Mandi, Author at A Moment with the Millers

Mandi 02/18/2014

Our Schedule For The Next Few Months

It’s kind of like a tour of America!

We get questions all the time about where we will be and when… and it gets really confusing when we try to explain it all. Most of our time is fairly set so here it goes:

(If you want to know just the basics then skip to the bottom of the page).

February

We will be in Texas until this Sunday. On Sunday we will fly from Houston to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a week-long missionary training school. It’s specifically for missionaries in between assignments so we are really looking forward to it!

Basically,

In Texas now

Colorado: Feb. 23 – Feb. 28

March

March is full with a trip to Seattle to visit ECC! They have come to St. Kitts on two mission trips and now we have the opportunity to visit them! We will also be in Dallas, back to Houston and then onto Spanish Fort, AL before leaving at the end of the month for CEF Headquarters in Missouri.

Basically,

Seattle: February 28th – March 5th

Dallas: March 5th – 9th

Houston: 9th – 16th (just for family)

Spanish Fort, AL: 16th through the 27th

April

In April we will be in Missouri (CEF Headquarters) for a week-long missionary refresher, we are going to the local CEF Banquet in Montgomery (just for the night) and back to Spanish Fort to continue visiting family and friends.

Finally on the 17th we will go back to Montgomery and we will be there until after Riley-Grace is born! We had to get all of our traveling done at once because at some point I won’t be able to anymore!

Breakdown for April

CEF Headquarters in Missouri: March 27th – April 6th

Montgomery for the Banquet: April 7th

Spanish Fort: April 8th – 17th

Montgomery: April 17th – ??? Sometime in June/July

June/July/August???

Riley-Grace is due on June 15th and we will be having her in Montgomery… where we would have been for two months already. We are only planning to stay in Montgomery for about 3 weeks or so after she is born. Afterwards we will be back in Spanish Fort with Sean’s family until it’s time for us to move to Turks & Caicos. Our goal is to move in July but it all depends on 1.) when Riley is born and 2.) our support level. We must have 100% of our support raised before we can move. Our “plan” is for Sean to head to Turks & Caicos two weeks before the rest of us come so he can get our house secured, our stuff moved in and our utilities ready to go. Hopefully he will be able to do this in July when Riley is 6 weeks old and we would follow about two weeks later.

But depending on how our support is coming along that could stretch into August… but hopefully not much longer!

Either way, we will leave Montgomery 3 weeks after Riley is born and will only be back for doctor visits until we move to Turks and Caicos.

So there you have it! Our time until July/August is packed full! We are so excited to see everyone!

Full Breakdown

Now until February 23rd: In Texas

February 23rd – 28th: Colorado Springs, Colorado

February 28th – March 5th: Seattle

March 5th – 9th: Dallas

March 9th – 16th: Houston

March 16th – 27th: Spanish Fort, AL

March 27th – April 6th: Missouri (CEF Headquarters)

April 7th: Montgomery for the CEF Banquet

April 8th – 17th: Spanish Fort, AL

April 17th – Late June/Early July: Montgomery, AL

Late June/Early July – ???: Spanish Fort, AL until we move to Turks & Caicos

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Mandi 02/07/2014

All About Our Trip to Turks & Caicos!

The last month has been a whirlwind! First moving out of our house, then saying bye to St. Kitts, spending two entire weeks in Turks & Caicos, going back to America, spending a few days at Disney World, then doctor appointments and now we are in Texas! Whew!

Our two weeks in Turks and Caicos were very productive. We were able to get a good sense of what it’s like to live there and we were able to make plenty of contacts.

Initial Reactions

We flew in at night so we really couldn’t see much. The island seemed fairly small (and it is) but much more developed than St. Kitts. There was even a four-lane highway (not like in the U.S. though). We saw a lot of nice cars on the roads and there weren’t very many potholes we had to avoid. We went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for breakfast and we experienced culture shock! There were so many more choices than what we were used to in St. Kitts… it really looked just like Publix! Maddy even thought that’s where we were!

Overall, we were surprised by how nice everything was… from the roads to the cars to the stores to the houses.

