Valleys
Hello dear family and friends!
It has been a couple months since my last update, and I apologize. These last several months have been a rollercoaster of emotions - some highlights to share, some sad news as well as prayer requests for some valleys that I am wading through. So, let’s start with the highlights.
Arbor Christian Academy Project Trip
At the beginning of last month, I had the opportunity (and great joy) to return to the Dominican Republic (where I was born) for a project trip in San Francisco de Macoris. Unfortunately, Rob needed to step down as Project Leader during the trip to stay home for a family health emergency (more on that below). However, I was so very thankful that Greg Young, Director of our Canada Office, stepped in last minute to co-lead and mentor me on this trip.
I truly enjoy EMI trips and the complexity they seem to always have. I enjoy the work that I do for EMI, that is the architecture and master planning work, but I also really enjoy getting to meet new people from all over North America as they take time out of their jobs to volunteer for our trips. I never grow tired of hearing their stories, and getting to see first hand how God is using them.
This trip was wonderful. We had a great opportunity to serve Arbor Christian Academy and Teach Beyond as we master planned a new 10,000 square meter site and provided visual resources for the vision they have of a future school. On the trip, I had the opportunity to meet Ellen and Jessica, who founded the school and have served in various capacities with the school over the last 8 years. Both are single missionaries and have pursued vocational ministry through this school. It was an honor to hear their stories and to see everything that God has accomplished through them. God even opened the door for new friendships with them as we spent some time talking about singleness in missions.
Now that we have returned to Managua, we have been working towards detailed plans and design. And by we, I actually mean our amazing architectural intern, Keren. She has been amazing!
More friends! New-ish friends!
Jacob (our Civil Engineering fellow) and his wife Haven arrived back in May, and spent the last ten weeks in the mountains of Matagalpa in full Spanish immersion- doing life with a host family, attending Spanish classes daily and learning about Nicaraguan culture.
This past Friday, I drove directly from work in Managua to Matagalpa (a 3 hour drive) to pick them up. Apart from being accosted by a flying cockroach, the trip was a success. On Saturday morning, I had breakfast with them and their host family. We then ran some errands, packed up the car and drove back to Managua. For the next month, they will be staying at the Lowes’ house (more on that below) and in September will move in next door to me in the apartments. With all the changes and heavy times I have faced over the last several months, I am truly excited to have them here. They are wonderful people and genuine friends.
Heavy News, Sad News
As I mentioned above, the last several months have been quite long and quite heavy - for me personally, and for my team.
The Quails - Right before our project trip to the Dominican Republic, Helen was rushed to the hospital where she had emergency surgery to remove a mass from her intestine, which had caused intestinal torsion. After a series of tests, they found out it was a malignant cancerous mass and she will still have to go through 4-6 rounds of chemo, which start tomorrow.
The Lowes - David and his family spent 6/7 weeks back in the Atlanta area over the summer, so that their daughter could attend a hearing/deaf camp. During that time, and through several doctors visits and tests, they made the difficult decision to return to the states in order to focus on their daughter’s health. For the immediate future, David will continue to work for our office remotely from Atlanta. This move was personally hard for me, because David was my closest friend here in the office and my gym motivator (haha). David and Dianne took me in as part of their family and made me feel known. They walked alongside of me during these last couple of months and provided a safe space for me to process my emotions and feelings.
The Rammells - Last year these dear friends of mine experienced severe trauma through loss when Jameson’s dad drowned in the ocean. During this last year, they made the decision to return to the states (they left today), where James will be pursuing a masters degree and where they will be living in College Town, TX, and where I pray they will experience true healing. The Rammells came into my life at a God-orchestrated time. In a very short period of time they became the best of friends - they loved and cared for me well and allowed me to share in as part of their family.
In a period of less than a week, I have had to say goodbye to some of my closest friends here in Managua. While I am trying to process my emotions and feelings around these goodbyes, one thing I will remember - that hard goodbyes are actually a good sign. It means that you have loved well and have let down walls. It means that those you are saying goodbye to made you feel seen and known. It means that you were able to invest in them and they in you. For me it symbolizes friendships that will last a lifetime.
I wish I could say that these goodbyes were the only things that were weighing heavy on me. However, work has been a challenge these last several months. It has been a very low season for me while I work through some personal feelings/emotions and work on creating healthier working relationships. At this time, that is all I can say.
Praises and Prayer Requests
Praises -
Jacob and Haven have made it to Managua! What I said above about the Rammells is true about Jacob and Haven. They are arriving into my life at a God-orchestrated time. I am excited to have more friends here and to get to do life with them.
My parents are coming to visit in October! While plans are still tentative, I am so excited because they will be my first official visitors. Plus I haven’t seen them in person in 15 months!
I am getting more involved with my church, ICF (International Christian Fellowship). A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a part of planning a men’s retreat for my church.
I had a friend / coworker from Chipman Design read my last blog update from a couple months ago and set up monthly calls with my former team at Chipman. So, every 3rd Thursday of the month, I get to hop on a teams call and see so many wonderful and beautiful faces. I am so thankful that they are willing to sacrifice their lunch hour to chat and catch up. Kaitlynn - this simple act of care towards me has been such a great blessing these last couple of months. Thank you!
For Eugene and Michelle. They are quickly becoming family here in Nicaragua.
Prayer Requests:
The Quail Family - Please pray for Helen as she starts chemotherapy tomorrow. Pray for her body, for the doctors and for the recovery time. Pray for Rob, her husband, as he takes care of her and the kids. I cannot imagine what is must be like walking alongside of your best friend in something like this. Pray for their kids, Chloe and Josh. Pray that God would continue to protect them in this time and that they would be surrounded by a community of support, prayer and love.
The Lowes - Please pray for them as they get settled in Atlanta, and into David’s parents basement. Pray that David and Diane would get some much needed times of rest. Please pray for their girls, Ema and Hannah, as they start a new school. Pray that God would continue to provide wisdom and strength. Pray that God would give them a clear direction.
The Rammells - Please pray for them as they get settled into life back in the states. Pray for James as he starts masters classes, and for Alex and baby James. Pray for rest and healing. Pray that God would provide a new community for them.
For me and this chapter of life. Pray that I would find wise counsel to go to and process with. Pray that God would give me wisdom in these matters and would guide each step of the way. Pray for healing and for better working relationships.
Family and Friends - in these seasons of life, where I seem to be walking through a valley, I find myself reflecting a lot, and if I am being honest, more than I’d like. In my reflections, I try to spend plenty of time being thankful for God’s goodness and faithfulness in providing me people like you who have chosen to walk alongside of me during this time in missions.
As always, I would love to hear from you, see a photo of you or even see you :).
Love you all,
Micah