We made it to Colorado!

We are here in northern Colorado and training has been in full force since landing! We arrived here late Sunday morning and had our first sessions just hours later. We were very weary and tired the first two days (after getting 3 hours of sleep the night before leaving), but today we are finally feeling a little back to normal. Thank you for all your sweet texts and messages remembering us as we left Tennessee and have begun training!

Our days begin at 7 am and are full of several hour sessions of TESOL classes. I (Anna) am auditing them since I have already been certified in TESOL and David is taking the full courses. We have been working on online homework and reading assignments for many weeks leading up to now, this is just the class lectures, the practical teaching methods, review, etc. We cannot speak highly enough of our company! They have impressed us greatly with how organized and well planned our time here has been thus far. Our instructors are wonderful and highly knowledgeable. We have been able to met and get to know the China member care directors and they are a blessing as well. We will be so grateful to have them in country for encouragement and support. Many of you have been remembering us as we meet our team for our city- we cannot say how grateful we are for the two teammates we have already met! They are a couple our age from northern Canada. We have clicked so well and are so excited to work with them! What a blessing!!!

We will be here training until mid-August. Updates and posts might be sporadic and spread apart because of how busy we are and incredibly packed our days have been, but THANK YOU to all of you who have encouraged us and remembered us! We are so grateful for you! 

Lessons of Goodbye

We are 4 days away from boarding a plane and moving to the country where our hearts have been for some time. WHOA. We never imagined we would be packing our bags right now [four suitcases and two carry-on's, to be exact]. But HE works like that. In his own timing, in his own ways. Our plans have changed so incredibly much, time and time again. We have been humbled and redirected numerous times. Now we are just so grateful he is allowing us to be a part. 

Last week we were able to spend a week with Anna's family in the panhandle of Florida. It was a blessing to get such good quality time with them before we go. 

Possible spoiler alert to my parents' C'mas card! :)

The goodbyes were not easy, to be honest. They were really hard. Upon our return to Knoxville, we said "see ya later" to our small group and "Club". Our small group sent us off well as we grilled out and played games! We sure are thankful for these friendships made and roots put down, which only HE could do.

Our wonderful small group! Such an amazing group of people.

Notice the "See ya later" banner in Chinese!

During these bittersweet days, the opposer has seized the opportunity to twist the motives and desires which HE has placed in our hearts so deep. 

"This is selfish. You are making your family hurt."

"You cannot be a good friend/daughter/son/sister/brother from overseas."

"Do you know all the birthdays, the holidays, the births, the basketball games that you will miss?!"

Lies upon lies presented before a weary, emotional us. After being worn down by this, we have come to a place where we simply just ask ourselves: Is he worth it? Are our students worth it? These are always answered with a confident YES. It's amazing how the opposition wants to twist and warp every step, every decision in every season! But there is a lesson and a joy we learn more and more with each move- and considering that this is our third move in 3 and a half years of marriage, we have learned it a lot! It is an ever growing desire for the long term. One day there will be no more goodbyes. We will all be together, from all states, countries, continents, being in forever awe! We long for that day more and more all the time. 

There are still more difficult goodbyes ahead of us. Thank you for remembering us as we head to Colorado on Sunday. We are incredibly excited about the adventure before us!

"Goodbyes are often unspeakably painful. And yet, with each goodbye we utter comes the fresh promise of the beginning of a brand new season of life. And with each season, there is a new life lesson to be learned from Him." -Ludy

Trust redefined

Days of preparation can sometimes be very full and emotionally draining in addition to the physical. As encouraged by many dear friends who have walked this road, David and I have made a priority of being in the good book every morning, more so than ever before even. We understand it is crucial for our hearts and minds to be watered well in the days ahead. I was reading this morning: And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.

Many things have been "demanding" on our trust these days. In many facets, we feel that more than ever, our trust is being refined and tested. Not because he is testing us necessarily, because he knows where we stand. But we have come to find that he might test so that WE can know where we are and what areas are weak. Hoping in Him makes us pure. But what does it really look like to hope that way? Asking for help to hope and trust is necessary. But even beyond that? I was convicted today that it is an attitude and mental shift. Instead of trying to hope and trust (and not doing it really, then getting frustrated at the cycle that doesn't seem to break), filling anxious or distrustful thoughts with praise. Praise for the control he has. Praise that I do not have control- over anything (because that would literally be chaos). Praise for what he has done and truth. This acknowledges my lack of control and the fact that truly, deep down, I am grateful that I do not have control. It would be such a limited and false illusion of control anyway. Replacing an attitude of anxiousness with gratefulness through praise over these things. Such an ongoing lesson to learn. Grateful for his patience with me. He wants to write my story. He wants to write yours, friend.