And then we saw the rest of the island. The divide between rich and poor is staggering in places. There are multimillion dollar homes just a mile away from shacks. There are large Dominican Republic and Haitian populations and most of them are there illegally. The cost of living is high and yet the minimum wage is only $5-$6 an hour. The public schools are overcrowded and the only high school has violence and drug issues.

Meeting People

One of our two main contacts was Pastor Tim and his wife Patty of Harvest Bible Chapel… the church we will be going to when we move. The church has a variety of different nations represented, about 75% Caribbean/local! They picked us up from the airport, helped us get a place to stay and a car to use, took us to lunch a few times, had us meet the elders and other members of the church, invited Sean to preach the last Sunday we were there, answered MANY of our questions, helped us get started on the process for our visas and gave us a tour of the island. They are such a nice couple and we will be very blessed to get to know them in the next four years!

A picture of Harvest Bible Chapel, TCI

The church was so welcoming! We were able to meet with all of the elders during our visit, one of the couples let us stay in their downstairs apartment (and made dinner for us one night) and another family let us use their vehicle! Maddy even made a local friend… one of the elders has a four year old daughter and the girls played as if they had always known each other!

Our second main contact was Pastor Pedro… the pastor of Jericho Baptist, a very prominent church. He is also a former leader of the Baptist Association for Turks and Caicos so he was able to get us connected with a whole LOT of people! He even took Sean on kind of “pastor tour” visiting with numerous prominent pastors. They also met with many education officials and potential National Board members. All of them are eager to get the ministry started! Pastor Pedro and his family had us over for dinner and their six year old daughter and Maddy really hit it off! They dressed up in princess dresses and even put a show on for us! They played so well together that we all got together the night before we left for ice cream!

Pastor Pedro also set Sean up with another pastor in North Caicos. Sean spent an entire day there and in Middle Caicos. He had a tour, met many local contacts and met with principals of the three primary schools there. Even though the population is small (1500-2500 people) the primary schools are having problems with drugs and violence! There is a large lack of outreach to children or even things for children to do after-school period. So sad.

Jericho Baptist Church

One of the Primary Schools in North Caicos

A church in Middle Caicos

Ministry Opportunities

There are only three public primary schools in Providenciales (the main island) and several private schools. In fact, we were told by many people that after we get Good News Clubs started in the public schools we must then target the private schools because there are so many students there.

Sean was able to do a Gospel presentation at Ianthe Pratt Public Primary to 497 students! We also both were able to teach at the Precious Treasures Primary (Private) School to 161 kids!

Ianthe Pratt Primary

Sean giving a Gospel presentation

Teaching the memory verse at Precious Treasures

Sean sharing the Gospel at Precious Treasures

Housing

Way different than St. Kitts! The housing options are definitely pricier but the biggest shocker was the lack of availability. We were only able to see three properties because that was really all we could. We are praying for the Lord to provide a 3bed/2bath since we are having another child AND we will be hosting visitors (plus Sean will be working from home until the ministry has an office) but it seems that will definitely be a small miracle. There simply aren’t normal 3bed/2baths in our price range. Most all of them they are TOO good for us! They are way over our budget because they are so luxurious… with water views, pools and way too much square footage. Regular places are so hard to come by. We may have to settle for a 2bed/2bath (larger sized) if we still can’t find anything by the time we need to move. But there are a few real estate agents and many of our contacts keeping their eyes open for us in the mean time.

Lasting Observations

Everyone we spoke with is eager to get CEF started in Turks and Caicos. Through this trip, there are concrete plans in place for National Board training and beginning after-school Good News Clubs.

The poor/rich divide is huge.

Many people are “Christian” but do not know the Gospel.

Moral decay… it is simply accepted, even within many churches (and at times celebrated).

And yet, there are many doctrinally sound and healthy churches… far more than in many other Caribbean islands.

The belonger/non-belonger divide is real… (we are not belongers).

The islands are beautiful.

There is a huge expatriate (other Caribbean islands and places across the world) population. The nations are coming to TCI!

If the church does not reach out to this generation then crime and moral decay will only increase all the more. The country is fairly safe (very safe for tourists) but they are losing this generation. The schools are already having serious problems.

The potential for a strong and long-lasting CEF ministry is huge!

The healthcare is fairly modern.

