Old Year, New Year

Christmas kids (our kids with their cousin)

We didn’t stay up and watch the ball drop this New Year’s Eve, but we’ve taken the opportunity to reflect on the year past and the year to come. It’s a bit strange to have our year so defined by a place, but 2012 was France, and now that it is 2013 our expectations and thoughts turn toward the islands.

Megan and our 2yr old read a book he got for Christmas

“So, how was France?”  It’s a question we’ve been getting a lot and the answer is that is was a very good year.  For starters we learned a lot of French.  We got a strong foundation for a language that will be very useful for us in the future.  We enjoyed being students again, though we now have more understanding for those who balance being students with having young children (one of the biggest challenges of the year).  Thankfully our kids loved our life in France--especially our oldest who loved going to school!  Plus, we welcomed our youngest into our family!  It was a good year.

And what about the New Year?  What are we looking forward to?  In a word: the Islands.  As most of you probably know, we are here in the States just until early February when we return to Africa and the Islands.  Now we’ve lived on the Islands already for more than two years, so isn’t it all familiar?  Well, it is and it isn’t.  We’re going back to the Islands which means favorite island foods, island sunsets over the ocean, island rainbows, and island mountains, community living and island friends, brothers and sisters. 

Stanford was in the Rose Bowl so...

But even though we’re going back to the islands, we’re moving to a new location - a new island, a new town, a new house and new neighbors!  We’re going back to the islands, where we already speak the language, but we’re going to be learning a new dialect - new language helpers, new vocabulary, new pronunciations.  We’re going back to the Islands, but we’re going to new roles as team leaders, getting ready for a new team full of new teammates to join us in November.  This also means new responsibilities, new challenges and new requirements on our time.  It also means that for the first 9 months before our teammates arrive, we’ll be on our own.  We’re going back to the islands, but with three kids instead of two and our kids are getting bigger which means we have to figure out new issues like schooling.  We’re going back to the same islands, but we’re going to have a lot of new challenges. 

Did we mention that Stanford was in the Rose Bowl?

We receive a good reminder through one of our kids’ memory verses... “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Our time in France is done, our time in the US is very limited, then it’s back to the islands, but through it all we know that God will watch over us and as we trust in him we learn more and more to be content in whatever situation (or place) we find ourselves. 


PRAYERS ANSWERED
We thankful to be able to enjoy a relaxing week with family. We finished our new blog design, new magnet and new flyer. (We’re mailing the magnets/flyers out this week-- email us your address if you’d like one.)

The kids with their "Silly Uncle"

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our old teammate has another month of homestay ahead of her, continue to pray for her and her impact in that village. Pray for the women of the islands.  Recently a couple of women have expressed interest in learning more about the most important things in life.  As always continue to pray for the spread of light and hope among the island peoples.