Visas!

Last Friday was a vacation day at school so we took advantage of the day to go to the Ecuadorian consulate and get our visas. Although we thought we had all of the required paperwork, pictures, etc. we were a bit doubtful that everything would work and we would get the visa in only one trip, since that is often the case. But--we were successful! And we are officially cleared to live and work in Ecuador for the next two years! Yay!

Thankfully it was a dry day because after arriving at the consulate and turning in our papers we had to walk to a nearby bank to pay for the visas. We were told to return in about 2 hours so Mike hobbled along on crutches to the bank and then we stopped at a nearby mall to pass the time. One of the stores in the mall is a grocery store that sort of specializes in American types of food--so we found bagels. What a treat. We definitely are not suffering food-wise hear, but every once in awhile an American treat just hits the spot.

We returned to the consulate at the appointed time--and instead of 2 hours, the wait was more like 4 hours. But we were able to hang out on their porch (the consulate is located in a house) and watch the World Cup soccer match--Spain vs. Chile--on the big screen as we waited. Not a bad day at all.

Well, actually having our visas in hand makes us much more excited and makes the upcoming move feel more real. The Ecuadorian consul (the man from Ecuador who helped us with our visas) was very friendly and encouraging and very familiar with HCJB Global our mission agency--telling us as we got our visas that he is very thankful for the work the missionaries do in Ecuador. It feels good to feel welcomed to our new country.

End of school year fun

Sam with his teacher Ms. Bedortha--who is getting married for the first time in August

Well the kids have officially finished their school year--so this week they got to stay home while mom and dad went to school. No fair!

Sydney with her friends at field day

The school year ended with a flurry of activities. The kids had a gymnastics program, field day, end of school year parties and lots of fun. Of course with the end of the school year also comes many goodbyes as teachers and students with their families move on to new places.

sam at soccer practice

When we did our missionary training 3 years ago, one of the things we focused on was how to do good-byes. Up until then I had never really thought of it--and as we did the training I was only thinking about our goodbyes to our families as we left for Malawi. But we are coming to realize the life of a missionary is full of goodbyes and transitions. And I don't think that gets any easier with time. Especially for me, who cries at the drop of a hat.
As we left Malawi a year ago--Sydney would say to me, "mom, are you crying again?" You need to add your own rolling of the eyes to get the full effect. Now my tears has become the big joke of the family. But with each transition their are not only goodbyes--but hellos. We look forward to the new people we will meet and the experiences we will have when we arrive in Ecuador while we treasure the imprints that people have made and are making on our lives through every part of this journey.

A preview of things to come: Heather and Sydney are learning and practicing the cultural dance of Costa Rica for a holiday presentation in July. More pics to come. Sydney and the girls learning cultural dancing in Costa Rica.