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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Day One

We have made it to our destination!
Our flights went well nothing crazy to report. Although we will say, if you ever get a chance to fly with a foreign airline - do it! They are so much better on service compared to American based airlines.

Jake and I got to the "compound" last night around 1:30-2 am. Justin Snyder showed us the apartment we will be staying at for the next few days. We also had a little visitor to greet is to Ecuador... A baby scorpion! 

Everyone is at a point of transition so the place is a bit chaotic. Amanda Snyder and her 4 kids along with Pat Snyder left tonight for their flight back to the US. Justin Snyder (Director of the School) and Jerry Snyder (Director of the Hacienda) are leaving on August 15th. So we said goodbye to the ladies today and God bless on their next adventures.

Today was a nice day. Once we got up, we visited with the Reegers and the Snyders then took a nice long nap! It has been a good way to slowly start in our transition here. Tomorrow we will try to go set up a bank account and do some grocery shopping.

Here are some pictures from our day!

Isabella Snyder feeding Lorenzo


It was a cloudy day this afternoon over the school.

Our future house, currently the house of Pat and Jerry Snyder.

Boys playing soccer "football" at the school.

Glen Laird from Twickenham CofC, Justin Reeger upcoming Director of the Haciendas, and Jake doing to legal work on their Macs.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Final Summer Tour #5 and Then Some

A few things...

1. This weekend we were up in Sherman, TX for Operation Ecuador. We had a chance to met and spend time with other churches and missionaries working in Ecuador. We are extremely blessed to be working with so many people who are so devoted and involved with the people of Ecuador. Their hearts and desire to serve are an encouragement to Jake and I. 


2. We have another offer on the house!! Praise the Lord! Now let's all prayer...fervently...that this contract will close! This offer is actually better than any of the others offers we've had. We end up walking away with just a little bit more, which is always good, and we close before the end of August (which means we only would pay one more month of mortgage & utilities)! 


3. Some more pictures of our last few days in Oregon:



Tom and Kirsten Albright, our friends (Jake insists on calling them "our" because he has fallen in love with them and their passion of college football) from Oregon.


Since I was FORCED to take a tour of the University of Oregon's campus, I HAD to end on a good note... Reser Stadium at Oregon State University. 


We stopped and visited my Baba's (grandmother in Russian) gravesite. She was my father's mom who passed away from Alzheimer's. 

Celebrated my sister Larissa's birthday at Outback.

4. We stopped by at Katy's today to see Soup. I miss her! We also took her by some our dog park friends, Brandon and Tracey Westmoreland so they could see her before we leave.



Soup loves to cuddle!

I love my Katy!


5. Only 2 more days! Well, more like 1 1/2 since we leave mid-day Monday. Tomorrow is our last Sunday at Woodland West. We are so humbled and blessed to have a luncheon devoted to saying good-bye to us. We feel so much love from our church family, it is going to be VERY difficult to say good-bye. Please don't misinterpret our (my) tears, cries and sobs as nervousness or fear of what we are about to do but sadness to leave such an amazing congregation. All of you have taught us how to love, serve and to be the hands and feet. We love you so much and we will always carry you in our hearts!

Monday, July 22, 2013

What happened to the charm?!?

I am sad (angry, annoyed, frustrated, etc) to report....
The contract on our house fell through... again. One of the people on the loan lost their job.
So here we go again. The house is back on the market. We pray for something soon so that we can close before having to pay September's mortgage.

Our time in Oregon/Washington has been GREAT! We have enjoyed spending time with my sisters and friends. I've got a few pictures of our time but I can't believe that I don't have any of my sisters and their fam! I downloaded a pic from Facebook of the Bungers in Washington and will have to take one of the Martins on my way back to the airport!



Thursday we took some time touring the town I grew up in, Woodburn. This is a picture of where we got married... very apropos since we celebrated our anniversary on the 15th.

 The gazebo where we were married.


My best friend from high school Amanda (freshman year in this picture) joined us for our tour of Woodburn.

Here is us now along with Amanda's daughter, Alyssa.


We went to Lincoln City beach with my sister Larissa and niece Rachel. You can't really tell by the photo but it was COLD!

They brought along their dog, Bentley. He LOVED digging in the sand.

