Prayer Letter February 2013
"Waiting is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience,
trains submission, and endears the blessing when it come" - Spurgeon
trains submission, and endears the blessing when it come" - Spurgeon
So….when are you leaving?
The most common question we hear. In fact in our impatience and yearning to be with our team in Austria, we ask God this question frequently ourselves. BUT, God is teaching us to embrace the present.
There are two common Greek words that are often translated as “time” in our English
Bibles, so we might not notice the difference between them. Their meanings, however, are very different. One is chronos. This should be easy for us to understand because it refers to our everyday passing of time….those hours that seem to fly by too quickly when we have so much to do. From this we get our word chronological. This is easy to understand, and we “live” in this realm so much of the time.
The other word for time is a different sort of word. Instead of the actual ticking away of a clock, it talks about unique opportunities that arise. It is quality time, rather than quantity time. I’ve heard it said that kairos could be interpreted as “appropriate season”. It is the time talked about in Col. 4:5, which is becoming a theme for us during this time of waiting, where it talks about “making the most of every opportunity”. God has been faithful during this time (chonos) of our lives to bless us with SO many special opportunities (kairos) to share coffee or a meal with friends, both long time and newly made. We have shared with one another what God is doing in each of our lives, being amazed time and again by His goodness and faithfulness in lives of His people. We have laughed and cried with these dear saints, and we have prayed for one another. This is indeed a special season for us. Although we long to be in Austria, we relish this time of ministry partner development because this sweet time of fellowship will be rare there.
There are two common Greek words that are often translated as “time” in our English
Bibles, so we might not notice the difference between them. Their meanings, however, are very different. One is chronos. This should be easy for us to understand because it refers to our everyday passing of time….those hours that seem to fly by too quickly when we have so much to do. From this we get our word chronological. This is easy to understand, and we “live” in this realm so much of the time.
The other word for time is a different sort of word. Instead of the actual ticking away of a clock, it talks about unique opportunities that arise. It is quality time, rather than quantity time. I’ve heard it said that kairos could be interpreted as “appropriate season”. It is the time talked about in Col. 4:5, which is becoming a theme for us during this time of waiting, where it talks about “making the most of every opportunity”. God has been faithful during this time (chonos) of our lives to bless us with SO many special opportunities (kairos) to share coffee or a meal with friends, both long time and newly made. We have shared with one another what God is doing in each of our lives, being amazed time and again by His goodness and faithfulness in lives of His people. We have laughed and cried with these dear saints, and we have prayed for one another. This is indeed a special season for us. Although we long to be in Austria, we relish this time of ministry partner development because this sweet time of fellowship will be rare there.
So, how do we answer the question, “When are you leaving”? We normally say we are praying for mid-May, but I’m certain that God knows more than we do about seasons….see Eccl. 3:1-3. :) While we are here we intend to “embrace the sacred present”, as Cynthia Heald spoke about at the Women’s Retreat.
If we have not yet met with you, we would love to! |
Please PRAY for God's perfect timing, for our ability to rest
in that, and that we would seize the days here.
Residency Permit for Visa UpdateIn our January update we told you about our adventure standing in line to apply for our residency permit and visa.
We heard back from the Austrian immigration department asking for some more documentation which we were able to turn in quickly thanks to Matt Eck. Hearing is a good sign, it means things are moving forward. We pray the next communication from them is “your visas are ready to be picked up.” |
Please PRAY with us that we will get the notice to pick up our visas soon.
Our House is on the market
We moved into this house just three years ago. At the time we were thinking it would be a finisher house for us so we did ALOT of work on it. We do enjoy everything about this home; the neighborhood, the layout and the horses out back to name just a few. Since God has redirected our steps to Austria, we are letting it go.
One thing we are learning again through this process is, we are not citizens of this world and everything we have is just "stuff".
One thing we are learning again through this process is, we are not citizens of this world and everything we have is just "stuff".
Please PRAY for the sale of our home and that all the details
will be completed in a timely manner.
As always, we can not thank God enough for you!
We praise Him for your love and friendship.
We praise Him for your prayers.
We praise Him for your financial support.
Even though we thank and praise God, please know .......
YOU are each appreciated.
We praise Him for your prayers.
We praise Him for your financial support.
Even though we thank and praise God, please know .......
YOU are each appreciated.