Hospitality and Emmanuel

I've been having a reflective kind of day. None of my reflections really go together and it's certainly nothing profound, but it's been a while since I blogged so I thought I'd share some of my ramblings here.

It's been 4 1/2 months since we moved back to America. This morning I saw a page in my journal where I had written things I was looking forward to about America. It included air conditioning, couches, change of season, family, favorite foods, and reliable electricity. I've been fortunate enough to enjoy each of those things since we've been here- on an almost daily basis. I've also been fortunate enough to keep memories from the Philippines fresh in my mind. Memories that include sweat and brown-outs and rice 3x a day also include laughing until my cheeks hurt, deep community, and a sense of purpose. I miss the people and the simplicity. Especially this time of year.

We've been in our new home for a month now. It's really coming together. We've found some neat pieces of furniture on craigslist and should get things hung on the walls soon. It's cozy and I love it (I'll post pictures when we're more settled!) but I am really longing to get into this community more. I'm ready to have people over and be a part of their lives. I'm ready to do life with our neighbors and to share Jesus' love with the people around us. I'm missing that sense of community I experienced in the Philippines. The really neat thing? Hospitality kind of stressed me out pre-Philippines. I don't enjoy being the center of attention or person in charge. I can take that role if needed, but I don't thrive in it. But the problem was my understanding of hospitality. I thought it was about doing or giving or performing. What I learned from the Filipinos is that hospitality is about being. You don't have to offer an extravagant meal and your house doesn't have to be in tip-top shape. You don't have to have the funniest jokes to entertain with or the ability to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves at all times. I learned it's just about being with people. Let them into my heart and get into theirs. Sit and talk. Make them a part of what I'm doing. I loved that about the Philippines and I hope to cultivate that in my home here.

With that said, I'm enjoying this most wonderful time of the year. Our tree is up and gifts have been purchased. We've been doing an advent devotional (sort of- we keep missing days and then catching up!) and listening to Christmas music. But what I've really enjoyed about the season is that it hasn't been stressful. I've loved sharing this time with my guys and preparing my heart to adore my Savior even deeper. After tasting a couple of Christmases in a place where it's not as glamorous and over-marketed, I can't imagine turning back. It's so beautiful to just enjoy Jesus' birth. No more and no less- just celebrating the birth of Jesus. We give to celebrate HIM. We fellowship to celebrate HIM. We sing songs and we even decorate, to celebrate HIM. It really is a wonderful time of year. Emmanuel has been coming into my mind over and over again this Christmas season. I'm so humbled and grateful and excited that we serve a God who came. A God who redeems and sets us free. A God who's with us. Emmanuel.

I hope that some of my randomness encourages someone else today. I'm thankful this Christmas for a home to share, for a husband and a son, for my life experiences (in the Philippines and beyond), and for a Savior who came.

Merry Christmas!

9 Months Update

9 Months

Approximately 21lbs. 

Likes: 

bathtime 

being snuggled and tickled

B-I-N-G-O

pulling up on the bathtub

his food pouches

exploring new toys & other items

being near Mama

Month 9 went by at lightning speed! I feel like I saw more change in our sweet little boy this month than most others. I'll try to remember it all here. We moved into our new home this month, so some things are a bit of a blur! 

This month was a much healthier month. Even with the cold weather, we've hardly had a sniffle. And we are humbled by and grateful for that. We haven't seen the pediatrician for his 9 month well-visit yet but that's coming up soon. Isaiah is in size 12-18 month clothes and cute little size 3 shoes :) 

Isaiah is a busy little bee, constantly crawling to new things around the house (which is why it's taking forever to unpack!) and moving from all fours to sitting and back again. He prefers to "army crawl" because it's faster but he'll occasionally get up on all fours. This month he mastered pulling up on things! He's so proud of himself, too. He first pulled up on the bathtub and has since pulled up on our couch and attempted quite a few other things. My parents bought Isaiah a walker a couple months ago, but this month he figured out that thing can move! Thankfully, he hasn't figured out he can leave the room so he wanders around the kitchen in it while I clean or cook. Otherwise, he's into the drawers which he also mastered opening this month :) 

One of the more challenging, yet rewarding, parts of the month was that Isaiah got three teeth! He has one on the bottom as well as his top front teeth. Cute! And it looks as if he's got two more trying to break through on the bottom. He's not too happy about it. He loves chewing on his wooden toys for comfort and we use some natural quick-dissolving teething tablets (thanks Ashley Chambers for the recommendation!) when it gets too tough. Since all my momma friends' babies got teeth at 5 or 6 months, I was glad to see those babies come in. 