Life is still laid back just like in any other Caribbean island!

The people are very relational.

One of the beaches in Providenciales, TCI… it’s absolutely breath taking!

I could write so much more about our time in Turks and Caicos but I’ll end this since it’s already so long. Making another commitment to live overseas is hard because we dearly miss our family and friends but we are excited to see what God is going to do in TCI. We still miss St. Kitts but a part of heart is truly already in Turks and Caicos. We knew before going there that we were making the right decision but our trip only confirmed it to us more.

We know that although July seems so far away, it will be here before we know it and we will be moving our family once again to an island in the Caribbean (and this time with a new baby)!

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Mandi 01/15/2014

Our Last Week In St. Kitts

It happened. We left St. Kitts Monday morning… our plane took off at 9:30am. Our first two days in Turks and Caicos have been overwhelming and we plan on updating everyone in the next week or so.

Our last week in St. Kitts was emotional for all of us. It was extremely hard to say goodbye to our home for the last two years and to all of the wonderful friends we have made. We are excited to be in Turks and Caicos and are really looking forward to spending the next few months with our family and friends in America but we already deeply miss St. Kitts. Maddy wants to go back. It’s the first time she really understands what it means to “move” and that she won’t be able to see her best friend Audri for a long time. FaceTime and Skype are wonderful but just aren’t the same.

And saying goodbye to the people we’ve worked with? Very hard. When we first moved to St. Kitts we thought we might need to stay beyond our two-year commitment. But we’ve seen the Lord work in mighty ways. We knew after just one year we would make our goal. As difficult as it was to leave, it’s what we came to do. We came to leave so to speak. We truly were no longer needed and we know the future CEF Ministry in St. Kitts will do big things.

National Board Goodbye Part 1 – The Fire

Last Tuesday the National Board had a dinner in our honor at a restaurant/guest house/conference room downtown. It was a small gathering with a few pastors, board members, volunteers and other friends of CEF. It was a sweet time. As the dessert was being served we started to smell something burning… like when you turn the heater on for the first time of the season. It got stronger and stronger but most of us weren’t worried… and everyone really wanted to finish their dessert! A couple of people did go check on the smell and one person calmly told us the staff wanted us to evacuate the building. No big deal! We all assumed they were just taking the proper precautions. As we left the conference room and turned the corner, the hallway was filled with thick black smoke! We couldn’t really see where we were going but we just followed instructions that thankfully did lead us outside! Once we got outside we could see the smoke billowing out of the building! The place was truly on fire! I tried to snap a few pictures but it was hard to see the black smoke at night.

Everyone was fine but the kitchen was gone. One of the board member’s parents owns the building. She showed us pictures of the pipes with huge melted holes in them, a melted cash register and soot over everything. The entire kitchen will need to be replaced. Needless to say, we had to call it a night at that point!

National Board Goodbye Part 2

On Friday evening the Board got together again… and this time without any fires breaking out! After a few sweet words from several people the Board gave us a few gifts from shell works… a beautiful picture frame, a really awesome napkin holder and a huge shadow box with three beautiful shells displayed in it! These are gifts we will absolutely treasure for years to come! Even more special was simply getting to spend time with them one last time.

We Are Having A Girl!!!

The next morning Sean and I went to my last doctor’s appointment in St. Kitts and I had an ultrasound. We saw our little one flexing her arms and legs and rolling over. We found out she is a girl, our little Riley-Grace, and that she looks healthy and right on track!

CCF Send Off

On Sunday we had to say goodbye to our church, Caribbean Christian Fellowship. This church has meant so much to us for the last two years. We were very involved… Sean preached a few times and led the Men’s Bible Study. I ran the children’s program for the last year and helped out with Ladies’ Bible Study too. Our time in St. Kitts just would not have been the same without this church family. After service we all went to a restaurant at one of the beaches to eat and hang out. It was extremely bittersweet.

That evening we swam at the Marriott and ate dinner with the Graysons. Saying goodbye to them was the absolute hardest. They have been family to us for the last two years and are some of the best friends we’ve ever had. We cannot even express how much we will miss their family.

Monday morning we loaded up, went to the airport, flew to Miami and then made it to Turks and Caicos around 8pm.

