Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:7
I am so exceedingly thankful that we have a God that does not change.
Every human deals with constant changes, but they may not be the same as another, still we all cope and adjust to changes. Some which are longed for and expected and others which are heartbreaking and unimaginable. I believe the Lord in his kindness knew we would need him to be unchanging in the midst of our everchanging world.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8
The changing of the seasons hits our family harder…we are already getting cold! Basically, if we are not warm and dewy we are cold after living in Thailand!
Last week the kids started 10th grade, 9th grade, and 6th grade. Adios elementary and hello laptops for everyone, innumerable changes. Plus we have the gift of a cross country season as a family, they are all running!
We shared with the kids before school started that we felt it best to stay in the US for a full school year; to give Chris a full year of recovery near his medical teams and to continue to discern His will for fall of 2026. The kids have had two school years where they made an international move in the middle of the school year. The news of this change was respected but is hard for us all. We continue to miss much of what we left in Thailand.
We are thankful that Chris’ health has not had significant changes. His platelet count was a little low last week and we are praying it returns to normal next week when he has another blood check. Chris traveled to Dallas this past week to stand in for his boss in meetings who is also in the midst of cancer treatment. While we live in the US we are thankful we can continue to serve with Wycliffe. Our commitment and efforts to enable Bible translation in SE Asia and around the world remains the same. We just have a different view out the window and a different time zone! Thank you to so many of you who want to support us through prayer and financial means.
Finally, we ask for prayers for our family as we press pause on the to dos and engage in a family debrief. Early September, 5th-7th, two couples will fly to Grand Rapids from Barnabas International and meet with our family for 2.5 days to process much of what we have been through since May of 2023. It will give space, especially for our kids, to be heard and seen.
Even in the changes, to God be the glory!