His favorite "word" is ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, although he doesn't seem to be saying it with much correlation to me! He still says ba-ba often and sometimes pa-pa. He's constantly chatting and it's adorable. He plays very well independently when I'm getting some work done and it's really neat to watch him explore. Some of his favorite toys are a set of stacking cups (thanks Mrs. Rita!), a pair of rattling bugs, balls, and his wooden choo choo train (thanks Papaw!). He's grown a much greater interest in reading books this month and we stop several times a day to read. He still likes to eat the books, but he'll listen to the story first :) 

Bathtime is still one of his very favorite things. He loves splashing and playing with his rubber ducks. The wetter the better! He is also still fascinated with puppy dogs. We met a few peoples' dogs this month and he was overjoyed. I can hear the "I want a puppy" coming in a few years! He's developed a new favorite song to pair with his Filipino song...B-I-N-G-O! We sing it fifty times every. time. we. get. in. the. car. He hates riding in the car for more than 5 minutes. I hate it too. It's literally the most stressful part of my day. We actually don't even leave home that much to avoid it. If anyone has any advice for car distraction, we're open to it :) One of the sweetest moments of the month was when we were gone for a weekend and came back home. Isaiah got so excited when I sat him down in the living room floor to play; like he was so glad to be home. We loved the little glimmer in his eye.

Isaiah loves to eat! He's still nursing about every 3 hours during the day and has really taken to solids as well. We started experimenting more with finger foods this month rather than purees and he's loved it. He's mastered eating a banana and has tried other things like chicken, lamb, and turkey, cheese, potatoes, and broccoli. And he LOVES hummus. But his favorite thing of all is blends from these little organic food pouches that I scored for 25 cents a piece! He's learned to squeeze them and feed them to himself and he is o so proud. His favorite flavors are spinach-pear-mango and banana-coconut-prune. Yum, right? He also still loves drinking water from his straw cups.  

Finally, in his ninth month of life, Isaiah slept through the night! He went to bed at 8 and didn't wake until the sun was coming up. And even went back to sleep until about 7:30. It was glorious. Sadly, that was a one night fiasco. As for the rest of the month, he's been waking very frequently at night. We're hoping for a break soon. I'm pooped :) He's been napping well though, so I can't complain too much. He takes about a 30-45 minute nap in the morning and a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon. And he sleeps around 11 broken hours at night. Since we moved he's still been sleeping in our bed at night until he gets used to his new home. The first time he woke up from a nap in his crib he was terrified so we're taking things slowly. I plan to let him sleep through the night in his crib once we're more settled after the holidays. We'll see how it goes. I'll miss my little snuggle bug, but I can't deny that I'll love having some space in the bed again. And since Isaiah likes to put his head in his daddy's armpit at night, I'm sure Josh won't mind a little space too :) I'll update on that in a month or two!  

He still loves to be close to mama, but Daddy has the best tickles in the world. He belly laughs so hard and we just melt. Being parents is the best!

Isaiah, 
You are 3/4 of a year old and I can hardly believe it! We moved into our new apartment this month and you seemed to have already claimed it as "home". You've opened every drawer that you can reach and squirmed around on every inch of the floor it seems. You love when I open the blinds in the morning and when we sit and play in your room. You are so funny and cuddly. Your Uncle Alan came to visit us this month and you loved laughing at him. You like to "fist bump" and "talk" to him. I wish you could stay little forever, yet can't wait to see the young man you become all at the same time. I'm head over heels for your sweet smile and your laugh brings me deep joy. Thanks for keeping your daddy and me smiling, even through the midst of this stressful move. We love you. 
Love, Mama 

Isaiah,
You took a turn for the worse last night.  After this month without much sickness, you had a terrible night of sleep.  I don't think your mom slept much either.  I would ask her if she wanted me to hold you and the second she lifted you off her chest, you started crying until you were back on her.  It's sweet to see how much you love and want her so, even being sick.  Nevertheless, we took you to the doctor knowing that you were far from your normal self.  They tested you, and you have the flu.  They said it would run its course in 5-7 days, and we got you some medicine that should knock a couple of days off of that time frame.  We're in Corinth now for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  It should be low key as we will try to avoid too many folks.  We haven't met too many people that like the flu.  We do like you though.  You've still been such a joy.  It's been a challenging month trying to figure out how "to do" America, and like Mom mentioned, you can light up our face amidst a lot of the things we let get to us.  Thank you Isaiah.  I'm thankful you're here with us, bud.
Love, Daddy

Disclaimer: The paragraph about good health and no sniffles was true of the ninth month, but before I could finish writing the post, the tenth month came and so did the FLU. The past couple days have been yuck, but we're on the upswing :)

 

It's that time again..

**Well I wrote this blog 10 days ago, meaning we've been in Nashville for 8 days now. I've been a little preoccupied and forgot to publish it. The update is basically the same though, so enjoy!

 ****

In just 2 short days we're moving to our new home in Nashville! We're giddy with excitement. And weary with all the details. The month of October was just what we needed. We loved getting to spend extended time with our families and catch up with some of our Trek-X supporters. (If we didn't see you and you would like to get together to hear more about our next steps, please contact us!) I'll try to recap the month for you here:

• We celebrated Josh's birthday, as well as my brother's and sister's, and Josh's mom's! 
• We spoke to a Sunday School class that has supported us as well as to 3 churches.
• We packed up all our things in Batesville and Corinth. I'm so excited to use some of our wedding gifts (2.5 years ago) for the first time! 
• We travelled to New York with some of the Borens (pictures below) 
• We watched our niece in her school play, titled "Let's Hear It For America!" Isaiah got a good dose of his heritage :)
• We went to the Sweet Potato Festival in Vardaman, Mississippi. Fun fact: Did you know that the sweet potato capital of the world is in our own backyard?? Let's hear it for Mississippi! 
• We had fun giving out candy and hot chocolate at my grandmother's for Isaiah's first Halloween.

