All things new
- Jan 11, 2019
- 3 min read
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth,
do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
While I'm not a huge fan of new year's resolutions, I do believe that the passage from one year to the next provides a great opportunity to reflect on the past and plan for the future. I see great value in pausing and asking myself what I have learned over the past year about me, my spouse, my son, God and life in general. When I do not take the time to do this at various moments throughout my life, I find that it is easy to miss out on opportunities to learn and grow. Then, after thanking the Lord for the good and not-so-good circumstances that led to personal growth in the past, I look forward to what's coming and I ask other questions, like what is God speaking to me about the year ahead ? What are His dreams for my life and my family ? What are areas in which I wish to grow ? How I can better love and honor my husband ? How can I decrease so that Christ might increase in my life (John 3:30) ?
As David, Jude and I look ahead to the year 2019, we see change and many new grains ready to sprout in our lives. Not only will our physical situation be changing as we move to the United States, but I also see (and hope for !) spiritual and emotional newness.
Where I have become selfish and lazy, may God humble me and bring new inspiration and drive to my soul.
Where we have lost some of our passion for life, Jesus, activities etc., may God restore our zeal and fervor.
Where our love has turned tepid, may God's holy fire consume our hearts.
Where I have abandoned creativity, may God inspire me and teach me how to make time for it. Where we have allowed frustration and discouragement to take root in our hearts, may God plant joy and thankfulness.
Where we have grown weary, may God renew our strength.
These are some of our prayers for 2019. May God inspire you in your own prayers as you move forward with Him.
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For a quick update: we have been in Switzerland for the past month, enjoying the holidays with family and visiting friends and supporters nearly every single day. We LOVE to reconnect with everyone here, but the endless visits and hauling around a very active one-year-old boy are starting to wear us out and we look forward to returning to Quebec next week. :-) We will be leading the service at our church on Sunday, making a final visit to our good friends in France, and then flying out of Geneva at 07h15 on Tuesday.
We will then hit the Canadian ground running, with only six short weeks left before our big move. We have one last family day (Tribu Enflammée) with our team, Elise will continue with homework help and the prison Alpha course, we will be singing at La Petite Cuillère one last time and leading worship in multiple churches. We also have many people we'd like to see before leaving the country, an apartment to pack up and empty, and of course making sure that everything is in place for us to start well in Minnesota (visas, school application for David, job hunt for Elise, etc.).
Everything is coming at us quickly, and we approach the next chapter of our lives with both excitement and sorrow. BUT our Canadian chapter is not yet over, and our desire and goal is to finish it well, to give 100% of ourselves and to be as present as we possibly can be during the next weeks !
We would appreciate prayer for:
-safe and calm travels back to Quebec (on the way here Jude slept only 2 of the 7 in-flight hours and spent the rest of the time squirming around in our arms, pulling the hair of the woman in front of us, kicking other people's chairs, and pooping)
-wisdom and guidance regarding our final weeks in Canada
-energy and lots of grace as we face all the steps to prepare for our entry into the U.S.A.
-guidance for Elise as she begins her job search
-good, clear communication between Elise and David (always helpful) :-)
-that God's kingdom would come in and through us during our last weeks in Quebec
We love you all !
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