January Update: Iceland Bound

During some quiet time this morning, I was reflecting on the past year, how much has changed and how much I’ve grown. It’s hard to see the growth when you’re in the middle of it, but when you’re on the other side, it is very clear. I feel like I am the same person, but really, I am not. I see things differently; I know so much more about Jesus, and James, his family, his culture, and even myself. I hope I will continue to grow in different ways this next year.

In the last couple of months, James and I have enjoyed celebrating the holidays with his family. I’ve been introduced to many friends and family in Nova Scotia and been shown the beauty of winter here on the east coast. We appreciate hiking, so many of our outings have been enjoying God’s beautiful creation. I’ve gotten to try poutine and go skating on a frozen lake for the first time.

Before Christmas, we finished gathering all the forms we needed to turn in our residence permit applications for Iceland. This would allow us to stay for a whole year. Now, that can take a few months to process but we are allowed into the country on a Schengen visa for up to three months. So, we mailed those applications in and started looking at flights. We worked pretty hard to find the cheapest route there, even if it added a little extra hassle. But, unfortunately, one leg of our flight got canceled and the rest snowballed into quite the mess. We re-thought our plan, prayed, and asked others to pray; and decided to bite the bullet, pay the extra money, and get the less-hassle flight. With all that said, we have our flight secured for the 29th of January! (Which is very soon I know).

Thanks to Hillside Fellowship, my home church in Sweet Home, we had the money to pay for our flights! They generously gave us a gift this Christmas from an inheritance they received from one of the founders of the church. It is such a blessing that they have been supporting me (and now James) through all my missions work.

Honestly, I have been struggling in this season before going to Iceland as missionaries. We haven't been doing much, and things have moved slowly. We're getting together funds; we're meeting each other's families and friends. But I've been thinking this whole time "we have to prepare", "we need to get ready". How best do we do that? Well, I think God has blessed us with a season of rest. Time together to strengthen our bond before we go to Iceland, time to realize more of ourselves to better serve others. Although this has been a blessing, we have also fallen into some depressive days. So, when we go to Iceland please pray that we can be diligent and intentional about setting our own schedule, not only so that we can get things done but so that we can have minds filled with joy and hope.

All of this is coming together so quickly, it is really making me nervous. I feel like I am jumping into something very new and out of my comfort zone. It’s a little scary. Every day as we move closer to our departure date, I continue to ask the Lord for peace. He will guide me, he will guide us, and we will do his work.

Please pray for us as we head out in the next week, for our travels and entering into a new country. Some other prayer requests are:

- Our residence permits to be processed quickly

- Anna’s health

- Our relationship as a couple

- Keeping a schedule

- Courage & boldness

I appreciate you all, and the love and support you show me and James. It is really encouraging to have people backing us in this journey.

Blessings!

Hiking in the Winter - Duncan's Cove - Turning in our Applications