About to embark the 27 HOUR train ride from MS to NY

Trying to survive the train with Randaddy

It was a long one, y'all

Just a little crawling practice on the train table

Central Park

FAO Schwartz's gigantic toy store

the whole crew

Times Square

We'll spend the next several weeks settling in to our new home. Many of you asked about and mentioned praying for us in our house-hunt. Thank you! We did settle upon an apartment in the southeast international area of Nashville. We like the area and already know some of our wonderful neighbors.

Josh will plunge into the job hunt shortly after we arrive. We're thankful of several opportunities we've heard of lately. Many of you have even shared that you know of people in Nashville and could help us if we were to need something in the meantime. We're praying God will provide the perfect job that will meet our needs and allow us ample time to spend ministering to refugees. Please join us in praying for that.
We plan to continue to write newsletter and blog updates regularly, so please keep in touch! We saw firsthand through Trek-X how vital a support/prayer team is. Though we will just be carrying on "normal" lives and loving our neighbors, we want you all to have the opportunity to come alongside us in opening our hearts and home to those seeking refuge.

8 Month Update

8 Months

Approximately 20 lbs. 

Approximately 29 in. 

Likes: 

crawling to get to his toys 

bath time 

singing 

being outside 

snuggling with Mama

laughing 

"flying"

"swimming"

puppy dogs 

learning to talk 

Month 8 was a month on the go! We came to Mississippi for a month and a half to spend time with our families and speak to churches that supported us overseas. During that month we also made a trip to New York with the Borens! Our little world traveler has taken a ride on almost every form of transportation I can think of- trains, planes, subways, cars, tricycles, and boats! We've been all over the place in his 8 little months and this month was no different. We're all looking forward to getting settled into our own home next week. So that explains why Isaiah is wearing a disposable diaper in his picture this month- I left his cloth diapers packed up in storage. My Type A personality hates that one picture is different from the rest, but along with many other things involving motherhood, I'm learning to roll with it. However, I still felt the need to let you all know why :)

Our growing boy is long and lean. He is in size 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers. We'll visit the pediatrician for another well visit next month and get exact stats. 

He has had a cold off and on pretty much this whole month. We get it cleared up and then it comes back. We had our first sick visit to the doctor which was NO fun. He tested negative for lots of tests before we went to New York and just had a yucky cold. It's pretty discouraging and we all lose sleep over it, but we're thankful it hasn't been anything too serious- just some congestion and coughing. 

It took him nearly all month to figure out this crawling deal, but Isaiah is on the go! He's still wobbly and gets discouraged quickly when he can't get to what he wants fast enough, but he crawled for the first time when we were in New York. He does this hilarious thing with his arms and legs when he's on his tummy. He looks like he's trying to swim! But, he can get up and go if there is some motivation involved. He's still learning to get up from tummy to sitting so he gets pretty mad when he's tired of being down. He's definitely learned to cry to get what he wants :) Yet again, we've had so much fun watching him learn and grow. 

He's babbling all the time, especially saying ma and ba. He's started making these cute funny faces with his lips and looks like an old man with his lips puckered in. He still has a toothless grin. I feel like I've been saying he's teething for 3 months with nothing to show, but the drool running down his face and constant gnawing on his fingers gives me hope that we'll see a tooth soon! I'm crossing my fingers that we'll just get a lot of them all at once and be done for a while. Teething is for the birds! 

Isaiah loves to play, kick, move and observe the world around him. He's as curious as can be and loves to explore new territory. He loves his little hands and examines them all the day long! He also started reaching for people (particularly Mama) this month. Can we say adorable?! He still loves to take a bath, especially with toys. He enjoys a good game of peek-a-boo as well as reading a short book. He likes "flying" when I put him on my legs and lift him in the air as well as being tossed in the air by Daddy. And he developed a new love for dogs this month! My parents have a miniature dachshund that he loves to watch and pet. Josh's parents have a huge dog outside that he thinks is so so funny. He still loves to sing and his Filipino song calms him down when he's upset. 

He still breastfeeds every 2 or 3 hours. This month he began going a little longer between feedings, but nursed more often when he would get sick. He tried lots of new foods this month and we discovered that he prefers finger foods over being spoon fed. He's much more willing to try new foods that way. He still loves sweet potatoes and now loves to teeth on cold apples and pears. He isn't a fan of new textures and still makes funny faces when trying something new, but it's neat to see his preferences. He tried chunks of banana, steamed carrots, green peas, mashed potatoes, hummus, beans, and more. Oddly enough, he loves butter. I season his food with healthy grass-fed butter and he loves it! He'll even lick it off our fingers. Yay for good fats for the brain. He also loves drinking water out of his straw cup!

