Long time no Post (big news!!!)

Many of you already know this I am sure, but for those of you that don't:

We are moving back to the States in April.

I am going to tell you the longer version, in case you want to know what happened, or you can just stop reading now if you get bored easily.

About five months ago I had a dream that our stuff was packed and we were going home. It was very vivid and disturbed me a lot because I did not want to leave, I love it here, and feel things are going very well. This happened during a time when our community was having a few dreams that seemed meaningful for us. The next day my neighbor had the same exact dream, only he was the subject (I don't think he would have told me otherwise). That same day I was told be FORGE that I needed to have a new sponsor for my visa (which we had already talked about and it was a good thing, just weird timing). That same day I found out that we were ineligible to apply for a permanent resident visa. This was a hard day for me, and I cried a lot. The wife and I talked about what that would mean for our girls, and we were not happy. We talked to the girls about it, and they were a bit upset too. The next day some dear friends sat down with me and I shared everything with them. They said this a good question, when are you going home, just don't be in a rush to answer it, let God reveal it to you. I realized I was planning on being here much longer, and had stopped living with my bags packed.

Well we turned in our new application for visa and waited, and waited, and waited. In the meant time we figured out that Adriahna would not be able to go to uni here because we just can't afford over seas student fees. She began making plans to go back to the states and start Uni there, that made us feel a bit icky. We still have not got an answer from the visa office. This made us begin to be very stressed. My wife and a good friend both had the idea that we should not let the government make this decision for us, but should make that decision ourselves. We took a few weeks of holiday time, and on the first day of this time I remembered a scripture verse out of no where.

Genesis 40:32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

So we talked about it a lot, and ultimately decided that we were not really ready to live 6,000 miles away from our daughter, especially when we can't afford to fly there if needed. We also understand that our communities here are very capable, and will continue without us. We also see some opportunities for ministry back home, especially in light of the connections we have made recently. After trying on the decision and feeling it was right, and speaking with our community and some mentors and friends, we have made this our decision. We believe this is the right path, but as usual hold the reigns lightly.

We were also counseled by a good friend that it was time for us to take a sabbatical. After 22 years of ministry, we believe that was also good counsel, so when we arrive in America we will take four months to "sharpen the saw" I will most likely be doing some theological study, and maybe writing a book.

We will struggle deeply with this move, we love our communities here, and we absolutely love this city. We have made many wonderful friends and pray many of you will come visit us. Thanks for your prayers and support over this time.

john