We've Been Assigned to Indonesia!!!

Today we were told by the MAF Candidate Committee that we have been assigned to the country of Indonesia! We are so excited to finally know where we will be! It's crazy to think that this is where we will be raising our kids......a place so completely foreign to us both. Of course there was a part of us that wanted to serve in Africa, where Matt grew up, but either way we would have been happy and also a little disappointed since we were torn between the two (Africa or Indonesia). We trust completely that this is what God intended and have prayed for years that He would guide us to where He wanted us to go. Two of the other families that we have become friends with have also been assigned to Indonesia so hopefully we'll all be in language school together!

The island of Java (red star on the map) is where we will be going to language school to learn the Indonesian language. The goal is to be 100% supported and to leave by this time next year. We won't know the specific island or base we will be assigned to until closer to our departure date, since base needs etc. may change between now and next year. The islands with yellow stars, Kalimantan and Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) are the areas where MAF serves, so we will be on one of these three islands. We will post more as we learn more! Thanks to those who have been praying and sharing in our excitement!

News from Nampa

I can say two things about Candidacy thus far:

1. It is SO exhausting and difficult with a newborn and a toddler (being in classes all day on little sleep, running back and forth to the house because I was barfed on, being up in the night bouncing a baby that is wide awake, calming a screaming 2 year old so he doesn't wake the baby up that we spent forever trying to get to sleep.....).

2. It is SO fun!!!!

We have already built some great relationships here with the other missionary Candidates and often stay up late just talking in the grass having root beer floats together or celebrating someone's birthday. Last night we all went out to eat together. In fact we have joked that we want to tell the Candidate Committee that we are a "package deal" when it comes to where they send us. I really hope we do end up with some of these couples....they are awesome!

It has actually worked out pretty well having Callie in the classes with us and she has slept most of the time, which is a huge answer to prayer. The other Candidates are very understanding and even think her little grunting noises are cute :). Another answer to prayer is that she has slept the longest she has ever slept during the night while we've been here, though we have had some tough nights too.

On Thursday we met with the Candidate Committee to discuss our concerns/passions/preferences regarding the different overseas programs that we have heard about. They have made their decision where they will send us but are taking the weekend to pray about it, so we have to wait until Tuesday to find out!

Please pray:

1. That God will continue to direct them regarding these decisions and that He will prepare our hearts for the news.
   


2. For continued strength and energy, and that Callie would sleep better at night.
   
   

Candidacy Update - by Ellie

Yesterday was our first day of classes for our Candidate class here at the MAF headquarters in Nampa. I came down with a high fever and chills on Sunday and unfortunately was unable to attend the Monday morning classes. However after talking with my doctor's office back home, I was able to get some antibiotics and today I am feeling quite a bit better. I was able to make it to the afternoon skype session with the director of the Africa programs. It was so good to be able to ask questions about the programs and life in Africa. Today we learned about the programs in Indonesia and were very impressed.

With all of the craziness of this last few weeks I'll admit that I haven't thought much about the big decision ahead...where will God send us? Now that we are learning about the overseas programs it is hitting us full force. We will find out in just days!!! There are so many issues to take into account when considering where to send us, such as where our passions and desires are, what areas have the most need, what my profession is and whether I can use it, what bases would best fit our personalities in regards to remoteness and community....these are just a few. Please pray for God's direction in where we go, both for us and for the Candidate Committee making the decisions. So far we are still open and do not have a definite place in mind. Thanks to all who have been praying already!

June/July Update and Upcoming Candidacy

Tomorrow we leave to go back to Nampa, Idaho for our five week Candidacy/training at the Mission Aviation Fellowship Headquarters. It is hard to believe that it's already time to go back! Candidacy will consist of two weeks of training/learning about the overseas programs in each country and at the end of this two weeks we will be assigned our country of service!!! We are so excited to finally know where God will have us serve. After this we will have one week of security training (which will also include hostage training), and then be followed by two weeks of partnership development training.