I'm happy to write that sleeping has improved a lot. We still have the occasional rough night, especially when he's congested, and I'm sure his sleep will regress again, but we enjoyed this more pleasant month. He started sleeping 3-4 hour stretches again and I can't tell you how refreshed I felt that first night that he slept a little longer. He woke me around 4am and I thought it was time to get up! Before we went to New York he was napping really well- 2 long naps and a short late afternoon nap. In New York he napped on the go in the ergo carrier which has led him to believe that he must be held for naps :) We're trying to get back into the routine of normal napping again, but overall he's  sleeping quite well. 

Isaiah loved being around grandparents and other family members this month. I've loved watching him become comfortable with them all. He's still very attached to mommy, but loves the others as well. 

 

He still loves his thumb too! 

Isaiah, 
I am amazed at how God designs each of us to be unique. I've had several moments this month while rocking you to sleep when I just stare at your sleepy face for a while before laying you down. I try to take it all in, knowing that your chubby cheeks and scrunchy nose won't always be so small. Your cousin Warren says that he was made to fit perfectly into his mama's arms to cuddle. He agreed that you are the perfect size for my arms. I don't think anything could be more true. I'm so glad I get to be your mama. I love you. 
Love, Mama

Isaiah,

What a fun month it has been taking you to Mississippi/New York.  We have a couple of more weeks in this little journey before the big move to Nashville.  Hopefully, you can get over your cold soon.  You seem to be right behind your cousin Benjamin in most things (sitting, talking, crawling), and it looks like you've started following the cry for Mom and Dad routine too.  We'll see as this next month progresses.  The people of New York seemed to like you too.  We just finished up a crazy trip with your dad's side of the family.  I'm so glad we went, but we are not ready for any vacation any time soon for sure.  Nevertheless, you're crying and I think your mama is ready for a break so I'm headed to relieve her.  You've got such a great mama.  If you ever read this, take a moment and thank God for who He gave you as your mom.  You got a great one.

Love you Isaiah,

Dad

Month 7 Update

7 Months

8.6 kilograms (19 lbs.)

 71.1 centimeters (28 in.)

Likes:

being near Mama

stroller walks outside

playing on the keyboard

laughing at Daddy

carrots and sweet potatoes

his favorite songs

Month 7 was a tiring, fast, exciting, hard, fun month! Everyone warns mamas-to-be of how fast the time will seem to fly when her little bundle of joy arrives, but man, it's so true! I can't believe this boy has been here for 7 months already. Can I just freeze time and take it all in for a bit?!

Isaiah is such a joy to Josh and I. He is our greatest treasure on this earth and brings us smiles each and every day. He became particularly attached to me this month and wants to be near me at all times. While it's exhausting, it's so sweet. There's not many things that make me feel better than how just my voice or touch can dry the tears in a second. While he loves to be in my arms, he loooves to laugh at his Daddy. He thinks Josh is so funny and just cackles at him when they play. Sometimes I catch Isaiah just watching his daddy doing something; he has the cutest grin on his face as he watches him. I bet he wants to be just like him some day :)

We took our first visit to a pediatrician in America this month. Some of you may know that we were concerned about his anterior soft spot closing very early. However, his head is growing at a normal rate and the doctor said everything looked fine. While the soft spot may look closed from the outside, as long as his head is growing, it isn't completely fused yet. Praise the Lord! He came in at the 80th percentile on height and 76% on weight. His head was in the 60th percentile. He's a growing, healthy boy!

While he had a good check-up at the pediatrician, he also had his first cold this month. It was so sad! He had a stuffy nose and red eyes. But after a few nights of sleeping with him on our chests in the recliner so he could breathe, sucking all the yucky stuff out of his nose, diffusing oils, and drinking chamomile tea, he was all better. It was a nasty cold, but we're thankful it didn't last long.

Isaiah is sitting up so well by himself, he scoots all around on his tummy, and he's trying so hard to crawl! He has amazing upper body strength, but he just can't figure out how to use those knees ha! He is babbling all the time, especially when he wakes in the mornings. He loves to get loud and high-pitched! He's still teething, but we still have no teeth!! He spends the day chewing on anything he can get his hands on. Some days are worse than others, but we're hoping they cut through soon.

He is still breastfeeding on demand, which is about every 2-3 hours. He's also eating pureed or mashed foods every now and then. He had no appetite when he got the cold so we're easing back into foods other than milk. He loves loves loves sweet potatoes, winter squash, and carrots. He's a pretty big fan of zucchini. He's neutral about avocado. He sort of likes applesauce, but he absolutely detests banana! He literally shivered and gagged both times he tried banana. He licked some raspberry juice off my finger and probably would've taken down the whole bowl if I'd let him. He basically just eats whatever fruits or veggies we're having, but mashed up or pureed. He ate too much avocado one evening and puked later during the night, so that was scary! (A mother's love runs deep...holding-and-kissing-your-baby-while-puke-runs-down-your-arms kind of deep!) It's been fun watching him try new things but we're taking it pretty slowly. He does love drinking water out of our cups and also a straw sippy cup. Not much makes it in his mouth, but he has a good time!

