Embracing the unexpected

Well….April was a rather interesting month:

The first week we drove to Tucson, various parts of Phoenix and Chino Valley in order to visit some supporters and family.  It was a very short trip focused on connecting with some of the people we missed last time we were in AZ as well as Northminster Presbyterian Church.  It was a very encouraging time; thanks for praying!

The second week Shevawn found herself down with a doozy of a virus; except for the moments she spent on the couch leading pre-orientation with her interns she was out of commission.  John was a loving caregiver while also tending to his office work and preparing to depart for Texas.

               

The third week John attended Advanced Field Coordinator Training in Texas while Shevawn continued to battle her virus and interact with interns; she also went on a 3 day/4 night trip to Seattle to visit Leanna’s family. Not the best timing….but in spite of having limited energy, it was well worth it.  She has since added to her spiritually re-centering repertoire the practice of the Family Immersion Retreat…because there's nothing quite like playing with a four year old to help you be fully present.

               

The fourth (and final) week of April found John still in Texas (this week was the Field Opps Conference) and Shevawn still coughing and hoping to get her energy back as she continued pre-orienting interns...and writing this update.

During my time in Seattle I found myself singing a song from long ago with my grandson: “This is the day that the Lord has made…I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  I needed it for myself as much as for the fun of sharing it with to him; there have been moments this month that I have not been glad with the day that the Lord had made….and moments it has been much easier to rejoice.  I’m intrigued to find that I am continuing to sing this to myself now that I’m back home; it appears I’ve found yet another way for me to re-center in the midst of all that life brings my way.  I’m praying that reading the words of this simple song will help you today as well.

  

Please join us in prayer about the following (and more as you think of it, of course!)

       

For our financial situation.  There have been some surprising changes in this area; we’ll write about it in the prayer letter we plan to send out in May.  For now please just know that we need significantly more monthly support than we are currently getting.

Wisdom for Shevawn as she seeks to reconstruct the pre-orientation process in order to make it more workable for herself and future trainers (she hopes to begin this mid-May after her current interns complete their training)

For John as he continues to learn and implement what he is learning in his role as a Field Coordinator, helping Bible translation projects move forward.

Thanks so much for your prayers!