Coxes Quarterly

posted by Ted on Jun 4

Can you believe this is 510lbs of luggage?  How about that this doesn’t include our carryons in the trunk of the other car? 

Our first stop was Boston’s Logan International Airport.  You can see the sign above the kid’s heads, but it’s a bit hard to read.  Frankfurt, Germany, 3671 Miles.

Faith was very excited to change some left over birthday money into Euros.

Shortly before we boarded the plane, Faith asked me, “Daddy, is this real?  Because this happens to me all the time, and then I wake up and it wasn’t real.”

This is as real as it gets.  Somewhat the worse for wear after 15 hours of travel, we arrived in Basel, Switzerland, our luggage trailing endlessly off into the horizon…

We looked a lot better the next day after a little bit of rest.

Day two in Germany, after some settling, setting up a bank account, and registering with the town, we took the kids to see the storks in Holzen, a near by village.

One of the most incredible blessings God has provided for us as we arrived here, has been the tremendous support we have received from the Greater Europe Mission staff people.  In this picture, you can see Brandy with Sara Meyer, wife of my supervisor, Jim, admiring the storks.  Because we’re such a large family, the Meyers have been driving us everywhere in two cars, which since we’re running many errands trying to work out school for the kids, navigating the German buerocracy, and get heating oil for our house (which is preventing us from having hot water) the Meyers have been a tremendous help.  Not to mention they’ve been acting as interpreters for us.  But they aren’t the only ones!  Our neighbors down the street, the Bonhams, put us up in their home for several nights, and they and the Meyers have been taking turns feeding us since we got here.

Saturday morning, GemStone Media had our first team building event, as the whole crew traveled to nearby Switzerland to view some Roman ruins.  It was a nice time, allowing the kids to get a sense of Europe’s rich cultural history, and giving us a chance to connect with our new colleagues.

For Isaac and Faith, it was another great excuse to have an ice cream.

In so many ways this is such a surreal experience.  We wake up each morning and look out at the farmer’s fields on the other side of the hill, and the mists make everything hazy and dream like.  I keep having to remind myself this isn’t a dream.  Part of our training was to prepare us for culture shock.  We’re in the tourist phase now, where everything is charming and wonderful.  But lingering our there in the distance are the language barrier, all the little cultural snags we’re just beginning to learn, like always saying hello and good bye, and not calling people you see in the distance.  Little things we don’t think about, but which can be very rude here.

Because I’ve been here on several short trips the last five years, I keep having the same problem Faith had in the airport.  I keep forgetting we’re not leaving in a few days.  This is home now.  It’s an awesome feeling.  After five years of working, it’s finally real.  I can pinch myself and not wake up.  :)  Our God is so incredibly good.

Over the next several months, we have to balance the demands of language school, setting up our household, helping the kids get acclimated, and building working relationships with our team.  Unfortunately, it’s way too easy to make language our bottom priority, but we need to stay focused.  I hope you’ll pray along with us, that God will keep us focused.

Bless you all, and thanks for all the ways you have prayed us here!

posted by Ted on May 27

Library Fine $0.05

Flowers for teachers $10.00

Space bags $30

Shipping boxes to Germany $340

Less than 24 hours until we leave for Germany… Priceless

posted by Ted on May 26

Some time back, the Women’s Fellowship here gave Brandy a membership to Mystic Seaport about 50 minutes down the road from where we’re living here. We enjoyed our trip to Mystic very much, and had been intending to go back for some time. On our final family outing in Connecticut, returning to Mystic seemed a fitting way to say goodbye to this place where so much has happened to us.

Because it was Memorial Day, Mystic was reenacting a Memorial Day ceremony from shortly after the civil war, complete with a church service, parade and floating flowers out of the harbor. It was more solemn than I expected, but it was great reminder of what Memorial Day is all about.

She’s so pretty.

Yep. Her too.

Yeah… And her.

What scheme is Isaac plotting here? I see rope… This could be dangerous.

Isaac wrestled a whale while Faith had a snack and Britt nearly became one.

It was a very nice day.

posted by Brandy on May 25

God is so good! I know in scripture the number 40 is significant. In Genesis it rained 40 days and nights in preparation for the world to have a new beginning. Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days. When he came down he had the directions for making the tabernacle and the arc, in preparation for God to dwell among His chosen people. The Israelites were in the desert for 40 years before entering their promised land. Christ was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by satan before He began His public ministry. We left Colorado 40 weeks ago.

