Travel Tango!

Ok, so maybe we aren't doing the tango over here in Nampa, ID, but with all the packing and details of getting ready to leave plus the butterflies in our stomachs as we anticipate the trip in a week, sometimes we feel like we're dancing around and trying to make sure we don't miss a beat!

This may be our last update from this side of the world, and we just want all of YOU to know how much we love and value your support and prayers!!  We would NOT be here without you.  Your generous sacrifice, committed prayers, and uplifting encouragement have carried us this far and will continue to carry us as we cross into the unknown and continue our journey in a new country.  We are ecstatic to be so close to our leave date, and feel a peace about getting everything finished up here and having said farewell to our families and friends.

In just a little over a week we take off on a journey that will take approximately 40 hours, around 20 of it being in the air.  As you can imagine, this can be mentally and physically exhausting for adults, not to mention three little bodies ages 5 and under!  We want to do everything in our power to make the trip an adventure for our family, but we still value your prayers that everything would go smoothly.


PLEASE PRAY that: 

1. We will all stay healthy
2. All of us would get at least a little sleep, especially the kids (our flight leaves at 9 at night!)
3. Restful layovers and smooth transitions to find our next gates
4. The kids to look in WONDER at the new places/people they will see, and not be scared or nervous
5. Wisdom to keep the kids calm and treat this as a new adventure with so many new changes
6. PEACE in all of our hearts and joy in the LORD to shine through us
7. That all of our luggage to arrive together and undamaged

Here is a look at our itinerary.  If you feel led, please pray specifically during our flights for the above requests!!

AUGUST 2:  
    Depart from Boise, ID:  9:05pm to Seattle, WA
            Layover of 4 hours
    Depart from Seattle, WA:  2:10 am to Taipei, Taiwan
            Layover of about 4 hours
    Depart from Taipei:  9:00 am to Jakarta, Indonesia

We arrive in Jakarta on August 4, with the time difference being a 13 hours  (ahead).  You can also pray for our bodies to adjust quickly from the jet lag since we have to flip flop our bodies normal schedule!

We'll spend 2-3 days in Jakarta for immigration before flying to Semarang, then drive to Salatiga where we will settle into our new house and gear up to begin language school.  

 *Salatiga is where we will live for the next year while we learn the language. 

 It is on the island of Java, which is also where the capital Jakarta is.  

We are so excited to be able to share more news with you once we get to Indonesia!  Pray that even before we learn the language we'll radiate love and joy to our neighbors and classmates at school.

If you have any questions feel free to call (for the next week) or email us.  We'll probably be out of commission for a few days/week while we adjust and get internet connection, but we'll try to get back online as quickly as possible.

Again, we can't do this without all of you.  From our hearts to yours, THANK YOU!

Tyler, Renae, Caleb, Aaron, and Jocelyn Schmidt

Also, we'll send out an address where we can receive letters and packages soon, along with specific instructions for sending packages.

3 weeks and counting....

In case some of you have lost track of us, we really are still around and we have not left for Indonesia just yet! 

Using Tyler's parents garage as a staging area

When we finished our training at MAF in May, we moved in with Tyler's parents in Nampa, ID, and began the tedious process of sorting through all of our belongings and deciding where to put it, which is one of 4 categories:  pack in one of 4 crates (to be shipped to our base after one year of language school), to go in checked luggage to language school with us for the next year, to be stored in the states, or to get rid of.  As you can imagine, sometimes the decision making gets a little overwhelming when you have to analyze and catalog every item, down to the last sock and spatula!

Jocelyn "help" pack are belongings

While we packed the boys had time to catch up on their tans

Grandma Schmidt reading bed time stories

As I write this, we are taking a short break from the packing and visiting my (Renae's) family in ND and trying to finish up lists, shopping, business details, etc... and processing through the emotions of saying goodbye to family for possibly the next 3.5 years. We are so thankful for the full support and encouragement of our families because we know that not only are we missing out on several years of time with them, but it is also costing them to send their family so far away for such a length of time.

Cousin time at the picnic table

If you think of it, please pray for us these final weeks before leave!  Here are some more specifics:

Pray:
Good closure emotionally as we say goodbye to family
Final details, checklist, and paperwork to be completed
Packing readiness:  speed and wisdom for the decisions
Peace in our hearts and minds during the transition
For us to have as few expectations as possible when we arrive in Indonesia
Safety and calm during our flights (a 48 hour journey), we leave on August 2
Wisdom as we make decisions about childcare/preschool for the kids and also as we hire a househelper (Pembantus) when we arrive in Salatiga
Adjustment for all of us, especially the kids, to a new country and culture

Praise:
Our visas arrived very quickly, so tickets were bought last month, we leave August 2!
That our Orientation training at MAF was a wonderful time of preparation for what we will encounter once we arrive on the field
For the time we've had with family before we say goodbye for 3.5 years

Our timeline is....

Aug 2-4:  Fly to Jakarta, Indonesia
Spend 2-3 days in Jakarta getting immigration paper work complete
Fly to Salatiga, Indonesia, get adjusted to our home and surroundings (about 1 week)
Aug 12:  Language school orientation
Aug 13:  Language school begins

 THANK YOU from the Schmidt's