal teachers in her life. Since Ana has started talking a lot we are more aware of the need of regular and focused mouth/oral therapy to help her speak more clearly. Please pray for us to have the discipline to continue with the Therapy we started with Heather at the Down Syndrome Connection in Danville, CA, as well as find therapy here in Columbia that will enhance this path. We know that there is a therapist in Charleston that works with Talk Tools, but Charleston is about 2 hours away and so we could not go there on a regular basis.

We are also praying to get help with a behavioral Therapist who could guide our efforts to help Ana get potty trained. Since she is very uncomfortable with a wet or soiled diaper she continues to take them off and henceforth spill whatever is in the diaper onto her bed and/or other surroundings. She will go to the restroom by herself and when I/we ask her. She can tell us if she needs to go but it is very inconsistent and she often only realizes that she had to go potty after the fact. We are praying for a way to help her with a practical routine to continue this training and find a happy way for all of us. With 2 other children in the house my attention is often divided and Richard and I are not able to help her.

(having fun in the warm Atlantic Ocean water)

Another big prayer is the need for a job for Richard.

Since I have started working at the University and teach Tuesdays and Wednesdays all day Richard will need to stay home those days to take care of Caleb. We knew that we are not looking for a full time job for either one of us but in Richard's line of work that is a very difficult thing to find. Richard has had plenty of interested churches but most of them are unable to hire him for only 3-6 months or the pay is not compatible with the time and work he would have to invest. Please pray for comfort for Richard in time of searching as well as furthering our support raising efforts. We are praying for a part time job that pays decently and leaves enough time to raise support.

Support Raising:

In general we are trying to focus on getting to know old friends again and making new friends. That in itself is a fulltime job and with 3 kids and me working and Richard taking on odd jobs here and there we are pulled in many different directions. Our desire to get to Germany is pushing us forward but our focus gets distracted by every day life.

We very much would like to hear from you all. Please write us on this blog, who you are and how you are doing. We love to get your feed back.

Until then,

God's rich blessings!

The Moore Family