We had safe and uneventful travel and a very busy first week in
the Netherlands. Most of our time and energy has been focused on getting our
house set up and livable, getting paperwork in order, and meeting the new
students as they have arrived. God has blessed many of the transitional details
and we are getting past most of the paperwork hurdles associated with an international move.
My first class starts tomorrow morning at 9:00! Please pray for
all the new students as they are also transitioning to a new culture and new
living arrangements as they begin studying Greek. The students taking summer classes at Tyndale come from Ghana, Belgium,
Suriname, Ethiopia, Myanmar (Burma), Albania, Nigeria, Finland, Georgia,
Rwanda, Germany, Netherlands, and China. We also have a few students from
America who have come to study on the mission field in Tyndale’s rich
multi-cultural environment. Please remember us in your prayers during this
first week of classes as we also seek to move from the student dorms into our
new house.
At different times during this past year it felt like this day would never come but here it is: we are driving up to NY today and will be flying out of JFK to the Netherlands tomorrow! Unlike last summer where we only taught the summer classes and then returned to the States to continue to raise financial support, this time we are moving to stay and to continue teaching at Tyndale. We are very excited to finally be joining God’s global mission in this capacity and are convinced that by training international Christian leaders at Tyndale we can make a powerful impact on the world! We will share more details of the trip in a later post but for now I just want to share a verse that has become very important to me this past year.
Within a larger section addressing their financial support of his ministry Paul makes this comment to the Philippian Christians: “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account” (Phil 4:17). Paul is clearly not teaching that their giving and support somehow earns salvation, but rather that their financial partnership in his ministry means they will share the credit for the fruit and effects of the ministry. Paul does not desire their money but the fruit that will result from the ministry that would be attributed to their sacrificial generosity.
This has been our heart through this past year of support raising. We are not looking for money but for Christians to join us in this ministry in a way that will make the ministry possible and impact the world for Christ. We can’t do it alone! As Christians we are called by God to join him in his mission to the nations through carrying his presence as his representative everywhere we go. By partnering with us in prayer and/or financial support you are extending your influence and impact to the world through us. We function as a global extension of your ministry and, as Paul makes clear, the fruit of the ministry will be directly attributed to your support! As we finally make the move overseas we are so thankful for the prayer and financial support of God’s people that have made and continue to make this ministry possible. Thank you!
Well, it's time...the suitcases are packed. My Mom, my sweet, wonderful, gracious Mom (you know the one) her house does not look like we are packed. But we are BECAUSE all suitcases are at 50 lbs and that's that...guess we'll make do without the permanent markers, bath robe and various oddities that were in the "take" pile and are now in the "take not" pile!
All silliness aside, I have to be quite honest in saying that the whole "see you soon" thing AIN'T no fun.
You can tell I mean that by the fact I used a word I do not appreciate: ain't.
So a few of our recent "see you soons"...
We were able to go home to Henderson and see our Carey Church family. They are having VBS this week and we miss being a part of that adventure. It's always a joy to go and see the faces of friends, Sunday school teachers, pastor, secretary old and new and enjoy their company.
Last night we said "see you soon" to the Steele Magnolias (it's a long story how we got the name, but we let me sum it up with who we are: four families, now 3 generations, who recognize the importance of loving, learning and leaning on the people God puts in your life!). Not everyone was able to come but it's always a beautiful thing to be with people who you love and who love you through every stage of life. Thankful, thankful, thankful...pictures to come...once I find the camera cord.
This afternoon one of the dearest ladies in my life brought me cookies. Mrs. Null has been my across the street neighbor since my family moved to Albemarle almost 25 years ago. She has been like a grandmother to me in many ways and I have learned so much from her. Her cookies, and everything else, are always perfection...I watched her walk back across the street, thankful but yet another "see you soon".
And then tonight...Aunt Jenny does not have favorites. I love all nieces and nephews equally and I take the pictures to prove it! However saying "see you soon" to my Ariana was so very hard. We both ranked in the sincerely sad. Please pray with me that God will use these times of "see you soon" to draw Ariana and all of our nieces and nephews, friends (old and young), brothers, sisters, parents, in-laws (I prefer "in-loves") and grandparents to Him and not allow satan to trick them into bitterness!