I usually update on food and then on sleep. But wait, what is sleep?! Ha. This month has been pretty rough. Isaiah wakes almost every hour some nights. Sometimes he's awake for 3 minutes. Sometimes it's more like 20. But I'm surviving on coffee and naps. I definitely didn't envision myself still waking this much with a 7 month old. Maybe that's naive. But lately I have been trying to thank God for each breath he takes when I wake with him during the night (I started doing this after my husband made a comment about me saying, "again? this is the fifth time tonight!" ha). He's sleeping in a pack-n-play in our room right now- I realize this could be contributing to poor sleep, but while we're transitioning between homes, there's not much choice. He usually ends up in the bed with us sometime through the night where he rests a little better. It's a full size bed though, so the three of us are pretty tight! His naps during the day have also been a struggle as he fights sleep more days than not. He usually naps once or twice in the morning (both just 30 minute cat naps) and then takes a longer nap in the early afternoon and another short nap in the late afternoon. Because of my own lack of sleep, we spend many of those naps in the recliner with him on my chest, which I must say are some of my favorite moments. It also makes me wonder how anyone with more than one child has any sanity :)

A few random fun things from the month are: Isaiah has started to be annoyed by his car seat and hates riding in the car. He enjoys a little 'play pen' I made him out of a laundry basket. It keeps his toys close to him and he likes to sit in it while I cook. He went swimming for the first time in a pool with his papaw and he's a little fish! It took a few minutes for him to familiarize himself, but once he got comfortable, he was kicking and splashing like crazy! He rode in the grocery store buggy for the first time and really enjoyed sitting up and checking out the place. He's been to a few Burmese Bible studies with us and I love watching him be so comfortable with other cultures. They're all crazy about him. He has a few favorite songs, including The Little Green Frog and a song from the Philippines, and he lights up when we start to sing them. So cute. Bath time has enhanced by 3 little rubber duckies. He still loves bathtime and hates to get out of the water. He still sucks his thumb, especially when he's sleepy. So many people have made comments about how I'll regret letting him do it, but it's pretty adorable right now and we'll work on stopping it when he's a bit older. Right now, it soothes and comforts him and I'm thankful for that. He's also started pulling his hair when he's sleepy. I know what you're thinking....what hair?! Believe it or not, he's got a little peach fuzz and he loves to try to get his hands on it. Our boy is so adorable and we love watching him grow and learn.

Dear Isaiah, 

Since February 21, time has flown at a faster rate than any other season in my life. It's funny because sometimes the days seem to never end, yet the month is over before I can catch my breath. Isaiah, I'm sorry for the times when I just wish you'd sleep so that I can have some time to myself. Alone time isn't bad- it's needed!- but I forget to treasure my time with you. You won't be in this sweet cuddly stage for long and I don't want to miss a bit of it. I too often forget how blessed I am to be your mama. My days really couldn't be filled with anything better than your squeaky noises, mid-day snuggles, and laugh that melts me every single time I hear it.

You are loved, Isaiah Luke. You are treasured. 

Love, Mama

O, and the way you're comforted by pretty much no one but me- it makes me feel like the most special woman on the planet. I'm honored to be your favorite for the moment :) 

Dear Isaiah,

You are such a blessing.  We've been transitioning from life in the Philippines to life in the USA.  I believe you've transitioned better than your parents.  There's a lot to learn from watching you.  I imagine you'll teach us a lot more throughout these coming years.  I hope you do.  We've been trying to get to know people and think Nashville is the place for us.  The local church we've joined has been super hospitable to us.  We've tried to be intentional in forming relationships, and we've met a few couples this week that we really like a lot.  I'm not sure how long we'll be in Nashville, but I'm thankful God has us here for now.  I love you Isaiah.  Praise God for protecting you throughout the transition.  By the way, we're taking a month to go visit family.  I'm thankful for the opportunity and don't want to take it for granted.  I know they'll be so excited to have you there.

Love, Dad

"You got me a surf board? Cool!" 

And ripping the calendar brings a quick end to the photo shoot :) 

The Next Chapter

Well, I wrote a few weeks ago about how we'd be taking time to pray and ask the Lord to guide us into this next chapter of our life. This season of transition is proving to be a bit more daunting than I anticipated. Some days we miss the Philippines. Some days we're thrilled to be in the U.S. Most days we don't have a clue what we're doing or where to step next. However, our God has been faithful and we believe He's given us direction. While the following plan is not my deepest heart-desire (because I long to be settled), it's what we trust is best in this season and I'm happy to be following what we feel God has spoken to us, because that is my heart-desire. (Is heart-desire even a word or did I just make that up? I think you get the drift). 

So what does the near future for the Borens look like?
Entering into September we set a list of goals for ourselves, mostly a list of questions that needed to be answered. A few of them have been determined while some of them are still in the making.

Will we remain in Nashville?  

Yes, we believe God has led us here for a reason. We love this city and the diversity of people that are here. We plan to stay here until God tells us otherwise. 

