Never a Dull Moment

The Chapmans have news. Again.

But first, here are some pictures of our cute kids feeding and chasing birds in the Central Plaza. 

Ok. Our news.

After a lot of reflection and conversations about what's best for us and our family, Michael has accepted a job offer to work at Medical Teams International, based in Tigard, Oregon. We will be moving to Oregon at the beginning of July. We are thrilled that we will be back in the state that we have referred to as "home" for years, though it's been almost 10 since we've lived there long-term.

With less than 2 years to go on our contract with MCC, this was a difficult decision for us. We have trusted the process and feel a huge peace in this decision. But we know how a decision like this affects our staff, our counterparts in other countries, our bosses, and of course, the partners and projects with whom we work.

MCC has been a wonderful organization to work for. They've been extremely supportive of us as a family and have cared for us well. We greatly appreciate the work they do and will continue to do and we will dearly miss the people we've come to know and love.

We've had an amazing three years here in Guatemala. We have no regrets. We are thankful for the friendships we've made and the experiences we've had. We leave happy and content. We are changed for the better.

But we also leave ready for another phase in life. We are excited that Ellie has the possibility of enrolling in a Dual-Immersion Kindergarten program that is 90% Spanish. I am excited to have time at home with Hazel and Ruby before Hazel starts Kindergarten one short year later.  I'm excited to possibly use my Oregon Teacher's License that I have maintained valid all this time.

So, it's sad news in some ways. I hate despedidas (goodbyes). There are friends and things about life here we will miss. We know we will look back and always see this as a precious experience in the life of our family. But this is good news too. This feels like a good change at the right time for our family, for us as a couple, and most importantly a chance to live closer to family and friends.

Oregon, ready or not, here we come!