We just did what some would consider the unthinkable! We moved to another country! I have to admit, it is a bit scary. The unknowns can give one butterflies in the stomach. A new language, a new culture, a new climate...Yes, it's all new, but then again is it? As many of you know, David and I have been living in Germany for the last 14 years. It was a home to neither of us. And it did have many challenges. For David, home was Malaysia. But the move was slightly easier to adjust to due to his mother being Germany, so he had knowledge of the language and an idea of the culture. But for me, an Arizona girl, Germany was completely and totally foreign. The language, weather, culture, and lifestyle was not anything close to what I knew life to be. And somehow, despite the years spent there, German life for me was never something I could get accustomed to. I never really fit in or even felt at peace. Our time in Germany however, grew us in ways unimaginable! Aside from learning to live in a new culture and learning to speak a new language, we learned what it felt like to be alone. In turn we learned to rely completely and fully on one another and to love deeply as a family. And when we did fly back home, whether that was to Malaysia or to America, we experienced a deep appreciation of being with our extended families as though we had been wandering through the desert and finally came across water! But it also ingnited our love for travel. Anything that took us out of cold, rainy Germany was music to our ears! But most importantly of all, we met God again in a new and exciting way. He showed himself to both David and I that set our souls on fire and kindled a new way of living! We set our sites on Mallorca, Spain two years ago when we visited the island and fell in love with it right away! The pull that we felt was hard to explain, so we just wrote it off to the Spanish flair, beaches and great weather. But the allure remained within us and grew each time we returned for a visit. We found ourselves imagining life on an island that reminded us both of home! The sun, the palm trees, the bougainvilleas, the cactus, the houses, the beach, the food, the lifestyle, the people, all possessed components of life we knew in Malaysia and Arizona! But the crazy thing is, as much as it's like home to both of us, it also has elements of Germany! A big reason for that is because Mallorca is a main vacation destination for Germans. Therefore, there are supermarkets, drugstores and restaurants that we are also accustomed to! So, early this year, we began to plan and scheme for what our hearts desired, Mallorca! We had already been downsizing for quite some time, but our new decision ampted things up even more. Finding an apartment or house to rent was no easy task due to the throngs of summer vacationers. However, after several months of search efforts from ourselves and four other people living on the island, an apartment was found in a perfect location providing easy access to the airport for David's work purposes. Not to mention the close vicinity to the beach and shopping. AND the apartment being fully furnished, makes our move from Germany a walk in the park. With that being said, we sold many of our belongings, packed our car full some precious things and clothes and headed off across Europe! We were looking at 1700+ kilometers or 1100+ miles to reach the ferry we would board to our new haven and new ambition! This is only part 1 of a 2-part blog. So, be sure NOT to miss out on my next blog for more on our crazy move to another country! With Love and Blessings! If you're not already following us, CLICK HERE And join in on our wild adventures of culture, personality and fervor! In case you haven't noticed, my website and social media took on a whole new name! Well, it's not mine anymore, it's ours! David and I were noticing that our followers were desiring more of a couples presence. We were receiving emails that were encouraging this idea and well it just made sense to us. Without thinking too much about it the name Cactus and Curry came to me, we had a new logo designed and now we are launching what we are sure will be an encouragement and help to mixed and blended families. Let me give you a little background about who we are and why we believe that we are being called to help in what would be considered complicated or complex families. As you know, we are husband and wife. But we're also travelers, explorers, motivators and best friends. We love God and family over everything. And love to goof around and laugh hard. We're far from perfect but are living proof that true love does exist and that love IS thicker than blood! Everyone said that it would never work. That's there were too many obstacles, too many differences. But they were so wrong! We've accomplished what everyone said was impossible. In our lives, some refer to as crazy, we've built an indestructible, loving, close-knit family that is a wild blend of culture, personality and fervor. We are two people from very different worlds, literally! David (Curry) is of Indian descent and grew up in Malaysia. He is the son of a missionary family and relocated frequently throughout his childhood. Life was challenging due to the more than strict upbringing and constant changes that occurred over the years. He is no stranger to the feeling of rejection and not belonging. He settled in Germany, his mother's homeland, at the age of 17 and finished up his education in the German school system. He continued on shortly after he graduated, to fulfill his dream of becoming an Airline Pilot. On his own means, which was little to nothing, he began his adventure of testing and training and was sent over to Phoenix, Arizona where soon thereafter, met the girl of his dreams, Robin. This is where his healing began. I, Robin (Cactus) come from the desert of Goodyear, Arizona. My childhood was more stable in the sense that I grew up in one town, in one house. However, life for me also had it's challenges. I was adopted as a baby to middle-aged parents. Even though adoption is a great thing, it can cause rejection and abandonment issues in children that often have long lasting affects. This was the case for me as I developed self-esteem problems that led into a course of bad decisions which also included bad relationships. I experienced and overcame addiction issues and divorce. And began a career in finance. It wasn't until I came face-to-face with the love of my life that I began to experience healing. Together, we moved to Germany in 2002, home to neither, along with 2 from 3 of my daughters. It's a been a rough road to say the least, but through those hardships we created a indestructible bond of compassion, patience, gratitude, hope and most of all love, with our now five children that we share together...along with one granddaughter! God is the center of our marriage and our family. And in our house, there is no such things as step, half or adopted children. We are one family bound together by pure love! Having said all that, I must also add that over the past six years, we have received numerous prophetic words from different people that we would one day be involved in ministering to families! Funny thing is, looking back, the people that gave us these words did not even really know us! Here's what I gathered from my journal: In July 2010, Anthony gave a word that our family would be used to change the lives of others. February 2011, a Co-Pastor named Michael said that we would be used to help families using the experiences of the trials we had been through. August 2011, God TV, cameraman Devin said that this family will be used to do great things. March 2012, Pastor from Florida, Joe said we will build a ministry based on family. September 2013, Several Pastors at a conference said that our family would be used greatly. So, there you have it! The purpose and reason behind our new name! We will continue to blog, coach and minister as Cactus and Curry. We want more than anything, for people to realize and KNOW that there is such a thing as true love, love is thicker than blood and that love conquers ALL! And with God, ALL things are possible! With Love and Blessings! If you're not already following us, feel free to do so! And join in on our wild adventures of culture, personality and fervor! P.S. There's some great things happening in our lives that you won't want to miss!
How'd he get him to do that?Just the other day, our daughter was expecting guests. It was in actuality, her 14th birthday party. It wasn't as though we hadn't planned it...
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We're Robin & David, husband & wife, entrepreneurs, explorers & adventurers. We each sprung out of separate parts of the world (Malaysia & Arizona), disembarked together & formed an unbreakable marriage & family out of what once was a complex blend of jumble, whilst living as foreigners in Europe. CURRENT LOCATION
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