I have to believe that God had this move to Connecticut planned all along. Each of us has learned some extremely important lessons and some fun ones along the way. We were told over and over today that Britt was a very specific answer to prayer. The teen leaders had been praying for a “spark plug” to come and light a fire in the teen club. For all of you that know Britt and know her well, that describes her to a T. I was brave enough to take up playing the djembe. It’s great fun! Faith has learned how to make new friends and learned that “when you’re stuck and can’t really get out, God tries to help you.” Isaac has found a love for soccer and his exceptional trumpet talent while here. He also learned that he loves small communities, which is a huge benefit because our community in Kandern will definitely be small. We’ve all learned very exciting things, but what I can’t wait to find out is what was all this in preparation for? Each time in scripture the 40 days/weeks/years were in preparation for something. So what awesome ministry opportunities does God have in store for us? I can’t wait to find out and share with each of you.

But the first exciting thing we would like to share with you after our 40 weeks is this morning Pastor Paul challenged the congregation of Calvary Chapel to meet our last $95/mo need. We were hugely blessed by not only the $95/mo but $135/mo in new pledges! Our God is good. We are currently at 102%! It’s still 102% of our reduced budget which is very tight, but regardless it’s another amazing blessing from the Lord. We want to thank each of you for your prayers and support of us during these last couple of years while we worked on support-raising. God was preparing us for His work. We can’t wait.

posted by Ted on May 24

Our prayer letter is out for May and June.

posted by Ted on May 23

Since we announced our date, a lot of people have said to me, “you must be so excited.” And my response has consistently been affirmative. After five years of working, trusting, and hoping, we’re finally seeing God’s calling in our lives coalescing before us. What’s not to be exited about?

Today we hit one of the hard parts. For literally years, we’ve been saying goodbyes. One of the downsides of living in limbo is you never really know when the next time you’ll see someone is. I’ve said goodbye to my brothers and parents many times now, and while each time is difficult, I know that it really isn’t a goodbye because I’ll see them again. Even if I don’t see them again in this life, I know they’ll be there with me in the next.

That isn’t true in every case. Tonight we had to say goodbye to our dog, Aslan. She’s been with us for nine years, since she was just a few week old puppy. While she hasn’t always been the best behaved dog, she has been a fierce lover and protector of us. She’s going to live with some wonderful animal lovers here in Connecticut. But will we ever see her again? At nine years old, it’s doubtful.

That wasn’t the only goodbye of the evening though. Just across the way, the Calvary Chapel teens have put together what they’re calling a coffee house. I didn’t actually see any coffee, mostly soda, and junk food, but the idea is similar. They all hang out in a big room and take turns performing, and — in this case — trying to share the gospel in innovative ways.

Not surprisingly, Britt managed to bring together not just her church friends, but a large contingent of unchurched friends as well (which seemed to be predominately made up of male admirers). She had a great time, and refrained from being even slightly dramatic. (wink).

Note: this isn’t one of the skits. This is just a candid of her chatting with friends.

Amid the skits, contests, speeches and even a girl solving a scrambled Rubick’s cube in just over a minute, Britt sang her goodbye.

She chose a song by Barlow Girl called Here’s My Life. It’s a song that explores fairly deeply the feeling of loss that we experience when we have to sacrifice for God while reaffirming the commitment to make the sacrifice. The chorus says:

And God I’m crying out tonight
Cause I’ve given You my life
But I’m tired and I’m missing what’s behind
So once more here’s my life

If you know Brittany, you can imagine the passion she poured into the song as she sang it.

She’s wrapping up the evening with a sleep-over/friend-a-thon at Aslan’s new home, hopefully easing our dog’s transition, and giving her a chance to say a longer farewell to some of her dearest friends here.

In truth, we have it so easy compared to so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s almost silly for me to be writing about this. However, coming from our comfortable American life, giving up our beloved dog, and saying hard goodbyes is tough stuff. God keeps asking me this week, what am I unwilling to give up? I fear to even answer the question. The perversity of my human nature wants to respond “haven’t we given up enough already?” And yet I’ve a dear brother in Africa trying to balance the safety of his family against the calling God is laying on his life. My sacrifices are pretty petty, but they still hurt.

