![\"Serious](\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2012\/03\/DSC_4934.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>Yesterday\u00a0we experienced so many emotion. \u00a0For those who want more detail, those emotions are the best way that I can think of to describe our day.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Success<\/strong> – In one day we were able to find a house that meets our needs and is within walking distance of our host family. \u00a0Praise God! \u00a0We negotiated a price and are now preparing to move in next Tuesday.<\/li>\n
- Encouragement<\/strong> – \u00a0The whole day was completely accomplished all in French. \u00a0We were both very encouraged to see our progress in language. \u00a0We still have a long way to go, but we have also already\u00a0come a long way.<\/li>\n
- Uncertainty<\/strong> – The house we are moving to is very different from what we are used to. \u00a0The house is comprised of\u00a0separate\u00a0rooms that all lead out to a common courtyard. \u00a0It was difficult thinking about how we will arrange our house. \u00a0One thing is for sure, it will take a lot of getting used.<\/li>\n
- Discouragement<\/strong> – I had two wants going into this house search: hot water and an enclosed shaded area for the boys to play. Although the house meets all of our needs, it doesn’t have either of my wants. \u00a0I have learned to live without either for 6 months, so I know I can survive. \u00a0It was just a little discouraging.<\/li>\n
- Confidence<\/strong> – It was so nice to have an African that we trusted working along side us in the process. \u00a0We didn’t have to worry that we were being taken advantage of. \u00a0It is very rare to have such confidence and so we are so grateful for our host family.<\/li>\n
- Excitement<\/strong>\u00a0– Our host family was so excited to have a family eager to learn from them and work with them. \u00a0They proudly showed us around town to all the people and places they knew. \u00a0It was exciting to have someone willing to take the time to help us learn.<\/li>\n
- Stress<\/strong>\u00a0– There are so many things that we have to take care of, most of which were already done for us when we moved to Africa. \u00a0It is stressful to think about how this will happen, but I know somehow it will.<\/li>\n
- Fear<\/strong> – We ate and drank everything that was put in front of us, whether we liked it or recognized it. \u00a0It is very possible that we will pay for this later, but it is also just a reality of our life.<\/li>\n
- Loss<\/strong> – This feeling\u00a0overwhelmed\u00a0a lot of the day. \u00a0I came to realize how\u00a0familiar\u00a0life had become in our house and how\u00a0devastating\u00a0losing that\u00a0familiarity\u00a0was going to be for me and the boys. \u00a0We are going to have to find a new routine, new ways to have fun and relax and a new\u00a0familiarity\u00a0with our surroundings. \u00a0This will come with time, but it is a very difficult process. \u00a0Perhaps this is the most difficult for people to understand, but with already giving up so many comforts, it is hard to let go of the comforts we have left.<\/li>\n
- Confirmation<\/strong> – Although we know the coming months will be difficult, we are confident that this is the next step. \u00a0That confidence will be very important during our struggles.<\/li>\n
- Hope<\/strong> – In six months our house in Dakar has become a place that I am sad to leave. \u00a0I am hopeful that in six months I will feel the same way about our new home.<\/li>\n
- Exhaustion<\/strong> – Driving home Joel confessed that he was almost too tired to drive. \u00a0It was so true. \u00a0We were exhausted. \u00a0Sending a day working entirely in French,\u00a0experiencing\u00a0so many emotions and also looking at the task ahead. \u00a0We were and are still just beat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The times in life when I am\u00a0acutely\u00a0aware of my need for God and his strength, are usually the times when I grow the most. \u00a0I walked away from\u00a0yesterday\u00a0facing the reality of the transition ahead and the struggle that it will be for our whole family. \u00a0It is a similar to the feeling I had when we first arrived in Africa. \u00a0When I look back over the past 6 month I am amazed at what God has done and how he has shaped us all. \u00a0I am confident that he will do the same thing again, but also that it will be difficult. \u00a0It is times like this that I thank God for everyone who holding our ropes with prayer. \u00a0My prayer right now is simple, God give us the the strength to keep walking forward.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2012\/03\/P1010458.jpg\")
<\/a>This is becoming a familiar sight for us<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2012\/03\/DSC_4929.jpg\")
<\/a>As we packed all our tupperware, it made me think of my church family. We use our tupperware everyday and are so grateful for it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2012\/03\/P1010457.jpg\")
<\/a>Ready or not...here we move<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday was only one day, but in that day so many things happened. \u00a0As I sat down to write this update, I really struggled with how to accurately and concisely describe our day. \u00a0I realized it was impossible, so this post is going to be a little long. \u00a0However for those who want just the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2545],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-762","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-updates-and-news","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Encouragement<\/strong> – \u00a0The whole day was completely accomplished all in French. \u00a0We were both very encouraged to see our progress in language. \u00a0We still have a long way to go, but we have also already\u00a0come a long way.<\/li>\n