"Have Fun on Your Trip"
Friends! Can you believe our time in CA is rapidly coming to a close? Put another way, we have less than 6 months left in the States before we move our family to Papua New Guinea.
Six. Months.
For a lot of our friends who are moving across the globe in the next couple weeks, 6 months might sound like a long time. In fact, they might even wish that they could borrow some of that time to tie up loose ends and get all those last minute things done that undoubtedly pop up before you move. But in reality 6 months is not a very long time.
So what are we up to? Every day is different, but our primary objective is to serve our local churches and reconnect with supporters - many of you!
Oh and also to prepare for our big move to Papua New Guinea!
Moving overseas is nothing like a short-term missions trip, and vice versa. It’s not a vacation or a little getaway. The paperwork, never ending purging and packing, vaccinations, and wrapping up life here are no small tasks. And for every step forward, there have been an equal amount of setbacks that have made simple tasks inch along slower than anticipated.
For instance, remember that little piece of paper you received when walking across the stage at your high school graduation that everyone said you’d never need? Or how about the other one you received at your college graduation validating all of those sleepless nights? Well, low and behold, apparently we do need them to legitimize our visas, and somehow Michael and I have both misplace one of them. The soonest they can get a replacement? 12 weeks. Set back.
Or how about those potential side effects from the 7 vaccinations we each received that only 1 in 100 people get? Yeah, I got all of them. Another set back that had me on the couch for 3 days making it difficult to lift my arm or move because of nausea and pain.
Obviously in the grand scheme of life, neither of these examples are a big deal, and the setbacks that each of them caused were minor. But the desire to be efficient and productive is challenged when things don’t go as planned and we are learning to develop a sense of humor for the things we can’t control. Our well-intentioned desire to be present is often at odds with the mile long “to do” list that doesn’t seem to shrink. But despite any of our transitional struggles, we are so grateful for this season where a majority of our responsibilities are relational in nature.
We have so enjoyed getting to already meet with so many of you who faithfully and consistently support us - a highlight of our time back home. We know so many of these relationships will carry over for the next 10-20 years and it’s a privilege to reconnect and hear what the Lord is doing.
It has been an odd and confusing season of life as we prepare for our entire lives to change, but the Lord has been so faithful throughout these 5 years of calling us back to Papua New Guinea. And in this season of preparation and plugging back in, He continues to be so faithful.
He provided when we had an unexpected tuition payment of $4,000 and the next day someone handed us a check for that exact amount.
He has provided unexpected community and new friendships in this season that have been a joy and a blessing.
He has provided rest as a family that we didn’t realize how badly we needed.
And most recently after dropping $1600 on vaccinations last week, we received a one-time gift from someone that nearly covered the entire cost.
Sometimes there are seasons where it is more difficult to see the Lord’s provision in our life than others, but there are also times when we come face to face with His goodness. We don’t pretend to do this alone, and we are in no way capable of embarking on this journey without the power of the Spirit and team of a supporters holding the ropes.
Thank you to those who continue to faithfully support us through prayer, encouragement, or finances. It takes a village to reach a village and we are consistently so grateful for this awesome team of people that we get to do this ministry with.