Goodbye 2010

Wow, I can't believe that the year is over already. It was an interesting year for us. 2010 brought a lot of changes for our life. It also brought a lot of growth and strength for us. Jon McLaughlin released a Christmas song this year that says something about thinking back about what a crazy year it's been, and every time I hear the song I can't help but think how fitting that line is for us. We are looking forward to the new year and the changes and adventure that it will bring us as we remember all that 2010 brought. I just hope that 2011 can be a little easier on us. Here are some highlights of our year.

• Enjoying skiing several times at our favorite ski resort in Montana, knowing all along that it would be our last season to be able to drive just a few hours to such incredible skiing.


• Tough times at PH. Lots of tears, frustration, and prayer, all while strengthening friendships that will last a lifetime because of the common bond we all share. We are so thankful for friends who shared that time with us.


• A month of goodbyes in June: Saying goodbye to the life in Montana that we had grown to love so much. What a wonderful place. Saying goodbye to kids that we had grown to love, many we had seen grow up over the last four years. Saying goodbye to those friends we had made and grown so close to over the years. Saying goodbye to a wonderful cycling group in Polson that is completely unique that we miss greatly.

• A fun drive from Montana to Indiana. We got to visit Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore again.
  

• Struggling to find jobs in Bloomington, where we moved in with my parents while we figure out what we are going to do with our lives now. We both did find jobs relatively quickly, and John found a job that was a better fit for his education background and hopefully a better foot in the door at the school corporation that he just started after Christmas. It took a little soul searching, but we've both decided to stick it out with education and do what it takes to find teaching jobs. We're looking forward to giving it another chance. Since deciding to become teachers in college, we have both felt strongly that there is a great need for Christian teachers in the public schools, and hopefully we will be used in that way.

• House hunting has been a new experience for us this fall/winter. We looked at many many houses, and we think we have found one. We are in the process of making an offer, so hopefully good news about that will follow soon.

• Building connections and friendships in our new community and reconnecting with family.

• Finding a new church that we love.

We've definitely come a long way this year, in more ways than one. In many ways it has been a year of turbulence, and we are looking forward to some calm and rest in 2011.

Be Still and Know That I Am God

This needs to be a theme verse for this time in our lives right now. This picture is one of our favorites and we have it hanging in our bedroom. It is a good reminder to be at rest and trust that God knows what he is doing in our lives right now. We are still without a home to call our own, living on the wonderful generosity of my parents. They have been great to us, and I know they don't mind us staying, but we are just missing our own place, our own stuff, our own life. We both still feel that we are in transition with our jobs, hoping for something better to come along soon. Still we feel very blessed that God is providing for every need, even if it is in a different way than we would have chosen ourselves. We are definitely growing a lot during this time and learning to be patient and have faith. I'm not saying that it is always easy, just that we are appreciating all that God is doing in our lives right now. Our new church is wonderful as is the small group we have joined. They have been a huge support to us in this time of waiting. Even as we are waiting, God is showing us ways he is moving. John has a renewed passion for teaching and is hoping to get his license renewed so he can start looking for a teaching job in the area next fall. He is going to be starting a new part-time job as a site coordinator for an after school program (same thing I do) after Christmas. He's excited about that opportunity, but will be quitting a full time job to take something part time, so we are praying that he will get this other job through the school system that he is interviewing for on Thursday. We continue to look for a house and have narrowed down our search criteria considerably. It is such a huge decision to make, and we don't want to rush into a purchase just because we are ready to have a house. This will continue to be a time of change and transitioning for us, but we will press on toward the goal, and continue to seek his guidance for each step we take.