Last Sunday at church, we were invited to think back on everything that has happened in the last year. We were reminded to think about not only the good things, but also the challenges. We were encouraged to think about the things that have been difficult. As I sat there in the still moments, I realized how much has happened in the last 12 months. So today on New Years Eve, I wanted to offer a quick year in review, mostly in chronological order.
On the first day of last year we waiting in line outside for our visas for over 24 hours! We stayed warm and got to know the people around us. We made some good friendships that night! It is not something we want to do every year, but it was great to see the body of Christ come and visit us (and even bring us McDonald's cheeseburgers out in the cold)!
After we applied for our visas, we left for England where we spent a few months with some WorldVenture colleagues. We learned about tea, sheep and seeing God move in the face of difficult times. It was challenging, stretching and rewarding to be a part of what God was doing there!
In February, we picked up our visas and in March, we returned to Austria. We set up our apartment and started up again at language school.
We spent most of the spring and summer studying German in a language school.
We had two new additions to our family. In August, we picked up our new puppy Mozzy.
We also found out that we were expecting our first child. Much of our time in the fall and winter has been preparing for our new little bundle of joy to arrive early in 2014.
Thinking back on all of this, the word that came to mind for me was "faithful." The Lord has continually been faithful to us to provide for our needs in so many ways. He has led some very wonderful people into our lives and given us far more than we could have asked for or imagined! It is easy to have a forward focus on life and always be looking to the next thing, but it is equally important to meditate on the ways that God has provided for his people.
Question: How will you seek to remember what God has done this last year?
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| Bethany and Nate with their visa paperwork |
In February, we picked up our visas and in March, we returned to Austria. We set up our apartment and started up again at language school.
We spent most of the spring and summer studying German in a language school.
We had two new additions to our family. In August, we picked up our new puppy Mozzy.
We also found out that we were expecting our first child. Much of our time in the fall and winter has been preparing for our new little bundle of joy to arrive early in 2014.
Thinking back on all of this, the word that came to mind for me was "faithful." The Lord has continually been faithful to us to provide for our needs in so many ways. He has led some very wonderful people into our lives and given us far more than we could have asked for or imagined! It is easy to have a forward focus on life and always be looking to the next thing, but it is equally important to meditate on the ways that God has provided for his people.
Question: How will you seek to remember what God has done this last year?