I heard this song on the radio just as I was about to sink into a state
of discouragement (and that is so eloquently put it almost sounds like
it would be slightly lovely, but believe me, it was not
lovely!) and I'm going to share this song with you now...
Next time you hear from me I'll be across the pond...Lord willing! See you soon!
It could have been when I bought the airline tickets.
It could have been when we went to have pictures taken for our residency cards.
It could have been when I watched my boys tell their cousin, Riley, "see you soon" as they held hands and danced about in a circle being silly for a few moments longer all together.
It could have been when Alex told me I could take whatever I can fit into 100 cubit feet of box and I crazily started sorting books, clothes and toys.
It might have been when I realized the 18th marked one month until we drive to NY, the 19th made one month to fly out to Iceland, the 20th would be our arrival to the Netherlands...in one month.
Suddenly we are "leaving" has become we are "going"...
We are excited, we have worked hard, traveled much, packed little, prayed a lot, been blessed by God's people and their excitement to see His kingdom expand by sending our family to Holland to share His love!
We are sad and grieving the distance that will soon exist between parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends, Church Family, and Chic-fil-a :0)
We have many new things ahead of us...life without a car, lots of rain and walking, new language to acquire and the list could go on for a mighty long time! And still I cling to what has become my answer to it all: Rejoice in Hope (and it's not just any hope it's the hope that God gives Romans 12).
So, please hope alongside of us as we say "see you soon", as we get on the plane, as we walk into a new place and people!
A picture of what the front of our apartment will look like, though this is not it, they all look the same ;0)
I really do think that Mother's Day is all that and a bag of chips (make mine jalapeno!) especially when 4 little men with the help of one big Daddy man try to make it so very special! And they made it special not just for me but for Meme (my Mom) too! Can we just say Jenny and Karen is "spoilt" by the Stewart boys?! If it sounds like I'm bragging it's because I am; in a very thankful for what I've been given kind of way!
We were spoiled with good picture taking.
We were spoiled with going to McAlister's Deli for lunch (one of our favorite places, and not just because we love the name).
We were spoiled with our all time favorite: a trip to Target and then to
Old Navy all just for the fun of it!
It was a wonderful day complete with seeing our van, Bessie, hit a fun milestone of 202020 on her odometer (I mean really, how often does that happen?)
So, this random post if from me to you to say I am thankful for my lovely Mother's Day and I just wanted you to know it!
So, there's this song. The kind of song you hear and realize that if you were clever enough you would have written it because it's what your heart, soul, mind is aching to sing. You want to know what that song is for me these days? Okay here it is...
Just in case you don't want to listen to the whole 5 minutes here are the words...
"One Thing Remains" by Jesus Culture
Higher than the mountains that I face Stronger than the power of the grave Constant in the trial and the change One thing... Remains (repeat)
On and on and on and on it goes It overwhelms and satisfies my soul And I never, ever, have to be afraid One thing remains
Your love never fails, never gives up Never runs out on me (3x)
In death, In life, I'm confident and covered by the power of Your great love My debt is paid, there's nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love This time last year I felt like I was facing a mountain as we had just finished packing our van and the U-haul said good bye one more time to friends we loved and the house we called "home" for 4 years. Of course, while it felt life threatening at the time, it wasn't and while the constant trial of change has followed us (but let's be real when doesn't it?) "one thing remains"! God's love has not failed us, given up or run out and it's by His grace we have survived this far and are able to face the next mountain.
THE U-haul...
"home"
"Bessie" the van with bikes on top!
There is still a lot of change ahead for our family. We start packing, start facing all the "see you soons" we need to say before we go for awhile, start planning for the ministry God has called us to be a part of at Tyndale. I'm a mix of emotions but I know one thing remains! His love NEVER fails, gives up or runs out!
Taken just a day or two before we moved. We kept our tradition of sitting in the yard and reading books until Daddy got home from work! We also waved at the school buses that went by (waiting for Mrs. Pat's bus even when she wasn't driving one anymore), talking to the neighbors (Jordan family and Anna we miss you!) and hoping the mailman was going to bring a package!
