Feedgy - garcias2chile - Have Wheels, Will Travel.. Morning Snuggles with Mom-Mom.. We Are Still Martians.. The Language of Love..

our kids are excited about their new "ride!"

We are thankful for the provision of this 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, which we purchased through a unique ministry called CMTS (Christian Missionary Technical Services.) We knew little about CMTS prior to traveling to pick up the vehicle, except that they had been recommended to us by a trusted missionary friend. We were frankly surprised to reach the CMTS offices in Bernville, Pennsylvania and find a vast spread of buildings, vehicles and machinery in the midst of rolling green fields and hills! There we encountered a small but dedicated international staff of people working together for the benefit of missionaries and ministries worldwide.

CMTS was founded by Andrew and Nancy Merrick after a brief term of missionary service in South America. On the field they observed first-hand the struggles of missionaries to maintain worn-out equipment and buildings, often demanding time which could otherwise have been invested in people's lives. The Merricks felt led to create an organization which would provide useful resources and skilled people to meet those technical needs.

Their ministry is varied, including purchasing vehicles at auction to service and later rent or sell to missionaries on furlough; locating and shipping furniture, medical and shop equipment to ministries worldwide; organizing service missions trips into Mexico and Belize; and providing a clothing bank for those in need of it.

What an encouragement to realize once again that God uses each of us according to the gifts and abilities He has given us, as long as we are willing and obedient to His call.

Alec with Mom-Mom in her quiet time chair

At some point during the whirlwind week of saying our goodbyes in Iquique, Pedro and I came to a realization. It didn't matter how many different ways we tried to explain to our kind and generous Chilean friends from school and soccer - most of whom have yet to know Christ or set foot inside our church - what the reason was for our year in the States.

We explained about visiting churches and sharing the ministry. Thinking it might make more sense, we even pointed out that doing so allows for financial transparency since our income comes from these churches in the United States. No matter what we said, the end result was always the same: patient smiles and blank looks.

Pedro finally said to me, "We might as well say this: We are Martians who came to visit your planet. Now we are going home to ours, but we will be back!"

We laughed because as silly as it sounds, that's exactly how we felt people perceived us in Chile. No sooner had we returned to the States, however, then I found myself having another "Martian" moment!

My mom and I had taken Eva and Isabel shopping at Kohl's. This was the first time they could remember shopping in the States, and for that matter we don't do a lot of clothes shopping in Chile (like many missionaries, we try to stock up on stateside sales and hope the clothes will last through a four-year term!) We were ready to check out and the tall, exuberant saleslady told the girls to go ahead and put the clothes on the counter. The girls were frankly overwhelmed and simply stood and stared in confusion. Trying to be helpful, I explained: "Oh, this is their first time shopping in the States in five years. We just returned from living in Chile!"

The raised eyebrows and uncomfortable silence told me everything I needed to know. Basically, I had just informed another person that we were from Mars.

I returned home and told my husband, "Well, I think you should know ... even in the States, we are still Martians!" Such is the missionary life. :)

Through the years I have saved a few letters that are very special to me. One is the letter my dad wrote and gave to me the day I boarded an airplane to leave Chile and head for college in the United States. I unearth and read this letter at least once a year, and it still has the power to make me feel I am wrapped snugly in my daddy's arms of love and concern for his little girl.

Two other letters I've saved are from my grandmother, Margaret Christian. These are especially precious to me because they were written in the brief window of time between our departure for Chile and my grandfather's unexpected death just eleven months later. Grandpop Christian was the love of my pre-school life and I like to think I was his special girl, too. Grandmom's letters remind me that I was.

Words are my love language, but especially the written word. I realize now that I come by that honestly, because in my family it was always easier to show our love through gifts or acts of kindness, even to express it in written form rather than verbally. I was reminded of this again at the hospital just a few days ago. Sadly, my grandmother suffered a fall on Saturday night which resulted in a broken pelvis. My parents and I accompanied her to the hospital and sat with her through the many changes of nurses and doctors and trips for x-rays and a cat scan. We were there for Grandmom, but at a loss for words. Perhaps that is why I treasure these letters so much.