We wanted to find a church; a body of believers that we could do life with.
We've found that and are so thankful that we've been warmly welcomed at The Church at Antioch. 

It's a beautiful, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, Gospel-centered church who desires to share Jesus with this community. 

We need a home. 
This has been an adventure, to put it kindly :) Nashville has a huge influx of people, therefore available homes or apartments are hard to come by. And are far above our budget, too. We think that we want to live among the people to whom we plan to minister (refugees and immigrants from  nations where Christ is not known). Because of that we're searching particularly in southeast Nashville, where said people live. We've looked into several places and have (almost) settled on an apartment complex. We had lunch today with another family who lives there and heard more about life in that neighborhood- sounds like it might be a good fit! We plan to take out a lease somewhere by the end of this month. Please pray we'll find the right place and not act in haste. 

Speaking of haste...  
Our current lease ends September 30th, so we've gotta go somewhere and gotta go soon. This past week we spent some time at a park thinking and praying and the idea came to us that we have two very open homes in Mississippi where we could stay until our new home is available (our parents). So, instead of rushing into a place just because we need a home by October 1st we're going to spend the month of October with family and return to Nashville when an apartment becomes available (which looks like the end of October or early November). I have been loooonging to be settled somewhere so this was at first very unsettling to me, ha! But I'm so grateful that we have the ability to do this and I look forward to being with our families. We were already intending to speak to a few churches about our time in the Philippines so this gives us the chance to do all of that before settling in Nashville. We feel like this will give us a good deal of closure to our time overseas. So, Mississippi, here we come! 

And the ever-present question of how we will support ourselves financially.   

This is still coming to fruition. We've had the options of 1. continuing to raise our support and do 

full-time ministry or 2. for Josh to work during the day and we do ministry in our spare time. Or technically we could do both- he work part-time and we raise the rest of our needed budget so that we can have more time to spend among the refugees. I'll be busy being mommy at home with Isaiah, which will include time during the day to build relationships with the refugee women who are also home with their children. But, we've decided since most of the refugee men will be working during the day (that's the goal for them at least) that it makes sense for Josh to work, also. So please pray for Josh as he decides what will be the best job for him as the "breadwinner" for our family. We're trusting that God has a plan and a purpose and we know that He will lead and provide.

So in a nutshell, we'll be in Nashville for a week and a half more, go to Mississippi (plus a Boren family vaca!) in October, move to Nashville 'for good' in November and set the goal of Josh having a job by January.

This first-world life is aggressive. I do miss the simplicity of the Philippines. But, we're praising God for new opportunities and for this next chapter in the book of life. If you'd like to learn more about the refugees/immigrants in America and how the Church can stand in the gap, a good resource to visit is www.worldrelief.org. Or just email us at theborens@mobilizingstudents.com. We'd love to share with you!

Prayer Update

Hey everyone,
I want to give you all a little update on our current status. I know many of you are wondering what's next for the Borens. As are we ha!

We're officially debriefed. Trek-X was so gracious to help us transition back to America. We spent 2 weeks meeting with various people involved in missions. We discussed positive things that happened in our 2 years overseas, negative things, expectations about moving back to the States and how to guard ourselves from those and communicate openly about them, and future plans and goals. It was a lot to process but the discussions were very helpful for us.
At the end of our debriefing, we attended the Trek-X Launch ceremony. All phases of Trek-X were present: graduates, 2nd year overseas, 1st year overseas, 2nd year in Nashville, and newcomer! It was a very exciting time. We thoroughly enjoyed worshiping together with this group of people and commissioning the next set of missionaries. We're thankful to be part of such a great organization- it's like our second family.

 

We're taking the first couple weeks of September to intentionally pray about our near future. I sense a great deal of urgency seeing that we have to be out of the temporary apartment we are in by September 30 (at the latest), however we really don't want to rush into anything. A lot of things look good and seem really cool, but good & cool isn't exactly what we're aiming for. We want to actively wait on God to tell us what to do. We expect that He will.  

So I'm asking you to join us these next 2 weeks in praying over our future. Here are a few specific things you can pray for:

• Do we raise our support full-time and work among unreached people groups in Nashville, or raise half our support and Josh get a part-time job, or Josh finds a typical 8-5 and we work among the refugees in our spare time?? (We are certain that we want to work and live among refugees coming from countries with little access to the Gospel- there are lots of these in Nashville) 
• Does God want us to move somewhere else entirely? We don't foresee this, but want to be open to anything. 
• We need a home by October. 

In addition to prayers about our future plans, please pray for practical things that come with living in America, such as getting insurance on everything, taking Isaiah to the pediatrician for a well-baby check-up, seeing a dentist- because we haven't been in about 2 years and we both think we have cavities :(.

In addition to the above we're trying to reconnect with old friends as well as build a community of new friends here in Nashville (given that we end up here). We've attended a wonderful Gospel-centered church that has welcomed us so warmly and met some other young couples with small children there. God has been gracious. We plan, also, to speak to a couple churches once we get settled. If your church would like to hear about the ministry going on in Maria Aurora, Philippines, please let us know!

