The Place We Find Ourselves

It's been a month since we returned from Ireland to the States, and since then, we have been busily preparing for our transition back into life in America. We find ourselves living in St. James, Maryland, hosted by our gracious friends Dr. Brian and Amanda Moore. Brian pastors the St. James Brethren Church, one of our principle supporting churches. We have been warmly welcomed by the Moore's and folks in their church. Their offer of accommodation has been a gift from God, and so we are happy to make our transition back to US life from here.
Our last month or so in Ireland was, as you can imagine, very difficult for us. Since we had to move for financial reasons and didn't want to go, we left with a real sense of loss and grief. It is, for both of us, the first time we ever made a move not wanting to do so. Having said that, our times with our Irish friends and neighbors was special those last few weeks (as it always was). We enjoyed our time with them tremendously, and we thank God for the friendships that have been built these last several years.
We are grateful for all that the Father has done in our midst during our few years in Ireland. It has been an absolute pleasure to live amongst the Irish people and witness first-hand the movement of grace of God in people's lives. As we reflect on our time there, we are deeply encouraged by the number of people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, the many young people who are walking the road of discipleship, the dozens who have been baptized into Christ's Body, and the uncounted numbers of those who have found liberty, wholeness, and healing. What happens from this point continues to be the responsibility of the Holy Spirit -- as it has always been -- and it is Jesus who remains the Hope of Ireland.
We appreciate your on-going prayer as we deal with both the sense of loss we feel in having to leave the place and people we love as well as cope with the anxiety we feel concerning the unknown that lies ahead of us. We remain unemployed, but we are hopeful. We don't know where we are going from here, but we carry a raw, real trust in our Father's provision and direction.