My sister Kathy, niece Amanda and uncle Jake Bunger.

 The Bungers took us out on their boat and enjoyed a tour of the Seattle area. The building in between our heads is the Space Needle. 

We are currently spending time in Eugene with my friend from high school Tom and his wife Kirsten.

More photos coming soon...
And hopefully news of another contract on the house. Prayers please!!


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

3rd Time Is the Charm



Right?!? Well, at least that is what we are hoping. 
The cash deal on our house fell through. Apparently the offer was from two brothers and the one with the majority of the money decided to back out. We signed termination papers yesterday. It was really frustrating to hear that they backed out. This would have been timed out perfectly.

However, the people that made an offer that same week of the cash offer were still interested. So we signed another contract. This one however is a conventional loan so we won't we able to close until mid to end of August. Patti, our realtor, will have to FedEx the paperwork to Ecuador. That also means yet another month of paying the mortgage, water, gas and electricity bills. However frustrating it is, we are still thankful to have it under contract.

It was also a sad morning today. I dropped off Soup at Katy's house.  She will stay there until we are ready for her to fly down in February. It was an emotional time saying goodbye, but we know her Aunt Katy will take great care of her...and send pictures to make her(Soup's) crazy momma feel better!
Soup is 5 years old  and we just pray that she is in good health to fly down (Great Danes only have an average life span of 7 years due to their size).


<3


In other news...Summer Tour Part 4 has begun...
We are on a plane headed to Oregon today. That's where I'm (Tanya) originally from. I transplanted to Texas about 8 years ago. I haven't been back in about 3 years.

Oregon... Land of trees, rain and slow speed limits (as Jake would like to say). We are spending the week visiting some of my family and friends from high school.


Flying next to Mt. Hood

We will update with pictures of our week.
Keep praying... House, fundraising and our sanity!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Happy 7!

I am writing a special post dedicated to my amazing husband.
Today marks seven years of marriage for us.
Seven years! It almost baffles me that it has been that long.

I just wanted to take a few words to brag on Jake a little bit so that everyone would know what an amazing man he is.
The Lord really blessed me by bringing Jake into my life. He was a much better man than I ever deserved. I was young when we got married and acted like it many times. However, he was (and still is) extremely patient and kind to me. I think back to those days and feel blessed that Jake is who he is... if it were anyone else, I don't know if they'd put up with me. :)

Anyone who is married knows that there are tough years. However, we have had some TOUGH years.    Even through those times, Jake continued to show how much of a Christian man and husband he was. I firmly believe that God allows storms in our lives so that we grow closer to Him and learn to enjoy the  "sunny" times.

We now are the best we have ever been...but definitely not the best we will ever be. I am looking forward to this new adventure in our lives and know that God will bring us together in ways that we have never experienced. And I couldn't have ever asked for a better husband, partner and best friend to do it with.

Thank you Jacob Robert (Rufus) Wilson for allowing the Lord to work in you and being the man you are. You are one of my biggest inspirations to be a more Godly woman and wife. You are my best friend and my most favorite person on this earth. I love you! <3

 Our first date

July 15, 2006


 Jake is a banana for a school fundraiser in 2009.

Our 5 year anniversary

Easter 2013

*****

Just a couple quick updates...

Jake's truck sold! A family from church purchased it this week. We are so thankful that God continues to be with us, sending the people we need to help us prepare to leave for Ecuador.

Our closing date got pushed up from the 29th to the 25th! This means we can have everything taken care of before we leave...a big weight off our shoulders. Now we pray that everything with closing goes smoothly.

Summer Tour part 4 starts on Wednesday. We are spending a week in Oregon/Washington seeing my friends and family! 

Friday, July 12, 2013

So you are moving to another country...

...was the words I heard from the AT&T uverse customer representative.   She did promise that the final  bill would arrive before I left the country.  We have already cancelled the service, yet I had to call in to find out the final bill (of course I could pay it over the phone for a charge..).

I spent much of my Friday on the phone with different bills companies trying to clean up the rest of the bills and services that are about to end before leaving.
I remember back before the internet was so useful for everything that you actually had to call people on the phone, wait endlessly on hold (even use your cell phone minutes) and talk about questions with your bills and possibly even payments.  For younger people, this might seem foreign, but it did happen.

