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

So we went on a shoe hunt!

Yesterday Ana arrived at home with only one shoe. The other one is usually able to be found under one of the other seats in the bus but this time it was gone. This is not the first time. She threw her shoe with the insert (orthodics) out the bus window about 3 months ago. I went on a hunt down International and FOUND IT!!!! The second time we did not even try....but the third time we are a bit exasperated. We do not have new orthopedics yet, so we bought some expensive good running shoes for her. Her feet are very low tone and desperately need support. Well, she threw it out again...I can't even imagine how she manages to get the shoe out of the small, high window in her bus....

So we went on a shoe hunt. The bus driver was very kind and tried to write down all of his stops and turns. There are about 30. However, he was not totally clear on about 5 turns and so our try to follow the stops and turns was a total fail.

We also had all three kids in the back and Ana started crying her heart out after about 30 minutes of searching. Caleb was upset because he wanted to play ipad but the battery was empty and Lydia was crying because our DVD player had no sound. All three were definitely hungry and it was hot....

Really! Is looking for one half of a $70,- pair of shoes worth all of this.....

I don't think so. (We did end up having to buy another pair.....)

We ended up eating at a Taqueria somewhere on Foothill Blvd (not so safe area). And I have to say, we found our next favorite Mexican place. The food was awesome...and that is not just because we were all hungry. ...

PRAYER REQUESTS MAY 2016

Dear friends, we covet your prayers for our family today.

Prayer requests for May 2016
1. Praise for an encouraging time at Acts 29  Church Planting Conference and great contact to Church planters in Germany
2. There is an urgent need for more monthly supporters. our salary was cut 25% due to fewer monthly supporters! (GIVE HERE)
3. For more Gospel opportunities for Richard & Simone with the sports and music clubs
4. Praise that Simone has plenty of extra work on the side, but pray for balance and energy
5. Please pray that Richard would have success in writing the youth ministry and church planters training program coming up in 2017
6. Pray for Richard that he remains diligent in language, and for more donations to that end
7. Praise that the kids feel more and more at home in Germany
8. Praise God for a new home that meets our needs and is less expensive!
9. Praise for help with Ana in after school program.
10. Please pray we would receive communication device for Ana from our insurance

RESPOND WITH YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS WE WOULD LOVE TO PRAY FOR YOU!

Pray us to Germany

Lydia and Ana playing

Ana enjoys playing in Granny Gails car

the life saving double stroller

Lydia loves her carrots

It is a new week. I am getting the kids dressed and fed. Richard started Strep throat on Wednesday last week and is still really tired, mainly because he could not rest really over the weekend. He spoke at a men's breakfast on Saturday and had church on Sunday. I had to work on Friday (I teach at a music Studio in Livermore) and we had a recital for our adult students on Saturday afternoon. Once again a weekend is gone. We did have our first "Pray us to Germany" prayer meeting. So grateful for those friends who were able to come and pray with us. It was so encouragement to hear others formulate words asking our big God to create a way for us to go.

 I wanted to share our main prayer requests.

• We are at 16% of our fundraising efforts. We are praying that everybody who has promised and said they would support us especially monthly would find a way to send their pledges in.

• We have started going to small groups and sharing our vision and if interested, our needs. Please pray that we will find more people who are interested in becoming part of our team.
• With Richard being sick we sometimes loose focus of our priorities. Please continue to pray to find appropriate time for everything without neglecting the needs of our children.
• Simone will be sharing about our new Ministry in Germany, at her WOW bible study on Wednesday.
• Richard will be out at night a lot, connecting to all the different small groups at Creekside. He will have to cover all the groups before they go on summer break at the end of May.
• Simone will be leading worship for a women's retreat at the end of April (26.-28.)

Thank you for your support and your prayers. We trust that God will give you peace and joy for this new week.

God bless you!

The Privilege of Raising a Child With Special Needs...

