Latest and Greatest

It officially has been an entire year since Rob left for Miami for what we thought was a three month stint. It is hard to believe that it has been that long and when we really get to thinking about it we are consumed with fear of what the transition back home is going to be like for us. Not to say we are aren't overjoyed that Rob will be returning home in the next month but at the same time we are very well aware that we will need time to readjust and get used to married life again.

We are both fiercely independent and have grown as individuals over the past year. And before I get to the many blessing of what the past year is going to be like I must ask for your prayer and support over the next couple months. On purpose I am not sharing a specific date of when Rob gets home. And for good reasons. We plan on taking time to just consume ourselves in one another and our relationship before getting back to normal life. It is an opportunity for us to get to know each other once again. An opportunity to build a stronger foundation for our marriage. An opportunity not provided to many and one we cherish. The way in which you, our family and friends, can support us is by understanding our need to be still in our own home for a period of time. Trust me, we will enter the real world again when the time is right.

During our precious time of reconnecting I ask that you celebrate in the many blessings that have been bestowed on us in the past year.

First and foremost the past year has allowed both Rob and I to grow spiritually.

Our relationship with family has been strengthened and in the most unexpected ways.

We have been humbled by the financial constraints that comes along with ministry and yet have never felt more free from materialism and consumerism.

A new job presented itself to me that I would have never have considered had it not allowed me to spend more time with Rob in Miami... and I couldn't be more grateful!

After almost a decade of wishing I could go back to school but never finding the right time I finally did it and by the time Rob gets back home I will have finished most of it (or my thesis at least!).

Rob answered the calling to minister to those most in need and has found a certain healing and peace by answering this calling.

So what is next you might be asking? Once Rob returns home he will remain working for LAM from Phoenix. He will continue traveling as he did before he left for Miami. In many ways we will be returning back to what we thought the past year held for us before it took a huge turn. An unexpected turn that brought a multitude of challenges and blessings and one that we don't question for a minute but are grateful is coming to an end.

And before I end this entry I want to thank you for your support and prayers. We are humbled by how you have impacted our life over the past year and know that we couldn't have survived without you!

Thank you and we love you!

February Update

Hello to our dear family and friends. I apologize for the past two months of silence (ok- almost three). The holidays are now behind us and the whirlwind of the New Year has begun. The work with Y has had me traveling much more than I anticipated. Since December I have been to D.C. at least once a month and in some cases two, Miami, Chicago, Tucson and of course my monthly trip to San Diego for school. Right now I average about one week a month home. This travel schedule will continue until July of this year. This next month I head back to D.C., San Diego, Kansas, Boston, New Orleans twice and Chicago. So family and friends please is patient with us as we try and remain connected while away.
On a high note we have a new niece in the family. Emily Ada (yes- Ada!). She was born in February and to celebrate this momentous occasion Rob met me in D.C. where Emily and her older sister Izzy reside.I included some pics Robby took during our trip. We spent time with the girls, Rob’s sister and brother in law (proud new parents) and mom Chaney. It was wonderful! Rob and I cherish our time as auntie and uncle. Rob also had an opportunity to meet and greet with my co-works and get familiar with my second home in D.C. This was such a blessing given I had the opportunity to get to know his home in Miami in December. Being able to share with each other what our lives are like when apart brings a sense of comfort and safety.
We also received news this past week that we have a nephew on the way. Sean and Cate are in the process of adopting a beautiful Haitian boy. In addition, our dear friends Shaleen and Sam adopted a baby girl this past year adding to our count of nieces. We are thrilled! Needless to say Rob and I feel so blessed by the children in our life. Frequently we are asked why we don’t have children and if we plan on having any. Our response is simple. We are surrounded by children and cherish being auntie and uncle to each and every one of them. My uncle Gordon did not have children of his own and because of it took on special role in his nieces and nephews lives. All of us have considered him a mentor and friend because of his special role- we could only hope to aspire to role he has played in my life as a favorite uncle.
I am officially half way through my masters program and in the midst of my thesis. With Rob living in Miami it just seemed to be a good time to dive into school work and make the most of my quiet time. I travel to San Diego and have been adopted by a wonderful couple who invite me into their home on Mission Bay every month. Rob was also able to accompany me on my first weekend of classes. He helped ease my fear of diving back into the world of academia… Another meaningful trip together.
I hope you are able to sense Rob and my desire and passion to maintain our relationship while living bi-coastally. We receive much support from family and friends. I have been encouraged by the many women in my life supporting my every step and easing the many fears. Thank you for your prayers.
More exciting news: Rob will be returning full time to Arizona at the end of April. We don’t know what his involvement with LAM will be thereafter so please be praying for us as we wade through these decisions. Rob’s focus for the remaining months in Miami is to create sustainable change in the office that can be transitioned over to existing staff members.
Thank you to everyone and once again my apologies for the silence. We cherish your prayers and support as we near the end of our separation or bi-coastal living.

