• In January and February of this last year it was “business as usual” in many ways.  I was pastoring at Olive Branch Church of God while Sara was still working at a local elementary school.  Among other things, we were in charge of planning our weekly KidStuf ministry, getting scripts to actors, music to singers, making sure audio clips and visual elements to the services were there waiting for our tech crew, and Sara and I had lines to memorize ourselves (usually done while watching SNL each Saturday!).  We’d usually have a read-through with our actors mid-week and then get to the church bright and early Sunday morning (5:30) to make sure it is unlocked, lights on, coffee brewing, and everything all set for 7 AM rehearsal…
• In March things started to change for us.  We both quit our jobs to focus full-time on support development for our Thailand plans.  But first, my Dad took Sara and I on a vacation cruise throughout the Caribbean.  It was AMAZING!  If I close my eyes I can still feel the ocean wash away all the stress I had built up in me.
• In April we started our travels to visit many of you in our numerous churches in several states.  In fact, by the time we left for Thailand we had visited nearly 40 churches and had visited 8 states!  I didn’t really record how many miles I had driven those months…  but let me tell you, we got to know that car quite well as we zipped to and from much of the Midwest!
• June of this past year we traveled out to Colorado to get to know OMF, the mission organization we will be working with in Thailand.  We loved Colorado!  Maybe someday we’ll find ourselves a little cabin in a woods somewhere to waste away in!
• By the end of July we were on our way here, to Thailand.  Must of late June and July is a blur for us.  We began saying our goodbyes and preparing our lives to move overseas for the next several years.  So many hours were put into tying up financial loose ends before leaving.  We thank God that in July we were able to pay off the remaining amount on our student loans!  That’s right, by God’s power and grace alone, we were able to pay off nearly $22,000 USD in student loans!
  • July also had us saying goodbye to our dog Lilly.  She was our baby substitute for our first several years of marriage.  It was SO hard to say goodbye to her…
  • July had us saying more difficult goodbyes to our families.  We never believed it would be so hard to leave the Midwest for the adventure in Thailand.  We were wrong.  It was TOUGH!
• August until now has been spent getting settled into our new lives in Thailand…and it is getting a bit easier as time moves on.  Stresses come and go, just like life anywhere in the world.  We’ve been studying Thai constantly for the past 5 months and it shows!
  • We praise God that we just heard that our yearlong Missionary Visa has come in which means we can now apply for our work permits!
  • We praise God that we have had the loving support of all of you in this past year.  Your continued notes of encouragement, care packages and prayers have been such a blessing as we get settled into life so different from what we know, so far away from friends and family.  Our support family rocks!

Ok, so that’s just a glimpse of our past year.  I could definitely type more, but I’m pretty sure most of you haven’t read up to this point anyways!  Anyways, thanks again for your love and encouragement!  So, what’s the biggest thing that happened in your life in 2009?