I’m sitting in our living room. Bags packed, leaving for the airport in 3 hours. Our family will be returning to the US, then driving up to Canada to visit my mom. She has cancer treatments next week, and I’m hoping to spend some quality time with her, and help anyway we can.

Brent will also be returning to re-start his life in the US after staying with us for 8 months following his health crisis. He is doing really well, body, soul and spirit. He’s off all of his meds, been spared from any relapses, which is a very good sign. It’s been a tough road for him, a deep formational valley for sure. God’s mercy has been so abundant and sustaining over us all. So grateful for Olena who provided timely therapy, and for the prayer over his life! He’s grown close to the younger kids, like a re-introduced brother. We’ll miss his kindness and help going to the store for us for milk and eggs, seemingly daily.

Deb will be flying down to Florida for a family wedding with Claire while I stay with my mom. Abigail is excited to visit and stay with her big sister Bronwyn in the Rochester area.

Broderic and Kristin will be remaining in Cluj. They can’t actually leave because their kids aren’t technically re-united to their visas, which actually have expired (so confusing!). They actually need a bit of a miracle to stay, they don’t have any visa paths as of yet, and have only 60 days or so before they need one submitted and approved in the system.

Our biggest prayer is also for a legal pathway to remain in Romania as our volunteer pathways have been exhausted. Our visas expire tomorrow. So we’ll return to Romania end of May with the hopes of seeing God’s hand at work, opening necessary doors, and closing the ones that need to be closed. We are praying for His will to be done, and learning to find that deep rest once again in the places of uncertainty. It’s been almost 3 years, in reality, of being unsure where we’re supposed to be as our world has shifted beneath our feet, first from war, then with Brent, and now with my mom’s difficult cancer situation.

Sometimes the heart wants to be in more places than it can be. Lord, we ask for your guidance, and provision to remain in the spaces and places you want us to be.. hopefully growing, and learning what you want to teach us. We love you, Jesus, and are grateful for your steady hand in the shadows. Lead us to the green pastures and by your mercy, continue to restore .

View outside our patio. Sometimes the shepherd brings the flock to graze right next to us.
This past week our wood arrived for the new deck at Lighthouse Cluj. Let the staining begin! Too bad we’re losing Brent just as the weather gets nice and there’s work to be done.
We’ve been visiting a church in the center of Cluj that meets in a conference room at the main tech/office space. Claire loves playing with the kids and goes with me each Sunday.. and whoever else wants to join 🙂
Broderic and Byron attending YWAM international student game night – about 50 from +20 nations show up to connect and get out of their dorms. Let by Kwuame and Jessica, and the YWAM team on the other side of the city.
Let the vines begin. We need to order a new sign and beautify this space. This will all be decking in the next month Lord willing. We will hope to open in the summer with some smaller events, times of prayer for our emerging team of missional friends.