Thanks for reading!

6 Month Update

6 Months

Likes: 

familiar faces

sitting up like a big boy

music & singing

playing with his toys 

Jumpin' Johnny

Mommy & Daddy

peek-a-boo

being outside

 

It is hard to believe our baby boy is half a year old. The past six months have been more wonderful than we could have ever imagined.

Isaiah is officially a world traveler. If you count layovers, he's been in 7 different countries in his 6 months of life! (And two more if counting the womb). We made the big move from the Philippines to America with a trip to Italy along the way. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better experience traveling with an infant. He was so good! He slept most of the trip and was very content when he was awake. He was a hit in Italy just like he was in the Philippines. One older lady even bought him a teddy bear! He really does seem to love people. And people love him. I look forward to seeing how God uses that one day.

Isaiah has also made quite a few milestones this month. He loves to roll around on the floor, mostly still from back to tummy. He just gets mad when he's on his tummy too long and hasn't seemed to be interested in rolling tummy to back yet. He loves to push up on his arms during tummy time and squirm around. He can scoot in any direction he likes. The funnest milestone of the month was that he started sitting on his own. He is so proud of himself! He still gets a little off balance every now and then and topples over, but he loves to be up like a big boy. 

Sleeping is becoming a treasure in this household. Understandably things have been a little off since we switched time zones twice in two weeks. Isaiah has done well, but we're still trying to figure out what 'normal' is. He sleeps well most nights, even though he still wakes two or three times to nurse and/or cuddle. For the majority of the night he's in a pack-n-play in our room (we're staying in a Trek-X apartment right now until we find our own place) but he usually ends up in the bed with us sometime around 5 so that we can get a little more sleep. He naps 3-4 times a day, with 2-3 of those being short cat naps. And boy has he learned to fight a nap! I read an article saying that by age 6-7 months a baby's brain has developed enough that it has the ability to keep itself awake even though it's tired. Babies of this age are so curious about their new world that they just don't want to miss a second of it. So when I'm pacing the floors rocking Isaiah as he kicks and cries I try to praise God that he has a developing brain. Thankfully, he usually gives in within a few minutes and melts in my arms. I know he's about to give it up when he sucks his thumb on one hand and rubs the back of his head with the other hand :) Occasionally I just hold him and cozy up on the couch as he sleeps in my arms. There couldn't be a sweeter feeling.

We don't have any stats for Isaiah's height or weight this month. We're excited about finding a pediatrician here and getting a well baby check-up. We're less excited about getting health insurance to do that. Nonetheless, I don't know his weight but he's heavier than last month and those chunky monkey legs are even chunkier so I'd say he's growing! He's wearing mostly size 9 months. He nurses every 2-3 hours day and night. This month he definitely grew an interest in food as he watched our every bite ha! We are doing what we can to make the best choices for his nutrition and decided to skip the typical rice cereals seeing as they're all processed and have little to no nutritional value for a baby. So now that he's sitting well and showing an interest in food, we're starting him on solids. He's only had mashed avocado so far (he wasn't a fan!) but I'm excited to see his likes and dislikes as he tries new foods. He's also had some sips of water and gets completely shocked every time it hits his lips! 

Isaiah had lots of 'firsts' this month. His first plane ride, first time in a car seat and first walk in a stroller. He also met his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for the first time. He had his first runny nose (I think from being exposed to air conditioning ha!). And he went on his first outing without me when my mom took him to the grocery store with her. He had his first go-rounds with an exersaucer and a jumpin' johnny thanks to fun cousins who've passed on their toys. The boy loves to jump! 

It's been so fun watching Isaiah start to 'play.' He picks up one toy and discovers it, throws it down, and moves on to the next thing that catches his eye. He has favorite toys and loves a good round of peek-a-boo or the tickle monster. He thinks his daddy is the funniest person on the planet and loves to giggle at him. Two things instantly calm him when he's upset: a song that Lilia, our neighbor in the Philippines, made for him and the sound of a chip bag crinkling...for real. He still likes meeting new people and smiling at them (excpet for the lady at Kroger today, when he started squalling when she talked to us!). He enjoys pulling hair and touching peoples' faces and he loves when his daddy scratches his back.  He also likes to give big, sloppy kisses! His little chubby legs and feet are so ticklish. If he laughs too hard he gets the hiccups. Practically everything he gets in his hands goes in his mouth and I'm beginning to think teething is of the devil. I can still see the little specs of white under his gums but they don't seem to be in a hurry to come through. I realize we have a long road ahead of us in the area of teething, but it's still sad to see our little man in pain. 

 One special thing this month is how God has abundantly provided, beyond our needs. As I mentioned, Isaiah's cousins have passed down a jumpin' johnny, an exersaucer, a bumbo seat, and some clothes. We got a great deal buying a friends' pack-n-play and activity mat. And clothes. Both of my and Josh's dads had found strollers at some sales. And he's received so many gifts of clothes and toys. We even had a crib given to us! And Uncle Alan gave him his sock monkey :) This boy is loved, y'all. 

