The Miller Family in Mexico City

Spring is in the Air

What a blessing to experience the coming of Spring this year in Michigan!  Our yard and those of our neighbors are full of flowers and flowering trees and we are reminded daily of God's goodness and creativity.  Of course, the swarms of mosquitoes are also there to remind us that this isn't all paradise.

We continue to enjoy the privilege of ministering at the Spring Arbor FMC as well as in the community.  We are both in Renovare small groups.  There are also lots of opportunities to be in community with our neighbors as the weather gets nicer.  Joel is still working in Jackson while Janette plugs into several different ministries to women, children, and families in the community.  The kids are settled into their routines of school, church, and family.  We love the rhythm of our lives and are thankful that God has given us this season in this place.

Other random happenings...

Joel just finished his third (or fourth?) Indianapolis mini-marathon last weekend.  He ran with a friend and they enjoyed a beautiful day for a fun accomplishment.  The rest of the family came as well and we were able to meet our newest niece- Ruby Brown.  She's a cutie.

On the journey

Another long weekend of travel for our kids as we journeyed 7 hours to visit our Uniontown church in Pennsylvania.  What encouragement and support we felt from this lovely group of faithful friends and supporters.  They even surprised us on Saturday night with a complimentary hotel stay in the Hampton Inn.  The children were so thrilled to emerge from the van with lots of room to run and a lovely pool at our disposal.  Now we enter the waiting stage as we allow God to direct our steps and prepare our hearts for the next stage of our journey.

Back on the Trail

We spent last weekend in Bedford, Indiana sharing with friends at the Free Methodist Church and visiting Grandma and Grandpa Miller.  The kids have become seasoned travelers after four years of long trips in Mexico and so they make the 5 hour trip from Spring Arbor to Bedford without too much trouble.

Janette and I shared in the morning service.  God has used the story of 9 year old Obed and his family to challenge people and to remind us that we don't always know what impact our simple acts of obedience are going to have on a family and a community.  We consider the Bedford church to be one of our church "homes" and always look forward to sharing with them.  This visit was another encouragement to us that despite the uncertainty about our future, we can count on the prayers of friends there.

Yes, there is a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds.  In conversation with our Area Director, we agree that God is asking us to wait before returning to the mission field.  That wait will be at least until the summer of 2010.  This will be a "leave of absence" and we are looking forward to the ways in which God is going to teach us and prepare us for the next step.  We'll be communicating more regarding funding issues and our support in the weeks ahead.  Thank you for your patience as we work through some of the issues.

A New Year with family

We spent the first day of the new year surrounded by Joel's family.  It was a day of rejoicing and counting our blessings even as we hurt with Bobby and Sarah over the sudden and tragic death of his mother.  Marsha Brown was truly an amazing woman and will be missed deeply by her family and friends.

Tradition...Tradition!

We began decorating gingerbread a few years back and the children enjoyed it so much that we have incorporated it into our advent ritual.  Last year we did the house - this year we settled on the men :).  Another favorite tradition is our advent wreath at home each night.  The candles are so exciting for the kids and we enjoy focusing on the waiting process and what we are waiting for.  The presents appeared under our tree today so the emphasis on waiting to OPEN them has just increased the energy level around our home.  We hope to continue our tradition of sending out a Christmas letter but with only two weeks to go we better get moving!  Hope your family is enjoying the anticipation of advent.

Let it snow...

The Miller kids experience snow - a first time for some and the first time they can remember for others :)

Back to Work

This evening, I finally took a moment to look at the statistics for this blog.  The fact that several of you continue to look at our blog when we are so slow to update it is a testimony to the faithfulness with which you've supported us over these last 4+ years.  So pull up a chair and get comfortable as I ramble through an update on us and on the ways that God is leading us.

My job as a fulltime Family Doctor in Jackson, Michigan is going well.  There are so many things that I am having to remember/relearn after spending more than 5 years out of the U.S. medical system.  Drug names have changed and some new procedures are available now.  But thankfully, old fashioned conversations with patients and a willingness to listen are still great tools for today's doctor.  The longer hours away from the family are difficult but we are capitalizing on the times we do have together and are thankful for this opportunity for me to get back up to speed with U.S. medicine.

Janette is spending A LOT of time with the four kids.  She is slowly renewing old friendships in Spring Arbor, MI and making new friends as well.  Last week, she served as the missionary pirate for the local VBS (click here for the picture and story).  Once school starts for the kids, we hope that she'll be able to plug in even more in community and church opportunities.

