This last year (actually the past 3 months alone) has been big for us. After many years of "routine" and not seeming like things are moving ahead (from the outside that is) everything starts to happen at once! The end of January we listed our home on the market. This was a big step as it took us a year to finally get it on the market. We signed to list on a Tuesday night. We had 4 showings between Wednesday and Thursday and Friday we were accepting an offer! Pure craziness!
We had seen a home we were interested in before we put our house on the market and this home was still available after our house sold. So we headed over to see once again. Yes, this still seemed like a very good house for us. After seeing several other houses in the same price range we were looking in we just didn't see anything that compared to the first house. We put an offer on the house and within a week we had sold and bought a home!
Over the course of several weeks we packed up our old house and prepared the "new" (1940!) house for our family to move into. Lots of work was done within a 2 week span. 12-14 hour days at the house was the norm.... the great part was the kids got used to being at the house without having to sleep there right away. The challenging part was the long transition time which wore on all of us after awhile.
Our big move happened March 22. We had so many wonderful friends and family to help us. It's always a big job, but our friends rallied and really made it a great day. We had the beautiful gift of a meal provided for our workers for the day as well as some meals made for us right before we moved. Words cannot express the gratefulness we feel for all the love showered on us during this time!
We just started to settle in and we went out of town for 1/2 a week to the homeschooling conference. Just before we left I got a call from my mom that it was time to come and say "good-bye" to my grandma. I think my sister said it best this past weekend, at grandma's memorial service, when she said my grandma is woven into our lives. She's part of the fabric that makes us who we are. We are glad she is released from the grip of dementia, however we will miss her. She was much loved by all of us just as she loved us so much.
My hope is that we will once again enter a season of "routine" for awhile. My hubby would laugh out loud at that! I am the one who hates routine, but I have to say I'm ready for some! It's really been a crazy past year... it seems one thing after another has come up and it's been a challenge to attend to daily life.
In the midst of all of this God is working within our family even more than what others see on the outside. Our marriage has sustained quite possibly the most challenging year we have ever had. The refining fire has burned continuous and as hot as ever. We understand that God is doing a work in us that needs to be done. He is creating us to be more and more like Him and doing that as a couple is one of the most challenging things I think we will ever do. We've lived almost 19 years doing life pretty much individually. That is not what God has in mind for us... and He is showing us that! Sometimes we fight it, sometimes we surrender. In the end, somehow we grow to depend more on our Savior and more on each other. That's a good thing.
The children and I have been reading through missionary stories for the past couple years. This is one of our favorite times of the day. We are amazed at the way God chooses to work through people and what they are capable of as they surrender to God. I would have to say though, I don't think any of our children will EVER ride on a ship! Way too many stories of scary things happening on voyages on the water! A sweet nugget was sent my way as one of our children realized God working in our life recently as she said, "That's just like..... from the missionary stories!" Oh the joy of God teaching your children directly and not through you! One of my greatest joys will be to see how God works in and through each of our children's lives as they grow. I know in my heart each one is being prepared in a very special way to serve Him.
So, we are often asked, "How is Japan coming?" That is such a tough question to answer in the few minutes these conversations often take place in. From the outside about the only "new" thing is we have moved. Smaller house, smaller mortgage. Getting used to living in closer quarters as well as a place that will be easy to rent out at some point is part of our preparation. All good things. But no progress specifically directed at Japan.
I cannot even begin to express the work God has been doing within us this past year. Lots of humbling. Lots of tearing down of walls. Lots of growing. Lots of refining. All tough, but all good. Every day it seems more and more is revealed to us that we need to get in order. We know the mission field is tough. A good friend of ours, in his prayer request for the week, recently said, "No marriage. No mission." So right. Not that we'll have everything together before we leave, but God is making sure we are far enough along that our marriage will not be compromised in the midst ministry.
Our next step? (as I am often asked) Well, as far as we can tell it is to settle into this new house, new routine and refine our budget and finances to fit our new situation. We are excited to meet new neighbors and developing new friendships. Moving to the other side of Rochester is *almost* like moving to a different town! We are living close to the middle of town in a very eclectic area which is very different from where we've lived before. It almost feels to us like a "trial run" of living a wee bit out of our comfort zone before we live A LOT out of our comfort zone!
After this period our next step will be to choose a mission organization. We have not firmly decided on an organization so we will need to finalize that decision and then start the process toward mission work in Japan. An exciting prospect for sure, however after this move I have a better understanding of the enormity of the task ahead.
I'm so grateful that God only asks me to focus on today. That He gets to take care of tomorrow. That's comforting. I'm happy to lay that at my Jesus' feet. His burden is never too large. Sometimes I feel like a child clutching my burdens in my hands such as a small child who has picked up sand in both hands and wants to pick up a toy, but cannot hold anything else. It is these two fist fulls of sand I must lay at my Master's feet. He is happy to pick up that sand (and more)... and for that I am grateful!
Please continue prayers for our family... for our marriage, for our kids to settle into a new routine in a new home as well as for us to know clearly when the time is right to pursue a mission organization. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many of you who care for and love us! Thank you!
Love,
Robyn
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