Thankfully, however, over the years I have learned to recognize and appreciate other "love languages" as well. When words fail, often other "languages" speak in abundance!

Grandmom now lives with my parents at their home in Delaware, and seeing "Meemie" again after nearly five years was another reason for much excitement when we arrived to the States last week. When Pedro hugged her and said it was good to see her, Grandmom replied, "I never thought I would still be around to see this!" She is 91 years old. Her mother-in-law apartment adjoins my parents' family room, and the kids love to wander in and sit on her carpet while she rests or watches television throughout the day. Despite failing eyesight and growing weakness, Grandmom welcomed us home with some of her special dishes: homemade vegetable soup one night, and delicious broccoli casserole another. She rarely cooks these days so we know this was an act of love just for us.

As a matter of fact, it is through her actions rather than words that Grandmom has primarily always shown her love. When she welcomed our family of five home on furlough the year I was ten years old, and squeezed us into her little home without complaint; when she took me shopping in the 4th grade to the "chubby kids" store in downtown Wilmington despite the extra expense (though at the time I wanted to die of embarrassment rather than recognize the affection behind it); and all through the college years when she opened her home to each of her grandkids and their friends, teaching us how to drive and manage money and deal with the separation from our parents who were still in faraway Chile.

It was an act of love when she bought me one of my first Precious Moments figurines, a little girl shedding a tear while on the telephone which was entitled "Tell It to Jesus." I knew then it was her way of saying she understood the sadness of being far away from my parents during college, while reminding me in her practical way that talking to God was much more affordable (and effective!) than the expensive international calls I longed to make each week.

Now years later, she awaited us with another act of love: her credit card, to purchase good-quality sleeping bags for each of our kids in preparation for furlough. She was concerned that her great-grandchildren be comfortable and snug during their many travels! We were touched and blessed by this gesture on their behalf.

I am so thankful for the love of family. My parents, too, have gone out of their way to express love to us in word and deed since our arrival. Mom-Mom had the Christmas decorations ready and waiting to shower her grandkids with gifts and celebrations. She had the turkey purchased and prepared to please her son-in-law. She even had catalogs and coupons clipped and ready for all our shopping needs! Pop-Pop has been our chauffeur to get driver's licenses renewed; purchase a vehicle; and drop off important paperwork to the country courthouse for the little boys' re-adoption. He has also been peppered with questions which he answers patiently and soundly. Certainly our boisterous tribe has interrupted an otherwise orderly and quiet existence, but we have felt nothing but love.

This morning I read through the book of 1 John in the Bible. I was struck by how many times the author reminds us to love one another, and thus to reflect the love of God Himself. I am humbled, and I am blessed ... because I am loved.

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
-1 Jn 4:11-12

Owen in front of Pop-Pop's snowy red car

It was all Owen could talk about when it came to our trip to the USA. Nothing else really mattered to him. He just wanted to see SNOW! It was disappointing for him to arrive to Philadelphia and find a beautiful day of sunshine with nary a snowflake in sight.

Ian and Alec see their very first snowfall

But all of that changed on Saturday. He broke into our bedroom early in the morning to excitedly announce in a noisy "whisper" (so as not to wake his brothers sleeping on the bedroom floor) that, "Mom! Dad! There's SNOW outside!"

Isabel ankle-high in a snow drift

To add to his excitement, later that morning my cousin Jason appeared with his wife and three of his children to introduce our kids to the joys of sledding. Between the neighbor's hill and Pop-Pop's yard there is an excellent route for an adrenaline high, and the kids repeatedly took turns racing downwards amidst many squeals and laughter.

Eva taking a breather

According to Mom-Mom, who was the official photographer of the sledding event, at one point Ian and Alec were placed on a sled by my cousin's teenage son and the two of them flew at breakneck speed directly at the fence! They crashed but instead of being frightened just laughed in excitement and continued their merry adventures.

