Bridging

Last Saturday evening, we drove out to a wooded area across town known as "Hills and Hollows." The boys and families lined up single file and silently entered a dark room with a fire at the other end. Four "braves" called the boys' names. The boys walked across the room and if they were "worthy," they were handed an arrow. Our oldest son, Drew, received his arrow that evening to signify all that he had accomplished in Cub Scouts. Next, the boys lined up on the left side of a bridge. Their old den leader (Jeremy) got rid of the parts of the uniform that signified cub scouts (i.e. neckerchief). The boys then walked across the bridge. Standing on the other side of the bridge were a group of Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts put a new neckerchief on the boys and welcomed them to their troop. We were very proud of Drew for sticking with Cub Scouts for many years and completing all the requirements to receive his “Arrow of Light” award. He has joined Troop 140 here in Denton, and he is really look forward to all the events they have planned.

The ceremony was full of symbolism. The walk across the bridge symbolized the beginning of the boys' journey with a new troop, but also showed the importance of the previous group. Although it is possible to join Boy Scouts without having been a Cub Scout, the knowledge gained in Cub Scouts is a definite plus to the Boy Scout experience. Cub Scouts prepares the boys for Boy Scouts. During the ceremony I started to think about bridges and the purpose that they serve. We have all heard stories in which the support system of a bridge fails; therefore, we certainly know the importance of the support system. All parts of the bridge rely on the support system.

We as a family are having to rely on the support of those around us. This is not something we find to be easy. It’s a learning process which I am having to learn anew. Even as I try to write this blog post, I struggle with knowing how to say what it is I want to say.

God is our support! He is unfailing and always present. We thank God daily for knowing that he will never leave us. While God has called us to go, he has also called others to offer support. We are in need of your support because this endeavor is too big for us to do on our own. People often ask us what they can do to support us. We first and foremost require your prayer support. As we prepare to go and even after we arrive in Singapore, we need Christians uplifting God's work as we go to share Christ’s love. We are also in need of monetary support. The cost of airfare for the entire family to get to Singapore is $3500. We also will need $3000 to help with relocation expenses (in addition to the $6000 that we have dedicated to save). All donations are tax-deductable and can be sent to NICS. (Please see the link on the right side for "Our Commitment Card".)

One of the best parts of this process we are going through is the support we have received from our Sunday School class. Having a good Sunday School class has become very important to our family as we have gotten older and (hopefully) wiser. We love our class and really appreciate how they have encouraged us and prayed for us. Our family and our friends have also been very encouraging (even though we are "leaving them" for several years). We want to say THANK YOU to those who love us! We are indeed grateful!

One Step Closer

We often find ourselves looking for signs, whether those signs are the ones telling us how to get to the interstate or they are signs from God letting us know that we are following His will. For the Erwin family we just saw a big sign.

This last year we have felt God’s hand pushing us in the direction he would have us to go. Twelve and a half months ago I found out the company I was working for was going out of business. Ten months ago I was let go from the company I had worked at for six plus years. In getting downsized, I was given a 6 month severance package which let me concentrate on finding a job and taking the necessary steps to become a teacher. Six months ago I was hired at McMath Middle School, less than a 15 minute drive from my house and where Ethan was going to be in the 7th grade. Around Thanksgiving Sabrina and I started to talk about teaching overseas and we started to apply to a couple of websites. Right before Christmas we started to dialogue with the director of ICS. He offered us both positions on January 2nd. We were delighted.

But with this move overseas we had to start the process of applying for our passports. Final exams for the first semester of school here in Denton were the week of Jan. 14–18. There were no exams scheduled for the 18th so we went to the County Clerks office that day to apply for our passports. It took close to an hour to process our passports (which happens when you have five applications to fill out). But we mailed them off and started to pray they would be back within the 6 to 8 week period the website says it will take.

I opened the mailbox this afternoon after picking up my youngest from school and what should be in there..but our passports. We were elated to see them. Now we can really start all the paperwork to get our visas to Singapore.

Thank our God for his timely work in getting us our passports. We are so excited.

Jeremy Erwin

Go with the flow

As we prepare to go to Singapore, we are constantly on the lookout for anything which might be able to ready us for the journey ahead. Yesterday we were headed to Allen for a birthday party for one of our nephews. I thought I could try to find a new restaurant. One of the three main people groups in Singapore are the people from India. So I decided on Indian food.

I did a quick search on Google and found Akbar. The best part was it had a buffet so we could try lots of different things. We had tandoor chicken, chicken tikka makhini, aloo bhaji, saag paneri and gulab juman. My favorite by far was the chicken tikka makhini. The kids all wanted no part of any of it, but I made them try a little of each and they all decided the tandoor chicken was palatable.

We then went to our nephew/cousin’s party. It was inside a natatorium in Allen. We had a good time. The best part was half of the building was like a water playground you might find in a water park. They even had a mini lazy river. It was shaped like an 8 and in one of the loops you could go into a circular area which swirled like a whirlpool. Of course another child said she was swirling around in a toilet but her mother kept admonishing her for saying so.

While Emme (our daughter) and I were floating around in the river she said, “Hey, dad! I’m going with the flow.” I told her it should be our family motto to “Go with the flow.” Traveling overseas is a difficult and frustrating experience for Americans because most of the rest of the world doesn’t share our desire for the quick life. I wanted our family to relax and just go with flow as we travel. Less stress sometimes means more happiness.

But I am also reminded of a t-shirt which my brother had when we were in high school. It showed all these different sized fish swimming to the right (or left if you were wearing the shirt). But one solitary fish was swimming against the current. And the verse on the shirt was Romans 12:2 which says “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

There are many examples of people in the Bible who went against the flow. Joseph could have succumbed to the temptations of Potiphar’s wife. Noah could have stopped building the Ark while everyone ridiculed him. Elijah could have ignored the call of the Lord and not stood up against King Ahab.

Please pray we can be the example to the world and expecially our students so we can go against the flow.

Jeremy Erwin