Bless you all.

posted by Ted on May 22

Brandy rescued a baby bunny from highway 14

Isaac had his band concert

Note: he’s a fifth grader playing in the Middle School advanced band his first year playing!

And I got new glasses. I put on the shirt prior to getting my vision checked, however.

posted by Ted on May 21

Oops!  I skipped eight.  I was never really a numbers guy…

We packed yesterday (and Brandy unpacked again this morning).  We’re trying to work out exactly how much we can take on the plane with us.  I keep thinking space will be at a premium, but the problem is really weight.  Each checked bag can be 50lbs.  That sounds like a lot, but it really doesn’t take much to make a bag that heavy.

Today we’re making calls and canceling things.. internet services, supplemental medical plans, all those things we needed here in Connecticut that won’t do us an ounce of good in Germany.  It’s amazing how many tiny pieces there are to a move like this.  Thanks so much for your prayers.  We need them.

posted by Ted on May 19

Another frantic day of errand running is now behind us. I’m writing from Brandy’s computer while Apple puts a new superdrive in mine. We exchanged a mountain of email with the Meyers today hammering through details. Britt has spent most of the night on the phone. Brandy is getting very task oriented, and Isaac is encouragable. Everyone deals with stress in their own way.

Yesterday in church, the sermon was given by a missionary to Turkey who we’ve gotten to know a little while we’ve been here. He began by talking about how his life was going down hill until he found Christ. That thought has lingered with me because it is so much easier to go down hill. Down hill we can coast, up hill is always work. Getting this far has really been an up hill battle for us. I don’t like up hill. I want to coast. One of the lessons God has been teaching me, though, is that coasting down hill is just a quick trip to the pits. My walk with the Lord, following in His will is always going to be work. It’s always going to be up hill. When I’m exhausted and I can’t go any further, He may carry me, but the journey is always climbing, because at the end of the road is the most incredible summit we can imagine. That’s the goal. This side of eternity we will never get there, but we have to keep climbing.

posted by Ted on May 18

I’m predicting there may only be 9 more posts in the “When do we leave” and “Progress to the field” categories.

Our May newsletter went out today on email. I’m uncertain what we’re going to do for print, but it’s likely to be disappointing by comparison this time (and somewhat late), so if you have a chance, check it out online here:

http://www.coxesquarterly.com/cq-email/cq-2008/May.html

posted by Ted on Mar 15

This month’s newsletter is out. We’ve got exciting news I think you’ll all want to read. Note the countdown I’ve added to the sidebar.

posted by Ted on Oct 19

I’ve noticed that we are getting more hits on “When Do We Leave?” than on everything else on the site combined. I’d love to give you a hard and fast departure date, but I can’t. We need $729 in new monthly support, and then we can buy plane tickets, and set a date. We’re working hard to find partnerships to bring in that support. You can be a part of the effort though. God has the money, every dollar of our support. It’s out there. You are a critical piece of this. Please pray with us, that God will reveal our final partners to us, and pray also that God will soften the hearts of those partners. The truth is that sometimes when God calls us to give we resist. So pray, that God will soften that resistance. Of course, in addition to praying, you could take on a segment of that $729 yourself. If you’re already a giver, and things are tight, maybe you could take on just $5 more. If you feel the Lord nudging you in this way, please click the GIVE link above. We’d love to have your partnership!

posted by Ted on Jun 8

I wanted to do something a little different this month. Ordinarily, each month we send out an email so that those people who have asked to receive prayer updates can pray for us. Every three months or so, we send out our newsletter. However, since we’re trying to leave in August, I wanted to go ahead and send out a more regular update to everyone and thought I would combine it with our prayer letter.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. - Psalm 27:14

What does it mean to you to wait? If you’re like me, waiting is probably not your strong suit. John Ortberg, in his excellent book The Life You’ve Always Wanted, talks about the need to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry” from your life. As examples of this, he suggests standing in the longer line at the grocery store, and driving to and from work in the slow lane of traffic. The idea is that in doing these things, we will learn to relax and enjoy the moment, rather than always rushing to get to the next thing. I think that definitely has applicability in terms of waiting on the Lord. The apostle Paul says in 4:12:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

It’s very difficult to be content when you’re waiting. That has been a big struggle for us this past year and a half. Far from getting easier, it gets continually more difficult. How do we ask our kids to say goodbye to their friends again, not knowing for certain that they won’t wind up going back to school next year? Many of you have asked us when we’re going to leave. A year ago, we answered that question confidently. Today, we generally say it’s up to God. We don’t know when He’ll send us. More and more, we shrug off the possibility of fall back plans, we commit more fully to the mission where God has called us. I keep thinking that it should get easier, the waiting. With enough exposure the rush to get there, the need for action, this painful limbo will somehow stop being so painful.