My brother came to visit. He had gone to Peru to check out a possibility for himself and his family to work at a hospital in a small village in the Andes mountains. Samuel is a anesthesiologist but his heart has always been beating for missions. As we talked through his thoughts on Peru I reflected on our path that led us to finally follow God's calling to go to Germany. Just like Samuel we always had a passion for Missions. We knew that there would be a day we would go. We started going, stepping out in small steps through our English Camps we started at Creekside Community Church. Every time we saw the need in Germany our heart was aching. 
I personally grew up on the mission field. My parents were missionaries to the Chuuk Islands in Micronesia. We stayed on one of the outer island called Polowat. My memories of missions work and living in a foreign country are filled with wonder and amazement. When we returned to Germany I knew God was calling me, but I also had the feeling he was calling me to a "first world country". I kind of felt bad about that for going to a first world country. It looked like I wanted the comfort and security of all the fancy things these kind of societies can offer.
Well,
and then we had Ana.
We know a wonderful family who was prepping to go to Africa. They were expecting their 4th child and were excited to go as bible translators to a remote place. Their 4th child had Down Syndrome. She also had a severe heart problem and with a deep feeling of failure and a huge amount of questions like: "WHY GOD, WHY!" they had to give up their dream of being missionaries in a third world country.
Having said this, are we not in God's will if we plan for something, convinced God is leading, and then stand still and have to do something else....
No,
everything that God does is a perfect way of leading us to the actual goal he has for us. Now we look back and understand why I/we have been called to a first world country. Even though we need all the medical support and educational advances a first world can provide for our special needs child, she also is opening doors we could never have dreamed of.
Children in general open doors we could never have dreamed of. We are excited to live and reach out to the community we are going to be part of just because we are a family with small children...just because God has granted us the privilege to raise a child with special needs.
Germany is a very success driven country. Many things they do they do very well. Imperfection is a sign of failure and an automatic disadvantage.
And again,
what a privilege to live as a family who embraces their child with special needs. To show that we love her because GOD MADE HER! He made our family to fit together and live for his glory. Lydia and Caleb will be little lights in a dark world because they love their sister. Yes, there will be an awareness that will come, but by God's grace we will all grow in our appreciation for his ways. 
Please pray for our children. Pray for my brother who is contemplating going into missions, pray for those families who are struggling to accept their child with special needs...pray for continuous joy.

Do everything whole heartedly!!! Tut alles mit Leib und Seele....!

Colossians 3:23-24 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Was ihr auch tut, tut es mit Leib und Seele, so als wäre es für den Herrn und nicht für Menschen, im Wissen, dass ihr dafür vom Herrn das Erbe empfangen werdet. Dient Christus, dem Herrn! Kolosser 3,23-24 .

An Upward Journey

So, here we are. At the beginning of a new journey. I was told and encouraged by a good friend Kathy Greer to start blogging about what is going on in our lives and that is my plan from now on. I always wondered why people blog. Often I thought that bloggers really only think they are important and want to focus everyone's attention towards themselves. That is probably true for at least 80% of the bloggers out there. But then I started following blogs that where different. And this is how I understood them to be different. Everything they wrote was reflecting something beyond themselves. Some where blogging to shine light on a cause. In fact most of the blogs I am following are families talking about their special needs child and in so they are including and informing a community of like minded families. The blogs I personally find most uplifting are just that....uplifting....they lift our attention upwards. Upward means to me they include a loving overall power, maker, creator and savior who lives "up" in heaven, but mostly is their everyday lives. He is consistently a part of their sorrows and their joys. And that is where I can connect. That is what I want to reflect. Yes, it will be our family we are going to talk about in this blog but our family would not be our family without God and his son Jesus...so yes, we cannot but include him.
We believe God has made our family. He has given us 3 beautiful children. Funny, rambunctious 1 year old Caleb William (lovingly called Beebab by Ana),  beautiful, curly headed 4 year old Didi Hadassa (also called Lydia), and 6 year old Ana Katharina who God, in his wisdom, decided to give an extra chromosome.
Then there is Richard, head of our household and head of the Youth ministry department at Creekside Community Church and myself, Simone.
All of us are being called to go to Germany as Missionaries. Yes, all of us. We are one unit. Every one of us will form and guide our decisions we are going to make while preparing to leave California.
We are looking back on the path we have come and stand in awe and amazement how God has built and formed us and we are looking ahead in awe and amazement to welcome the new path and adventure he has planned for us....
Stay tuned!