Week of Prayer

Thank you to my many sisters that will be joining me this week in a week of prayer for Women Creating A Safe World. I have attached the link to the blog below.

http://womencreatingasafeworld.blogspot.com/

The instructions are easy. Just a moment every day to read the blog for the day. Pray and reflect for our mothers, sisters and daughters around the world.


Blessings,

Cara

Join me in a week of Prayer for Women Creating a Safe World

Hello to my dear sisters. This past month The YWCA joined together in a powerful movement of prayer and mediation on creating a safe world for women. As you already know Robby and LAM work internationally to help bring an end to sex trafficking and other issues such as domestic violence that threaten the very lives of our dear sisters and mothers abroad. My work at the YMCA has brought about a perfect opportunity to join forces.

The YWCA put together a great booklet that leads us through a week of prayer and meditation for social justice. I invite you to partake in a week of our own of prayer for the work of LAM and the YWCA and YMCA. I have attached the link to the booklet.

Starting on December 13th all who chose to participate will join together for 7 days to reflect daily on the meditations of the booklet. If you have a heart for our enslaved and beaten daughters and mothers please join me. I am planning sufficiently in advance as I know that the holidays are around the corner and our schedules do tend to get a little overwhelming. On the other hand it is during the holidays that those in need suffer the most. Let this be your gift to the many missionaries working oversees and back home.

If you choose to join us please send me an email and I will provide further instructions. But please know it is as simple as a reading, prayer and words of reflection that you can share with other women participating in this event.

Blessings and thank you for joining Robby and I in this journey.

http://www.worldywca.org/content/download/61717/739754/file/Week%20of%20Prayer%20Booklet%20-%20EN%20-%20web.pdf

Artist Venue

As I spoke with Robby today he shared that this past weekend he was able to attend an artist venue. It was so good to hear that spark in his voice that comes from being around kindred spirits. Robby is a unique being(aren't we all!). He has incredible talent both in logic and reason and in the arts. He is exercising his right brain every day at LAM so the event could not have come at a better time. He sounded excited and ready to tackle another day having connected with the arts and made some new friends.

Robby returned from his brief stint back here in Phoenix to a very busy office with many projects awaiting him. We are comforted right now knowing that in the new year we will be able to spend more time together as I plan to head to Miami with the dogs.

We ask for prayer as the next month brings a lot of travel. I just returned from Chicago and head back there this next week. After that I am only home for a couple of days and then I head out to Miami! Yes, Miami! We are taking a short weekend trip together with Mom and Dad Chaney. This trip is very needed right now. From Miami I will head to D.C. and San Diego and then home for the holidays. We ask for patience and support as we will not be able to connect much with folks througout our travels and during our time in Miami we plan on disapearing! We love you and we know you will understand!

Pithy Platitudes

So Rob and I are not big on pithy platitudes. In fact we aviod them at all costs. We both believe it does nothing but invalidate feelings we are meant to experience. But over the past five years and our many struggles we have landed on the following motto's for our own home:

1) There is my way, your way, and then there is God's way.
2) This one is stolen from my very own wise Uncle Gordon- Vices are just overdone virtues.

So where am I going with this...
Today was my last day at Valle del Sol. I have been there for five years. It has been a stabilizing force in our life and home. As I said my goodbyes today I pondered how complex my feelings are related to change. See, as a missionary's daughter I have said goodbye my entire life. In fact, I don't think until I married Rob I really knew much of anything else. See, his upbringing was about as opposite as mine. He spent most of youth and young adulthood in the same state, city and even home. He was surrounded by family and the family business as far back as he can remember. A good analogy to our different ways is constantly displayed in our physical home. Rob holds on to everything (and I mean everything). We have boxes after boxes of belongings. Well, I toss things after I don't find a purpose for them within the very same week I receive them (this goes for even the mail). Rob is constantly looking for things I have tossed. I am constantly trying to remember why I tossed them. Another great example...our furniture arrangment. Every couple of months Rob comes home to find everything in our home rearranged. It alwasy leads to us putting everything back in it's original place. The key has always been to find the balance somewhere in the middle: God's way not our way.

The complexity in my feelings leaving the office today lied in the strange comfort I found in leaving such an important and meaningful part of my life. I have wanted to part ways with Valle so many times and only in the past year have I not thought once of being anywhere else. But here I am leaving. I am sad but strangly comforted by my uneasiness.

This is not to say that the past week has been anything other than overwhelming. But something was different this time. The goodbye was expected, planned and there was closure. I have to give credit where credit is due...Robby showered me with support and acts of service. With only three days in town he spent it fixing a flat tire, moving boxes, walking the dogs for three hours at seven am in the morning and most importantly holding my hand. There is always time to change your relationship to "change".

