Once again I apologize for the lack of photos. Life has been crazy busy and we also have a new tablet that isn't as easy to just upload pictures from our camera onto!
Well, in case you missed hearing the news, we are moving to Oregon! Justin got a job as an associate pastor of youth and family ministries at First Baptist Church of Brownsville, Oregon. It is an awesome little town in an agricultural community (lots of grass seed, hazelnut groves, and sheep, sheep, sheep!) in the Willamette Valley.
We are rejoicing at God's plan being laid out for us but also a little nervous about leaving Alaska and our friends and family. However, we can already see that God is laying out a new net of support for us already and we are thankful! People at the church in Brownsville have just simply poured out love on us at every moment of both our visits there.
On May 7th Justin and a friend will drive a Uhaul truck and begin the passage down the Alcan. On the 9th I will fly out with the kids and a friend (Thanks Aaron and Chelsea for your gracious offer to help us!) and hopefully Justin will have beat us to Oregon and will be waiting for us when we get there. It's about a 45 hour drive so he won't be resting much on the way!
As far as this blog, I am intending this to be our last real post. God has been pushing me for a long time to start my own personal blog that goes a little more in-depth about life and lessons I'm learning, and while that intimidates me, I know He's given me a love of writing for a reason and I must obey--even if I feel like I have no idea what to write, and that no one would care to read it!
So once I set up that blog, I'll post the address on here so you can find it, and I'll also be posting it on facebook.
Here are some praises of the last month or so, and some ways you can be praying for us:
Praises:
-That God is sending us to a state we've always wanted to live in, we just didn't think it would be this soon. Isn't He good??
-That we were able to meet with most of our supporters in Alaska and have a good time of fellowship and give them updates. We thank God for all of you who faithfully gave money and time in prayer in order to help us stay in ministry here! You know who you are!
-For God's provision through an arduous past 9 months of job searching and various other ups and downs. We know He will continue to sustain us!
Prayer Requests:-Right now our biggest prayer request is housing. We're moving in 11 days...and we have no place to live yet! For different reasons, the rental housing market in Brownsville and surrounding communities is incredibly slim (and it doesn't help that we have 2 dogs that are non-negotiable).
We have a couple of possibilities that have popped up, but please pray that we can find something that fits us that we can move right into...and soon!
-Health insurance is another issue that would maybe not be so pressing except that I'm due to have a baby in a couple of months and would like to have some established health care as soon as possible. Without insurance, it's hard to know where to look since my preferred birth method (out of hospital) accepts different plans depending on where you go. Pray that things move quickly and we can have health insurance soon!
-Pray for travel safety for Justin and Aaron as they drive the long road to Oregon with not much rest. Pray that the truck will hold up well and the road conditions will be good...and maybe for a few photogenic bears along the way! ;)
Thank you for your prayers and we will continue to plead for them! It is often the smallest type of consistent work that moves mountains and that is what prayer is. So thanks and please continue!