Like many people before me (and I am sure after), I have a credit card bill that I do not have a  credit card (physically) for.  It always appeared under one bank company until this month.  Of course, the card is not sitting in my wallet and I have not received anything in the mail to know where the bill went on the internet.  I do find a phone number and start inquiring about the "lost" bill.  Tanya is listening to my inquiry and after a large amount of time (good thing we text now and not use all those minutes) and five different customer representatives and transfers, I have found the one that can help me!  Here is my conversation:

Cust Rep.- How can I help you?

Me- I am looking for the company who now is managing my credit card ______.

Cust Rep. - Could I have you card number?

Me- I do not have it.

Cust. Rep- Could I have your social number?

Me- Sure, _ _ _ - _ _- _ _ _ _

Cust. Rep-  Were you wanting to make a payment?

Me- No, I want to set it up again on-line.

Cust. Rep- You need to get you card to set up on-line.

Me-  I do not have a card.

Cust. Rep-  Hmm.. (sadly)  Did you lose it or rip it up?

Me- Ripped it up.

Cust. Rep- Hmm.. (disappointed)  Your account indicates that was a replacement card.  What happened to the original?

Me- I ripped it up.  

Cust. Rep-  Hmm... (disappointed)

Me- Can I pay it over the phone?

Cust. Rep- Yes.

Me- Okay, I think I will pay the balance later and cancel the account.

Cust. Rep- Was there anything else I can help you with today? (not exactly happy...)

Me- No, thanks.

Cust. Rep- Have a good day, sir (a little annoyed)....

   
    Of course, Tanya was laughing because she was understanding how the conversation is going and what is happening.  Tanya also had a hard time canceling a gym membership.  After being looped several times on a recording, she found out you have to cancel in writing, mail it (snail mail), and wait 30 days....

I also learned that cell phone companies will not charge fees for breaking your contract early if you are moving out of the country.  Of course, you will need to prove it to them with a lease or utility bill in your name...(sounds like school registration).  Not as easy as it sounds being a missionary with no bills in your name, but we will make it work.

So we are moving out of the country... not many days left...

The House...Oh the House!

We have an update on the house!

We had a couple of offer come in this week. One of them was actually a really good offer... a CASH offer! So we accepted it and are now praying everything goes through. The great thing about a cash deal is that there aren't closing costs and we don't have to wait a long time before we can close. So if all goes well, there is a possibility that we can close the 29th...the day we leave!

We hope that this is the answer to our prayers...but are a little weary to be too excited. Please continue to keep us in our prayers.

Now that we are home from vacation, we are also doing some errands and tying up loose ends there... Paying off bills, canceling gym membership, ending cell phone contracts, etc. Jake was looking over our bank account and our fundraising. We are getting closer to our one-time goal but are still nervous about our monthly financial needs. If you haven't yet, please consider donating on our YouCaring website!

Also, some people have expressed that they are having trouble figuring out how to comment on our blog posts. The blog wants you to be signed into an account like Google to leave a comment, but to make things easier you can also select "Anonymous" in the drop down.

Another thing...if you want to keep up to date with the blog but don't check Facebook all that often, you can subscribe to the blog. On the right hand side of the blog, there is a place where you input your email address. Once you do that, Blogger will email you when we update a new post.

Below are a few pictures of our vacation on Canyon Lake.


Audie and Eddie came to vacation with us.

We walked on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Driving the toll in Austin- Jake was excited for the 80mph speed limit.

Beautiful sunset!


Thanks for keeping up with our adventures!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Summer Tour Part 3


We have been so blessed in our lives …our possessions, our jobs, and our friends & family. Thank you Lord for the blessings You have given us, big and small!
 
Jake and I usually plan our vacations a year in advance. Last summer we booked and paid for a vacation week in July and in December for 2013. This past March we learned we were leaving a whole year earlier than planned so we had to give away our December vacation in Oregon but decided to keep the one in July. So, on Saturday we left for a week vacation in the Hill Country. 

