The Next Chapter...

FINALLY, I can make this official announcement! Stephen and I are going to be moving to.........Almaty, Kazakhstan! Yeah! (The crowd goes wild.....)

No, not Pakistan. No, not Afghanistan. No, not any of those scary -stan countries that you see in the news all the time. Kazakhstan is a peaceful country that sits just to the south of Russia, northwest of China, and north of Uzbekistan and Kyrgystan and east of the Caspian Sea. I suggest you google it - you'll be surprised!
You may be asking, "Why are you moving there?"

• Answer: Stephen has been given a wonderful opportunity to work with a private equity fund there.

You: Can't you do that in the US?

• Answer: Of course. However, the people that Stephen will be meeting are people that will only be met in this realm. It will be a great move for Stephen's career.

You: How long will you be there?

• Answer: The time commitment is three years.

You: When will you be there?

• Answer: July 1

You: And what will you, Beth, be doing?

• Answer: I already have a job with a new British school that is starting up in the fall, teaching 7-8 year olds (second graders).

You: How do you know you'll like it?

• Answer: We spent 6 days in Almaty a couple of weeks ago. I know 6 days isn't much, but it was enough for us to see that we can see ourselves living there. It reminded us a lot of Denver, probably what it was like back in the '70's.

You: Where will you be living?

• Answer: My school has staff housing, which we have chosen to take advantage of at a very subsidized rate. They are building brand new mansions and dividing them into 2-3 bedroom condos. They're in a gated community, about 10 minutes from downtown (Stephen's work) and 10 minutes to my school.

You: Are you excited?

• Answer: YES! Stephen and I were just talking last night again about how it is so clear that He has laid this path for us so plainly. We feel like we could not not go. If we didn't go, we would definitely be dealing with knowing that we're going against what He has planned for us. The fact that I got a job the first day we were visiting, we also lined up housing through that, I really like my boss (the headmaster), Stephen is really excited about his job and the people he'll be working with, and we just found out last night that there is a young couple going there for an indefinite amount of time. They have a little baby and are moving there the middle of May. We will definitely be calling them up!

You: What are you most worried about?

• Answer: Being so far away from our family and friends. However, we thank Him that we live in a world now where communication is so easy. We will, of course, have internet service. So, email is still the number one way. But also, SKYPE will be used all the time! If you don't know what SKYPE is, check it out. It's a FREE service online (just create an account) and you can make phonecalls and video phonecalls to anyone who has an account, anywhere in the world. You don't have to have a webcam, but if you want to see us, you do. If you are interested in contacting us, email me and I'll let you know what our SKYPE user name is and you can find us. We tried this while we were there and were very pleased at the quality. Plus, we live in the age where anywhere is just a plane ride away. :) (Yes, that's my subtle way of telling you that you should come visit!)

I am in the middle of trying to figure out how to pack everything up in our tiny apartment! And, how to pack for two different places. We are only taking our clothes and a few sentimental items to KZ and sending the rest back to good, old CO.

So, that's the basic low-down for now. Obviously, this blog will get very interesting for the next three years! I'll be sharing all about our life and experiences there, so you'll have to make a habit of checking on the blog on a regular basis.

We love you all and are so excited about this next chapter in our lives. If you think of it when you lay down at night, please say a little prayer for us. That's all we need right now!

Click here and here to find out more about Kazakhstan!