So how do we end it? There are really only two options. 1) We can quit. We can say, this isn’t working, and walk away. It has happened. Other mission candidates have done it. But absent a change in calling from God, how could we do that? It would be saying no to the Lord. Telling Him that He isn’t in charge, we don’t trust Him, and He isn’t big enough. So that really isn’t an option. That leads us to the other: 2) Committed believers, like you, partner with God through our ministry.

Today, we have 70% of the funding we need to leave for the field. If we can get to 90% we can set a date. Not one we “think” is the right one, the final date. We can buy plane tickets. The difference is $1600 in monthly giving. If we can find people who will partner with us for that money this month, we can make it to Germany in August. There’s probably someone reading this who could do that $1600/mo by themselves. If so, I hope the Lord will move your heart to step up, but for most of us that’s way beyond our means. However, there is strength in numbers. A lot of people will be receiving this letter. If each of you does what you can, we’ll have all that we need! You may be thinking we’re asking for each of you to join our support team at an unreasonable amount. We are not. We are only asking you to do what you can. We have supporters that range from $10/month to over $500/mo. EVERY amount adds up. For those of you who are on our team already, we are SO very appreciative. We would not be here if it weren’t for your generosity.

I’m sure there are those of you, who simply able to give monthly. The truth is we don’t only need monthly donors. We need some outgoing monies to get us through language school, settled in Germany, and to cover moving expenses. Currently, that need is about $50,000. You could make a gift to God’s work in Europe without making a monthly commitment, or you could help us by hosting a fund-raiser. People have done musical concerts, golf tournaments, one group actually held a run they called running their missionaries out of town.

We hope that you will take this moment to pray earnestly about what God wants you to do, how He wants to partner with you in ministry.

We pray His rich blessings on you.

Ted and Brandy Cox

Philipians 4:6:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

posted by Brandy on May 5

Our date of departure is Aug 15, 2007. We originally were hoping for July 31, 2006, but God had different plans. August 15th is crucial for many reasons. Our team is in desperate need of our help sooner rather then later. If we get 100% before Aug 15 we will be jumping at the opportunity to fly earlier, but the 15th is the very latest we’d like to leave. The kids school year starts Aug 28th. They will need the two weeks to get over jet lag, before trying to begin a new school year in a different country, school, etc. The chances we have of finding a house in those two weeks are very slim, but we might be able to begin looking and find one shortly after they start school which will help all of us begin to make a new home in Europe.

posted by Ted on Nov 22

“What? You’re still here?”

I can’t tell you how often we’re asked this question. It is a difficult question to answer. Initially, our goal was to leave July 31st, 2006. Several target dates have come and gone since then. The pace of fund-raising has changed radically — several times, and we have grown to a whole new acceptance of who is doing the planning. The closest to a leading from the Lord we have right now is July 31st, 2007. Perhaps we had the right date to begin with and just got the year wrong. Certainly, if God provides we’ll be happy to leave sooner.

While God is at work in many ways preparing for our departure (transforming our hearts, teaching us new skills, growing us as believers, etc), a significant piece of the puzzle remains your partnership. For that reason, I would encourage you to skip over to the “How Can I Help?” section of the FAQ.

posted by Ted on Jun 30

“What? You’re still here?”

I can’t tell you how often we’re asked this question. It probably should have been up here long ago, but it is a difficult question to answer. Initially, our goal was to leave July 31st. Today as I write this (June 29th) I’ve just posted the wonderful news that we’ve raised half of our support. As excited as we are, it seems pretty unlikely we’ll raise the other half in 1 month. It has taken us about six months to raise the first half, and so it would be fairly realistic to say we’ll probably leave in January. If that’s God’s will, then so be it. However, we’d like to see it happen faster, and goals are an important part of what drives us. So we’re now aiming to leave October 31st. That gives us four months to raise our remaining funds, get through prefield training and get to the field.