Covid time

We received that call in August while on vacation in Montana, the one that told us our training was being pushed to January. It was disheartening for sure, but we quickly switched gears and have been relishing the extra time with precious family members and beloved friends. Our autumn season looked much more normal than we’d anticipated it would, and the day for our previously projected house closing and then the start date of our November training came and went. I noted them in my mind, mentioned them to a close friend and was thankful as each passed that we’ve been gifted this extra time to soak up the people around us. We made a trip out to Colorado to see my mom and her husband and my sister, brother-in-law and niece. It was sweet time with these loved family members and I’m thankful for the memories and pictures of our time there! My dad has been out as often as he can be, which has ended up being nearly once a month since July. It’s been a true treat to have him around so much and get to know him better. His frequent visits are going to make that separation ever more difficult, but it’s well worth it, for sure!

We would have been starting our 3rd week of training in Virginia, had we not been delayed in August. Our sending company continues to move us forward in the process, despite the fact that things grow more uncertain as each day passes. Rising Covid numbers in each state and the subsequent tightening of restrictions may not even allow for the Jan training to happen as we’d hoped. Despite this, the company proceeded with the “Appointment” week this past week, and we are officially appointed to go. It’s exciting, if a little anti-climactic. This sending ceremony is done in person with any friends and family that can make the flight to wherever the ceremony is held. It’s a huge milestone in the process. Ours looked quite different than it has for the dozens of previous years. The meetings leading up to it, and the ceremony itself were all virtual, so it didn’t feel as much like a milestone as we’d hoped. Never-the-less, we press on, knowing that Covid time is in-fact the Lord’s time. We are comforted knowing that he remains on His throne and has not been blind sided by any of this crazy process. There are 500+ missionaries with our specific company that are stateside right now, waiting for their host countries to open back up. There remains a back-log of appointed missionaries waiting for their countries to open to U.S. citizens. What a great God we serve, one that knows and ordains. He is mighty and will unfold his plan for our lives as well as every one else’s when it is the time for us to know.

Currently, we are scrambling to re-list our home. We’ve spend the past 4 days frantically checking items off a list given to us by a “stager” who works for our listing agent. We decided to go the agent route this time, as our timeline is much more abbreviated than it was in the summer when we listed the house as for sale by owner. The listing agent is confident we will have no problem selling quickly, for which we are thankful. We’ve been given a Dec 1 date to anticipate an answer about an invite to the training in January. Since there are two “classes” of missionaries now scheduled for that same time, they are decreasing the number going by whoever’s countries are open to Americans as of December 1st. This, of course, does not guarantee said countries don’t close their borders after Dec 1, but there had to be some way to decide who would go, and who would get bumped further down the timeline. We went in to our Appointment week hopeful that we’d get the green light on Dec 1, but learned that our destination country, Kenya for language training, is less likely to be a problem than the state of Virginia is at this point. With the tightening of restrictions that happened just over a week ago, it appears as though if training were schedule for right now, it would not happen. The prayer, please join with us, is that the Gov walks back the restrictions in time for us to make it to training. We are SO eager to go!

Here’s a little timeline of logistics to make your head spin:

-Dec 1 - we find out if Kenya is open to Americans - if it is, we get the invite to January training
-If we get the invite on Dec 1, we proceed with listing our house (unless our company decides to cancel training again, due to a number of factors).
-we MUST be under contract on the house by Dec 25th. We asked during appointment week, and it sounds like there’s not much flexibility in this timeline. If we are not under contract by then, we cannot go to training.
-our company said they don’t expect restrictions to be walked back until after the holidays. If we are under contract when we need to be and then either Kenya closes back down or restrictions are not lifted, not allowing us to crate our belongings and head to training, we will be selling our home and looking for a place to live until the training in April. When we weren’t sure we’d be in the house past the last of Oct, we looked into short term rentals, only to find none. There are no “missions houses” in the this area, and at this point in time we aren’t actually sure where we’d live.

I’ll spare the details of why this makes my heart race - you can fill in the blanks of adding a mid winter in-town move prior to two overseas moves. It’s daunting to say the least. A logistical nightmare, to be sure! But, again, we are fully confident it’s all been mapped out - we just walk forward in obedience and faith, knowing he’s already paved this road for us! I say this as much for you, the reader, as I say it for myself. I have to keep these truths at the fore-front of my mind, by the minute!

To throw another complication in the mix, my vertigo has been sneaking in fairly regularly for the past month or so. My hearing in my left ear has tanked in the past couple of weeks, and coupled with the vertigo it’s a pretty tell-tale sign that something is amiss. These types of symptoms have always preceded a long several months of bad Meniere’s flare, but they have not always led to a flare, if that makes sense. I’ve been told by every specialist I’ve seen that there’s nothing I can do to prevent a flare if it’s coming down the pike. We know that stress plays a major roll, but I’ve been told firmly by my physicians that I am not to blame it on stress. Stress doesn’t cause Meniere’s, but it certainly contributes. So all we can do at this point is wait, and pray fervently for the Lord to spare me a flare that could potentially keep us from training and moving forward in this process for several months. But again, we rest, knowing full well, that there is simply nothing that surprises him. There are no details he doesn’t know. I’m deeply thankful to have a husband that continuously speaks truth and encouragement to me during times like these, when he, no doubt, can recognize a bit of panic creeping in to my worry prone heart.

We wait, anxious to see what the Lord has written for us, trusting that he will hold us fast. Here are the lyrics to a song that speaks deeply to my heart in this, and really every season of life.

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast.
I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path;
For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast.

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.

Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast;
Precious in his holy sight, He will hold me fast.
He'll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last;
Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast.

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.

For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast;
Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast.
Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast
'Till our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.