Hannah starts first grade in September and Leah will be starting kindergarten.  They are looking forward to it but also a little fearful about the new school and having to make new friends.  The girls' comfort level in their Mexico City school is one of the things that made it most difficult to leave.  Thank you for praying for them as they adjust to a new school culture and to the idea that we won't be going back to Mexico City this year.

Samuel will be attending three days of preschool at the church.  He is especially glad to be able to put his Thomas the Train and Lightning McQueen backpacks to use and be like his older sisters.  Sam is enjoying a sandbox that Grandpa Thompson set up this weekend.  Josiah loves playing outside in the big backyard and continues to be a very happy baby.

We are struggling to find enough time in our schedules to do the physician work as well as the missionary partnership building time.  Janette has started trying to schedule some churches for this fall.  We are trying to combine visits to churches so that we can see as many of you as possible.  We have several emails requesting us to come visit churches in the Wabash and Pittsburgh conferences.  If you haven't heard from us, feel free to remind us or bug us about it.  We are not going to be able to get to all of the churches but will do our best to at least be in the neighborhood.

Some of you have already heard us talk and picked up on the uncertainty in our future.  We want to be available for God's purposes and work. Period.  We always thought it would be in Latin America but there are other needs that God seems to be putting in front of us as well.  Thank you for praying with us for clarity and vision.  We don't want to do anything because it is the easiest or most convenient choice.  And so we are exploring other FM medical options these days- Central Africa and Haiti among them.  We'll let you know when we can be more specific.

Camping

 Oh, man!  This U.S.-based blogging is going to be a struggle.  We find that our days are full and there isn't as much time to spend communicating via blog.  We've just spent the majority of the last 2 weeks either in a tent or with our whole family in one bedroom.  Joel's family gathered in South Haven, MI (pictured) and then Janette's family had a big reunion in Ludington, MI.  After a few days in Spring Arbor with her two sisters and families in the house, we headed out to the Southern Michigan Conf. Family Camp at Somerset Beach Campground.  We had an opportunity to share a couple of missions moments and connect with people we've known for many years since Janette grew up going to this camp.  It was fun but is just the beginning of a whirlwind Free Methodist camp tour we are making this month.  Tonight we are sleeping in our beds (Yes!) and then leaving in the morning to spend the next 4 days in 2 different Pittsburgh conference camps.  We'll then drive from Pittsburgh to beautiful Clay City, IN for the Wabash Family Camp.  We'll be staying with Joel's parents at the Clay City camp.

We're looking forward to seeing many of our friends who have supported us over the last 4+ years as we served in Mexico City.  We'll also be making new friends and look forward to that.

The kids are making some new friends and we are thankful for that.  When we tell them we are getting ready to go on a trip they still ask every time if we are going back to Mexico City.  These are emotional times for them and we are praying that God gives them peace and a sense of security as we face more days of transition ahead.  Pictured is Leah blowing out 5 candles for her June 26 birthday.

Thanks for your patience as we continue settling in and finding our routine.  We'll let you know how things went when we get back from this Camp trip.

Stop the Roller Coaster, I Want to Get Off!

We've been in the United States (Michigan to be exact) for almost a week now.  We had some delays on the flight home but all of that was forgotten when we finally came "home" to Spring Arbor and had Grandma and Grandpa Thompson to help with the kids.

The kids are settling in to the new routine and the new location.  We are so thankful for those of you who have been praying for their adjustment.  Grandpa made new bunkbeds for the three older kids so they are enjoying their new beds.  There is also lots of grass and wide open spaces in which they can run and play.  On Sunday, they all went to their new Sunday School classes and really seemed to fit right in.

But today our routine changed again.  Janette flies to Santiago, Chile to attend fellow missionary Kay Stotts' wedding this weekend.  When she returns on Monday, we'll have a day before driving down to Indianapolis for our debriefing time with the World Missions staff.

There are also lots of "re-entry" issues to tackle like bank accounts, dentist and doctor visits, and preparations for the kids' schooling.  Despite all of this running around, we feel God's peace and his presence and thank you for the ways you are praying and for the ways you have welcomed us back.

We're looking forward to seeing many of you in the next few weeks as we travel to several different summer camps.

A Beautiful Day for a Baptism...or 7!

It was a long and joy filled day yesterday as 37 people witnessed the baptism of 7 of our church family.  Four of the women are from our new church plant in Xochimilco and how EXCITING it is to see their growth and eagerness to undertake this next step of their new faith.  We sang, prayed and played together as we thanked God for his goodness and for the changed lives we witness each year.  What a way to end our term here.  God is so good.  Pictures speak better than words...(by the way the water was straight from the mountains and COLD!) so be sure to check out our photo album of the baptism located in the right hand column.