Owen's smile says it all

The party might never have broken up if it wasn't for the unexpected sensation of freezing cold and frostbite that soaked through the kids' rather inadequate winter clothing and left at least two participants in tears of discomfort. Nothing a warm bath and some dry clothes couldn't solve, but nonetheless they did learn a greater respect for the tempting white stuff outdoors.

Ian and Alec grinning widely after their "crash"

There is nothing quite like seeing all these thrilling firsts through the eyes of a child. Our children are making some new and unforgettable memories. I am thankful God granted Owen's wish and allowed the kids this fun opportunity!

my sister Terri with daughter Sophia

It was with a great deal of excitement that we welcomed some "new" cousins to Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's house on Thursday morning. Our kids were thrilled to put faces to names and run wild with my sister Terri's youngest three kids: Benjamin, age 6; Nathaniel, age 4; and Sophia, age 4. Both Nathaniel and Sophia arrived on the scene after our departure to Chile - the former by birth, and the latter by adoption from Taiwan - so it was our very first time meeting these two family members!

Isabel getting to know cousin Sophia

Isabel was especially delighted to meet Sophia. Ever since Terri and Dave accepted their new daughter's referral months before she finally came home from Taiwan, Isabel has felt a special connection with her little cousin who also is challenged by a CP (cerebral palsy) diagnosis. It was sweet to observe as Isabel took the time and effort to draw Sophia out, even chasing her across the living room floor on her knees and to an eruption of giggles from Sophia.

what does Sophia think about Uncle Pedro??

Over the course of the visit, Sophia eventually warmed up to her new aunt and uncle as well. When I began perusing a catalog of the jewelry her mommy sells, Sophia quickly squirmed into my lap and insisted on turning the pages herself! Later she gave Uncle Pedro a serious lookover and after deciding he was alright, she snuggled up against him and used his comfy belly for a pillow. :)

Pop-Pop tries to referee a trio of toddler boys

Meanwhile the little boys were busy getting to know one another as well! And what better way than by attempting to wrestle your "new" cousin to the ground?? Pop-Pop has stated that with grandsons in the house he has no need for physical therapy anymore - wrestling with them takes care of all the exercise he requires!

At one point Uncle Pedro stepped in to rescue the house from ruin, and took seven of the kids for a walk to a nearby park. The result was some peace and quiet for us, and a longer-than-expected trek for them when he followed six-year old Benjamin's instructions to "another park" which they never found! In addition, the Garcia kids returned home in a near panic over sensations they had never before felt in their fingers and faces. This Delaware winter has been quite a surprise for them. :)

pinning down five rambunctious boys for a photo is quite a feat

I am so thankful that Terri took the time to drive two hours each way just to hug us and give us the chance to get to know her sweet kiddos. Thanks, Sis! Family is a precious gift, one to cherish with every opportunity we are given.

our children with their grandparents and great-grandmother, Jan 18 '12

By the grace of God, we arrived safely and soundly to the Philadelphia airport around 9:15 AM this morning. Despite a delay leaving Santiago; the slowness of disembarking our family of 7 people with 13 carry-ons from the very last row of the airplane; having to hurry through the enormous Atlanta airport, through various security points (including the famous full body scan for Pedro); and arriving at the gate for our flight after all other passengers were settled on board and with only minutes to spare before departure ... God still allowed us to make it on and make it home to Delaware and my parents' home as scheduled.

The first leg of the journey, from Santiago to Atlanta, took about 9 1/2 hours in flight and for most of those hours Ian and Alec slept comfortably and soundly. I can't say the same for the rest of us, and Owen was especially miserable after having said his sad goodbyes to cousin/best bud Micah. The Atlanta to Philadelphia flight was only 1 1/2 hours which seemed like a piece of cake in comparison! All five of the kids "earned" wings on this flight.

Two suitcases were temporarily lost in the confusion of our rapid scramble to board our connecting flight, but they reappeared at our doorstep later the same evening. Pop-Pop Christian and a friend from his church were waiting to deliver us and our luggage safely home to Delaware, where Mom-Mom waited with open arms and a lighted Christmas tree surrounded by bountiful gifts. First things first, hungry tummies were satisfied and curiosities awakened by bagels, the first our kids could ever remember eating!

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