Wow, it's just around the corner!

Can you believe it's almost been three years? Three years since we've seen our families? Three years since we've lived in a culture that we actually understand and excel in. Three years since we've eaten some of our favorite foods or visited our sweet friends. Three years ago my family included a four year old and my baby boy who had just turned three.

There would be things I would have done differently. Lessons learned that were hard. Many tears that were shed, but with those tears there were also many times God had a chance to show His faithfulness to restore what had been broken. Just last night one of my children shared new information about his first year in the country that re-broke my heart but then as he saw my tears falling he placed his hand on me and said "Mom it's okay. God sent me .... to be my friend and when things were not good, .... made me smile and things were better. God didn't forget me." You can not fathom how those words were like balm on my heart. I would say that it is the resounding theme of our three years "God didn't forget me" He saw it all, He walked each step of the journey with each of us and His hand alone has kept our feet planted in obedience to run the path set before us. Today during homeschool we enjoyed a good giggle when we were talking about God's faithfulness and protection over us. I reminded the boys of the time we were riding the bus and a man was trying to rob me. I had been in the hospital with the swine flu the week before and with no trash container to be found, I placed all my snotty tissues into my purse and moved my wallet and passport to a small pocket. On the bus that day, trying to slap his hand away as he forcefully dug through my purse and then escaped, I cringed to think of everything he managed to steal. When I searched my purse I realized his hand was only in the massive amounts of booger tissues and he only stole the swine flu while my wallet and passport were safely tucked into the pocket of my purse I never use.

We have every intention of returning to the place we are and continuing the work God has placed before us. If our time in the military taught us anything, it is that you have no choice in life but to follow and be obedient to the man who hands out your orders, and we have by the grace of God the commitment to follow and be completely obedient to the one and only commander and chief, Our Lord. We thank you for praying for our first three years in bulgaria and we ask you to continue those prayers. This month you can pray for the rose ministry outreach into the villages and that God would again allow times of sharing and loving on the elderly in these villages. The roses again will have an evangelistic messaged attached to them and a handwritten message of love. In addition we will spend a week in the city we work in and do english lessons as an outreach. This was very successful last time and we are praying that this outreach will again generate deeper conversations and new faces entering to the church.

Pray for a volunteer named "A" would will join our work the last two weeks we are in the country. Pray for safe travel and a sweet time of ministry as she joins our team. Here is a link to a video of our last three years in Bulgaria and the people we've had the privilege to love on and be loved by. Again thank you for your prayers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0bUb3eHR8o