So what have we been up to since Callie was born? The last few weeks have been a whirlwind.....I think the word chaos describes it pretty well. Two days after we arrived home from the hospital, Blake came down with a 103 degree fever. He was diagnosed with strep throat and began antibiotics. Soon after that I had some post-partum complications and had to have an ultrasound and start antibiotics as well. At one point I could barely stand because of the pain.

Then Blake developed red spots that looked like hives all over his body. He was extremely fussy and between the strep and this issue, he was up several times in the night. Needless to say we weren't getting much sleep at night between the two babies! The rash occurred over the weekend and we ended up taking Blake to urgent care. The doctor wasn't sure what was causing the spots but speculated that it was a reaction called erythema multiforme, possibly from the strep infection or antibiotics. It is now gone and we are currently all healthy, praise God! Between everyone in the household, we were going to appointments almost every day for weeks! Thankfully my parents were here to help for much of that time. They were an absolute lifesaver.

In addition to the medical issues and transition from one to two kids, we have had an overwhelming amount to do in preparation for Candidacy. We have had to finish books and bible studies, get chest x-rays and tb tests, pack, clean, find a housesitter....the list seemed neverending.

However here we are, about to leave for most of the summer and we are so excited to start this adventure!

Here are some things you can be praying for:

• Pray for a safe and smooth trip to and from Nampa. It will be an eight hour drive.


• Please pray for energy and strength during the day and good sleep at night. The days will be long and exhausting as both of us will be in classes all day and we will be in a one bedroom apartment for the entire 5 weeks. Matt and I will likely put Blake in the bedroom since he is a light sleeper and we will have to be on a pull-out couch with Callie in the living room.


• Pray that Callie will do well in the classes with us and stay calm so that we can keep her with us.


• Pray for Blake, that he will do well with the babysitter and not feel neglected as we go off each day to the classes.


• Please pray for our country assignment and that God's hand would direct and guide the people making these decisions.

We look forward to updating you as to how things are going. Thank you all for your support, prayers, and encouragment!

Callie Joy Scheer

Saturday, June 11th. That is the day our precious baby girl came into our lives! After enduring weeks of contractions and even visiting a hospital in Boise for pre-term contractions, I was finally full term and ready to have her. Things seemed to slow down after that point though and I wondered if I would go to my due date (June 16th) or beyond. The doctor said that she was extremely low in the pelvis and the head had already come down quite a bit, and I could tell! My feet and legs had started to swell and the pressure was pretty uncomfortable. I had also started to dilate, and was told that this could be a pretty fast labor once it started.
Then at midnight on June 11th I woke up to stronger contractions than usual and told Matt that it was time. We called my aunt Anita and uncle Bill and they came over to be here with Blake. Luckily they answered the phone right away and were here within minutes.

When we arrived at the hospital, we sat in the waiting room for about 40 minutes. My contractions were uncomfortable but I could breathe through them pretty easily. We then were put into a triage room and told to walk around the halls for an hour. I would be checked in an hour to see if I had made any progress and if not, we would have to go home. By the time the nurse was finished talking, the contractions were becoming ruthless and I only made it in the hall for five minutes at most before having to return to the room. Needless to say I was admitted. By the time they had me settled in the room with an IV, the contractions were relentless with barely a break in between. I had requested an epidural and it seemed like an eternity for the anesthetist to get there! I remember sitting on the bed with three nurses working as fast as they could around me to get things ready....they knew this was going to be a quick one. Before the epidural was placed I was checked and already dilated to 8 cm and by the time I laid down on the bed I was complete and ready to push! Luckily the epidural did kick in and I got some relief before delivering.

Callie was born at 4:40am, only a little over 4 and a half hours from the onset of contractions. The doctor did make it in time, though the nurses said that they were a little worried. At first Callie had some difficulty breathing due to the fast labor and she was taken up to NICU for evaluation. Thankfully she only had to stay there for a couple of hours and was able to come back down with us. She has been such a blessing and is an absolute sweetheart! It never ceases to amaze me what a miracle it is.....God created this intricate little life that He loves more than we ever could. Incredible.