So once again, you are probobly asking me...Where are you going with this? Well, I am amazed by God's grace as He continues teaching us with every breath we take. Robby's work at LAM requires him and our marriage to welcome change. Not only change but constant change. The past six months of our marriage have been little more than an ongoing series of goodbyes to one another. Ironic, that the man that resists change readily accepts such a position? Well, I guess if you believe in irony-but we don't. Furthermore, a job that is placed in my path that requires me to thoughtfully plan a goodbye. So once again I reminded there is my way, Rob's way and then God's way.

Many folks might think that all this change is just a season...please don't say it...it is just a pithy platitude. Work has never just been work. Both Rob and I throw ourselves into our work. It is our passion, our calling and in many ways part of our soul. See this is where the the whole, "vices are just overdone virtues" comes in. Rob and I would not pretend to say that living on opposite sides of the country is healthy for us or that we wouldn't have it any other way. That would be plain lie. We don't want to live apart and it has taken it's toll. We just couldn't see any other way. We are committed to our passions and felt the calling. We were and in many ways are still perplexed. Confused yet? I hope so because so are we. So instead of finding a simple solution we just take it day by day. Today, I accepted a job to be closer to Rob and we are discussing what is to come after Rob returns to his original position with LAM (part-time).

So we readily accept your support and prayer as we take it day by day and find God's way in our life, purpose, passion and calling.

Honduras

Rob returned from Honduras safely. I received many calls about the pending Hurricane and how it would affect his travels. We were so blessed in that he was able to leave Honduras the day before the storm hit. I write "leave Honduras" instead of "return to the US" because with each trip Rob's love and desire to serve Latin America grows leaps and bounds.

It was such a blessing that Rob was in Miami when the call came to travel to Honduras. The plans were made and he was traveling within less than 48 hours- no small feet but the fact that he was so close to Honduras allowed him to jump on a plane in time.

It is so hard to fully explain Rob's experience when he travels. There is so much richness that is lost in narrative format. But I will try as best as I can. Rob was documenting the very first seminar of it's kind in Honduras. It was a leadership training developed, trained and delivered by the people of Honduras. It is so exciting when you get to experience the power of grassroot movement.

During the seminar Rob participated in the event and had an opportunity to engage with the leaders and many men who attended. Rob's style of participating in events and documenting them is to step into the background and engage one on one with individuals as they share their story. The greatest challange for him is the language. Speaking the language is the gate into the lives of others. It never ceases to amaze me how once I speak Spanish the fact that I am such a "guera" (white folk) ceases to exist. I am never questioned on my race or ethnicity. The simple fact that I speak like them earases any barries. Rob's Spanish skills have improved. We have even tried speaking Spanish only in the home... swim or drown. Mom and Dad Chaney even gifted the Rosestta Stone program to Rob on his last birthday.

Rob was able to understand and follow the seminar and engage with his limited Spanish but arrived in Miami with an increased urgency to continue learning. I think after a little more travel he will have mastered the language.

We are still downloading and editing pictures but once we are finished we will post on the blog.

We have received several requests for more information regarding Rob's current role at LAM. Understandibly so, folks are wondering why he is spending so much time in Miami and not in the field. Well, the easy answer is that in order for the mission to survive a transition period needed to occur at the headquarters. Rob was asked by the LAM team to step into a temporary role to assist with coordinating the transition to better serve our missionaries and further support the native leaders in South America. We did hesitate to ensure it was the right decision for Rob and I and agreed to serve in this capacity for a short period of time. This transitory role is until March of next year and is in addition to his duties traveling in the field. While I have to admit that his work at the headquarters does limit his current travels it has not dampered his passion for the field work. Quite the opposite. Rob is able to design and create processees to improve the infrastructe to further the work LAM in Latin America.

Rob will continue as he did this past month to travel and document the lives of our Latin brothers and sisters. Past March he will transition out of his role at the headquarters and return to his part time status traveling and working on the testimonial aspect of his role as Creative Director.

So what does the next month hold for us? Well, lots of travel and then more travel. Starting on Monday I will begin my marathon journey to San Francisco, Simi Valley, San Diego, Chicago, Miami and then D.C. I finally return a couple of weeks before Christmas. It is hard to imagine how to even prepare for being gone for so long so our plan is to take it week by week. But I am thrilled to say that Rob will be returning home for two weeks in November and then we will be traveling together again in December where we will solidify our plans to spend more time together Miami.

How can you support us? Continue to pray for Rob's role at LAM and the patience and endurance to continue this dual capacity of change catalyst at LAM headquarters and missionary in Latin America. Also, please encourage us to plan carefully around Rob's stay in Arizona. During his last trip home we didn't spend enough time reconnecting and we agreed we wouldn't let it happen again. So if you don't hear from us- you know why, Also, this next month brings a lot of change with my new role starting at the Y. On a different note give thanks that Rob was able to find a way to incorporate his love and gift of music into his weekly work. He was asked and he cheerfully accepted to lead the music portion of weekly devotional for the staff.

As I travel I will continue to provide updates and feel free to contact me at cara@orchidsound.com.

Enjoy the change of leaves and the cool weather reminding us that Christmas is right around the corner!