While I have loved seeing friends and family, this is the best part of our summer tour. It is the first time we do not have our days completely scheduled out. We have enjoyed staying up and getting up late, laying by the pool and playing games. Our friends Audie and Eddie came down and staying with us a few days. Currently the boys are out playing golf and we are having a Twilight movie marathon. 

Although we are having fun, there is some business going on also. We are trying to set up a meeting with the missions committee at the church in Lake Jackson, TX that Jake attended when he was a little kid. We were going to make a trip out to Houston to work on VISA paperwork but we don't have that all in order. I think we are going to have to add in another part into our summer tour to make a trip down to Houston after we get back from Oregon.

Time is running out…  only 21 more days!

We had an offer come in today on the house! It was at full price but with a ton of closing costs and other stipulations. We made a counter offer. Let's pray they accept!

Picture of our trip will come later when we have better internet connection.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Our last 4th...

It was our last Fourth of July for the next few years.
Technically, there will be a fourth of July in Ecuador but it will not be the Fourth of July.

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. When I was a kid, we didn't really do big celebrations for holidays. My parents were in a phase of being anti traditions so even Christmas and Easter weren't really celebrated. Except for the Fourth of July!

For the Fourth we would gather up our friends and take the boat out onto the Willamette River. We'd spend the day boating around, eating and then watch the fireworks in downtown Portland. Those were some of my happiest memories as a kid.

So I love when the fourth rolls around. Gathering together with family, the warm summer evenings (granted in Oregon our evening usually were cold and had about a 50/50 chance of rain) and the boom of fireworks always gets me feeling nostalgic.

I was thinking yesterday about how this will be our last one at home for the next several years. It makes me a little sad. However, this won't be our first one overseas. Jake and I have celebrated America's Independence in Japan and Ukraine. We've purchased fireworks and shot them off on the beach, in both countries. So Jake and I are looking forward to starting our own traditions for the Fourth of July, in Ecuador!

Happy Independence Day (yesterday) and happy last day of school at the School of Hope (which I was told that the actual name of the school is the Hacienda of Hope Christian Academy)!

Yesterday we celebrated by spend time with family and watching the large fireworks that go off just in front of my dad's nursing home.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Updates updates updates



Jake and I had a great time in OKC.
We spent quality time with the Nusbaums (Jake's sister and fam) playing lots of games and eating good food. I held, fed and got spit up on holding Olive. I am attaching a few pictures of our trip (someone complained that we don't post enough pictures!).


Jake and Emily playing the longest game of Jr. Monopoly...ever! Sasha is hanging out with Jake.

Robert and Soup!

Smores in the backyard.

        Enjoying the nice weather this week!

 Baby Olive!

Eating (and drinking!) with Ashley and James Bettes at Pop's in Arcadia, OK. Known for their HUGE selection of... soda pop! Jake was the bravest and tried a fudge brownie cookie dough flavored pop. It was.... interesting. 


So here are a few updates…
  1. House still isn't sold. We had a good showing on Sunday and a few people came back to see it a 2nd time. One couple said it was #1 on their list but still had a few more houses to see. So, hopefully something will come through the next couple of days. Please keep praying! It is a bit stressful for us not having the house sold yet. We are also about to pay the mortgage for the second month (after we thought it would sell the first time). We were planning on using that money toward our fundraising, so it sets us back a little bit. 
  2. As of today, we have raised $17,123 toward our one time goal of $40,000 and $750 toward monthly goal of $2,500. So you can see we have gotten a few more donations since our last update but we have a ways to go. PLEASE, if you have not already, donate on our website (for one time donations). If you really wanna step up your game, you an donate monthly. :o) I will be adding a Paypal button on our blog so that after our YouCaring website is finished, you can continue to donate online and it will still go straight to Twickenham Church of Christ.
  3. Jake is on Facebook! If you have't already, you should friend him.

God has truly blessed us with people in our lives who want to support us and keep up with our adventures in Ecuador. We feel so loved and humbled by your outpouring of encouragement and support. According to Blogger, we have viewers in Ecuador (of course), Russia and different parts of Europe! Thanks for checking in with us!

I created a postcard with a few pictures of us and the School of Hope. If you would like me to mail you one to put on your fridge (reminds you to pray for us!), shoot me an email at: tanyamwilson@live.com