So much has happened in the past year, we thought it best to send you one last update and let you know where God has brought us on this journey to Angola & back again.
We left Angola in September 2009 and went to South Africa to await further direction. We were offered another missionary assignment, but came to the conclusion that our missionary service was complete (at least for now) and we returned to the USA at the end of October '09. We spent a month with Stephen's parents in Atlanta and then went to Dana's parents in Orlando after Thanksgiving. Spending time with our families was good and we had minimal (if any) "reverse culture shock."
In November, we found out that we were expecting a baby (due in early July), which was part of our long-term plan, but were surprised to find that it had already happened. It was a little scary since Stephen didn't have a job yet and our health insurance was terminating June 30th. Stephen was receiving some job leads from various churches, but realized in the midst of them that he was not feeling called to pastoral staff ministry at this time. He began seeking other job opportunities, but nothing seemed to fall into place.
While we were living in Orlando, we felt that it was time for Watson to have some socialization (after having been isolated in our Angola apartment for so long), so we enrolled him in preschool, not knowing how long we would be there. He thrived in that setting and loved his teachers. It also helped us develop a routine. Looking back, it was a time that we were able to focus on Watson a little more. He loved the time spent with Grandpa & MomMom (Benson). We lived with Dana's parents for about six months before deciding that the majority of our contacts and job opportunities were in the Kansas City area. So, we took a leap of faith and moved to KC at the end of May, trusting that God would provide a job. Stephen had made a previous trip to KC for some interviews and found a duplex in Lenexa, Kansas for us to rent for a year.
So, at the end of May, we packed up our suitcases....again! Stephen & Watson made a four day trek from Orlando, through Atlanta & Indianapolis to KC with all of our stuff in a borrowed car & trailer. (We had stored some stuff in Atlanta & Indy, so they took that route to pick up our things.) Dana, being close to delivery time, took a flight and met them in KC. We "house-sat" for some friends while they were out of the country on a mission trip and then moved into our house on June 7th. During that week before we moved in, we purchased all the basic furniture we would need and a car. Stephen had a job lead with Nazarene Theological Seminary that he pursued with a second & third interview.
We kept busy getting settled and after three weeks of being in the house our baby girl, Brynlee Faith, came into the world on July 1, 2010 at 1:50pm. She was 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 19.5 inches long. This is significantly smaller than Watson's birth weight (9lbs, 2 oz), so the delivery was quick & easy. Dana's parents & sister came to visit when Brynlee was born and Stephen's parents came to visit later in the month of July.
It was the week after Brynlee was born that Stephen was offered the job at Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) as the Director of Educational Technology & Assessment and started July 15th. He is enjoying being in the academic setting and is being challenged (in a good way) by this new adventure. Dana has been adjusting to staying home with two kids. Watson started preschool three days a week in August and is enjoying his new teachers and friends. He turned FIVE on Sept. 7th and just missed the cutoff for Kindergarten. So, he is excited about starting Kdg. next year. Brynlee has been sleeping 5-6 hours at a time, giving Dana a break from sleep deprivation.
We are enjoying living back in the KC area....attending the church where we first met (Central Church of the Naz) and spending time with friends. We've had to get used to having a social calendar again and are enjoying having Sundays without any formal responsibilities (something you don't get when you work as a pastor or missionary). We have felt God's hand of provision over us and feel blessed to be where we are. Thank you for sharing in our journey of faith & adventure. The past three years have been challenging ones, but also years of growing & learning. We thank God for protecting us in all of our travels and for showing us His path for us. For those of you who have donated money for our ministry, we want you to know that this money is still being held with the Global Mission department of the Church of the Nazarene. It will be used to help further the Kingdom on the Africa Region.
We will be disabling this website/blog after this post. But we wanted to use the automatic notification of the site to fill you in on where we ended up. Feel free to forward this update on to those who may have been following our missionary journey. If you'd like to have our new address, please email us and we'd be happy to send it to you.
May God bless you in ways you never imagined and help you see where He is already working, so that you can join Him!
With sincere gratitude of God's grace & love and the support of family & friends,
The Porter's - Stephen, Dana, Watson & Brynlee
