This past year has been a year of high contrast for me,

full of times of planting and times of plucking up what was planted, of weeping and laughing, and of mourning and dancing. I said goodbye to my “Montpellier life” – team, friends, church, apartment, students, etc. – and my grief was mixed with joy as Jack and I prepared for our wedding. We were married before God and some of the people we love most in the world and it was beautiful and sweet beyond what we could have hoped for or imagined. We were able to spend the summer enjoying this new season in our relationship, visiting friends, family, and some of my lovely ministry partners, as well as working on some distance projects and beginning to connect with our new team in Newcastle.

And then it was time for Jack to head back to England so he could be ready to lead the team and begin the school year well. We knew, because of the timing of everything, that I might not have my spouse visa by the time he left, and had prepared ourselves for a couple weeks of separation. As the weeks dragged on, the waiting got harder and harder. A couple weeks became four, then six, then eight…and still no answer. We felt so powerless and frustrated. Finally, after ten weeks of waiting, we had a response. And my visa application had been denied. We were shocked and devastated and unsure where to go from there.

As we processed this unexpected loss, we were surrounded – in person and in prayer – by so many people who have helped and cared for us in so many ways. Jack received compassionate leave from our directors in the U.K. and was able to come visit me for two weeks – which was such a gift. Once he headed back, we got to work on our second application and spent several weeks gathering, organizing, and compiling documents before finally submitting again.

So once again we find ourselves waiting, trusting the Lord for things beyond our control, and asking Him to give us His perspective. Once again we are living in the tension of joy and sorrow, mourning and dancing that overlap in all of our lives and in our world. We are learning how to mourn the difficult and the painful without forgetting to celebrate life, beauty, and God’s good gifts in every season. And we are clinging to His promise that: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 15).
 
Thank you so much for your patience with my long silence and for your support and prayers as Jack and I navigate this unexpected season. We are so grateful for your prayers and your partnership – and your faithfulness and grace towards me. You are such a blessing! We are praying for a quick response so I can join him and the team on campus in January.