Friday, October 29, 2010

More Details

Wow. Three posts in three days. I hope you aren't getting tired of hearing from us.

I figured I would fill in some of the details which Kerri didn't mention. Yes, we are going to the Philippines. We are hoping to leave Canada in June of 2011, taking only suitcases, and relocating halfway around the world.

Yes, our kids are coming with us. I know it seems crazy to take them from all the benefits of a childhood in Canada to go to a largely developing country where we know no one and will have to learn a new culture. But what an experience for them.

Kerri will be in classes and the clinic lots. Something like 40-60 hours a week. That will be her life for 2 1/2 years.

I will be Mr. Mom. Due to the visa regulations to enter the country, Kerri and I will both be entering under a missionary visa. That means that I will not be able to have a job. My role will be to stay home with the kids, to homeschool them, and to do all the household stuff that Kerri has done so well for the last 12 years. I will have to learn to grocery shop in a new culture, how to cook with new ingredients, and generally how to adapt to this phase of our lives. I am really looking forward to the challenge.

With that being said, because I will not be working, we will be largely dependent on raising funds before we go and on ongoing support while we are there. The financial requirements are estimated to be between $50,000-75,000 for the 2 1/2 years we will be there. This seems like a huge amount to have to come up with in a short amount of time, but we trust that God will provide as He has in the past. Currently Kerri and I are both working (Kerri having just gotten a new job) to provide for the need, but we will be unable to finance it all ourselves.

That is where we would love for you to partner with us. We are planning several fundraiser events in the next 8 months, the first being a dinner on November 27. We would love to see you come out, not just to support us financially, but to have the opportunity for Kerri and I to be able to share more about this passion and desire which God has placed on our hearts. For more details, feel free to email us at skoishi78@gmail.com, or for those of you we have connected with on Facebook, watch for a Facebook event invitation coming soon.

There will be several more events in the New Year as well. You may have also noticed that we have added a "Donate" button to our blog. This is a Paypal based setup, where should you choose to you can make a donation towards Kerri's training and our living expenses. Currently it is a one-time donation, but I am working on setting up the opportunity for ongoing monthly giving.

(One thing to note: because these donations are being used for Kerri to go to school and for us to live, we are unable to issue income tax receipts. Hopefully in the future we will be able to set up a charitable organization and offer receipts, but for now our situation does not fit the criteria.)

If we are unable to bank a sufficient amount before the spring we may have to postpone our plans to go for one year, during which we will both work and save up as much as we can to go, but we are moving ahead in faith that God will provide for us to go this coming year.

We would also appreciate your prayers. As much as we need the finances in place, we need your prayers even more. This will be a time of huge stress for all of us. We will be leaving behind everything and everyone we know. This will affect all of us, including the kids. There are a lot of unknowns which we will face. It will be exciting, fun, and a wonderful experience, but it will also be sad, hard, and at times downright depressing. There will be many good things which come out of it, and many not-so-good things as well. We will make new friends, but will miss all of our friends and family. We need your prayers.

Thank you in advance for your support, both emotionally, spiritually, and financially. We can't do this without you.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Another answer to prayer

After having no success in the job hunt since August, I had an interview this morning and will be starting a job on Monday as a medical receptionist at the Alpen Medical Clinic here in town.  I will be working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00-3:00, so I will still be able to pick Julia and Daniel up after school and be home with them when they have professional days at school.

Once again I am thankful for God's provision and faithfulness to us!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Newlife Int'l School of Midwifery

On our way

We received some very exciting news on Saturday night - I have been granted a provisional acceptance to volunteer and train at Mercy Maternity Center in Davao City, Philippines!  The condition is that we need to have all of the finances in place.  Because we are not going with an organization, we have to raise all of our own support, for living costs for the two and a half years that we will be there.

For those of you who have been praying for us, thank you so much and please continue to do so as we move forward with raising the support that we need.

Kerri

Monday, October 18, 2010

Steady On

Slow and steady wins the race, right?  That's what it feels like for us, we have been walking on, slow and steady and now we are coming to the end; the end of school for Steve that is.  He is now in his last semester of classes with midterms behind him and only 8 weeks of classes left.  In some ways it seems to have flown by and in other ways I don't remember what it was like to not be out here with him in school.  The last requirement for his graduation will be for him to do his field education (practicum) in the winter semester.  He was hoping to work with the Arabic Alliance church that meets out of Airdrie Alliance, but unfortunately that didn't work out and now he is trying to figure out how to best meet his field education requirements.  It will be a big change for all of us to have him finished with his classes, but we are excited for what will be in store for us next.

As for my schooling, I am just waiting on a telephone interview for both Steve and I, and then that's the last step on my part. 

We will keep you posted when anything new and exciting happens from this end!

Kerri