The dust has settled now from our move out of Dallas – and from our journeys north to put things in storage and west to celebrate Christmas and the new year with Katherine’s family. We’re leaving Colorado tomorrow for St. Joseph, Missouri, where we’ll live while we dig in to the work of getting to Germany.
Last month, moving out of the house took longer than we had hoped. As much as we had sold or given away, there was still too much left to fit safely into the trailer we had rented to pull north to Missouri. With God’s help, though, we persevered through that stressful time. We also traded in that trailer for a small truck!
Now both Christmas and the new year have passed, too. The holiday time was refreshing for both of us – we got to rest and play with the boys and with Katherine’s family. And we got to spend time together without the need to deal with stuff or moving or that house that we still own. What a relief!
When it comes to housing, we feel pretty good about both the house back in Dallas and our needs in St. Joe. We have had some good prospects for renters, so hopefully we’ll see someone in there soon. In Missouri, we have arrangements in place through February, and we’re praising God that we might have a place to stay after that as well.
These things come from praying – and waiting. It’s been about a year and a half since we first agreed to go to Germany, and while we’re closer than ever, we still have some work to do. But there’s often a lot of time between God’s promise and His answer, as I heard a pastor point out recently (Mark Gungor, “The Misery of Christmas”). We’re still waiting for Jesus to return, aren’t we? Just as we savor the possibility that each day might be The Day, our family is eagerly waiting for the day when we get on that plane bound for Europe. And just as Simeon and Anna praised God and rejoiced when they finally saw the child they were waiting for (Luke 2:25-28), we too will go completely nuts – spiritually speaking, of course – when we set foot in Holzhausen and see God’s calling fulfilled.
So it’s worth the wait! When you pray for us, please pray for that patience and trust that comes from the Spirit of Jesus. If God’s leading you to get more involved in our ministry, the Wycliffe Links to the right will help you learn more and get started. Happy New Year!
