Serenity
- Apr 6, 2019
- 4 min read
"the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil"
This is exactly what was lacking after our move to the U.S.A.
Rather than allowing ourselves the time to fully arrive,
to reflect on all of our experiences over the past two years,
to process the ways we had changed and grown,
to let go of hurt we had encountered,
and to prepare ourselves for the new season of our lives...
...instead of allowing time for those things, in our excitement we jumped right into action. After one day of rest following our arrival in Minnesota, we began job hunting, exams for David's school, meeting with the immigration office, looking for a car, offering our assistance to my parents for their international leadership meetings, figuring out the issue of David's visa, completing administrative tasks, etc. etc. etc. We didn't plan our transition well.
It took three things for us to realize that something was not right:
1. a frank conversation with a friend who helped me see that we had, in fact, been through many significant changes in the past two years (new, cross-cultural marriage, new child, new country, new language, new work), and that those things has probably affected us in a more significant way than we realized.
2. a feeling of tension and unrest in our marriage and family. Jude seemed unsettled and irritable, and I was easily annoyed by David and vice-versa.
3. confirmation from another friend of what we suspected: that we were not doing so hot and that we might benefit from a time of focused, intentional debriefing.
And so we decided to make this a priority for our family. David and I needed to debrief with an objective third-party outsider who could listen to our story without judgement or bias, ask us the right questions, and help us to make the transition between our past in Quebec and our future in the United States.
We chose a trusted friend who agreed to have as many Skype debriefing sessions with us as we need, and so far it has been wonderful (thank you !). We recognize the importance of looking back to see what God has done and taught us through our past experiences in order to transition well into the things that He has prepared for us here in the United States.
Thank you, Lord, for opening our eyes to see our weaknesses. Thank you for being strong for us. Thank you for the friends and wise counselors you have surrounded us with. And thank you for your grace that carries us through each day. May we find our serenity in Your presence as we learn to abide in You (John 15).
To give a brief update on our activities:
We are living in Elise's parents' basement, which is a great place for us (even though it flooded a couple weeks after our arrival). We are so thankful to be around family after two years of living at a distance ! Our hearts still ache to be near David's family, and we look forward to any opportunity we will have to visit them.
We helped in practical ways with the international leadership meetings that our parents hosted here in Cambridge (worship, cooking, preparation, etc.). It was fun to spend time with our KKI coworkers whom we do not often see !
Elise found a temporary, full-time position as a school nurse in two elementary schools and one middle school about one hour from Cambridge. This will take her up until June 11th, allowing her the time to continue searching for a long-term opportunity that better suits her interests and goals (i.e., hospital nursing). We are so thankful for this door that God has opened !
David passed his English and math tests with flying colors and was accepted to Century College a few weeks ago ! I (Elise) am incredibly proud of his accomplishment ! He has begun applying for scholarships.
David is required to leave the country in order to apply for his student visa, and will thus be heading to Switzerland with Jude on May 20th. If he receives his visa, he will only be allowed to re-enter the USA on July 20th. This means that our family will be separated for two months over the summer, something that we must do but do not look forward to !
Jude has been immersed in a somewhat new language, surrounded by newish faces (although he is quickly warming up to his relatives), and caught in the midst of the craziness of his parents' endeavors. He is incredibly resilient, but we can see an unrest in him that saddens us. His eczema has also flared up in the past few weeks, something that may be due, at least in part, to stress.
We bought a car ! Volvo S80.
It is hard to be living out of boxes, but with the new developments related to David's visa, it looks like we will be staying here in Cambridge until David returns from Switzerland in July, at which point we will look for our own place closer to his school and Elise's work.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support through this rather complex period of transition ! We are becoming more and more aware of our need for the Lord, and we know that He hears and responds to your prayers ! Please continue to pray for:
- Elise as she starts her new job. This will be her first time working as a Registered Nurse ! Our family dynamics will be changing as she will only see David and Jude in the evenings during the week
- Jude's skin and sweet little spirit in the midst of this unsettled time in our lives
- Wisdom as parents and grace for David, who will be a full-time, single dad starting Monday !
- Grace for David as he applies for his student visa in the summer
- Grace and wisdom as we continue to debrief our time in Quebec. May God reveal to us the beautiful things that He did in and through us during those two years !
- The ability to SLOW DOWN and take whatever time necessary for our family to transition well
- Freedom from expectations of others
- JOY in our family. That we may be a blessing and glorify God in all that we do
Much love and lots of hugs from MINNESOTA !
Comments