Isaiah, 

You're loved by so many people. Your dad and I are always so amazed at how people (even strangers) love to talk to you. And you love to smile and 'talk' in return. Your personality is so sweet and affectionate. You are truly a joy to be around. Your smile and your little giggle are contagious. I am praying, with expectation, that God will use your gentle, sweet disposition to draw many people to Himself. God has plans for you, Isaiah. He knitted you together when you lived in my belly and before you were born He knew every day that you would live. He knows every little hair on your almost bald head. And He always will. I'm so glad God made me your mommy. I can't help but love you more every day. 

Love, Mama

Isaiah,

You are so special.  You've been in seven different countries during this last month.  That's a pretty impressive feat for a six month old (not that you had just a whole lot of choice in the matter).  Praise God you acted well throughout those times.  You've probably cried more in the USA than you did during the rest of those other countries too.  Nevertheless, we love you and enjoy watching different people react and respond to you.  The Italians loved you too.  You had a police commander/chief lady fascinated with you and you held some Italian girl's finger while crossing the street.  You make us laugh and smile a lot.  While having a baby doesn't make everything easier or simpler, I do think it makes things better.  Thank you for what you do for us, even if you haven't a clue.

Love, Daddy

The Farewell

We're adjusting relatively well in Nashville and enjoying some much needed rest while we collect our thoughts and pray about what's next. We've been encouraged by multiple people to rest and not rush into anything. I'm thankful for their advice and we're trying to adhere to it. So this afternoon as Isaiah naps on his daddy's chest, I've been looking through pictures and I wanted to share with you what our last few days looked like before we came home.

*****

 

The mission school students and teachers took us to a beach area in the north where we enjoyed lunch and played in the ocean. It was the farthest north we had been and it was beautiful! 

 

Pork, Chicken, Fish, Bananas, and of course, Rice

 

There was a fish sanctuary close to our cottage

 

Isaiah was passed around and loved on all day. I even went out to the water while some ladies watched him nap. 

 

We'll miss living so close to the ocean 

 

I got brave and held some super exotic sea creatures...mostly because a friend forced me :) 

We watched some of our neighborhood kids in a street dancing parade/competition. 

 

 Some of us watched...some of us slept :)

Isaiah said goodbye to his first baby friend, Caleb

 

I got to spend a lot of time with these women in our last two weeks as they helped cook and clean for the mission teams that were there. They are true servants.  

We gave Bibles to these hard-working, memory whiz cuties. 

We prayed over the same girls pictured above and told them how proud we are of them and how much we love them. We all looked up from the prayer with teary eyes and heavy hearts. We were changed forever by our time with them.

We played one last time with this rowdy bunch and prayed for them as well. 

Sister Sheryl and I share the same birthday month. She came with her husband to tell us goodbye. 

We woke up early on our last morning. We said goodbye to our first home...

 

...and to dear friends (sweet Isaiah had just woken up!)

The was the final goodbye as we drove away. We will miss these dear friends.

Our neighbor drove us to the bus stop

We rode these roads one last time. 

And this kiddo snoozed all the way to Manila. 

I'll pick up in the next post with pictures from our graduation trip in Rome.

If you're in the Nasvhville area anytime soon, drop by! We'd love to see and hear from you!

Land of the Free and Home of...Air Conditioning

Forgive me for not updating since we left the Philippines. We've been busy resting, eating American foods, visiting family, etc. :) Forgive me again, because this is probably going to be short and possibly quite vague. 

For anyone who hasn't heard, our graduation trip to Israel was re-routed to Rome, Italy due to the unrest in Israel. We enjoyed a week of reuniting with Trek-X family, eating pizza, and touring the beautiful ruins and basilicas. I plan to write a post about the trip in the near future. (I still have a few posts from things in the Philippines that I want to share with you, too). 

After a looong day of travel, we made it to America on Thursday, July 31st.  Isaiah was a TROOPER and seriously couldn't have done better. We were greeted at Memphis Int'l Airport by our families. For a taste of all the emotions watch this beautiful video my friend Jill made.

We've spent a little over a week in the U.S. of A. seeing the Essarys and the Borens. It's been great.

The lingering question: What's next? This is where it gets vague. It's also where you all come in to play. We are moving to Nashville tomorrow where we will have 2 weeks of debriefing. We are SO grateful for an organization that loves and cares for us so well. They will be helping us adjust back to life in America and helping us discern what's next. I know it sounds crazy that we need help adjusting to life here. I mean, we lived here 20+ years before going to the Philippines, right? But reverse culture shock is real and we want to guard against the struggles that many (most) returning missionaries face. So...after our 2 weeks of debriefing we will be a part of the launch service to send off the next Trek-Xers to their locations. Then we have the month of September to find a home and determine what God would have us do next. We are asking you to please PRAY for us. We don't want to go off our emotions or feelings. Pray we would listen to the Spirit of God as He directs our steps.

Isaiah in Manila before we made the long trek home

We will keep you updated...Lord willing.
Love to you all!
The Borens