“Do no call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.” Isaiah 43:18-19a, 21
During one of our prayer walks in Croatia last month, an old property jumped out at me. Like the spiritual strongholds we were praying against, this house had stood there for generations. It was in disrepair, yet still holding firm. And this is the verse that God brought to mind, with the prayer that this time, when religion is an identifier, not salvific, when God is a nebulous entity not Immanuel, that this time would be a vague memory. God is already doing something new. He has already formed a people for Himself, in Croatia and in your neighborhood. Will we not be aware of it? Will we not join Him?
Stateside Busy
We continue to be so grateful for your prayers! Since our last update we: finished our training at MTI, visited friends around the midwest and southwest, shared at Argonia Friends Church in Kansas, had three weeks of most of us being “home” in San Diego, Jonelle flew to WA for a dear friend’s memorial service, we had another friend visit us in San Diego. We started gathering documents for visas and did a lot of preparation for our November trip. In early November, Fred and Jonelle flew to Ohio for some EFM meetings and a commissioning at the annual missions banquet. Then we spent a few days in Salem, Ohio visiting Salem First Friends Church and spending time visiting some dear people from that congregation. The kids stayed with Fred’s parents in San Diego. Being in the same place for more than a few weeks was a gift for them.
Prayer/Planning Trip
We flew from Ohio to Split, Croatia, joining up with several teammates on the way. Over the course of the next few days we met with: a representative from our language school, an immigration attorney, a realtor, and a local pastor. We found out that the visa path we had planned on would not work at all (it wouldn’t let us bring our kids) and found another way that should be a really good fit for our first couple of years. We spend time getting a feel for the city and scouting out both what is available in local stores and how much things cost. We prayed around several neighborhoods in the vicinity of the language school.
Then one more teammate joined us and we shifted gears to a prayer trip. We moved to Orebić, visited the closest church and renewed our acquaintance with the pastor. We prayed around the center of Orebić. Then half of our team went home, one person leaving early due to respiratory issues. The rest of us moved to Ploće, spend time praying around town there, and got a bit of rest. We visited friends across the border in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then moved south to Dubrovnik. Lunch with missionary friends there, a visit to the local Baptist church and renewed acquaintance with the leaders there, a respiratory bug in our remaining teammate, and a prayer walk in the Old City. Our last afternoon, as we were debriefing our prayer walk, I started to feel some back pain. It got worse, I ended up in the ER diagnosed with my first kidney stone. Thank God for our missionary friends, they helped us navigate the ER and the urologist the next morning and helped us get to the airport on time to make our flight.
Getting Ready to Move!
Since we got back, life has been a blur of doctor appointments and exams, two ER visits, time with the kids, continuing to get our visa documents in order, meetings. The first kidney stone has passed, but there are two more in my left kidney. While they were looking for the stones, they found that my liver was enlarged. Turns out there is also something there, as yet undiagnosed, that needs to be addressed. We also had a memorial service for Fred’s uncle, who died while we were in Ohio. And got a brief visit with Fred’s brother, who came home for the service.
The current plan is to continue getting through doctor appointments, visa things, packing/sorting, until the end of December. Then drive to Sequim, Washington. Fred will fly to the Philippines for his cousin’s wedding (he’s a groomsman) while Jonelle and the kids enjoy family time and work on packing there. We’ll have one week all together, and a commissioning at our home church. We hope to fly to Split on January 23 and begin language school on February 23.
As you can probably guess, these plans feel a bit hectic and uncertain. We are trusting that God is not surprised by these inconveniences and His timing is good. Please pray with us for continued peace in the process, for energy and focus to get all the things done, for clarity if/when we need to adjust. Our hands remain open, our plans held loosely.
The Kids
Alex talks frequently about moving to Croatia. He continues to be our social butterfly, ready to talk to anyone and ask them all about themselves and their opinions on dinosaurs (Where do you live? Do you have kids? Do you like T rex or Ankylosaurus better?). Jael loves coloring, swings, and singing. Her current favorite game is bathing her toy animals in a tub on the back deckThey play trains and dinosaurs, family and cooking together and it’s really adorable! Their theme song for this season is “Jesus Calms the Storm” by the Gettys, followed closely by “Jesus, Strong and Kind.” They continue to love the book “found: Psalm 23” by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and we’ve added “It Will be Okay” and “He Always Hears.” Reinforcing the lessons they learned at MTI, the things we’ve been talking about in the car, with stories and songs has been helpful for all of us. If you also find yourself in a season of changes, of goodbyes, take a listen and feel His balm “There’s a Rock where I can go, keeps me safe and this I know, deep within my troubled soul, Jesus calms the storm.”
Prayer Requests:
- Please continue to pray that we will draw near to God and find rest for our souls in this time of unknowns and transition.
- Pray for our kids that will know God’s peace and will grow to love Him deeply.
- For physical healing and health, for protection from spiritual opposition in any form it may take.
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