It’s all still very surreal. It will take a long time for us to process the change. We are having a good time in Turks and Caicos but our hearts hurt. So please pray for us during this time of transition. We have so much to look forward to and we are trying to stay focused on all of that… being back home, seeing family and friends, having a sweet new little girl and eventually creating a new home here in Turks and Caicos. We know we are making the right decision and that this is where God wants us, but saying goodbye is difficult and we will need some time to heal.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers and staying up to date with our time in St. Kitts. We truly appreciate the support from everyone. This experience has permanently changed our family (for the better) and we are grateful to God for giving us the opportunity to serve overseas.

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Mandi 12/23/2013

It’s Christmas Time!

It’s hard to believe Christmas is in two days! December has flown by for our family. We will be out of our house in just nine days… next Tuesday. Needless to say, we have spent much of December sorting and packing… sorting and packing… sorting and packing. Plus, we are getting ready for our two week visit to Turks and Caicos! A lot of the paper work for our visas needed to be done before January (to be able to move in July) so Sean has been working on getting it all (and it is A LOT) in order. We are preparing to meet with pastors, churches, volunteers, real estate agents, a doctor (we have to get check ups for our visas) and time to simply see the country. It all happens in three weeks! On one hand we are excited to see where we are going next and then to finally be home for a while but on the other hand, we are sad to be leaving our friends and our home for the last two years. I’m sure the next three weeks in St. Kitts will go by quickly.

In December we celebrated the Fall TCE Graduation!

Sean shared the Christmas story to classes in some of the schools.

Earlier this month we celebrated Maddy’s 5th Birthday! She had a double party with her best friend Audri… they are only two days apart!

Mavis returned from CMI in Missouri so Sean has been catching her up to speed. She is ready to take over… in fact, there are times Sean feels like a “lame duck” just keeping a seat warm! It’s a good thing not to be needed here anymore! We have complete confidence in leaving.

Baby #2 seems to be doing well. We had another appointment and got to hear the baby’s heartbeat! Also, our first visit had us waiting five hours but our second was down to three! I’ll never complain about waiting to see the doctor in America again. We have one more appointment two days before we leave… and I’ll be having an ultrasound (I’ll be two days shy of 18 weeks). We are hopeful this little one will give us a nice shot of whether we are having a boy or a girl. But more so, we ask for your prayers that we are having a very healthy baby.

Honestly, we only plan to update this blog once or twice before we leave St. Kitts. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!

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Mandi 12/03/2013

Our Thanksgiving, Banquet and Last Good News Club

What a week!

For anyone who doesn’t yet know, we announced on Facebook last week that we are expecting Baby #2 due June 15th! We have been praying for another child for four years so we are beyond thrilled!

Also, last week was our first ever island Thanksgiving! Last year we were home for Thanksgiving but this year we stayed. It wasn’t the same as being home with our families but it was still nice. Our church threw a big dinner so we had everything we normally would and we got to spend the evening with all of the friends we have made here in the last two years.

On Saturday we had the 2nd Annual CEF of St. Kitts & Nevis banquet! The evening turned out nicely and everyone had a great time. It’s so awesome to see all of the people in this nation who support and love the CEF ministry here. I am still in the trenches of first trimester nausea and wasn’t able to attend. But Sean said everything went great. Of course, here are some pictures from the evening.

On Monday night we had our last Good News Club in Fig Tree. 🙁 We started this club in April 2012 and now we had to say goodbye. We will miss the kids so much! We had a Christmas party… we watched a movie about Jesus’ birth and then we made “Christmas trees”. We decorated upside down ice cream cones with green icing and then stuck candy on them as ornaments. All the kids loved it… from the little preschoolers to the teenagers!

They were so proud of their trees!

This week is also the last week of school. Exams were last week so many of the kids are in class with nothing to do. So Sean has been showing the same Christmas movie we showed at Good News Club to classes in several schools.

And… Maddy’s birthday is Friday! How is she about to be 5?!

We started selling our stuff and our plan is to pack 1 box per day. Sean is out right now paying our last month of rent. We move out of our apartment in 28 days… and we leave St. Kitts in just five weeks… we’ll be in America in seven weeks.

The time is going by so quickly…