Dear Friends,
Selamat siang (good mid day)!
When we found out that we wouldn’t be leaving for Indonesia in March, I must say, I felt a tad bit disappointed. Another delay and opportunity for me to doubt we’d ever get there! And yet another opportunity to see God work in ways that we couldn’t have seen or anticipated. The last month or so since we wrote an update has been full of surprises and opportunities to learn about patience and trust.
Sickness invaded our home for about 3 and a half weeks, beginning with colds and then turning into viruses. All three of us were down (like on the couch or in bed) for a two week period of time, on antibiotics and seeing the doctor more than we cared to in such a short period of time. Just before all this hit us though, we had our physicals so that we could go to Indonesia with a clean bill of health. The results of those physicals showed that Joel has an abnormally low white blood cell count and that I, Bethany need to have my gallbladder taken out. Joel will go back in a few weeks to have his blood tested again and I will be having surgery this coming Thursday, March 9. It is an outpatient procedure and is laparoscopic so the healing time is minimal, barring any complications. I have had tummy troubles for several years, so I am very hopeful that this surgery will “fix” all that. We also visited the dentist to have our teeth checked out. Joel was the one to get bad news this time, and he had all four wisdom teeth pulled this past Monday. The procedure went well, and now he is healing with four gigantic holes in his mouth! So, as you can see, our departure being pushed back by a month was what we see as God making way for what He knew would be happening in our lives. I’m so glad he can see into the future even though I can’t. He is trustworthy and so good to provide what we need. I think learning to trust Him is a lifelong lesson and I feel like I’m just at the beginning!
Jack had his one year check up this week and was pronounced to be a healthy young man! His birthday (February 20) was right in the midst of all our sickness, so his party was postponed and took place yesterday with my family and some close friends. Of course, he didn’t really miss the first one as he doesn’t understand that he’s reached this milestone in his life. He does however realize that he can get into just about anything he wants and very quickly! He is crawling at lightening speed and can get up the stairs more quickly than I can get to him from across the room. He is also chattering away these days and has finally decided to thrill his mama by saying “mamamamamama” along with the “dadadadada” he’s said for months. It hasn’t dawned on him that those sounds mean anything but he does know that when he says them, I go crazy! He is a loving little boy who knows no strangers and will thrill the heart of anyone who holds him by laying his head down on their shoulder to give them “love”. He is still full of smiles and gives them away without abandon! We are enjoying him so much! Oh, and he loved the cupcake he got to devour and also a slice of cheese pizza!
Our house is now in a state of chaos! We finally began packing and will, Lord willing, be ready to “move in” with my parents next week. We will finish the last of the packing from there and be completely moved out of our apartment by the end of the month. As our storage unit fills up and the apartment empties I am encouraged that progress is being made. My best friend of 20 years, Jolene, has been a life saver and has kept Jack for us several times so that we can spend some concerted time packing. Otherwise I find that just as I fill up a Rubbermaid with things to store, Jack quickly unpacks it J. He is in a state of panic at times as he sees the house turning upside down, so if you’d pray he will not be too freaked out by it all, we’d appreciate it!
Our church will have a commissioning service for us on March 26 in the evening service and it looks like Joel’s sister will be able to be with us to represent his family. His parents leave for Guyana this Wednesday, March 8 and so another chapter in their lives is about to begin. Please pray for them as they leave all three of their kids and their grandson. They are so excited to get back to Guyana and the work they were a part of there several years ago, but leaving family and friends is never easy. We are so thankful that we live in the age of technology though. We are all purchasing web cams and through the internet will be able to communicate “live” from our different posts around the world!
The pictures attached are of the city we will be living in our first two years in Indonesia. It is called Salatiga and is located in central Java (yes, like the coffeeJ). Did I mention that our co-workers in that city have a house rented for us for when we arrive and are working on it as I write this? ~so exciting! Thanks Dave and Melissa! We have friends who arrived a few months ago and will be a few months ahead of us in language school. They have been a great source of information the last few days on their first impressions of life there. And for this details-oriented person, it’s been so encouraging to be in contact with them. Thanks Russ and Dina!!
I will leave you with greetings from Joel and Jack and with grateful hearts that you are standing with us as we undertake on this grand adventure. We truly couldn’t do this without your love and support. Terima kasih (thank you)!
All our love,
Joel, Bethany and Jack Potter
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