May 20th, 2008 - We Have Returned To Cyberspace!

It has been many months since we have added a new blog to our site. Although, we have great excuses for our time away! We will detail out the events from each month in future entries. Here is a highlight of the last six months:

November was a month spent mainly nursing the sick. There was a flu-like virus that was passed generously around our church, the kid's school, and our house. It came around more than once! We had planned on visiting different churches in our region, but instead we spend lots of time on the couch or in bed.

December was a month of planning. There are many details involved with packing up a life, and we were in charge of getting them all planned and in order. We also spent Christmas and New Year's on vacation with the Wade family, Missionaries in Croatia.

Returning to Rostock at the beginning of January was a struggle. Before us lay an entire life that needed to be organized, wrapped, packed, and brought to an end, all with the glimmer of hope that we will return and unpack it all. We moved from our apartment to a small two room, furnished apartment as we finished the last details of packing. It was also a month of frustration as we did not understand the "red tape" that needed to be run through when closing contracts in another country. We are still paying for our cell phones in Germany, as we could not get out of the contract!

February 2nd we flew home to America! Wow, was it ever nice to see Ol' Glory flying most everywhere! We spent six days with Heather's Mom & Dad's home in Poulsbo, WA. We hit the ground running by starting missions services the following Sunday. Matt spent the next few weeks on a District Connection Tour. It was many miles and meetings, but time well spent seeing pastors all around our state! It took us three weeks to unpack and get settled in our new home in Silverton, OR.

March was a month of adjustments. While it sounds basic to mention, and perhaps silly, we were no longer used to living in America. It took time to adjust to a new home, American people, schools, a new lifestyle as itinerating missionaries, a new daily routine, an overwhelming and endless supply of goods at the stores, and the list goes on. There were times we had to simply step back and breath a bit.

April was a bit more settled for us. We were more relaxed with our lifestyle. Visiting churches began to be a bit easier. To be honest, traveling to a new city, church, and environment week after week is not as glamorous as it sounds! We were able to attend our district convention, called The Summit. It is great to connect with many friends and pastors from across our state.

Ah yes, May! Matt has been on the road, as usual, visiting pastors. Heather has been involved at Nick and Gretchen's school. The kid's have been more comfortable with traveling each week. We continue serving churches the best we can, sharing about our work in and our heart for Germany, but also challenging churches to join us in being LIGHT in the darkness, regardless of where it is found, around the globe, across the state, or across the street.
— Posted in General, Family, Ministry