“See, I am doing a new thing….” Isaiah 43:19a
New Place – Signs of Settling
When we decorated for Christmas a couple weeks ago, I realized that when the decorations were packed away only eleven months ago, I had no idea they would be moved to a new house in a different state for Christmas 2013. A lot can change in a short time. Moving brings stress in a myriad of ways, but I believe one of the hardest for a mom is the concern for her children and their adjustments. In February, as it became clear the Lord was calling us to Phoenix, my heart broke for our son who would be starting his senior year of high school in the fall. But on Thanksgiving Day as we gathered around the feast, we joined hands as family and friends, and each of us expressed a word of gratefulness. Derek, my high school senior, was one of the first to speak. “I’m thankful we moved to Arizona,” he said with heartfelt sincerity. That was one of the sweetest Thanksgiving blessings this momma has ever heard!
New Church: Wellspring – Our Facility Needs are Met
When you start a church from scratch, there are numerous considerations that aren’t factors in established churches. One of the most important considerations is where to meet. Our first couple of months in Arizona we spent hours researching options in the area. In the end, we landed at a local elementary school. It is a beautiful facility with a gorgeous courtyard, good parking, easy access to the gym for services, two playgrounds and basketball courts, easily accessible bathrooms and nice classrooms. Chris got approval from the district to rent the gym, cafeteria and six classrooms, but soon after, he found out we actually would not be able to use any of the classrooms because none of the teachers had agreed to it. We understood why they would hesitate since it was risking the cleanliness and orderliness of their rooms, but we also knew it would be almost impossible to run a good program for preschoolers and children without access to individual rooms. The Wellspring launch team prayed for two months that a few teacher’s hearts would be open to giving us a chance. Just before Thanksgiving we received an email from the principal telling us that three rooms had opened up for our use, including the preschool room located just across from the gym where we hold services! This was just in time for our first morning preview service on Sunday, Dec. 15th. We have two more “trial run” Sundays (Jan. 12th and 26th) before our big church launch on February 9th.
New Family Members – Last Step!
When we started the adoption process, a friend told us that international adoption is not for the faint of heart. We definitely “amen” that statement. After two years of paperwork, seeking signatures for affidavits, court orders and more, the adoptions were approved in an African court. We have two new family members as of Oct. 21st. and Oct. 23rd. Now to get them here! Having received the last needed document, we were able to get the visa application and all the necessary papers in the mail on the eve of Thanksgiving, and we are so thankful for that. We hope to have our visa appointments by February and bring them home before Spring Break. I can hardly wait to share pictures and details about our additions!
Thank you for praying for us as we continue to settle in, wait for God to provide for Wellspring Church, and soon help transition into our home two new children from a foreign land. God is good and we give him all the thanks and the praise!