And off we go...

And off we go on another adventure. Rob arrived back in Phoenix a little over a week ago. We got some much needed rest in and now he is off again to Miami. He left this past Wednesday. The exciting news is that we are meeting up in New York this next week. We were blessed with the support of family and friends to make this happen.

I am traveling to New York for a work trip with the YMCA. Rob is going to accompany me and spend some down time in the city that never sleeps (much like Rob). I will be working during the day which means Rob will have some time to himself and then we will meet up in evening. I really enjoy my work peers with the Y and am very excited for them to meet Rob.

My work with the Y is as a consultant. I work with Y's all over the US helping them culturally adapt their programs to meet the needs of diverse communities. This means we will be staying in the Bronx. I so enjoy this work and it very much aligns with the work Rob does with LAM. We both have a passion for serving the underserved. For reaching out to the hearts of people that often are judged or simly ignored by those around them. The exciting part about what I do with the Y is that I get to work with professionals and community members to break down the walls that exist between them and their community. It takes time, patience and it is a journey. Much like working with any disenfranchised community, it takes time to build trust and engage in partnerships. Please pray that my work with the Y would continue over the next week. I am wrapping up my current consulting job this year and hope to continue with more work with them over the next couple of years. My heart is working with such an incredible organization!

Rob is still working on getting the office back in Miami up and running. He is working on the servers and new accounting system. He is training others at the office to maintain the systems. It looks like what was a short terms side project has taken on a life of its own. Rob will most likely be working on this project for the next several months in addition to other work he does with LAM. We don't know what this means yet in terms of travel but we are preparing ourselves to spend time apart. We are finding a way to make this work for our relationship. We make sure to treasure every moment we have together. We also protect our time here if Phoenix very carefully. We do this so we don't get caught up with more "stuff" and lose sight that we need to connect when we are together.

Our families have been an incredible support. I must mention that without mom and dad Chaney we wouldn't have been able to make the past couple of months work. Just to mention a small gesture (that meant the world to me!)- both our cars broke down about two months ago. We hadn't been able to fix them and I didn't know how I was going to make it to school in San Diego. Dennis and Sandi graciously lent us their car and I haven't had to miss a class. WOW! Talk about love!

Speaking of school. I am almost done with my first semester...only three more to go!
You can be praying for direction in our life. I am unclear as to continue full time school with work or to take it slower. We are also praying for direction as Rob moves towards full time support raising with LAM. Also, that the technical project can be completed successfully so he can go back into the field. He missed the direct contact with folks in the field.

I will post more once I am back from NY!

Encouragement

I wish I could share with all of you the kind words I received while I was in Miami visiting Robby. I have always been very in tune with my husbands gifts and talents. He is a kind and patient soul. He is tireless. Faced with the most unsurrmountable difficulty he holds his head up high and takles it with faith and hope. He can work endless hours and expect nothing in return. When I fell in love with him, I fell in love with his couragous soul. Because of the unimaginable difficulties life has thrown his way, he maintains a perspective I could only dream of.
Things could be falling apart at the seam and he is full of gratitude.

Well things are NOT falling apart but it has been difficult for him in Miami. It feels like two step foward and one step back. He is working somewhat in isolation becuase of the technical aspect of the job. Yet, he finds the time and patience to train people in IT things (a no small feat in itself).

The staff were overwhelmed with love and gratitute for Robby and his work. It is not often that folks recognize how important the background work can be in running an organization. The payroll, email system, phone system, etc. It is the stuff we take for granted. Yet, the LAM staff encouraged me by loving on my husband. They shared with me how gracious, kind and tireless he has been over the past month and a half.

As a wife you know how incredible your husband is. And it is a blessing to know that other experience it too.

Keep us in your prayers as he continues to finish the project in Miami. He is coming home just in time for me to leave for San Diego, for school. I come back and turn right back around and head to New York for work. Pray that we can find a way for Robby to join me on the trip to NY. We could the time together.

Miami

So the call came late on Friday that Rob needed to stay even longer to finish up the work he started here in Miami. So given the fact we had been separated for over a month, LAM decided to fly me out to Miami. My work was very understanding and allowed me the day off on Tuesday. So I packed my bags and barely made the flight on Saturday (I was flying stand by)

The night I arrived we had a wonderful Argentine meal with my parents and headed back to the motel. The main purpose of me coming to Miami was to spend time with Robby, relaxing and catching up on the past month. It has been hard to accomplish either in the brief three days I am here. Time spent away from the office, for Robby, means the longer he is here. He enjoys it here, as much as you can enjoy anything after a while- living out of a suitcase.

So we spend Sunday and Monday just relaxing. We spent hours at the coffee shop and even ventured into the local mall. I tried my best to make sure he ate and slept, as I know he often doesn't when left to his own devises.

I think Robby did finally relax but just in time to jump back into things. So I think when he gets back home to Phoenix there will need to be at least a week of recuperation.

There are so many things we love about Miami. The people are friendly. The diversity is amazing. I get to speak Spanish and eat my favorite foods. It reminds me of being home in Argentina. It is beautiful. It feels like in many ways I am back home- but without my home!

One thing that takes a while to get used to is the pace of life here. It is so much slower. I struggle with this, as does Rob. We are so used to efficiency and making use of every minute of the day. We went to McDonalds last night for a quick bit to eat. 25 minutes later they finally gave us our order...so much for a quick meal...I guess this is what we get for eating at a fast food joint (yuck!).

So I am getting ready to head back to Phoenix and jump back into work and school. But continue to keep us in your thoughts as it is heart breaking to be heading back without him!