Never have the months peeled off a calendar like these past few years. Being uprooted from the routines of life seems to excite the senses. We become much more aware of things we hadn’t noticed before. I recall first moving to Ukraine from Texas. Having lived in a state that felt like one long summer, at least for a Canadian, time seemed to stand still. It was only after we spent our first full season in Ukraine that I realized just how quickly life was passing by – it was the changing of the seasons, the falling of the leaves.. they were materialized markers waving me an alert as to the brevity of this journey.
Now, having spend the past almost three years in Romania, we can barely keep track of what was when. Deb and I struggle to remember what year, let along what month something happened since leaving Ukraine. September is leaving us, it was a gloriously beautiful month, the weather allowed us to enjoy many BBQ’s on our patio, and leave the windows open after a long hot summer without AC. Tomorrow the temperatures will drop 20 degrees sending a shock wave across our bow, winter is coming, get ready, and life is moving, in case we’ve forgotten.
The Lighthouse Cluj team is assembled. We have Elsa, Alejandro and his family, Kwame and his, along with Onisim the potential of a few seeking friends. We’ve been doing some learning together, discovering values, strength finders and some co-mentoring. I’ve been enjoying helping one of them get enrolled in a trauma course, something they want to invest in for future ministry. Another we’ve been feeding some Fuller learning courses to, an area of their passion is to continue learning more about scripture and a teaching ministry.
Together we will open the space to international students who are arriving for the first week of school which beings, oddly, only the first week of October. We believe the space will be busy, and interactive, and we pray, life-giving. We want to unite believers and welcome visitors of all nationalities and backgrounds. Radical hospitality is one of our core values.
We have a new website, www.lighthousecluj.org.
I’ve written, today, a little devotional thought on the beauty of humility. A topic I don’t profess to excel in, but one that I’ve enjoyed reading about this week. You can read is here on our other site – https://sacredformation.com/the-beauty-of-humility/
A little about our family. Deb is now in her final year (4 courses) to complete her Master’s in Chaplaincy degree at Fuller. She’s somehow keeping up. I’m trying to journey alongside her OT course as I regretted not being able to take it during my MAGL. I am finishing up the final semester of year 2 (of 4) of my DGL. I’m now interviewing Slavic leaders, ages 25-40yrs old, that have experienced Western-style leadership over the course of their Christian experience. I’m studying the relationship between leadership styles and the spiritual formation journey to self-discovery. It’s really interesting, I pray I can finish this despite many upcoming, continued transitions.
Noah is doing well, it seems. He is taking piano lessons again with Nata, a Ukrainian professional pianist, they are similar creative souls and we are so grateful for God’s provision as we’ve always felt Noah will flourish if given the opportunity in the musical area. He’s composing, practicing, non-stop it seems. He has these woodwind instruments as well, and sometimes we still hear the guitar, but mostly he’s focused on the piano. Soon he’ll have to decide if he’s going to go all in, do college, be a music major.. we’ll see!
Abigail is the same height as Deb! She’s only 12. She’s growing into a beautiful soul, and a pretty thing too. I will have quite the job warding off the boys. She reads nonstop, and I’m told she is homeschooling though I can never tell what is school and what is drawing, her other passion. She will start a photography course, I think this week.. as will she try out swimming lessons at a local Cluj swim club. I think she would be an amazing competitive swimmer, but that’s just a dad hunch. While we have the options, I want to try and give her opportunity to explore a few things –
Claire is, well, claire. Not only our youngest, but sweetest, and quite emotionally demanding for Deb. Claire loves to talk, she is constantly wanting to engage. She loves to cook, do crafty and often uniquely claire things (she loves tape!). We love her heart, she’s super kind. She still struggles with learning academically, and is behind in probably every category, comparatively, but excels in many unique Claire ways.. We will need to start looking for more help to help her in areas of schooling.
We will be selling the Big House to our friends in Rzyschiv soon. They will use it for their ministry to children in the area who need help. We prayed about this over the past few years, and most recently this summer, not really thinking we’d be able to sell anything before the war officially ends. We’re selling at a very good, reduced price, and grateful for Deb’s parents who have been exceedingly gracious as well to both bless us with help in the sale, and continuing a kingdom mindset to bless others who are serving Jesus by giving them God deals. They have been a good example of holding material things loosely and trusting God for the big picture.
Both our parents are in their 70s now and with that, issues of aging health and family responsibility is becoming more obvious. Has live snuck up on us this quickly? I guess if we’re already grandparents to two sweety kids, and about to add two more in January, the answer to that rhetorical question is.. yes.
We are now prayerfully deciding to move back to Canada in the new year to be with my mom. Her cancer, gratefully, is not advancing, but the diagnosis remains critical and her healthy years ahead are not to be taken for granted. We haven’t yet communicated to our supporters and friends, but we are planning to return in the New Year, with an open-ended season – coming alongside my parents, and we’ll look to find meaningful work, be self-supported and see what God has in store. We’ll leave doors open, of course, but something tells us that our days as full-time ‘in-country’ missionaries are coming to an end. This isn’t because we want this, we are actually REALLY enjoyed the ways in which God is using us in this season, and we really love Cluj! However, we are trying to follow the leading of the Spirit, again. We have been intentionally passing off roles, and responsibilities so that Lighthouse will move ahead without us being here in person. We’ll maintain a mentoring and logistical role in our US Charity. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out, but we have peace and a calm in our hearts which we hold very dear in this season.
Awaiting the surprising ways of God. Lord, you have been faithful. Lead us, and watch over us in this next chapter, whatever might come. You have been forming us, and filling us with something to contribute, we know we are not finished and somehow your kingdom will offer us more opportunities to contribute to it’s continuous coming.